Working Remotely: How to Set Up Your Space and Get Work Done
With physical distancing and self-isolation now a necessity, most employees are currently working from home. For those familiar with working remotely, this will be a pretty seamless transition, but for those who aren’t, shifting from the office to the home office can be a bit of a challenge.
Working from home requires rules and boundaries for a successful transition, but generally — after a bit of a set-up period — productivity shouldn’t suffer with a distributed team. Some research suggests that employees that work from home are actually more productive than in the office. According to Ctrip, employees at home complete 13.5% more calls than their office-working employees did.
Though there isn’t a strict set of rules, there are some general guidelines that you can follow to set up your space and ensure that productivity doesn’t suffer during an at-home work-day.
Designate an office space
The first step to a successful transition is choosing where exactly you’re going to work.
Try choosing a room or space that is separate from your personal life. For example, you may have a difficult time focusing if you’re working in your kitchen, especially if you have a partner, kids, or roommates who also use the space.
Do whatever you can to keep your work and personal projects separate. This will segment your tasks, maximize your productivity, and assist in a healthy work/life balance. Many people who work from home find that they never stop working — simply because the work is always accessible to them.
Make sure your space is free from distractions — one with few family members traipsing in-and-out and no tempting television is ideal. Distractions can quickly overrun your schedule and hinder your productivity.
When you first transition to remote work, overcoming distractions and keeping your work in one designated space will be your primary struggle.
Set-up your workspace
In order to actually get work done, you need to have a workspace that inspires and motivates you to show up every day (even if it’s in sweatpants).
You’ll need tools that will allow you to connect remotely — an internet connection and a computer at the least — and some items and resources to make your remote space feel like a real office space.
Consider getting a large desk, or converting a piece that you already have (that old worktable in the basement maybe?), that will allow you to spread out. Having a desk is the easiest way to mimic an office setting when you’re working from home.
To stay organized, keep a calendar, or daytimer, and notepad close at hand to allow you to set yourself a schedule, jot down to-do lists, and keep track of thoughts or tasks. Ensure you have the same tools available in your home office space that you have in your work office space.
Set boundaries (with yourself and your family)
In order to be, and stay, productive, you’ll have to set strict boundaries for yourself and the people around you. Tell your family and friends that you are unavailable from the hours of nine to five (or whatever time you decide you want to work).
Close a door or put up a sign when you are on professional calls, so you aren’t disturbed, and make sure the people that you live with understand that when you are in your designated office space, you are at work.
Set specific break periods for yourself and let your colleagues know that you will now be available for calls or emails during this time. Use your breaks to respond to personal text messages, go for a walk, handle chores, or scroll through Instagram. This allotted time for break periods will help keep you accountable during your work hours, but also ensure that you actually take breaks and don’t work non-stop through the day.
Be proactive with your schedule
With no manager looking over your shoulder or colleagues to keep you in check, you are now in charge of your productivity. Review your to-do list every morning and lay out your tasks for the day.
Try setting timers to help you stay on track. Allot a certain time to be spent on each job to ensure you stay focused before moving on to the next undertaking. A timer will create a sense of urgency and accomplishment — which are both essential puzzle pieces to improving productivity and motivation.
Some employees may benefit from a meeting-free day. This is a set day where you can tune into your work and not be distracted by meetings. As you’re working from home, it can be difficult to power back up following a meeting. A meeting-free day can help your schedule stay more organized.
Set and celebrate milestones
When you’re working in an office environment, you have team members and coworkers to celebrate milestones with you.
When working from home, you won’t have the same daily encouragement from team members, so creating a milestone list is a great way to give yourself virtual pats on the back when you’ve completed a task.
Write your list down and make sure you celebrate once you’ve reached your milestone. When you’re the only motivating factor in your day, it’s important to always keep your dedication to productivity. By achieving little goals, you’re more likely to continue on the path to success.
Regularly check-in with your team
Clear communication is essential to staying connected with your team and continuing to produce excellent work. Many employers feel that remote work will be detrimental to office culture —but it doesn’t have to be.
Once a team is centered around effective communication, all processes and procedures will work more seamlessly. By using digital meeting tools, you can keep your team connected and facilitate innovation.
In fact, digital meetings might be more beneficial than office meetings. Many employees feel uncomfortable speaking up during an in-person meeting, so a digital meeting is an excellent way to appeal to introverted people. Digital contact (using a tool like Stormboard) between teammates allows for stress-free and convenient communication throughout the work-day.
Make sure you check in with teammates and the beginning and end of the day, and if you are unsure about a task, ask!
Are you looking for a digital tool to use with your remote team?
Stormboard helps remote teams set up meetings, capture, organize, and discuss ideas in real-time, and then assign tasks in a digital meeting space that you can return to again and again.
Use one of our hundreds of built-in templates for business processes like Agile, Kanban, and SWOT, or customized templates for company-specific processes can be created to make your meetings more effective and efficient. Compile all of the information in your Storms (what we call your digital meeting space) in PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and more formats to be used as meeting minutes, presentations, or reports.
Apps for iOS, Android, and Windows 10 devices are available and work in real-time on any device with a web browser from your 4” phone to your 85” Microsoft Surface Hub!
Learn more about our 30-day FREE Trial here.
About the Author
Celina Dawdy is a freelance writer in Edmonton, Alberta. When she isn’t writing, she’s volunteering and spending time with her three dogs.
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