How To Stay Sane, Focused, And Productive As A Remote Worker
When you’ve worked in an office, retail store, or other commercial property for years, transitioning to a virtual workspace is challenging – especially during a pandemic. The pressures of your home life, social isolation, current events, learning new systems, and trying to maintain performance and deadline requirements are overwhelming. Some days you want to scream, and others, you want to ball up on the couch and gorge on comfort foods.
While some employees have returned to the workplace, remote work is the new norm for others. If you fall in the latter group, you must learn practical ways to maintain your sanity, stay focused, and get productive. Below are some suggestions.
Daily Schedules
Trying to overlap home and work activities will surely drive you crazy. Having a daily schedule helps to keep things organized. Write down a list of your responsibilities like cooking, getting the kids to school, household chores, work, homework, and other activities. Designate times of day when you’ll get each thing done. Then add the schedule to your corkboard, calendar, or smartphone app with reminders to help you stay on track.
Self-Care
When you’re in the house all the time, it’s easy to start overlooking your appearance, skipping meals, or lounging around. Although being lazy on occasion is great for your mental health, making it a daily habit can result in physical and emotional health problems. Continue caring for yourself. That includes eating nutritious meals, grooming, keeping up with hygiene, exercising, skincare routines, and bedtime routines.
Take Supplements
If being a remote worker is causing you to feel sluggish or lose focus, perhaps you need a little boost. Talk to your doctor about taking natural supplements for mental focus or increased energy. Using these supplements along with maintaining the self-care practices listed above can help give you the clarity you need to remain productive all day.
Create Systems For Work
It’s hard to stay sane or focused when you’re not organized. Although you’re no longer in the office, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have routines and systems to simplify your workday. Make use of online tools like calendars and task management applications to help you be more productive. Daily notifications will ensure you don’t miss a beat, while keeping a record of your completed assignments provides an opportunity to reduce weaknesses and perform better.
Connect With Co-Workers
Feeling disconnected from your coworkers isn’t uncommon when you work remotely. Although you might communicate through emails, chatrooms, or online meetings, it’s not the same as being in person. Find other creative ways to connect with co-workers personally or professionally.
You can host virtual lunches, meet for coffee, call each other on the phone instead of sending emails, or explore the nightlife every other Friday. The more connected you guys feel, the easier it is to stay productive and collaborate as a team.
Reduce Or Eliminate Distractions
If you find it difficult to focus while working remotely, perhaps there are too many distractions around. You’d be surprised how easy it is to take your mind off the task at hand when you’re steps away from the kitchen, television, pets, and kids running around in the background. Do the best you can to reduce or eliminate these distractions.
Give the kids something fun and constructive to do like playing in the yard, arts and crafts, household chores, or homework. Put the pets in the crates or another area like the basement or the backyard, so they’re not too loud. Turn the television off and exchange it for some soothing or upbeat music. Finally, steer clear of distractions like social media, text messages, and phone notifications by turning those features off while you’re working.
Being a remote worker is no joke. It requires emotional endurance, attention to detail, balance, patience, organization, and so much more. If the pressure of remote work is starting to get the best of you, it’s not too late to turn things around. The practical solutions above can help ease your frustration, ensuring that you remain sane, focused, and productive every day.