The number one reason individuals fail to adjust to operating remotely is they fail to see the criticality of having superior organisation and sustainable self management.
I have been operating remotely for over seven years since I first found Quickbooks online an ‘on demand’ small business accounting software web application and was energised by the fact that if you can do accounting on the Internet then why shouldn’t it be feasible to perform other key types of of work at a distance?
Whilst working remotely has numerous upsides there are numerous pitfalls which evolve into problems that cause decreased work output and reduced morale. The major reason for reductions in effectiveness in remote employees is disruption and it is a confirmed and well publicised fact that it can take a professional up to 20 mins to return to their original productivity level after experiencing a disturbance.
Research also shows that persons who are continuously affected by disturbances are more likely to suffer from lower memory capacity and are prone to developing mental health trouble in later life. We live in an over communicated time and it is essential that you know the problems this causes before you begin working remotely. Whilst working remotely you must do everything possible to mitigate the risk of being disturbed.
Here are my most important tips:
1, Get a routine, communicate it to absolutely everyone and rigidly adhere to it!
Good examples are a consistent time of day when you review or send e-mail and make or receive telephone conversatiions. Before I began working remotely I used to receive up to 200 electronic mails a day. Now I think I am unfortunate if I receive more than 4. To ’reset’ my electronic mail experience I modified my e-mail address and obsessively took precautions to protect the details being made known to anyone. I then made sure every individual who I gave my e-mail address to, to use it prudently. I also created an automatic response that swiftly informed anyone sending me mail at what time of day I would be processing mail and if someone must have my immediate awareness to mark it as ‘Urgent’.
2. Get rid of alerts.
Turn off every feature that can send you a perceptible alert. This includes portable and
ordinary telephones and forms of alerts from electronic mail such as display events, audible warnings, screen changes to your inbox list and of course facing a window. Get a door on your office and put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.
In ‘Remote Working Part 3 – ‘Tools of the trade’’ I will reveal my favourite tools and software.
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Remote Working Part 2 – Fundamental behaviours – Basic discipline
