Thriving remotely is becoming the norm for some companies. The COVID-19 pandemic birthed a lock down that forced everyone to stay indoors for their safety and the safety of the environment at large. To prevent the spread of the virus, everyone had to stay indoors, and since the virus did not give the world any warning, the lock down forced many companies to move from the conventional office setting to a remote environment.

Some workers were used to working from home; however, many people were not familiar with work remotely. The impromptu call for change did not allow companies to do proper planning or to give their staff adequate training. What this means is that workers have to change or adjust their habits to perform their official duties and since most people are not used to working remotely, it is germane that workers are educated on how to hack the way towards thriving remotely.

Here are five keys to thriving remotely

• Have a Schedule:

As a remote worker, you need to set working hours for yourself. You do not have to work throughout the whole day. Have resumption and closing times like you did before you started working remotely. Be faithful to these times. Flexibility is one of the greatest strengths of any remote worker, this means that your resumption and closing times can change from time to time.

If you have a hard time staying faithful to your work hours because you are at home or in a co-working space, certain applications let you track the time that you spend using applications. These applications can also help you find out the time of the day when you are at your peak and you can schedule your work hours around that time so you can be productive.

• Create a Trigger:

It is usually hard for some people to get into work mode. To help you overcome this, you should create something that will trigger the work mode in you. You must do this over time so that becomes more like a habit. It could be that you brew a cup of coffee and that will be what triggers the work mode in you. It could be that you begin work after a morning walk or after breakfast. Whichever activity you choose to do before work, repeat it daily so that you get used to it over time.

• Talk to People Around You:

You need to talk to the people around you, that is, your family members if you are working from home or co-workers if you are working with other adults. You need to agree on what to and what not to do during your work hours. Setting ground rules will help you to avoid distractions from people that share the same space with you. If you have children, they need to know that while you are working, they cannot be making noise or playing around. You can make them read or give them something to do during this time. If you are working with another adult or other adults, you need to agree on how to share the space – when each person gets to use the chair and desks if they are limited.

• Schedule Breaks:

Just as it was when you were going to your office, you need to take breaks during your remote work hours. You can take the breaks the way you used to do it at work, or you can be flexible with it. If you are self-employed, give yourself time away from your computer and phone. If your work causes you to sit at your computer for a long while, you need to get up to take a walk at least once an hour. This will help blood circulate your body and also help you look away from the computer screen.

• Make Requests:

Your company should provide support in making sure that you have all that you need to ensure that you are productive if the company supports that you should work from home. For this, make sure that you always ask when you need something. Since you are working remotely, you will need information or documents from other members of staff from time to time. The company can lecture staff on how to send large files so that they can always help each other out.

Many companies seek training, consulting, and coaching services such as ones offered by CareerStone Group in order to establish successful workplaces. If you see it necessary, you should ask your employer to utilize something similar so that you get more productive in the new work model.

Summary

Thriving remotely requires that you be disciplined and dedicated. Since you are at home, there is the tendency to feel comfortable and unmotivated to work. Also, you might have troubles with your work files getting mixed up with personal files in your system.

It will do you much good to teach your mind when it is time to work and when it is time for personal stuff. You can partition your hard drive into two for work and personal use. You can also dedicate a particular chair and table in the house for work so that whenever you are on the chair, your brain and body know that it is time to work. Check out this article on developing relationships remotely.