Many organizations have asked employees to work remotely to help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak. If you’ve never worked from home, this can be a challenge.
Beyond Paralegals is a fully remote-based company by design. We have been successfully assisting our clients (in different time zones) with strategic and consultative paralegal and executive assistant support services for over 14 years, and put together a few “tips and tricks” to help meet the moment for remote work beginners.
Have A Designated Workspace.
Turn a spare room into an office. If space is limited, find a desk or table that’s specifically for your work. A designated workspace matters for a few reasons. First, you’ll have room to spread out your work materials — and leave them out the entire day. Second, a dedicated workspace can help your motivation. When you go to this designated space, you know that it’s time to work.
Invest In Reliable Technology.
Any remote worker will tell you that access to consistent WiFi is integral to their success, but there’s more to a successful setup than an internet connection. Along with having the ability to take video calls without losing connection, you should consider what tools and tech you’ll need to do your job well. For example, many remote workers invest in a great pair of noise-canceling headphones so that they can take their work anywhere – regardless of background noise levels. Others find that wireless keyboards and mouses, or even a second screen, are integral to their efficiency.
Dress And Groom For Work.
Your morning prep routine plays a large role in determining your mindset for the day. You’ll find you’re more productive when you get up and dress, shave, and brush your teeth before you start your workday. Also, dedicate a handful of comfortable “work” clothes, which are different from the clothes you wear when you’re relaxing on a Saturday afternoon or in the evenings.
Create A Schedule – And Stick To It.
Give your day some structure by making a schedule for the day, week, and/ or month ahead. We make an hour-by-hour schedule that includes our top priorities, short and long term deadlines, and includes taking breaks.
Calendar tip: give your days a theme, for example, meetings, responding to emails, drafting documents. Why? These different activities require different skills and involve different parts of the brain. If you can’t dedicate an entire day to a theme consider allocating a chunk of each day to a specific project – by doing this you will free up mental bandwidth and be more productive.
Reduce Distractions.
One of the benefits of working from home is escaping workplace distractions that are imposed on you. So don’t inundate yourself with “home” distractions, like turning on TV and scrolling through newsfeeds. Why? It’s because multitasking doesn’t work. Switching between tasks can result in as much as a 40% loss of productivity.
Figure Out Your Working Style.
At the start of your remote work journey, it’s a great idea to figure out your work style. Everyone has a time of day in which they are more productive. Figure out what time of the day you are more productive; is it the morning, afternoon, or evening? and whether you prefer taking small breaks throughout the day, or longer midday breaks. Then schedule your most important work during your most productive time of day. A luxury of remote work – is getting to work during your best hours, whatever they may be.
Communication.
The key to being successful in any professional role is communication, but when it comes to remote work it is an even more important asset. Since you’re no longer a few desks down from your coworkers or your manager, it’s your job to schedule 1:1 check-in meetings with your team on a weekly basis (or daily basis depending on workload) to connect on your goals, upcoming projects and daily tasks.
Stay Aligned With Company Culture.
Do whatever you can to keep things aligned with your existing company culture. Even though working remotely does drastically change interactions since you’re no longer together in person, you can still make sure that the little things you did in the office continue. This might include chatting about family, sports or anything else you would normally do by the water cooler. Volunteering together through online charity projects instead of an in-person is another way to stay aligned.
Invest In Self Care.
While being stuck behind your computer for hours is sometimes necessary when working on deadlines or completing an important presentation, give yourself time for, you. Commit to your fitness routine and make sure that you’re creating blocks in your schedule to eat healthy, and making nutritious meals, so that you can be focused and productive when you need to be.
Know When To “Log Off”.
This can be one of the most challenging aspects for remote work beginners, as the world is becoming increasingly connected. While you may receive emails and chat notifications at any hour (especially if you’re working in a different time zone than your clients and coworkers), it’s important to develop a habit of setting a time when you officially “log off” for the night. The best part of working remotely is having the flexibility to work when you are most productive.
