Four Productivity Hacks For Remote Workers

Although we’re all blessed with the identical 24 hours a day, most of us are considering getting MORE out of our time. The premise of “work smarter, not tougher” is a beautiful one, however what are some concrete methods to be extra productive as a work-at-home skilled?

This query was on my thoughts as I attempted to squeeze extra out of my common workday, so I did some analysis and found some promising concepts, together with the next 4 productiveness hacks for distant employees:

1. Maintain your physique and thoughts

In fact, this listing wouldn’t be full if we didn’t speak in regards to the significance of caring for your self. Consuming effectively (and frequently), understanding, taking time for each day prayer or meditation, and getting correct relaxation are all going to have a direct impression in your capability to be productive. However there are a few simple issues you are able to do that gives you an additional edge:

Drink a glass of water instantly upon waking

The Institute of Medication recommends that we drink at the very least 10 cups of water per day. As I carried out my analysis, I realized that three-fourths of American’s are chronically dehydrated. And if you get up after 8 hours or so, your physique is certainly in a dehydrated state. So, one suggestion is to drink a giant glass of water as quickly as you stand up. In accordance with analysis, it could possibly improve your metabolic fee by 30%, and make your mind work quicker by 14%.

Maintain your eyes, stretch, and preserve sanity with a constant “trip.”

I’ve had a job for over a decade that places me in entrance of a pc display 99% of my workday. In consequence, my imaginative and prescient continues to say no yr after yr. One technique to save your eyes is to mindfully search for from the display and give attention to one thing else additional away. There have been numerous articles outlining the risks of being sedentary, too. So sitting in that chair for 9 hours straight isn’t serving to. One resolution that fixes each points is to schedule frequent breaks (2-5 minutes) all through your day. You may search for out of your work and train your eyes, stretch your physique and transfer round for a minute, and refill your water. An app like Time Out helps by offering you with reminders to take a break.

2. Eradicate distractions

It most likely goes with out saying that one of many main issues that sluggish us down are distractions. These could also be self-induced (like taking a “break” to examine Fb and letting time get away from you), or considerably out of our management (just like the incessant barking out of your neighbor’s canine). There are a couple of suggestions to assist get rid of distractions and get within the zone:

Consider the way you spend your time.

Possibly you aren’t actually positive in case you are dropping treasured time to unnecessary distractions. If that is you, try RescueTime. You merely arrange an account, and it runs within the background of your laptop and cell units and reviews again to you the time you’ve spent on particular functions and web sites. This knowledge may help you to establish “time-sucks” you didn’t essentially know you had, and in consequence, you can also make a sport plan to get rid of them.

Reinforce your self-control.

Okay. Possibly full effectively what’s distracting you and you’ll admit it. You cease to learn an business article and an hour later, find yourself knee-deep in information bites. Or, you far too continuously examine your Twitter or Fb feeds like an addict who’s regularly looking for a “repair.” If you wish to assist your resolve to remain off of those websites throughout your workday, think about instruments like StayFocused. This chrome extension “helps you keep targeted on work by proscribing the period of time you’ll be able to spend on time-wasting web sites.” Set what websites it is advisable keep away from, and upon getting met your time restrict, you’re compelled to maneuver on!

Block out environmental distractions and establish your productiveness soundtrack.

Whether or not it’s the sound of your neighbor’s barking canine; or, your nanny coping with your crying, pissed off toddler; otherwise you simply want one thing to dam out the deafening silence in your house workplace, there are instruments you should use to spice up your focus. Take Focus@Will for instance. They’ve developed a know-how that makes use of your persona kind to create music that they declare promotes mind exercise that’s extra conducive to productiveness. Even ambient noises like rain or a espresso store will be efficient in serving to you to dam out the distractions round you.

3. Set up your workload and check completely different strategies

Everyone knows there are hours once we are extra productive and hours once we battle with productiveness. Consultants advise as an alternative of preventing this actuality, you’re employed with it. Attempt to schedule your duties at sure occasions as a lot as attainable. If you’ll be able to buckle down and give attention to detailed work within the morning, put aside time within the morning to finish that monetary report. Or if in case you have bother concentrating proper after lunch, save among the extra mundane duties, like submitting or finishing expense reviews, for the early afternoon. One other technique to get intentional about the way you manage your work is to spend quarter-hour on the finish of your workday every day to create your to-do listing for the next day. You save treasured time within the morning if you get in, and you’ll schedule these duties you must get achieved throughout a great time slot earlier than your day begins to get hectic.

Do your work in batches or slices of time.

Productiveness specialists agree that multi-tasking is slowing us down. Some specialists imagine the reply is to batch duties as a lot as attainable in the course of the week. So, for instance, possibly you area inner planning conferences on Mondays; shopper conferences on Tuesdays; very detailed, targeted work like reviews on Wednesdays; and many others. The thought is to develop a cadence to your work that can allow you to scale back multi-tasking and improve productiveness. One other concept is to do your work in slices of time. One technique that follows this concept is the Pomodoro Method. The premise of this work technique is to give attention to one process at a time in 30-minute slots. You don’t reply your telephone, e mail, or do anything throughout that 30-minute slot apart from the only process at hand. Then, as soon as your half-hour is up, you are taking a fast 5-minute break and transfer on to the following process.

Shorten the time you’ve allotted to do your work.

Ever have your boss transfer the deadline up considerably on a mission you have been engaged on, and in some way you managed to buckle down and get it achieved? Or, possibly you’re usually somebody who appears to get achieved in 4 hours what it takes your colleagues 8 hours to do. Effectively, the CEO of Tower Paddle Boards, Stephan Aarstol seen this, too.

He applied a 3-month check the place he trimmed down the workday to simply 5 hours and supplied his workers a stake of their continued success with a profit-sharing program. The expectation was that despite the fact that they have been chopping again to five hours, they nonetheless needed to full the identical quantity of labor as they have been doing the check.

The outcomes have been superior, with the corporate reaching Inc. 5000’s listing of America’s fastest-growing firms, nearly $9 million in income, and a happier, extra glad workforce. He even wrote a guide about his expertise in case you are within the particulars. The lesson for us is that this: if we give ourselves much less time to do one thing, we don’t have the posh of procrastinating or getting distracted. We HAVE to be targeted and productive.

4. Block off time to guage your progress

Bettering your productiveness and effectiveness isn’t a “one and achieved” prospect. E-book a while in your calendar at the very least as soon as a month (possibly on a Monday morning or a Friday afternoon) to guage any modifications you’ve made, if these modifications are garnering the impression you have been hoping for or if you happen to ought to check a unique technique. It doesn’t harm to take a second and consider your bodily workspace, too. Possibly your productiveness would improve if you happen to cleared away some litter in your workplace or invested in some new instruments.

Conclusion

What modifications have you ever made to enhance your productiveness? Are there efficient suggestions and tips you’d suggest, or maybe strategies that undoubtedly did NOT give you the results you want? Drop us a notice beneath. We’d love to listen to what productiveness hacks you’ve distant employees!