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Since remote working was imposed on millions of employees globally, there has been an explosion in the amount of research conducted on the productivity of those who would normally work from the office but had no choice but work from home. Make no mistake, what many of us view as a privilege, was actually viewed as a curse by a significant amount of the working population.  For those who were previously uninitiated to remote working, the adjustment was not always easy and it, in turn, led to some problems. Many employees felt trapped (the word ‘imprisoned’ came up in many a conversation I was privy to) in their apartments, while others missed the social interaction they engaged in with their colleagues, the so-called "water cooler talk".
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The impact on the mental health of many professionals cannot be understated, nor should it be. However, another negative by-product of the sudden shift for many new remote workers, albeit not as insidious as claustrophobia and/or loneliness, was the impact on their productivity. In this current post-lockdown era where many offices have reopened their doors, some are still opting to have their employees work remotely, while other are now adopting a hybrid model. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that remote working is here to stay, as evidenced by the vast amount of information (be it news articles, reports, academic studies, blog posts) on how to manage your productivity better if you are among those that struggle. This post is going to add to that litany of information as I run through what I believe are the most useful and beneficial ways to manage your productivity when working from home.
<h4>Establish a routine</h4>
The most important thing to do when trying to acclimatize yourself to working from home is to establish and maintain a routine. Depending on your constitution (i.e., night-owl/early bird) or what’s required of you, set an alarm to wake you up or to alert you to get prepared to start working. If you had a morning ritual before you went to work, maintain it. Whatever it takes to trigger the brain to get set for work, do it.  

<h4>Find a dedicated workspace/office</h4>

If you are fortunate enough to have a spare bedroom or a study/office in your home, then it’s a no-brainer. However, if you live in a big metropolitan city, space is a luxury many do not have. Finding a space in your home that you can dedicate to your work is crucial. Knowing exactly where you will be working from everyday saves you the time of trying to figure it out.

<h4>Minimize distractions</h4>

Once you’ve assigned yourself a workspace, it’s very important that you minimize distractions as much as possible. The space you select must be chosen with that in mind in the first place. External distractions, the biggest culprit of which is our smartphones (personal calls and text messages, social media, games), must be nullified. In the case of your phone, that means putting it on silent if you don’t receive work communication on it or muting/blocking social apps while you work. 

<h4>Set clear goals/targets</h4>

Working from home means very little to no supervision from your workplace superiors. If you thrive under that kind of environment, then great! But if you’re like many employees who were accustomed to having every single task designated and delegated, then figuring out what to tackle first, what to prioritize, and what to leave till last might prove a bit of a job in itself. However, setting some time aside at the beginning of each day or week to identify and set your objectives and targets can streamline your workload and save you a lot of stress and, very importantly, time.

<h4>Implement a time management method</h4>

Time management methods, the most famous of which is the Pomodoro technique, are essentially "hacks" that help you track and manage the amount of time you work, and when to take breaks. There are many variations of the Pomodoro technique, but typically - in a remote working context - it involves setting a timer to work for 2 or 3 hours, and then taking a 20- or 30-minute break.  The original method suggested working without stopping for 25 minutes, and then taking a 5-minute break, then repeating the cycle 2 or 3 times, before taking an extended break. However, I recommend trying a few time periods, or researching the plethora of other time management methods until you find what works best for you.

<h4>Use your breaks to refresh</h4>

Once you settle on a time management method that works for you, it is essential to make sure that your breaks are used wisely in order to refresh you mind and resharpen your focus. Spending time on Instagram or Tik Tok is probably not the best way to do that, though. So you might want to think about getting some fresh air or just resting your eyes/meditating for a few minutes.

Since remote working was imposed on millions of employees globally, there has been an explosion in the amount of research conducted on the productivity of those who would normally work from the office

Manage Your Productivity

Zarządzaj Swoją Produktywnością

Although working remotely has been a thing for years now, it’s never seemed more important and key to the average person’s workday until now. Thanks to multiple stay-at-home orders in countries worldwide and the fear of returning to office duties around potentially sick coworkers, remote work has grown in importance and necessities exponentially.
However, while many view remote work as staying at home while accomplishing workplace tasks, it also serves as a new branch. More than ever, remote work is its category of working, with hundreds of jobs and thousands of opportunities awaiting every search to come. Freelancing, remote assistance, tutoring, management, and more are now available at your fingertips, alongside the wages provided.
Nonetheless, that also means that specialties and required skills have blown up in necessity, turning a quick job into a lengthy process to determine between a growing selection of stay-at-home remote workers. With this ever-increasing competition and research behind hiring a worker, what can you do to stand out to an employer or buyer? Well, here are our top picks for the best remote work skills to boost your resume:
<h4>Time Management</h4>
The top skill for a remote worker is time management – while this may already be an essential skill to any average worker, it’s even more important for one on their schedule. After all, it may be your schedule, but it’s someone else’s task on that.
Although you may be working remote jobs and may be distanced from your peers, that doesn’t mean that you can relax and cramp everything together at the end. Remote work is just as tiring as real work, just separated by a screen and location. Many people forget this, leading them to mess up time management, especially when considering that most of us “work better at home.”
That doesn’t mean you’ll work remotely, effectively, however, as there’s less external motivation and the like to back you up. And as such, you’ll have to keep track of your own time, expecting to take a bit longer to complete a task as you’re comfortable and relaxed at home. Once that’s down pat, time management is an easy resume-filling remote work skill for the best.
<h4>Self-Motivation</h4>
Atop needing to control your timing, you’ll have to motivate yourself. Although that seems unrelated, both are heavily influenced by external factors. For example, you’ll have a boss or at least coworkers at a physical location reminding you to get your job done, while neither will appear at your home. 
In these situations, they prove that you can manage and motivate yourself to get tasks done, as there’s even less reason to complete complex jobs at home than at work. Prioritize what you need to get done while at home and remember that just because there isn’t anyone telling you to get things done, you still need to, and usually quickly.
<h4>Virtual Communication</h4>
Additionally, communication is vital. You won’t be able to pop out of your office or working space and ask a colleague a question or present a task, but instead, you’ll be required to use CRM tools with customers and inter-workplace software to communicate quickly.
It’s essential to be accustomed to the newest software tools and communication strategies when working from home, especially when considering that you’re alone, working by yourself. When communicating online, there’s a certain disconnect that only the best can overcome and grow from. There’s not the same connection or respect as working with somebody (specifically a workmate) in person, representing the additional need to do your best to connect online.
When looking for workers to get a job done, employers look heavily into a pooled connection, meaning that virtual communication skills and efforts are some of the most important for a virtual workplace with more than one person working at a time.
<h4>Building Further</h4>
Of course, these aren’t the only skills you’ll want to apply for a job when working remotely. There are countless technical skills, interpersonal ones, and many more that play a significant role in ensuring that you do well online.
Additionally, that means that remote workers must put together everything they know about the typical workforce towards online ones. Take everything you know about usually working, and translate it virtually. Learning what to do and how to connect a workplace to remote work is one of the essential skills, and it’s one of the best ways to build new ones.
Above all, however, it’s important to remember that remote work is still work, and you’ll need the skills and qualifications to get jobs in the end. Just because it’s online doesn’t mean that it’s not real money on the line and that there aren’t real people being affected by most choices you make. That’s likely the essential skill to develop as you’re working remotely.


The top skill for a remote worker is time management...

The Best Remote Work Skills to Boost Your Resume

Remote working has long had its advocates. It isn’t without its detractors, though. Many company heads feel that it’s necessary for employees to be in the office so they can be supervised and micro-managed. These two viewpoints have been at odds for many years, and the debate was, yet again, brought to the fore at the onset of the pandemic. That debate has seemingly been put to bed, however, with several academic and scientific studies producing results that seem to confirm that allowing staff to perform their duties remotely is actually rather efficient. Having intimate knowledge of this fact from personal experience, the results of these studies and tests are no surprise. In this post, we’re going to look at five ways working remotely is more efficient than working from the office:
<ul>
<li>
<h4>Time Saved from Commuting</h4>
A 2019 TUC report stated that Londoners spent an average of 79 minutes commuting every day, totaling around 300 hours a year. Switching to remote working not only saves all that time - which could then be spent on work – but it saves money on train or bus fares, or fuel and other driving expenses. It's also more environmentally friendly, minimizing carbon emissions, which also reflects well on the carbon footprint of the company and the employees. The elimination of rush-hour traffic jams and/or crowded trains will also have a positive impact on the mental health of employees, allowing them to be happier, thus more productive.
</li>
<li>
<h4>Better Work-Life Balance </h4>
Many office workers have trouble balancing their work and personal life. Long hours at the office coupled with the stress that comes from long commutes usually results in tension at home. Employees who are young parents also tend to suffer the worst as childcare costs have risen exponentially over the last few decades, adding financial constraints to list of worries. Working remotely alleviates some of these tensions and stresses as employees have a more flexible schedule. This allows them to spend time with their families and look after their kids, thus becoming less stressed. Employees who are more relaxed can actually appreciate their jobs more, and that job satisfaction invariably translates to their personal lives.
</li>
<li>
<h4>Less Time Spent on Meetings</h4>
Office meetings can be a contentious topic, depending on who you talk to. A large number of employees consider them to be a waste of time, and many are openly disdainful about attending them. However, the importance of meetings is something that cannot be escaped – especially in contexts where employees have to work in teams in order to deliver projects. However, working remotely implies that employees are in front of their computers for the duration of their work time. As such, attending virtual meetings is much easier and much less time consuming than several employees from different departments, sometimes from different offices, physically meeting in one conference room. 
</li>
<li>
<h4>Flexibility</h4>
Working from home usually means that employees aren’t constrained by the traditional 9 to 5 working hours. This allows greater flexibility for responding to urgent tasks or work emergencies. With fewer time-consuming interruptions such as meetings, employees can easily get back on track after every distraction. It also implies that employees are more likely to work uninterrupted for longer stretches in comparison to working from the office. 
</li>
</ul>

Remote working has long had its advocates. It isn’t without its detractors, though...

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