Today, more employees are working remotely than ever before. As a remote worker, we must ensure that we are properly set-up for us to be successful, given that there are many elements that are now within our control.  

Remote working, often known as telecommuting, allows employees in a variety of industries to continuously contribute to the organisation in a unique way. By working remotely, employees are also improving their work-life balance as they have more control over their working environment. The flexibility in remote work has sparked discussions over how productive remote workers really are. Here are some easy strategies that I would like to share, that we may incorporate into our daily routine to achieve maximum efficiency when working remotely. 

Apps that block distractions should be used  

Distractions abound, even in a remote work environment, where it’s easy to become side-tracked. It’s critical to develop strategies to prevent distracting factors, such as social media notifications, in order to stay productive. Because we are so reliant on technology, here are two distraction-blocking apps that may be beneficial to our productivity and ability to stay focused. 

• SelfControl: While this popular tool is mostly for Macs, it allows us to customise our limits by banning specific distracting websites, our mail servers, and just about everything else on the internet for as long as 24 hours. At the end of the blocked period, an alert will sound, returning access to the prohibited functions. SelfControl app has the added benefit of preventing us from visiting the sites we’ve blocked until the time has elapsed, even if we restart our computer or delete the software. 
• Freedom: This program can block apps and social media, as well as the entire internet, on our iPhone, iPad and Mac computers. Freedom disconnects us from the internet for up to eight hours at a time, allowing us to focus on our duties and enhancing our productivity. Unlike the SelfControl, this app may be turned off by restarting the computer. 

Create a To-do List 

Preparing a to-do list by scheduling chores, or prioritising our tasks based on deadlines and urgency level are all examples of task management. 

Provide a set of dates and times for our colleagues to contact us 

A fixed schedule is a weekly timetable that informs our co-workers about our working hours and days. Setting a fixed schedule is beneficial in the following ways: 

• It demonstrates our professionalism. 
• It makes adapting to different time zones easier. 
• It makes strategic planning of team duties and projects much easier. 

Initiate regular updates on our work’s progress 

It’s a simple and effective approach to keep our team informed and engaged. It also offers a foundation for responsibility and accountability, as it promotes work transparency. More importantly, should we run into any problems, it will be easier to enlist the assistance of our colleagues. This approach indirectly validates how productive we are as remote workers. 

Final words…

Working as a remote employee necessitates effective communication for work engagement, which would facilitate increased productivity. Communication can be facilitated by engaging our co-workers, delivering project updates, holding regular meetings and catch-ups, and employing particular technical tools.  

Discover what works best for you and your team and make the necessary changes to increase your productivity and efficiency. 

Good luck!