Everyone aspires to have a little freedom in when and how they work — something that only remote working can provide for most employees. Indeed, a LinkedIn survey notes that most employees would rather work from home, with 82% of the respondents saying that they’d prefer to work remotely at least once a week.
But while working from home certainly has advantages, it also presents a set of unique challenges that may deter an employee from performing at their best. This includes finding the motivation to be productive, as managers and team leaders will not be able to directly supervise them in the same way as they would in an office.
So, how can employees stay motivated in a work from home setup where they need to be more independent?
Establish a routine
Consistency is important when it comes to working from home and one way of going about this is setting up a strict work routine. Entrepreneur’s guide to optimising your daily schedule notes that in order for a work routine to be effective, you should plan your day in advance until it becomes a habit. This way, working will feel more of a familiar procedure, just like it does in an office.
Moreover, it’s also important to create a pre-work routine to energise and motivate yourself before you clock in. So, try to also create a pre-work routine that includes all the personal tasks that you should do before you start work. If you don’t do this, you risk of using your breaks for personal tasks, which then increases the chance of time mismanagement. Having a strong and settled routine will help you be more productive and motivated.
Distinctly differentiate work with personal life
In line with creating a work routine, you should also take note of how work can seep into your personal life. Unlike traditional office setups, your house is filled with multiple distractions. And because you can easily get distracted at home, the line between work and your personal life is blurred. In order to fix this problem, it’s crucial that you designate a specific space in your house as your ‘home office’.
While it sometimes can’t be helped to work long hours when working remotely, if this happens often it can prevent you from creating a clear divide between work and your personal life. The worse case scenario is that it can disrupt your sleep schedule, which will have a knock-on affect on your performance. A Verizon Connect guide to productivity highlights how a lack of sleep can have an enormous impact on our minds — not only does it negatively affect our judgement and ability to remember, but it also adds to our stress. Together, these can take a toll on how you approach your day-to-day work. So, do yourself a favour and don’t let your work affect your sleeping habits. If long hours are hindering your sleeping schedule, this is something you must bring up with your team leader as it will have a negative effect on your motivation.
Keep yourself moving
One downside of remote working is that people can work anywhere, be it their sofa or bed, and this can jeopardise their posture and fitness. If remote work is to be a long term option, it would be wise to invest in ergonomic office furniture to reduce the chances of pain associated with poor posture, which will affect how well you work. It will also pay to find time to move around and exercise during your workdays. Other than the physical benefits exercising brings, keeping yourself active can also boost your mood and energy levels — helping you stay alert and focused when it’s time for work. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to squeeze exercise into your work routine, a psychologist at Berlin’s Freie Universitat suggests that setting goal intentions increases the likelihood of carrying them out. Remote work allows you to revamp your work schedule and insert a sweat session whenever you want. Use this to your advantage. This way, you won’t forget to stay active and keep yourself healthy as you work from home, which in turn will help with your motivation.
Having the right mind-set is the key to staying motivated while working from home. We hope the above tips will aid you in this regard and help you find that perfect work-life balance.
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio
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