Essential Resources for Maximizing Remote Efficiency | ProductiveandFree

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to send their employees home to do their jobs, remote work has grown by leaps and bounds. As of 2023, more than 4.7 million U.S. workers are remote at least half the time, and it’s estimated that 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025. Many people are excited about remote work, and there are many pros, like eliminating the commute and having more time with your family. However, when you’re away from an office and have more freedom, staying on track, being productive, and avoiding burnout can be hard.

The solution is to create a structure for your remote work that will allow you to complete your tasks while maintaining a proper work-life balance. Here are resources and tips to achieve maximum remote efficiency.

You Need a Reliable Internet Connection

Reliable Internet Connection | ProductiveandFree — Unsplash

During a day and age when just about all work is completed electronically, you need an internet connection on which you can depend. When your internet works seamlessly, you can maximize your efficiency, so this step is important.

While you’re looking into the best internet for remote work, you need to consider several factors, including bandwidth, which is the maximum data that can be transferred over a connection. Also, look at the latency or how much lag you may experience. Consider those when looking at internet providers. You also need to consider what you do at work each day to determine how strong of a connection you’ll need. Simple data entry may not require as much as a job requiring constant Zoom meetings or transferring large files.

There are different internet options you may try. Regardless of the work you do, if you can secure a fiber optic connection, take advantage because it provides faster response times and little to no lag. Cable and DSL options are also very dependable and will work just fine for meetings and communicating with coworkers. If you work in a rural area without the availability of cable or fiber optics, satellite internet is an option.

If you work from home, you may need your own space, and if your internet is still choppy in an office far away from the router, adding an extender near your workspace can get you the speed you need.

Productivity Tips That Prevent Burnout

When you work from the comfort of your home, there can be an increased risk of working longer than you should or being distracted and not completing your work. To get a happy medium, you need to consider some work-from-home tricks. For instance, set a routine and boundaries. Set your working hours, get them approved by management, and stick to them. When your day is done, turn off your computer or leave your work phone behind and take some time to relax.

You should also find ways to use technology to your advantage so that you’re not doing so much at once that it results in burnout. By sticking to one project at a time, you can focus on that task and ensure that it’s done to perfection. You can look for project management software online, such as Monday.com or ClickUp, to help you manage your tasks and keep you on track.

Along those lines, you can stay focused and motivated using time-box tasks. A popular method, The Pomodoro Technique, says you should give yourself a certain amount of time, say 25 minutes, to complete a task, followed by a brief break. It’s a good system that will help you focus on work without getting overwhelmed.

Another great tool for remote work is Google Workspace, which includes software like Docs and Sheets. If your job allows it, complete your work there, and it will save automatically so you can log in from anywhere and access your reports and projects.

Make Time for Hobbies

Time for Hobbies | ProductiveandFree — Unsplash

When you have the computer in your home, and you don’t have a boss turning off the lights and telling you to go home, it can be far too easy to stay at work longer and overdo it. Don’t let that happen, or you’ll likely get burned out, and your work will suffer. Instead, you need a work-life balance and to rely on the power of personal time. If you work all the time and aren't enjoying the hobbies you like, you could get upset, and it will negatively affect your work and your life overall.

Create a self-care routine you’ll keep up because you absolutely love doing it. Schedule time during evenings and weekends to do things you enjoy and take your mind off of work. A creative hobby, like painting or drawing, is good for your mental health and allows you to relax and decompress.

Some hobbies are enjoyable and can help you at work. Building jigsaw puzzles and working out brain-teasers in your free time can help with your logic and reasoning when you log in each day. There are also hobbies like photography or learning a new language that can help you have a more open mind, which can help when thinking outside of the box during your workday.

Conclusion

You can utilize many resources and strategies to be more efficient when working from home. Use the tools at your disposal, and you’ll impress your boss even if you’re hundreds of miles away.

Katie Brenneman

Katie is a passionate writer specializing in time management, marketing, and education-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.