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For many people, remote working is the ultimate situation. It gives you the freedom to work in a manner that suits you without the dreaded commute. But working remotely is a challenge unlike any other. You’ve got to function under your own steam and if you are working at home for a very specific reason, such as having children, it can be harder than going into an office. There can be so many distractions when we work remotely that we’ve got to figure out the right ways to keep ourselves on task. What can we do to retain and improve our productivity in this environment?

Set Up An Office Space

This is rule number one! If you are working in the kitchen or in your bedroom this is going to decrease your productivity. You need to set up an office space exclusively for the purposes of working. This is somewhere that gives you the opportunity to switch into work mode. This means that you’ve got to be very protective over this space. It should only have the bare minimum of items. This could mean a desk, a computer, and a chair. But you’ve also got to make sure that the space isn’t going to cause any niggling doubt in your mind. If you are someone who likes everything neat and tidy before you go into work every morning grab your cleaning products and give the place an efficient wipe down. Even if you cannot get a spare room you’ve got to set aside one corner for working that won’t distract you. You have to remember that even though you are at home you need to work! Do whatever you can to get into that work frame of mind.

Find Your Productivity “Sweet Spot”

It can take some time to get rights because there are so many different variables at play. If you are someone who likes to sleep in and doesn’t get productive until the middle of the day you’ve got to work with your abilities, not against them. They could prove beneficial to find out your chronotype, which is where your sleeping patterns can dictate how productive you are at certain times of day. The most important thing to remember is that when we find the sweet spot that we can easily switch our brain into working mode. It may not necessarily be at home. But if you can start to look at the right time that you do certain tasks perhaps you check emails over a cup of coffee at 7 in the morning but you do your longer writing tasks in the middle of the afternoon you can start to structure your day accordingly.

Establish Boundaries

The most effective component of working remotely is communication. And when you start to designate specific hours for checking emails or collaborating with other workers you’ve got to establish certain boundaries. If people keep emailing you this will interrupt your workflow. This is why schedule is crucial, but you also need to be firm in your boundaries. If you are working with others, try and block a specific time for meetings. If you do this in the morning everybody can get on with their day.

It’s definitely a challenge but as more companies are working in this fashion it is crucial to find your natural rhythm.