Working remotely: Everything you should know before you start

In 2016, about 25 per cent of the US workers employed at remote locations in some way. the number of workers who work remotely has almost doubled since 2005. This is a trend that's unlikely to slow down in the near future. Many people believe that the cubicle is an aspect from the past.

•       The Advantages of working remotely
•       Restrictions of remote working
•       Where can I find remote Work
•       Strategies to Improve Efficiency when working at a distant location
•       Remote Time of Work Tips to Save Time
•       Tools to Work at Home Remotely
•       Don't Forget About Self-Care

The benefits of working at home

Physically separated from an inflexible boss is just one of many benefits that go hand-in-hand remote work.

Here are a few others to think about:

• Use flexible schedules for work. Prior to the advent of the internet, parents had no alternative to keeping working with their children or being employed full time. Parents now have the option of spending more time with their children, working at home, with no compromises required. If you don't have kids having the flexibility of flexibility in working hours mean that you can sleep in, even when you're not the morning person, or work late into the evening if that's what you prefer. Make sure you draw the line clearly between the work schedule and your private day-to-day life!
• You can work from anywhere. The beauty of the remote working setup is that it allows you to be working from any place: the couch, coffee shop, poolside, or even from a different part in the world (as as there is an internet connection! ).
• It's not a dress policy. Because you are able to be everywhere at any time, the attire you put on does not really matter except for an important conversation with your client. Even then, if you're dressed in a shirt that looks professional then you're all set. So yes, one advantage of working from your home office is the fact that you don't need to wear pants as are pajamas.

• There's a chance to learn new skills. If you're a remote employee that is self-employed in the course of your shift, you'll gain new abilities that isn't necessary to be part of your core abilities, such as accounting, project management, and a little of legal terminology. If you work for a business that allows you to work from home and remotely You'll be further be creating new strategies in management and communication that bridge the gap between yourself as well as the team members.
• Reduce your expenses (and the world!). Many of us facing a daily, multi-hour commute can make you countdown to the weekend when Monday rolls around. Your time in your vehicle or on public transportation can be utilized to increase efficiency, but this won't be enough to make up for the time you've lost to family. Wouldn't it be nice to have to have that time back? In addition to all the cash you've used on gas trains, tickets to the train station, the like!

The drawbacks of remote work

Each rose comes with an acorn. Remote working seems like a dream come true but it's not without a few problems:

• It can be a bit difficult to handle interactions with other people. If you're a person who enjoys talking to people over a drink and going out on lunch dates or catching up with strangers in at work, then working remotely might not be the best option for your needs. Although you'll meet and interact with your clients, the majority of meetings take place via video or phone calls, not a conference room or cafe. For sure, people who work in cubicles often find themselves in the midst of distractions that are constant interruptions but sometimes distractions can be more beneficial than solitude!
• Everything you have to manage. If you're working independently and you'll be charged with generating leads, pitching and closing prospects, then doing the actual work as well as handling financial concerns and managing your time, all without the guidance of a boss or the aid of a department.
• There are numerous distracting factors. There are many people who dream about the possibility of working remotely, but they don't see themselves working remotely. They do not have the skills to self-manage without being distracted by distractions. If you're not convinced that you're capable of being the boss of your own life, remote working could be the best solution in terms of advancing your business.

• You'll probably run into some communications issues. If you're collaborating with an online group It could be comprised of members from several countries that have differing time zones. Getting everyone together and on the same page may be hard. It is also difficult to comprehend diverse cultural norms (you may act or behave in a manner which could cause offense to different culture) and issues with communication centered around words and meanings which could be interpreted incorrectly.

What can you do to locate remote work

It doesn't matter whether you're self-employed or you'd like to remote work for different organizations, these websites can help connect you to remote work opportunities

• AngelList AngelList: One of the best websites for searching for remote positions, AngelList allows you to search for jobs based on geographical location (choose the option 'Remote') functions, kind (full time or part-time internships, etc.) and also pay. It is used in hiring for companies such as Facebook, Uber, Tinder, Medium, Coinbase, and Crunchbase.
• We Work Remotely : We Work Remotely is one the biggest communities on the internet (with over 130,000 active monthly users) to search for and post jobs that aren't restricted by commutes or a particular geographic location. The We Work Remotely community is used extensively for finding prospective employees.
• Jobspresso Jobspresso allows users to search for jobs in innovative firms like , Zapier, Student Loan Hero and Bustle.
• Hubstaff Talent: Hubstaff is well-known as a time-tracking software but you might not realize that they are also able to offer a job market. If you've met the requirements you want to search for and then look for an indicator beside the job description that lets you know whether it's remote or not.
• Remotive: Remotive is another fantastic job-related website that is used by some of the most popular websites, including Buffer, InVision, GitHub along with Zapier.
• GrowthHackers: GrowthHackers provides a wide range of resources to help you grow hacking, as well as an employment portal. Contrary to other sources on their site it's not only about the number of positions open. But, all jobs listed on GrowthHacker is of the highest quality.

Tips to improve productivity when working remotely

Being a remote worker requires you to handle many different elements. These tips can help you achieve this balance and assist you in creating your optimal (productive) scenario:

A dedicated work space and working hours

Flexible working hours may lead to excuses and distractions in the process of working, which is why it's crucial to set up some sort of routine, as soon as you can. If you don't do this, you'll always find yourself tempted to get involved in other activities but before you even realize it, your whole day has ended!

It doesn't require an office space in your house office in order to be successful remote work. A room or space that your roommates and family members don't disturb (and ideal, with the possibility of shutting doors!) suffices. Many remote workers believe it is beneficial to work in a place which is focused. It is helpful in making an obvious distinction between the times you're at work, you mean business--and when you're not there and not in the office, it's not work!

If you're not able to work from home, it's an option, you can find the best place to work outside of the comfort of your own at home. It could be the library, coffee shop or a coworking space (to give a couple of possibilities).

If you enjoy being in a quiet environment, working in a library is the perfect alternative. The library isn't the best choice for those who are constantly making calls. Take a look at the type of work space outside the home, and then figure out a fit in with your "normal" everyday schedule.

Eliminating distractions

Distractions are the biggest obstacle for productivity, particularly when remote workers are involved. While it's traditional however, an Salary.com study revealed that the average worker is absent for an average of two hours per every day as a result of distracting factors. The productivity loss of companies is 544 billion dollars annually. You can be sure that these figures have been steadily increasing since that time, given the fact that ever-increasing distracting factors are introduced to our daily routines.

The initial step in removing the distractions that you are confronted with is to perform an audit of your time to understand the places where you may waste your time. It is possible to use an application for time tracking such as RescueTime to monitor the time you spend on specific websites as well as specific categories.

Once you've identified the ways you spend time, it's easy to be proactive in regaining the time you spend by creating a schedule of tasks you have to do on a regular basis. This can be accomplished by splitting the time you spend into chunks that include reading emails. Speaking of emails, as per the McKinsey Global Institute, that the average person is spending 13 hours a week. That amounts to around 28 percent of the time they work!

When planning your time block, you must be real about how much time you will allocate for various tasks. Try to estimate your participation for various activities and projects in order to allow for interruptions and unplanned events. If you're able to finish your project within a shorter timeframe than you anticipated, there is more time available for things to do, such as errands, or relax!

Take care of the less important stuff later.

When you're working It's easy to get distracted by minor issues that don't need to be urgent. on your mind. If it really isn't urgent, don't be tempted to take action now.

Why? It takes most people around 25 minutes to regain their attention again after being distracted. In the event of an issue, you can be quick to let it be known, if necessary, as well as when you'll be meet. This "trains" those you contact to know that you're a busy person and can't do everything in one go and they should take their time.

Get rid of the distractions

Apart from issues with concentration and focusing, it is also important to eliminate distractions and distracting situations in your work.

If you notice frequent checking your email or check for social media updates, you can take advantage of programs such as StayFocusd to restrict your access to certain websites. If you're one of those who's immersed in their mobiles, you should train yourself to shut it off and place it away from the area where you're able to focus on work. If Facebook is a major issue to you, think about this extension: Facebook News Feed Eliminator Extension to Google Chrome..

On a final note ensure that you ensure that your work area is clean and tidy so you don't get tempted to tidy up your workspace in order to put off working.

Hire the Right People

Because of the interconnected environment which we are living in, it's easy to find fellow virtual workers who can help you with the cause you're working on, regardless of price. If you're trying to reduce cost, think about using virtual employees from countries that have a less expensive cost of living. The negative is that you'll need be able to manage the issues of culture and communication in addition to different times zones. If you're dealing with people who accept cheap rates, be aware that there are times where the quality of work is additionally is sacrificed.

Toggl suggests hiring workers who have the following three requirements:

• They've had a long tradition of self-management. Self-motivated self-managers are able to motivate themselves and work with the least amount of supervision.
• They've got a solid support program. Remote work can be lonely. Find colleagues who have shown they are willing to tackle the task and also have support at home.
• They are proficient in writing skills. Since a large portion of communications between team members who are in remote places is text-based it is important to work with people who can communicate clearly.

Develop a Task Management System

In order to establish the right workflow system is essential to set up systems. This is particularly important for remote teams. If you're planning to welcome new members be sure that your process for onboarding includes an introduction of your system and the way it works.

Systems provide a framework to aid your team in making the process more effective.

Task Management Systems to Consider

There's a myriad of strategies to assign tasks priority, however we'll only focus upon the three top models of the most popular ones:

ABC Method

ABC method ABC method is an easy method of setting priorities where you put tasks on your list according to:

• The ones that are the most important assignments: ones that require immediate attention. They could be at risk of serious penalties if they not be finished on time.
• B to perform tasks that are crucial however, they could be subject to minor penalties in the event that they're not done within the timeframe. These assignments can anger someone if they're not finished in time, however it don't have to be a cause for concern of life and death, like A assignments.
• C to complete tasks that are great to finish, however there are no penalties for not completing the tasks. They are, at the simplest things that are able to wait.

If you are assigned more than one task to finish for A, B A, C, or B the task can be assigned numbers 1, 2 or 3, (and so on) in order of their priorities. Think of it as a strictly-controlled method to start your A-1 task immediately and you don't go on with a new job until you've finished.

Eat the Frog Method

An easier variation of the ABC strategy, this can help you finish what you're not eager to complete (usually the most important and burdensome job during the day). This isn't easy but the discipline of adhering to this approach can assist you with the difficult tasks!

The Four-Square Method

The method was adopted by Stephen Covey in his book The 7 habits of High-Performance People, this method is a way of dividing all the tasks on your to-do list into four quadrants.

• The first four quarters are reserved for critical and urgent work (top priority)
• The second quarter is reserved for tasks important but not urgent.
• The third quarter is reserved for work that are urgent however not crucial.
• The fourth quarter is reserved to be used for initiatives that aren't vital or important.

The tasks in the first quadrant are those you actually do while the tasks of the following quadrant include those you choose which time and what method you will use to achieve them. The assignments in the third quadrant are the ones that you DISCONTINUE to accomplish, while those that fall within the fourth quarter of your work space can be ones that you choose to not do (or think about to do in the near future, at a later moment).

The three systems for controlling tasks isn't appropriate for your specific work environment Consider these alternative methods for prioritizing that you could think about.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT MULTITASK.

Many people believe that multitasking is beneficial, but as per research of a neuroscientist from MIT multitasking makes the likelihood that you'll fail, which can reduce productivity, and inhibits creative thinking. Multitasking makes your brain expend more energy while moving between different tasks. In contrast, innovative thinking is a result of prolonged focus.

45 minutes of focused work in one area is widely more productive than 1.5 hours of working on multiple tasks. You should begin a task (no distractions) to complete it continue with another.

3 January 2019,

When you're constantly switching thoughts, your brain has to retrace its steps to keep track of all aspects of the various tasks you're working on. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and focus on only one project at a!

Remote Time Saving Tips

Money is time, and it is also the most efficient resource for remote employees. Use these tips for saving time to be more effective:

• You can delegate or outsource. Everyone needs assistance at some point. If you're working with an assistant or even a remote group, it is necessary to delegate specific aspects, or portions of tasks (like researching to write a blog), to get things going. This process begins by choosing which tasks to delegate. These are usually the non-urgent tasks (like the B and C tasks in the ABC strategy) particularly when working on the training. Allow plenty of time for the team member to finish the tasks in order to go over the findings and add your own suggestions prior to when anything has to be completed.
• Avoid attending meetings. They are generally time-wasting and you should avoid them whenever you are able to. If you are required to have an event with someone, you must plan your own meeting and keep the duration to a maximum of 30 minutes (15 minutes should be your preference!). Set a schedule and make sure all participants have a plan in place so that you're in a position to discuss ideas with one another from the beginning.
• Use shortcuts. For emails, you can make use of templates or shortcuts like TextExpander which can expand the words of your most used phrases, after entering appropriate text shortcuts. Make use of programs that help you generate or keep passwords (like 1Password or LastPass) so you don't have to commit your data to your memory (or even worse, keep your information secure).
• Unsubscribefrom unnecessary emails, for examples, emails from brands don't interest you, which only add to the things that require sorting out your email inbox.

Be sure to take an interest in these innovative productivity methods.

Remotely work from home using tools

Zapier states that the three ingredients for an effective remote configuration include teamwork tools, process, and. Because you cannot actually manage other people make sure you control your tools and process.

They're the most commonly used remote tools:

Accounting and Invoicing with QuickBooks

QuickBooks connects with your bank accounts, so that you can effortlessly track the business expenses. Additionally, you can make use of Quickbooks to generate invoices as well as pay your employees with Payroll.

A lot of remote workers for multinational companies are viewed as independent contractors. In this case, it's always a good idea to employ the aid of an CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Companies such as IC Tax advisers only work with employees who are facing these types of situations. They are able to handle payroll, as well as all relevant tax-related paperwork, which can ease the stress of tax season.

Cloud Storage: Google Drive

Communication: Skype and Slack

It is easy to accrue costs when you have to make regular international or local calls. The answer for remote workers to this problem will be Skype which permits unlimited video or audio phone calls (and as well conference calls)--as as long as you've got an internet connection that's reliable.

Jan Hofen, founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Planio is a strong advocate for text-based tools for facilitating communication particularly if you have coworkers who reside in various countries. There's no way to keep soliciting help each time there's a need! Utilizing text-based tools to communicate helps to clarify the situation since you have the opportunity to think about everything you have to communicate, after which you can go through and modify your message for clarity.

Payments: PayPal

Project Management Asana

Time Monitoring: Harvest

Harvest is a complete administrative solution that allows users to track time and charge clients. It also integrates with other applications like Asana in addition to Quickbooks. If you are employed in a remote workplace and you feel that you have to monitor them from time to time, you can use Hubstaff to snap screen shots of their monitors to make sure they're on track.

Time Zone Sanity: everytimezone.com and there

In terms of working at home, it generally is necessary to manage multiple timezones with coworkers, bloggers and programmers. Instead of trying to learn about all the different timezones, bookmark a tool which performs the conversion of timezones for you such as everytimezone.com. You can also go farther and make use of a tool that lets you input the time of those who you work with, making it simple to find, for instance there.pm.

Make sure you take proper care of your body

If you're passionate about what you're working on or chasing an important deadline You'll be fully engaged at work. Doing nothing to take care of your own needs is among the fastest ways to exhaust yourself.

Here are some important tips for self-care techniques as well as creating a long-lasting remote working environment

• Be aware of your motivation. Be aware of the principal motive behind why you started working at the comfort of your own home. Did it have to do with the opportunity to be with your family? for the time to travel? Check if you're on track with your target. If not, you'll have change your routine or hire assistance to reduce your workload.
• Take regular breaks. A lot of people think that taking breaks is unproductive when you are working on a number of things during those breaks. However, taking breaks have been found to increase efficiency in reducing exhaustion of decision making increasing creativity, and enhancing understanding. If you're worried about wasting time, why not take time out and finish the tasks you need to complete, like loading your laundry at once or clean dishes, or even vacuum? Making sure you get up at the correct time is essential for health!
• Eat properly and exercise. When you're exhausted after a long day of work and consuming, you may want to take easy and grab a food delivery. One advantage having a home office has is the ability to prepare nutritious meals and, by owning the timing of your day, you can set aside time during your working day to perform exercises. You need to care for your self as the sole option that's available (and since the treatment you receive is affordable). A stand-up desk or exercise ball is an additional way of breaking up the monotony of sitting for long periods of time.
• End your day with your final sigh at the end of the day. Although there's no established working hours or anyone says you need to take a break after the day's work, it doesn't indicate that you should go on working until your body is ready to give up. Set healthy boundaries. Work will always be there when you wake up each day. However, remember that the job will not take you seriously. So you should take advantage of this opportunity to be close to your beloved ones.
• Professional development. Alongside ensuring that your body is at the top of its game and your mind sharp, it's also essential to nourish your mind. It is important to invest in learning further classes (even online classes) or attend the next conference. You never have to be too old to discover something new.
• Do yourself a favor and treat yourself. This is a long and hard-working process, so it's proper to give yourself a reward for the work you've done often. It could be as simple as a small treat (like the indulgence of chocolate you've been wanting) or an extravagant gift (like the trip you've always wanted to go on). The gift doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Perhaps a night out with people you love is enough. Make sure not to make it a habit as the reward comes after the results. The delay in gratification will help to develop willpower. It can also help you find the motivation to complete the task with minimal effort.

Last Thoughts Everything You Need to know before working remotely

There are a lot of advantages of working remotely, however there's also a few challenges. If you're competent at managing your time effectively, just like the boss, then you'll make the most of the chance to achieve its full potential.

     What are your most effective tips for working remote? Please share them via the remarks!

Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman creates engaging content with the help of SEO best practices for marketers, thought-leaders and leaders of agencies with a lot on their plate with clients and projects. Discover more information about her method and her experiences on her blog The Blogsmith as well as read the latest posts on twitter: Maddy Osman @MaddyOsman.

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