Once you hear the term "Remote Work", you are most likely thinking about your laptop, coffee, and being anywhere you like. No one is there to see if you are concentrated or not; No one is there to see if you are working or taking a break. What could get better?
Remote work is indeed great, it is fun, it is interesting, but those are the only things you hear all the time. Everything has a downside, and those downsides are usually not always mentioned about remote work.
I'm not here to tell you that you are doomed if you work at home, or that it is a bad thing. I'm just showing you some things you should keep in mind about remote work.
Here are some things most won't tell you about remote work:
Distractions
Many may think it is easier to work at home in order to avoid distractions but that isn't always true. Unless you live at home alone, there are always people that can distract you easier than at the office. Maybe you are married and have kids, or many family members that live together, or even a student that lives with flatmates.
Sometimes that can make it harder for you to work remotely than at the office. Although, there are ways to avoid this. Here are some ways you can try to solve this problem:
Tell others that what you are doing is very important for your career. I'm sure they will understand that you are living off that income and that it is important for you to stay focused.
Try to have some personal space/room that everyone knows is your "office".
Lock the door or put some sign on your door that indicates you aren't free during that time.
Go to a quiet area far from your home that can help you work in peace.
Self- Discipline
Because no one is physically monitoring you at home, some of us will tend to always say "I'll do it later". Remote work requires lots of self-discipline and if you don't have it, you'll have lots of issues with your time management.
Something you want to avoid when working remotely is to leave tasks for later. Since you are not working with the 9-5 schedule, you definitely want to put a limit on yourself of how you manage your time. A good way is to maybe schedule at what time you will do what.
You want to also pay close attention to what time you have that highest productivity hours. Since you have a flexible time schedule, try and work the most when you are feeling the best during a certain time of the day.
Mental Energy
Working remotely might be just as draining as working at a office. The lack of social interaction can be very exhausting in the long term. That is why you definitely shouldn't sit around all the time. To keep your mental energy boosted, try going out with your friends or family when you are free, maybe go for walk or even go for a hike in nature.
You don't want the lack of social interaction to get to you, so it is important you keep your energy high in order to keep your productivity at the highest level. If you are a hard worker, then of course your mind also needs a lot of energy.
Communication
Don't think you can just wander around and leave all your tasks for later. Your manager will still contact you to see if you are doing the task or not, depending on when it has to be done. It is very important to communicate with your manager on what you are doing so you don't get any surprises.
Communicating where you are isn't the only important thing when you are working remotely. It is important you let your team have belief in you that you can learn how to complete something, and that you can get things done before deadlines.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and communicate with your team via Google Meet, Zoom, etc. It is always important you still keep that teamwork going even though nobody is seeing each other.
Conclusion
Remote work is definitely the future of life. It has become even more common during the pandemic period and is seen to be a good way of avoiding unnecessary expenses.
With the increase of AI, remote work is also increasing because of the many physical jobs that are being replaced by robots.
You heard the things most won't tell you about remote work but that doesn't mean you can't overcome them. Follow these tips and make remote work incredible!
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