While working from home has its benefits, there are some disadvantages. Remote work is often touted as the solution for productivity and mental health, but this is not always the case, as many remote workers who have experienced the downsides first-hand will tell you.
For example, Silvia Lupone, who works remotely as the owner and operations manager for StingRay Villa, says: “Working while managing my home is not practical as well as many will call with menial or household tasks in the day which takes me out from work mode and makes it hard to get back into the flow.”
Lupone, and other freelancers, entrepreneurs, and employed professionals interviewed for this piece report the same concerns: not only is it hard to maintain focus, but they have problems logging off when working from home. “Due to the fact that commuting is no longer necessary, it becomes hard to switch off from work, and I often work late owing to the absence of an end of the day. It is hard to switch off work, even when one is off duty, as there are no clear cut borders,” she says.
So is remote work the problem?
No, remote work is not the issue. What you do with your remote work setup and your day-to-day work habits is what matters more than simply being permitted by your employer to work from home. The only difference is that in an office setting, all the factors conducive to productivity or made for you. At home, you need to deliberately and intentionally create that environment for yourself.
Try these seven suggestions for boosting your remote work productivity:
1. AI Tools For Remote Work
Artificial intelligence tools go a long way towards reducing your workload and relieving you of admin tasks, or work about work, so you can concentrate on delivering your actual role. When you understand how to incorporate AI into your workflow, you will find that you’re way more productive and efficient, the quality of your output improves, and you will save time as well.
2. Deep Work
Another way to ensure that your remote work setup is actually working for you, is to allocate time for “deep work.” Deep work is when you allocate an hour or a few hours of undisturbed time so you can zone into focus for mentally draining tasks.
For most people, this works best first thing in the morning, as the afternoon is when fatigue starts to creep in.
For others working remotely, especially if you are collaborating across multiple time zones, you may find that your best time for deep work is in the evening once the kids are in bed, or any time slot when most of your colleagues are not awake due to their time zones.
3. Distraction-Free Environment For Remote Work
Keeping a dedicated workspace free from distractions in your home is critical to ensuring you are able to concentrate and deliver your best in your work. You won’t be able to reap the full benefits of working remotely if at home, there is clutter on your desk or work area, you don’t have an allocated space or room in which to work, and family members or those you live with are free to walk in and out and make background noise as they please.
If having a distraction-free space at home is not possible, consider informing those you live with of your working arrangement so that they can be considerate enough to adapt accordingly and respect your work space. Otherwise, if all else fails, you might want to try working from a local cafe with good wifi, or renting out a co-working space so you can get out of the house occasionally.
4. High-Priority Tasks First
Another element of remote work productivity is putting high-priority tasks first and getting them out of the way first thing in the morning. Try using the Eisenhower Matrix, in which your work gets divided into four priority categories, so that you can ensure you’re devoting the right mount of time to what’s most important and not wasting time on needless emails and meetings, scrolling through team chats, or browsing the internet.
5. Asynchronous Communication
While we’re on the topic of needless meetings, don’t forget to leverage async communication and collaboration tools to help you be more efficient and reduce unnecessary time being wasted. While you may not be able to control the actions of your colleagues to a certain extent, you can push back on meeting requests from team members and ask them if what they need to discuss could be done as well via email or team chats in Slack/Teams.
Equally, before sending a meeting invite, consider, Is having a meeting the best format for this discussion, and if it is, how can I plan the meeting in a way that reduces the chances of participants going off topic and not actually getting any work done?
6. Taking Regular Breaks
Schedule regular breaks, intermittent throughout your work schedule, to encourage you to take your eyes off the screen, stretch, go for a quick walk, or have a change of scenery. This helps you protect your mental health and enables you to bring more energy and passion into your work. Sitting glued to your laptop and monitor at your WFH desk all day will not do your physical or mental wellbeing any good.
7. Setting Expectations
Finally, set clear expectations to your boss, stakeholder, and co-workers so that they understand when to expect to hear back from you, especially if you work across multiple time zones. This can be as simple as blocking out portions of your calendar, making your calendar visible or sharing it with others, leaving a note in your work email signature, and/or clarifying in advance how your work week is typically structured so they understand when to contact you and when to expect a timely response. Without defining boundaries, you will be at the mercy of whatever is hurled into your work email or chat.
This also includes setting boundaries so that the lines are not blurred between work and your personal life. Be intentional about disconnecting from work once you’re finished for the day, so that you can attend to your personal responsibilities and downtime.
So, does remote work really boost your productivity and wellbeing? That’s up to you to decide.