5 REMOTE WORKING HACKS: HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR BUSINESS GOALS

74% of the UK population work full-time, and 63% of these full-time employees have the freedom to work from home. The trend of remote working has steadily been increasing over the years.  Both employees and employers recognise the plethora of benefits – from lower overhead costs, increased talent tool to a better work/life balance which could potentially lead to improved employee retention In return, the central question that keeps arising is how one can be efficient while working from the comfort of home. Here are our top five tips on how to increase your motivation and maintain productivity levels high.

Set boundaries with others

Working from home has its perks such as a decreased stressful commute time and increased levels of productivity as employees won’t get distracted by co-workers or impromptu meetings. In fact, in a recent survey, homeworkers ranked their productivity as 7.7/10, compared with 6.5/10 for office workers. However, you need to have a substantial amount of dedication and clear working boundaries to stay efficient. Make sure that your friends and family don’t overstep these boundaries as they need to understand that working from home doesn’t mean you can take a break at any time. This can be done by establishing clear working hours for yourself and communicating it with them. If you need to take on non-work-related requests during the day, set aside a certain amount of time for it based on what your schedule would be like in an office.

Dedicated mind-set

Get out of bed! You might be tempted to stay in your comfy, tartan pyjamas or take a lunch break that lasts longer than an hour, but self-control and discipline are essential when remote working. Treat your home office as you would treat your actual office. Getting dressed for the day can also make you feel more determined to get your work done. Lastly, set up a dedicated workspace as it’ll help separate your work and family life (literally!).

Get the right equipment

Avoid the back pains and neck aches. If you’re going to sit for long periods of time, invest in quality ergonomic desk equipment such as a comfortable chair, desk, sturdy filing system, keyboard and mouse. Spending the day staring at the computer screen in the wrong light can give you a headache. Philips Hue can help brighten or dim the room to just the right setting, so your eyes aren’t strained – regardless of the time of the day.

Take regular breaks

It’s great to plug in and work away, but make sure you take several short breaks throughout the day to get away from your screen. This could be to create a beverage, reading a chapter from your current book, stopping for five minutes to stretch out your body or a brisk walk to the shop around the corner – anything to energise and refocus.

Analyse your productivity

This might sound tedious but try to keep tabs on how long each activity has taken you. If a journal is too much of a hassle, consider using online time tracking apps, such as Toggl, where you can categorise different clients or tasks as per your preference. Toggl’s clean, simple design makes it easy to use, and its ability to create a graph allows you to analyse your time and productivity rather easily.

So there it is, our top remote working hacks. It’s time to embrace, and no doubt you’ll be able to get through your checklist, meet your goals and #GoForGold!

Follow Cherish PR on Instagram to see how we’re practicing our top tips to hack the work/life balance.

By Richa Kundnani, Cherish PR