Due to the ongoing threat presented by the novel coronavirus, many employers are allowing team members to work remotely – if not insisting on it. Fortunately, there’s a lot to be said for remote work. Not only does it save you the trouble of a daily commute, it takes frustrating office politics completely out of the equation. However, if this is your first time working from home, you may experience an adjustment phase. For example, if you’ve grown used to the structure and routine that are synonymous with formal workplaces, efficiently conducting your job duties from home is likely to require a bit of practice. Newly remote workers looking to excel in their new work environment would do well to heed the following pointers.

Create a Schedule and Stick to it 

For people who are unaccustomed to working from home, the lack of structure can prove difficult to get used to. If you report to a formal workplace every day, odds are your time at the office is relatively structured. Furthermore, you know exactly what time work starts and ends, which can prove helpful to plotting out your week. However, even if you have no experience with creating your own structure, doing so isn’t nearly as difficult as you may think. 

For starters, decide on a manageable time to begin the workday, as well as a good time to conclude it. Next, decide on the ideal daily quota to complete all of your currently-assigned tasks by their respective deadlines. Once you’ve settled on the amount of work you’ll need to finish each day in order to meet your various deadlines, things are likely to look a lot less daunting moving forward.  

Know When to Call it a Day 

Knowing when to call it a day is another important part of sticking to a set schedule. When working from home, it can be difficult for certain people to definitively end the workday at a decent hour. The way these individuals figure it, they can’t call it quits until every conceivable task is completed. While dedication to one’s job is an admirable trait to possess, working yourself to the bone and failing to properly pace yourself can leave you exhausted – both physically and mentally. That being the case, make a point of clocking out once your daily quota has been met.   

Regularly Reward Yourself  

Even when you’re working in an office, distractions can be a consistent problem. The temptation to check social media, shop online and engage in other non-work-related tasks can oftentimes prove overwhelming. Not only is giving in to such temptation liable to get you in trouble, it also stands to distract you from your job duties and hinder productivity. 

Although playing around online can act as a hindrance, it can also function as an effective reward for your efforts. For instance, allowing yourself five to ten minutes of social media check-ins and other forms of pleasure browsing for every two to three hours of uninterrupted work can provide you with ample incentive to keep your nose to the grindstone. Alternatively, if you’re not big on pleasure browsing, snacks, television breaks and other indulgences can act as suitable substitutes.     

Indulge in Relaxing Pastimes 

In order to keep yourself sharp and maintain a calm, healthy mindset, take care to indulge in relaxing pastimes. There’s no question that life can be stressful, but allowing that stress to consume you stands to negatively impact every facet of your existence – especially your job performance. People who live in states in which recreational marijuana use is legal may be well-served by strains of cannabis and CBD products that are created with stress relief in mind. Certain CBG products may also prove helpful in this regard. If you’re a newcomer to cannabis, take care to read up on CBG vs. CBD.

There are numerous benefits to working from home. Not having to dress formally, roll out of bed at the crack of dawn or deal with interoffice conflicts are just a few of the perks of switching to remote work. Furthermore, with COVID-19 still presenting a very real threat, performing your job duties from the comfort of home also works to keep you and your loved ones safe from the novel coronavirus. Still, if you’ve grown accustomed to working in a formal office environment, you may experience a few growing pains. Fortunately, you can nip this in the bud by taking the previously discussed measures. 

Published on Holr Magazine