With more people chasing a digital nomadic lifestyle, more companies are finding ways to accommodate such a luxury. Since the global pandemic, companies are starting to understand how they can effectively cut costs while maintaining happier employees who get to work from home or wherever they have internet access.
But now, as a remote employee, can you still work effectively? While it may seem difficult to manage, it is absolutely possible. All you have to do is have a little innovation and a lot of self-discipline.
Here are four tips for traveling and working remotely.
1. Communicate With Your Managers
Finding ways to effectively communicate with your team and higher-ups is the number one most important thing you can do when working remotely. Unfortunately, not all businesses have found effective ways to do so.
Communication can be increased amongst colleagues and throughout the company through the use of SMS text messaging for internal communications. This allows people to stay informed, engaged, and can even improve overall productivity since it’s used through mobile devices.
And let’s face it, everyone at your job likely has a cell phone they scroll on occasionally throughout the workday. So if you think you may not be communicating enough, over-communicate and find ways to implement even more communication to the internal structure of the company.
2. Learn Self-Discipline
This probably is one of the biggest challenges for many remote workers. While you may assume self-discipline has to do with holding yourself accountable to do the work, it’s also knowing when it’s time to stop working.
Working from home can actually make it significantly more difficult to shut off after work hours. Usually when you are in the office, you send a few end of the day emails, shut off your computer, and head home for the day. When you work remotely, your work is with you at all times.
Learning the art of self-discipline starts by setting yourself up with a regimented schedule. Some jobs may be contracted work, so when the project is done, so are you. Others are more nine-to-five based, but that doesn’t mean they all work in the same time zone.
Learning how to set yourself up with a schedule and sticking to it can be incredibly helpful in holding you accountable while simultaneously avoiding burnout.
3. Be Grateful For Your Privilege
Working remotely is a privilege that many people still don’t have. You are able to move to any city of your choice, run personal errands throughout the day, and have your kids at home with you if they have a day off school. These are opportunities that many people only hope to get.
It’s important to be grateful for the privileges your job has allowed you to have. Being grateful can help you become a more productive and effective employee. If you had a job that required you to be in the office, you may have had a more difficult time being able to step away for a dentist appointment or needing to pick your child up from daycare.
If you are having a tough day at work, just remember that you have something that thousands of people dream about.
4. Set Your Workspace Up For Success
Your workspace is where you will be spending the majority of your day. It’s important that you are setting yourself up for success by creating a work environment that is conducive to your specific work needs.
Everything from investing in the proper computer to having the right software will make all of the difference in your work ethic. Create a workspace you are excited to get to by setting the ambiance. When you work remotely, you may not necessarily be working from home.
Set the lighting to be more natural by setting up your computer in front of a nearby window. Pick a coffee shop that has reliable internet and a comfortable workstation for you. Or perhaps investing in a local coworking space could make all the difference in your work ethic.
Summary
When working remotely, you have to remember to create an environment that sets you up for success. This means your workspace, how you work with your team, and as well as your mindset.
Once you’ve narrowed down these aspects, you will find a significant change in becoming more effective and efficient when working remotely.