The rise of technology has opened up opportunities for people as well as companies to change their working patterns. Gone were the days when you had to endure the long journeys riddled with traffic to get to your office.
With the internet acting as a bridge, you can now work in the comfort of your homes and avoid the wastage of time that often goes into traveling. However, every structure has flaws, and so does working remotely. According to High5, working from home can lead to even greater chances of employee burnout.
This is why it is crucial to be adept at time management because there is no work pressure or a person to monitor your productivity. This is why we have compiled this list of tips and tricks for remote employee teams to excel in their fields!
1. Play Detective by Tracking Time
We become the masters of our time when we are part of a remote team. The first step in planning out a work schedule is first to understand how we utilize our time, and to do this; we must first track our activities with time’s flow.
Time tracking helps you analyze how various tasks affect the time you consume in performing them, and this goes a long way in helping us plan out our week’s scheduling and assigning the right amount of time for each activity.
Now, the big challenge is to record the activities we do manually, and well, undoubtedly, this will be an arduous task. Thankfully many sites like Keeping.nl are designed to help you in tracking your time!
They can create timesheets and layout graphs and statistics along with handling the data capturing processes automatically.
2. Embrace Time Blocking Tasks
One of the biggest challenges that we face when being a part of a remote team is time allocation. The inability to handle tasks within deadlines arises because the time we consume to perform these tasks is not proportionate to the value of the work we perform.
This is where time blocking acts as a beacon of hope by helping you organize your schedule so that you do not end up panicking at the last moment. Time blocking involves assigning finite blocks of time for each task based on its complexity and value.
This ensures that you do not consume large chunks of time for simple activities. Besides, a little competitive pressure might just be the push you need to activate your brain and productivity!
3. Vigilance about Meeting Schedules
Forgetting a meeting might offset your workflow and cause vast delays because sometimes, not getting updates becomes a major hindrance. Keeping an eye on team meetings is crucial because if these meetings spring up suddenly, it might mess up your schedule too!
Keeping track of these team meetings ensures that you get the necessary updates and helps you plan a schedule that incorporates and allocates time for the meeting. You can use smart calendars to keep tabs on these team meetings and ensure that your productivity is not cut down by a meeting popping up between your tasks!
4. Bye Bye Distractions
Distractions are devils that devour away your time and your planning. Since no one monitors your work, binging shows on Netflix is only a click away. It is a temptation that you often fail to resist when you are part of a remote employee team.
This intrusion of distractions can ultimately cost you productivity and credibility! The absence of direct visibility can obscure your goals, and with nothing to fuel your desire to fulfill your tasks, you often become prey by succumbing to distractions.
The best way to avoid these distractions is to block social media or entertainment apps’ notifications because these can shift your focus and compel you to indulge with the devil! Another way is to use anti-distraction tools to block out apps that divert you. However, do not end up putting your phone on silent because you might miss out on important work calls!
5. Say Hi to Breaks
Sometimes people feel guilty about taking breaks. The stringent work ethics that you follow might be the reason for your downfall! According to various studies, it is proven that people working remotely are known to take lesser breaks than people working in office spaces.
Not taking breaks is a potent cocktail for employee burnout because it ends up draining you. This means that you consume larger time periods to perform the same task; your productivity takes a dip and spirals down.
This is why when we decide on our schedules, we should keep our cognitive limitations in mind and ensure that there are sufficient numbers and durations of breaks. These breaks allow your brains to recuperate, and we all know how a fresh brain works!
You can sip a cup of coffee or perhaps go and listen to that one tune that soothes your stressed mind, or go and mediate! You can do any activity to refresh both your body and mind during these breaks!
However, remember not to extend the break at any cost. It is a trap that can cost you your time!
6. Time for a Location Change!
What does location change have to with time management? The ambiance you work in influences your work productivity. Too many background noises or wallpapers might sway your brain.
It is difficult to focus on working when you are especially working at home because your children might be pleading you to play with them, or someone out there might be yelling or wailing. It is best to shift to a cafe or perhaps a coworking space.
The serene atmosphere might inspire you to work harder, smarter, and faster! Besides, it can simulate the office space and act as a motivator too!
Final Words
Time management in the remote mode of work is an inevitable challenge. It is easy to succumb to the commotion you are surrounded by and get your productivity hindered. However, remember to set goals and deadlines even if there are none!
Human nature is peculiar, and it works in strange ways. Planning schedules and setting deadlines ensures that you are always fueled to accomplish and prosper!
