The number one reason members of both sexes fail to adjust to operating remotely is they fail to see the neccesity of high-quality organisation and sustainable self discipline.
I have been working remotely for almost a decade since I first uncovered Quickbooks online an ‘on demand’ small business accounting software web application and was struck by the fact that if you can do accounting on the Internet then why shouldn’t you be able to do other important types of work away from the conventional office?
Whilst working remotely has a lot of positives there are numerous things that workers don’t realise which evolve into problems that result in cuts in work output and lower motivation. The most cited reason for decreases in productivity in remote professionals is distraction and it is a verified and well publicised fact that it can take a person up to twenty minutes to return to their original productivity level after experiencing a distraction.
Research also shows that individuals who are regularly experience disruptions are more likely to suffer from decreased memory ability and are prone to developing mental health issues in later life. We live in an over communicated society and it is critical that you know the issues this causes before you decide to work remotely. When operating remotely you must do everything possible to remove the jeopardy of being interrupted.
Here’s how I do it:
1, Get a consistent schedule, communicate it to absolutely everyone and stick to it!
Good examples are a fixed time of day when you check or send electronic mail and make or be available for telephone calls. Before I began working remotely I used to receive as many as hundreds of electronic mails in 24 hours. Now I think I am unfortunate if I receive in excess of 5. To ‘restart’ my e-mail experience I modified my e-mail address and tenaciously took steps to look after the details being made known to anyone. I then ‘trained’ every person who I gave my e-mail address to, to use it prudently. I also set up an automatic response that swiftly told anyone sending me mail at what time of day I would be reading mail and if someone required my urgent awareness to mark it as ‘Urgent’.
2. Get rid of alerts.
Disable every function that can send you a interruption. This includes cell and
conventional handsets and forms of alerts from e-mail such as visual alerts, warning sounds, screen changes to your inbox list and of course facing a window. Get a door on your work place and put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.
In ‘Remote Working Part 3 – My list of essentials’ I will reveal my favourite tools and software.
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Read the rest here:
Remote Working Part 2 – Staying focused and maintaining concentration
