Introduction
Living in the remote work era has its perks. The ability to live anywhere and work from home is a dream come true for many people. However, it can also be challenging to stay productive on your own schedule when you don’t have office colleagues around to motivate you or hold you accountable. Here are 15 ways to boost productivity and efficiency in the remote work era:
1. Get your workspace ready
- Create a workspace that’s comfortable, efficient and distraction-free.
- Get rid of clutter. You don’t need to keep every piece of paper that comes in the mail; if it doesn’t help you accomplish your work or has no sentimental value, toss it out!
- Make sure you have all the tools for the job–no matter where it takes place! If there’s something missing from your remote setup (e.g., an extra monitor or keyboard), consider ordering one online now so it will arrive before you start working from home full time next week.
- Clear off your desk by removing unnecessary items like piles of books, magazines and other clutter that may distract from getting things done efficiently–or even worse: cause anxiety because they remind us how much work we still have left unfinished!
2. Take your daily vitamins and eat healthy
When you’re working from home, it’s easy to let yourself get distracted by the snacks in your pantry and fridge. However, eating healthy is one of the best ways to boost productivity and efficiency.
When it comes to nutrition, there are two important things to remember: 1) what foods you eat matters just as much as how much of them (and 2) vitamins play an essential role in maintaining health and energy levels throughout the day.
To get more vitamins into your diet:
- Eat whole foods instead of processed ones; this means choosing fruits over juice or going for whole grains over white breads and pastas–the latter often contain preservatives that can make us tired later on down the road due to their lack of nutrients
3. Set a schedule that works for you
One of the most important things you can do to boost productivity and efficiency is to set a schedule that works for you. This might seem like it would be obvious, but many people don’t take the time to actually create a schedule and stick with it.
It’s easy for remote workers to get distracted by other tasks or projects when they have no one else around them telling them what they should be doing at any given moment. The key here is making sure that you have a plan in place so that when distractions come up, they don’t derail your productivity entirely!
4. Use an app to track your sleep patterns and health goals
Sleep is a vitally important part of our lives, and it’s often the first thing to go when we’re busy. But if you want to be productive at work and stay healthy, it’s essential that you get enough sleep every night.
To help ensure that this happens for remote workers like yourself, there are several apps out there that can track your sleep patterns so that they can be used as a guide for improving them in the future.
5. Set boundaries
When you work remotely, it’s easy to feel like you can never escape the office. Your coworkers are just a Slack message away and your boss might be lurking around the corner of your screen at any given moment. You may find yourself feeling guilty about spending time with friends and family or taking breaks from work–but if you don’t take care of yourself first, then no one else will either.
Set boundaries with others: It might seem easier to say yes than no when someone asks for help with something outside of your job description (especially when they’re nice about it), but this habit can quickly become overwhelming and lead to burnout if unchecked over time. Set boundaries by saying no more often than yes–and stick to them! For example: “I’d love to help out with that project if we could figure out how it fits into my schedule.” Or “I’m sorry I can’t make it tonight; I have plans already.”
Set boundaries with yourself: It’s important not only that we set limits on our workloads but also how much time we spend working each day (or week). We know ourselves well enough that there are certain activities which energize us while others drain our energy stores; therefore setting limits based on those factors will allow us greater freedom without feeling overwhelmed by what lies ahead.”
6. Engage in a regular exercise routine
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to keep your mind sharp and your body healthy. Regular physical activity has been shown to improve memory, relieve stress and anxiety, boost mood, increase energy levels – not to mention all those other benefits like better sleep quality!
To get started with an exercise routine:
- Set aside time every day (or week) where you’re going to be able to dedicate yourself fully to working out. The more consistent you are with this habit, the better results you’ll see from it over time.
- Choose something that works for whatever equipment or space is available at home or at work (e.g., treadmill desk). If possible try not just walking or running on a treadmill but doing strength training exercises as well such as push-ups or squats against resistance bands held tightly around ankles/knees/hips; these will help build muscle mass which in turn burns more calories even when resting between workouts!
7. Implement an unplugging ritual at night before bed
For a lot of people, the digital distractions that come along with working remotely can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get lost in the world of social media and email notifications, but this can negatively impact your ability to focus on your work–and even your health. In order for remote workers to stay productive and healthy, it’s important that they implement an unplugging ritual before bedtime each night.
- Turn off your phone and put it away in another room (or leave it at home).
- Do not check social media or emails while laying down in bed; if something urgent comes up and needs immediate attention then use an app like RescueTime which will let you know when there are pending tasks so they don’t interrupt sleep!
- Do not read news articles online–they often contain negative information which could affect how well we sleep as well as our moods throughout the day tomorrow morning when getting ready for work again!
8. Create a productive morning routine with these steps
Wake up early.
- Wake up at least 30 minutes before you have to leave for work. This gives you time to get your day started with a cup of coffee, some quiet time and meditation, or even just taking a shower in peace. If possible, try waking up even earlier than this–as much as an hour before leaving for work would be ideal!
- Drink water throughout the day. It’s easy to forget how important hydration is when we’re working remotely because there aren’t any physical signs that our bodies need more H20 (like being thirsty). But staying hydrated helps keep us alert and productive throughout the day without feeling exhausted by 11am like so many other people do when they don’t drink enough water during their 9-to-5s!
9. Turn off notifications on your phone and computer, and silence it while working through the day if possible
Turn off notifications on your phone and computer. This is a huge productivity booster, but it’s also important to avoid getting distracted by the little bleeps and dings of incoming emails, texts and calls. If you can’t turn off all notifications, at least mute them while working through the day if possible.
Use a timer to keep track of time spent on tasks (and check out RescueTime). As an alternative to turning off notifications or muting them entirely–which might feel like overkill–you can use an app like RescueTime to track how much time you spend in different applications throughout the day so that you know where your focus needs improvement!
10. Use apps like RescueTime to track every website you visit during work hours and give yourself an honest assessment of how much time you waste online every day (and try to cut back on that)
- Use apps like RescueTime and Toggl to track every website you visit during work hours and give yourself an honest assessment of how much time you waste online every day (and try to cut back on that).
- Tell your team members that they can’t use Slack while they’re at the office. If necessary, implement a policy banning all non-work-related activity on Slack during business hours and encourage them to focus on their work instead of chatting with each other about last night’s Game of Thrones episode or what kind of dog breed would make the best pet (spoiler: Labradors).
These steps will help people be more productive
- Be more efficient with your time
- Increase your productivity
- Get more done, faster and better
- Feel better about yourself
Conclusion
We hope this article has given you some tips on how to be more productive and efficient in the remote work era. If you follow these steps and implement them into your daily routine, then we guarantee that your productivity will increase tenfold.
