Advantages of remote work

In remote work, there are advantages to reading about it.

Remote work has its advantages: no need to put up with the shortcomings of colleagues, the sofa is always close by, and during the break you can be distracted by your favorite show. But the disadvantages are also enough: the office is at home, the house in the office, the morning mixed with the night, all the distractions and tasks, it seems, does not stop at all. 

We have 5 tips to help differentiate between work and personal life, which are now faced in the same area.

1. Find a place to work.

Find a place in the apartment or house that you will use to work every day. There may be more than one, for different activities: a keyboard table, a sofa for calling and studying documents. Benedict Lehnert, Microsoft's remote worker, tells us more about this; he has three places in his house.

You can also work on the kitchen table, the main thing is that it is the only place in the house where you do business. And try to keep it in order, let your virtual colleagues not see the stains from coffee cups and candy wrappers. We have a book that will help you sort out the junk in the workplace and in your head. Its author Regina Leeds says that success in personal affairs and at work depends directly on the order of the house. Check it out for yourself.

2. Remove everything (and everyone) that is distracting

In an ideal world, you should have a separate room to work in, but many people are waiting to work together at the same office kitchen table. That's what's important to do:

• put your phone away, put it in "Do not disturb" mode, or restrict use of social networks and applications for a while. This way you don't get distracted all the time.
• to build personal boundaries and to speak clearly to all the tenants in the house about their daily routine.
• to get headphones, better noise-canceling.

Books to help you focus: hyperfocus, find the time, the flow.

3. Create a schedule and keep to the routine.

Most likely, you process, because the usual routine has disappeared from life: do not get up early, go to the office and drink coffee there before work. Start a new routine and stick to it. Get up and lie down at the same time, have breakfast, warm up, drink coffee or read books.

If you find it difficult to stop in the evening, set yourself tasks or classes immediately after work. For example, you should finish the day at 18:00, at 18:10 put a call with friends, online training or any other task that you can not just move. Then the work will be completed on time.

Books to help keep work&life balance: checklist, full order, less but better.

4. Recharge energy

Processing leads to sleep problems, constant stress and fatigue. Don't forget to watch your energy level and do what replenishes it. For example, exercise, pet your cat, paint, cuddle with children and so on. Find 5-10 small activities that inspire and energize you. Your Energy Diary will help you keep track of her, and there are tips and checklists to help you look at life differently.

5. Do not lose contact with the team.

It's difficult to keep in touch with the team on the remote site, and it's very important: to work in a coherent and efficient way, everyone needs to understand what's going on on in the projects and what everyone else is doing right now. We have already talked about how not to lose contact with colleagues at a remote work place. 

Top tips, short:

• participate in other people's projects;
• publish and discuss the insides of your work;
• chat in work chats;
• come to the office occasionally;
• participate in the discussion during general calls.