Remote Work Is Not As Easy As You Think
Tips from an eight-year remote worker.
Lots of people believe remote work is relaxing. And it is — compared with working on a fixed schedule like a robot, long commute, and being locked in the same room with the same people every day. You can make your own rules, decide on your schedule, location, and dress codes. You can sit on that fancy chair that you bought from a boutique shop and leave your coffee mug anywhere you want.
Remote work sounds almost too good to be true.
If you decided to work from a coffee shop, what would you do if you get an unscheduled conference call? Is the music at the coffee shop too loud, or the public WiFi has enough bandwidth for a Zoom call? And if you have to work from your tiny apartment, is it any different from working in a cubicle?
And keep in mind, you still have to finish all your assignments before the deadline. You have to show up at the meeting but hide your cute pajamas. You are responsible for reporting and updating your working progress. You have to be responsive to your colleagues (perhaps even more so).
Time Management Is Always The Key
Time and project management are crucial. If you can manage your time well, you could be flexible and finish tasks more quickly.
My job involves working with companies that are set 12-hour apart. I used to work from morning to over midnight. When one company finishes their work for the day, the others start their work two hours right after. I was always standing by. For a while, I had enjoyed working to feel I was needed. But sometimes, it was difficult for me to get up in time for a meeting. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t concentrate when I had a meal with my family. I couldn’t enjoy relaxing when I was hanging out with my friends. And I didn’t know if I had my own time to learn more skills. I was always stressed and nervous. I felt like doing lots of things one day but didn’t make any progress. My life was a mess.
Working remotely forces you to use your time wisely. The sooner you finish your work, the more personal time you have.
I wanted to find out the time I wasted. I started tracking down what I was doing by using digital tools and journals. After doing it for a week, surprisingly, I got a picture of my daily routines and found where I was wasting time. I kept doing it for around a month. I could estimate the time I need for each type of work. Logging my hours helped me manage my time better. I planned everything from my daily tasks to long-term goals. Whenever someone wants to hang out, I could confidently tell them when I would be available. I could schedule meetings with my colleagues at better time slots, and I also learned to secure a quiet place in advance so that they could hear me and have an efficient conversation.
I tried and tested different kinds of methods to manage my time and projects. I found out I like to write things down to help me think and remember. And I rely on cloud-based software to create and sync complicated events, set reminders, and share the events with others. I like to mix both physical and digital methods.
Here are the methods I use currently:
- Log daily activities, goals, short-term, and long-term plans in my journals. Create events and arrange my time on the Google Calendar.
- Write a to-do list using the Bullet Journal Method on my weekly notebook planner. Trello, a web-based project management software to track down projects progresses.
- Use the Pomodoro Technique to help me stay focus and control my time.
Be Flexible
You can wear comfortable clothes and work in a cozy area. But you may lose your motivation if you wear pajamas or work from the bed. Be wise about choosing and doing something to help you be productive. If you don’t feel well, take a day off. (I understand working from home might make you afraid of taking breaks because you are “at home.” But vacations are essential, trust me. )
You can decide when you want to work. Some people like to stay up late to reply to emails during the night time. The most significant benefit of working from home is you can work when you feel more productive. In “The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype,” written by Michael Breus, the author introduced a method to figure out which chronotype you are, so that you can do things at the right time, and boost your productivity.
Work From Anywhere
I work alone, physically. However, I wouldn’t say I like to work in a quiet place all day. It makes me sleepy, especially after a meal. Sometimes I will play white noise or music in the background. And I like to change the working environment, which can also maintain my working motivation.
When I work from home, I will go to different rooms for different tasks. For example, I will have meetings or handle complicated tasks in the kitchen and do routine work in the living room. Sometimes I want to be around people. Going to different coffee shops motivates me to complete tedious tasks. Besides, it helps me not feel alone. I can work anywhere and be focused right away when I turn on my laptop.
Another one of my tips is to use the same work gadgets. Using the same tools helps you feel confident that you can complete the task even in other surroundings. I can work in various coffee shops, on my dining table, but I can do my work in different cities or even at the airport when I’m on business trips. I can write emails or have a quick conference call at the gate in the long wait before boarding. In short, try to enjoy the flexibility that remote work gives you.
Stay Connected
It is easy to forget things you cannot touch or feel. Always ask for pictures, videos, or actual samples for reference. It will help you to remember and engage during discussions. Use collaboration software, like Google Drive to share and update information with your team.
Remember to match your coworkers’ names and faces. Even though you are working far away from your coworkers, it isn’t easy to have a chit chat and build relationships with them. That doesn’t mean you should give up. Having small talk online and remember each others’ names and faces will make you feel connected.
You Are Not Alone
Working remotely, you are far away from your colleagues. It is easy to feel that you don’t belong — especially for me. As an immigrant, my relatives and friends are far away, it’s even easier to feel isolated from society.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make you feel better:
- Join online remote work communities, like Workform.
- You can ask your coworkers to see if they can stay on the call all day, so it feels like they are working beside you.
- You could find a partner to “work with you” from a website called Focusmate. Schedule a working period. Each period is a 50-minute session. During each session, leave your camera on with another remote worker. It is another way of using Pomodoro timer management but with some company.
- When you can manage your time wisely, you can meet other people by attending regular physical classes, like boxing, yoga, or painting.
Final Thoughts
Working remotely helps me learn how to manage my time and projects better. You can gain a better understanding of your working tempo. Remember to take a break when you need it. Quality work follows a quality life. Be thankful to your company and colleagues who support your work all the time.
