Articles : Habits of a Successful Remote Worker

Working from home has never been more popular thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially, remote work was meant to be a temporary solution to help in stopping the spread of the virus, but soon many organizations realized that working from home came with a lot of positives, making the move permanent post-pandemic.

In December’s unemployment report, Statistics Canada reported that among workers who worked at least half their usual hours, the proportion who worked from home was little changed at 23.8% and has remained stable since August 2021.

So if working from home is your new reality – permanently – this article outlines ways you can increase your productivity and motivation day by day. And if you’ve already got this down pat – let us know how you’ve made working from home a success by emailing us at info@torontojobs.ca!

1.  Remain professional.
Successful remote workers treat each workday like they have to commute everyday to the office. While working in more comfortable clothing is always a bonus (especially on Fridays), successful remote workers know that in order to stay focused, a certain amount of professionalism must remain. Try maintaining a daily schedule by getting up the same time everyday, having a healthy breakfast, and giving yourself time to start your laptop up before your shift starts.  

2. Effective communication.
Communication is key when working from home – we would say even more so than working in an office. In an actual office, you have the luxury of walking over to your boss or co-worker to speak with them directly one-on-one if any hiccups arise – at home not so much.

Ensure your keep your boss and co-workers in the loop by regularly sending emails about any updates, whether it’s the completion of a project or task, a new idea – it’s a great way to inform everyone about your progress. To take it a step further, scheduling a phone call or a ZOOM meeting always helps to keep everyone on track.

3. Have a schedule in place.
To stay on top of all your assignments and tasks, successful remote workers have a schedule that they stick to. Having a schedule allows you to manage your time effectively, work on the right projects at the right time, and acts as a resource for goal setting. Whether it’s at the beginning of each week or each day, take some time to roughly map out your time spent on your calls and work to keep things in focus.

4. Make use of space correctly.
If you haven’t already, we advice you consider carving out a dedicated workspace, especially if working from home is now permanent for you. It makes a huge difference in motivation and productivity when you have a space that’s just dedicated to you doing work, where you can access all of your tools you need on a daily basis easy.

5. Limit distractions.
This can be a hard one because our world revolves so much around technology and social media. We’re not saying don’t look at your phone all day for updates, notifications, and the occasional meme, but you could think about scheduling that time in to help you concentrate throughout the day. One way to do it is to schedule this time while you’re already taking a break or having your lunch or snack.

6. Familiarity with technology.
If you’ve been working from home since March 2020, you most likely have all this figured out, but if you’re just starting out at home, take some time to learn the technology you use everyday. For example, if you are required to use ZOOM everyday, spend 15 or maybe 20 minutes after work reviewing how to log on with a friend. This will definitely help to make your day run smoother.

Conclusion
We know that working from home isn’t always easy. Especially during the height of the pandemic, when a lot of people felt alone and isolated from their co-workers, along with their family and friends. COVID-19 is something that can’t be changed, and we can only hope that moving forward into the future it will be more positive. Your attitude, however, about working from home is controllable. If you haven’t already, we know that by implementing even some of the habits above, your weeks can look and feel a lot more accomplished, productive, and bright.
 

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