Introduction
Working remotely has many perks. I can work from home, which means that I can still be around my son during the day. I can take breaks when he does and play with him in the backyard or take him to the park throughout the day. And it allows me to choose where our family lives, which is great for my husband’s career. However, working remotely does come with some challenges as well—especially if you’re not organized or disciplined about how you go about your workday each morning.
Wake up and get ready for the day.
- Wake up at the same time every day.
- Get enough sleep, but not too much.
- Plan your day ahead of time, especially if there is a lot on your plate that day.
- Don’t forget to exercise!
Eat breakfast.
Breakfast is important. It’s the most important meal of the day, and it’s not just because your mom told you so. There are several reasons why breakfast is so vital:
- It gets your metabolism started on a high note. If you eat something healthy at this time (think eggs or oatmeal), then your body will burn more calories throughout the day because it has fuel to work with. Plus, when we go too long without eating anything substantial, our bodies tend to store fat instead of burning it off as energy; think about how hungry you get after skipping lunch! This leads me into my next point…
- Breakfast helps curb cravings later in the day–and we all know how hard it can be not to give into those cravings when they rear their ugly heads after lunchtime rolls around! By giving yourself some time each morning before work begins where there aren’t any distractions (or temptations), this keeps them at bay until dinnertime rolls around again later in evening hours..
Set a workspace.
- Set a workspace.
- Make sure you have a place to work that is comfortable and conducive to productivity. This can include things like having all the right tools, such as good lighting and ergonomic chairs, but it also means making sure your surroundings are free from distraction and clutter. While some people prefer working in silence others find noise helpful in keeping them focused on their task at hand–it’s all up to you! If possible try out different types of workspaces until you find one that works best for you: whether this means going somewhere quiet or noisy with other people around; working from home versus going out into public places; or even just moving around within your own house/apartment/room depending on which room makes sense for the kind of work being done there today (eek!).
Have a morning routine.
As a remote worker, it’s important to maintain a consistent morning routine. You don’t have the same kind of accountability as someone who works in an office or has coworkers around them, so if you don’t structure your days with some sort of consistency and structure, they can easily get away from you.
The first thing I do when I wake up is check my email and Slack channels with the rest of my team first thing in the morning. Then I make coffee (or tea) and take time for myself before starting work: reading news articles or checking Twitter might be part of this time frame depending on what else needs doing that day–but only after checking in with everyone else!
Keep your email inbox clean and organized.
You should always aim to keep your email inbox clean and organized. Here’s how:
- Use labels instead of folders. If you’re used to organizing emails into folders, this will take some getting used to. But the benefit is that labels are much more flexible than folders–you can apply them on-the-fly and they’ll automatically appear in search results, which makes it easier for teammates or clients to find what they need without having to dig through your entire inbox.
- Automate as many tasks as possible with filters. Filters allow you set up automatic actions based on specific criteria (such as “all emails from my boss go into one label”), so that when a new email comes in, it will be filtered based on those rules–saving time otherwise spent manually applying labels or moving messages around manually every time there’s an update on a project or task list item etcetera..
You can do your job from anywhere, but you still need to take care of yourself!
You can do your job from anywhere, but you still need to take care of yourself!
If you’ve followed the advice above and have set up a routine for yourself that allows for self-care and productivity in equal measure, then congratulations. You’ve officially become a remote worker who can get things done without feeling like they’re missing out on anything by not being in an office environment. But there are some things that might still be standing between you and true joy as a freelancer:
- Your co-workers aren’t around anymore. This is probably the biggest challenge for me–I love talking about work with other people (and also hearing about their lives outside of work). It helps me feel connected when I’m on my own all day long or if I’m working remotely while traveling abroad. So how do we solve this problem? The answer lies within another question: What would happen if instead of complaining about how lonely it feels sometimes being away from everyone else at work all day long instead tried reaching out via social media channels like Facebook Messenger or Skype?
Conclusion
I hope this post has helped you get started with your own daily routine. Remember, it’s not about being perfect–it’s about doing the best that you can and taking care of yourself. If something isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to try something new!
