The corporate landscape has shifted a complete 180 degrees over the past few years. From having an established 9-5 setup to experiencing the pandemic that birthed remote work and is becoming prevalent more than ever, it is even becoming a trend that companies around the world are implementing.
When you start your remote journey, you need to be equipped with tools like a good working laptop, a VPN extension, and any peripherals that you will need. Most likely, you are reading this blog to find ways to become the ultimate remote worker. True enough, this article will cover how you can maximize productivity while achieving work-life balance to the essential tools that can enhance your remote work experience.
The Growing Trend Of Remote Work
Remote work is not a trend that instigates laziness in modern society but a step into innovation to make it possible for individuals to shift into flexible work arrangements and attend to their corporate duties while they are in the comfort of their homes—or wherever they deem fit.
As shown in this chart from Statista, many employees experienced better benefits in working remotely than being in the office most of the time. These benefits include flexibility, better time management, and financial freedom. Employers also reap advantages such as access to a global talent pool and cost savings.
As the evolution of the workplace becomes closer to achieving work-life balance, there are still a few of us who find it hard to separate work from our daily day-to-day activities. Due to this, it’s important to develop an understanding of remote work and adapt to this emerging travel-work culture.
How To Become A Pro In Remote Work
You already know about the benefits and advantages of being a remote worker; traveling, working from the comfort of your home, and gaining control of your time. However, there are certain aspects that you must have to fully embrace a remote work setup.
Here are some ways to transform yourself to become a pro at remote working:
Have A Dedicated Workspace
You knew of breakfast in bed, but have you ever heard of working in bed? It is what most of us imagine as the life of a remote worker. However, contrary to this dreamland, it is not productive to do your work in bed.
Instead, you can create a work area at home. That way, you can separate your relaxation space from your workspace. It can also help you stay organized and productive throughout your working hours.
Socialize With Coworkers
As remote workers, interaction with your coworkers or team is very limited. Due to this, make sure that you make an effort to connect with them.
Organizing informal meetings and spending time getting to know one another are among the popular ways to connect with your team. You can also make it fun with quizzes, games, and other virtual tools.
In a professional setting, exchanging feedback can also produce great chemistry within the team and improve your relationship with them.
Keep Communication Lines Open
Developing communication and comprehension skills in remote work is crucial, as you won’t be seeing your team in person. More so, it is essential for the success of every business.
Make sure to communicate and cooperate with your team, especially regarding your schedule or your work tasks. Having regular check-ins is also a great idea, as it can allow you to mingle with your teammates and interact more with them.
Set Your Schedule
Working on your daily routine can boost your productivity and allow you to know what to focus on. Usually, remote workers often mix their personal and work schedules, which becomes a problem in the long run.
However, with a clear schedule and routine, you can set work-life boundaries and prevent burnout while working from home. Define your morning and evening activities as well as your work hours.
Work Smart
Making things easier is an underrated skill for remote workers. Repetitive and simple tasks, for example, can be automated and completed within minutes.
Some remote workers also create different strategies to help them navigate their remote working lives a little easier. Others prefer to complete difficult tasks first and vice versa, while some have it easier by making to-do lists.
Best Tools For Remote Work
Among the ways to enhance your remote work experience is by leveraging technology and using tools that will allow you to maximize your productivity. A thousand tools and software have emerged over the past few years, but we’ve listed a few to get you started.
Here are some tools that you can use to navigate a work-from-home setup:
Slack
One of the most popular tools for remote work is Slack, where you can communicate with either the team or a member of your team. Chats can also be organized according to category which makes it a lot easier to navigate.
ClickUp
An app for better project management, ClickUp allows you and your team to collaborate and work in one ecosystem. You can assign tasks, brainstorm, and keep all your documents and conversations in one place.
Fellow
A meeting management software where teams can have more engaging remote meetings, Fellow allows the team to connect their calendars and add a collaborative agenda per meeting.
Confluence
Confluence is software that can help you organize announcements and other documents all in one place! It will allow the team to easily navigate documents, notes, and best practices and keep updated even in a remote work setting.
Canva
Beginners and graphic enthusiasts hold Canva as a blessing for our modern workspace. Aside from having a thousand templates and elements to use in creating design assets for web and social media, you can also share them within team accounts, which makes collaboration a whole lot easier!
What’s Next
Mastering remote work is not just a way of adapting to the new standard of our industry but also having a deep understanding of this evolving trend. It is a dynamic landscape that can require employees and employers alike to do a lot of trial and error, especially in the first years of getting into it.
With traveling and remote work not going anytime soon, individuals and companies should be prepared to embrace its opportunities and challenges. Setting boundaries between your personal and professional lives, being more communicative, and taking responsibility for yourself are some ways that can bring you a much more enjoyable remote work experience. Moreover, taking advantage of tools and software will also allow you to thrive in this new era of work.
So, as you embark on your journey to becoming the ultimate remote worker, keep in mind the three things that will skyrocket your success–embracing a mind of productivity, collaboration, and the courage to adapt and try new things.
