Plenty of jobs offer professionals the ability to work from their residence instead of going to an office or job site five days a week. It’s a luxury that has become especially prominent in recent times. While working from home comes with various benefits, it can also be quite the challenge for those who aren’t used to this tempo of work.
Issues come up when it comes to time management and team communication rather frequently. The good news is—it’s manageable with the right strategy and perspective. To help you better handle your professional responsibilities, we’ve come up with a few essential pointers that you should keep in mind.
Make a task list
Plenty of work-from-home professionals encounter time-management problems during their day. When you have a little extra flexibility in your schedule and all the freedom in the world, it can be easy to procrastinate and put off work for later. However, the longer this disorganization lasts, the worse it gets and the more your productivity suffers.
While it takes some practice and discipline to stay on schedule, there are ways to warm yourself up for this type of work. For starters, you need a task or to-do list for your workday. With good structure, you can focus on individual tasks one at a time instead of feeling overwhelmed at all of your responsibilities.
The catch is that you have to stick by the list rigorously. If you have a task scheduled for a particular time of day, that period will be dedicated to it wholly, so there’s no option for procrastination or delays. It’s an essential habit to form if you work from home.
Create a workday
Speaking of flexibility, some jobs let you work whenever you want, as long as you meet the predetermined deadline. This type of arrangement might be a blessing, but it’s also a curse for many individuals that work from home.
It can give the illusion of having enough time to complete a task, even though it’s only being put off for later. By the time you get around to it, you might already be tired, or you might even choose to do an all-nighter to get the task over with. Night owls are especially plagued by this issue, though it’s not just their specific kind of schedule that’s the problem.
Having a specific workday can help you organize and motivate yourself to do your job on time. If you know your capabilities and how long it takes to complete everything, you can create a schedule that lets you separate your work and leisure time effectively.
Communicate effectively
One of the few downsides of working from home is that communication with employees, managers, and colleagues can be difficult. Apps like Slack and Zoom can help you stay in contact, but they don’t provide a good basis for organized communication. Setting up and scheduling meetings can be a nightmare, especially if the apps you use aren’t simple or intuitive to use.
For these reasons, it’s important that you and your team communicate through an effective channel. Employers often set up Redback Connect teleconferencing sessions when they need to host a meeting, webinar, or other type of virtual event. Having everyone connect with a single button helps simplify connections, and professionals like Redback utilize dedicated operators and support teams to make sure events are well-organized.
Take breaks when needed
There are lots of people that think that working too hard isn’t an issue. However, as is the case with procrastination, it can affect your productivity and results quite a bit. Overworking yourself and skipping breaks will only lead to burnout and exhaustion. All the extra time you spend working on a project won’t be nearly as productive as you might think.
Take breaks that are appropriate for your line of work. The most important one should be your lunch break. You can’t work properly without energy, and starving yourself until your workday ends will only leave you cranky and frustrated. If you stand or sit for long periods, make sure you get up and stretch your legs from time to time, as it will help you improve your posture and reduce back pain.
Conclusion
Working from home can be as taxing as it is liberating. No matter which line of work you’re in, it helps to be prepared for this kind of job. If you know what to expect and how to handle it, you’ll be able to enjoy all the freedoms of working from home without having to deal with the downsides. Consider issues at home as well as issues with team communication when you formulate your work-from-home plan. Whether it’s your internet or a lack of peace and quiet, all problems need to be taken care of before you can start working efficiently.
Mike is an Australian business consulting specialist. He’s working with companies that outsource their IT maintenance. He often writes about technology, business and marketing and is a regular contributor on several websites.
