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The 2020 global Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has pushed the world into lockdown and forced businesses to adopt remote working policies for the first time. However, while the end draws closer, thanks to the Coronavirus vaccine, and the prospect of a “normal” 2021 approaches, there’s one trend that’s here to stay. You guessed it, remote working.
The benefits of offering employees the opportunity to work from home far outweigh the drawbacks and many companies are making remote work a permanent fixture in their business model.
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Anybody who has worked from home understands the challenges that it presents and the recurring dilemma, “working from home or living at work?”. Building work relationships, career development and correct work equipment, can be a cause for concern to some “remote newbies” who are learning the ropes in this new home office environment!
Excellent Zephyr understands that it can be daunting when figuring out how to get the most out of your remote work. That’s why we have put together our Top Tips on How to Become a Remote Working Pro.
Set a Pre-Work Routine
The daily commute. For most of us, this was a part of our day-to-day routine that helped us transition into work-mode, plan or even unwind before getting down to business.
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“The average commute time for UK workers is 59 minutes” – TUC
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Now that you have all this extra time before work, you should utilise it to change your mindset and go from “home-you” to “worker”. Try taking 20 minutes before the start of your workday to replicate your commute and prepare for the day ahead! We don’t mean you have to jump on the Circle Line for 45 minutes but go for a short walk to reduce stress, sip on a hot cup of coffee or sit down and plan the day ahead.
Maintain Regular Hours
The beauty of remote working is that it’s flexible, if you need to be somewhere in the morning then you can just work a little later and visa-versa. Having said that it’s essential that you try to set a schedule and stick to it, don’t exceed the number of hours that you allocate yourself to work in one day, and if you do then be sure to compensate it with a lie-in the next morning!
It’s always going to be an experiment to find that work-life balance and the hours that work best for you. Certain apps, such as Toggl and Clockify, can help you manage your time more efficiently so that you can stick to your desired schedule.
Use Teams
Maintaining communication with your colleagues when remote working is crucial, and there’s no better way to do it than with Teams. Whether you need to provide an update on a project or you just fancy a chat with your friends, Teams is going to be your go-to daily communication tool.
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Being able to chat with someone isn’t just great for your productivity, but it helps fill the socially empty void that is often present with remote working. Excellent Zephyr can provide you with the very best Teams solution that integrates with a project planner and cloud-based tools so that you can collaborate with your workforce in real-time, from anywhere in the world!
Get Outside the House
More often than not, working from home means that you need to stare at a computer or sit in a chair for extended periods until you’ve forgotten that there’s a world outside your email inbox.
Getting out the house (Covid permitted) is one of the best ways to boost your morale and give yourself a well-deserved break. Go for a run, walk the dog or grab a spot of lunch in a café to allow your mind some freedom from work!
Maintain a Dedicated Office Space
Having a designated space for working, whether that’s a simple desk or a completely separate room with all the gear, helps emphasise that “work-life divide”. By designing your remote workspace, it not only helps you feel more comfortable but will improve your productivity.
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What’s awesome about remote working is that you can go all out and style your home office however you want, making it that special place that you love to go and work.
Set Daily Goals
Research shows that the resulting sense of achievement has an enormous impact on your happiness. By setting yourself specific goals that you want to achieve by the end of the day gives you a clear purpose and target to aim for!
Like many of us, you might have a continuously growing to-do list, choose one or two and prioritise them as your daily goal. Not only will you be actively keeping on top of your tasks, but you can celebrate at the end of the day with a drink!
