8 Remote Working Tips For Increased Productivity

With 3.9 million U.S. employees already working remotely in 2017, this working model began to gain popularity among some businesses. But for many of them, remote working still seemed just like a futuristic possibility. 

Fast forward 3 years, remote working has become an instant reality, transforming bedrooms, kitchens, and even garages into temporary workspaces. 

Today, how businesses and employees feel about remote working is changing, and for some, their temporary workspace has become their permanent office. In fact, 64% of surveyed workers by Buffer (2023) say they work fully remotely, 18% work remote-first and hybrid, 9% work hybrid and office-occasional, and another 9% work hybrid and office-first (remote allowed).

Looking at these numbers, it seems like businesses and employees are starting to feel quite positive about remote work.

But, like anything, remote working is not all rosy either. People working from home still often face many challenges like difficulty focusing, inability to unplug, difficulties with communication and collaboration, and loneliness, to name a few. 

On the bright side, many proven ways can help people overcome these challenges and reap all the benefits remote working offers. 

Let’s break down all the remote working tips and help you increase your productivity.

Remote Working Tip #1: Set Up Your Remote Office

When working from the office, your work area and desk aren’t something you pay special attention to. They’re simply there, always clean and well organized, to help you achieve maximum productivity.

Now that you’re working from home, you should also try to set up your remote office to be more productive. To achieve this, you should keep away from your bed and couch (better say, run) and replace them with a more ‘official’ setting. 

Your remote office should (ideally) be in a separate room in your home, prepped with basic work supplies, a comfy chair, and a clean, uncluttered desk.

If you can’t get a full room for your office, set up your working spot somewhere, you’ll have minimal noise and distractions.

And look, we all know that keeping everything together while working from home and taking care of your kids is nearly impossible. So, it’s no shame if you have a little bit of creative mess around you. 

But, to stay productive in the long run, you must set clear boundaries with those around you. 

This brings us to the following remote working tip.

Remote Working Tip #2: Set Up Clear Boundaries With People in Your Space

Working from home is all fun and games until:

• Your teething toddler tries to chew everything around him,
• Your first grader refuses to do their homework,
• Your dog practices Aria, or
• Your roomie has a relationship crisis (and the list goes on and on).

You can’t avoid all distractions, but the more they happen, the harder you’ll concentrate and get things done. 

The best you can do to avoid such scenarios is to set up clear boundaries with the people around you.

For parents, this could mean watching your kids in shifts with your partner or getting help from a babysitter.  

If you share a place with other adults working from home, you can share your schedules to get quiet time when needed. This way, you can ensure there won’t be any unnecessary interruptions. 

Remote Working Tip #3: Work During Your Most Productive Hours 

Even though we often read that successful entrepreneurs start their day at 04:30 am, some of us are simply not morning people (as much as we wish). 

Some of us are more productive on an entirely different schedule and usually need a couple of hours (and a couple of coffees) after waking up…so we can even remember that we have a lot of work to do.

And, since 63% of companies promote flexible working hours (as per Buffer’s survey), this is a great opportunity to find your peak productivity time and make better use of your working hours. 

When you stick to your natural productivity cycle, you bypass the stress that can occur when you simply can’t complete a task because your brain is ‘frozen.’ 

If your company has set working hours, try to see when you’re most productive and work on the most demanding tasks at that time. And don’t forget to take a break so you can recharge.

Remote Working Tip #4: Ask For Regular Feedback

Remote working can increase the sense of disconnection, especially in terms of losing track of your performance and how you contribute to the bigger mission of your company. 

To avoid feeling disconnected, you can ask your supervisors for regular feedback. This way, you’ll get a better evaluation of your work, but also, you’ll see where you fall short and need to improve.  

Getting regular feedback from your manager or team leader can be a big motivation booster and help you remember you’re a valuable team player in your company. 

Remote Working Tip #5: Organize Virtual Get-Togethers with Coworkers

According to Buffer’s Survey, one of the top concerns of remote working is the feeling of loneliness. 

And we don’t exactly need to support with stats on how loneliness affects productivity and isolation, do we? 

Now, while you can’t do much when it comes to seeing your teammates every day, you can still meet them virtually, right? 

For example, once a month, you can organize virtual get-togethers with your coworkers, like Zoom lunches or happy hours, where everyone can take a break from working and just catch up on life.  

Remote Working Tip #6: Employ Transparent Communication

28% of employees report that the number one reason for failing to meet deadlines is due to poor communication.

And while it’s somewhat easier to employ transparent communication when working from the office, this can be more difficult for remote teams.

Here are a few tips for increasing communication effectiveness and productivity while working from home:

• Regularly initiate communication with your coworkers and managers. Use project management tools so you can always be in sync with your teammates. Regularly check for any updates or feedback, write emails, and use video calls to catch up on any project changes.
• Always write clear messages. Avoid sounding clever, and always strive to be transparent about your needs and concerns. To add a positive tone to your message, you can also use emojis
• Feel free to over-communicate. When unable to meet in person, your messages can be misinterpreted or confusing. Always ask for additional information for important messages to avoid these miscommunication traps.

Remote Working Tip #7: Set Clear Working Hours & Take Regular Breaks

One of the many unexpected things connected with remote working is the work-from-home guilt. 

When working from the office, you have set working hours and breaks. With remote working, things are usually more flexible, so the routine quickly goes out of the window.

In a 2020 research in which 2,000 remote workers from the U.S. were surveyed, we can see that:

• Six out of ten workers feel guilt for taking breaks during working hours, 
• 29% are afraid even to take a break, and
• 66% are constantly worried about their productivity.

These guilt feelings often lead people to overwork—which can easily lead to burnout.

To prevent this from happening, it’s crucial to set precise working hours (and stick to them) and take regular breaks. 

If you know your peak hours, try to schedule your most important tasks around that time because that’s when you’re most motivated, productive, and focused. 

And do you know what also helps you stay productive? 

Yep, regular breaks. 

Taking a regular break from work to focus on something else, whether a micro-break to have a cup of coffee or a lunchtime break, can make a huge difference in your productivity.  

If you feel guilty when taking a break, you can make a to-do list of the most important tasks that need to be completed in the first hour or so. As you check all the items on your list, permitting yourself to leave your remote office without feeling guilty will be easier.

And because you’ll have precise working hours, you can schedule other activities right after you’re done for the day, like dinner with your family (so you also don’t feel guilty for not spending quality time with them 😉

Remote Working Tip #8: Take Care of Your Well-Being

Last but not least, the key factor for being (and staying) productive—taking care of our mental and physical well-being.

Having the fridge and snack drawer always at your disposal can easily lead to adopting unhealthy habits. And when these two team up with your couch and Netflix account, your healthy sleeping schedule can easily fly out of the window. 

These small unhealthy habits may seem irrelevant, but they can quickly add up and affect your well-being and productivity.

Having an unhealthy diet, not getting physical activity, or not getting enough sleep can increase your stress levels. This will leave you feeling incapable of performing your tasks at work and your everyday activities.

On the other hand, people who take care of their well-being have developed stronger stress-management skills and experience an increase in productivity. 

Try to create a self-care plan to apply healthy habits and take care of your well-being.

You don’t have to start big. A short walk in nature, well-spent time with your close ones, and a solid eight-hour sleep can help you feel more energized and improve your overall well-being.

Is Remote Working Becoming The New Reality?

While remote working has its ups and downs, people and businesses are starting to feel quite positive about it. 

We can confirm this just by comparing the following numbers (taken from the above-mentioned Buffer survey):

• In 2021, 46% of remote workers said that their companies plan to allow some amount of remote work permanently.
• In 2023, that percentage increased to 71.

This pretty good jump in numbers shows us that remote working is here to stay.

Still, we must remember that remote working can lead to decreased productivity and many other challenges that must not be underestimated. 

Finding effective ways to battle these challenges is crucial if you want to stay productive (and sane) while working remotely. 

Use our practical remote working tips for increased productivity and easily embrace the new working reality.

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