Essential tips for staying productive while working remotely

Working from home can be rewarding and provide flexibility, but only if you're productive. Here are six essential tips to help you create a good work-life balance while ensuring high levels of productivity and quality remains high.

Create a good working space

If you're remote working every day, separating your work from your home life can be difficult. As such, setting up a temporary office or workspace is essential. Although you aren't leaving the house, sitting at the same desk every day can help you to concentrate, and you won't be as easily distracted by everything else around you. While it might be tempting to lie in bed or sit on the sofa, try to avoid this. Being consistent will make you more productive.

Have a routine

This is just as important as creating a separate workspace. If you usually work 9-5, then commit to doing the same hours while you're at home. This includes getting up and dressed every morning like you would if you were heading into the office.

Also, schedule your lunch break as well as regular tea breaks. Working through lunch or forgetting to eat altogether will affect your motivation and focus. Similarly, if you tend to snack, setting regular intervals will prevent you from making too many trips to the fridge.

Stay connected with your colleagues

Communication with team members is key in any role, but it is even more important when working remotely to avoid miscommunication and the feeling of isolation. Make sure you schedule daily or weekly catch ups so you can discuss any projects or deadlines that need to be met. Social interactions between you and your colleagues can be maintained while you are working remotely. This can also be good for sharing ideas, inspiring motivation and productivity.

Know when to log off

This can be one of the biggest challenges for those new to remote working, but you must set a time each day to 'log off'. If you're constantly fielding calls and emails, your productivity is likely to suffer, so you need to ensure you have some downtime away from your desk. Don't feel guilty for spending your evenings cooking a nice meal, watching your favourite TV show or enjoying some quality time with your loved ones.

Track your time 

To ensure you're being productive, you'll need to track your time and set goals. One of the ways to do this is to ask your manager what is expected of you each day or week so you can use it to create a schedule. This gives you something to aim for and will allow you to split your day into manageable chunks. However, it's important that you're honest with yourself and when things aren't going to plan - such as there are more distractions at home, it's OK to admit that you're struggling.

Ask your family to respect your needs

Although remote working is more common than ever before, some may not understand that your working hours still need to be respected. Don't be afraid to tell your family or friends that you don't have time for a chat or a catch-up, and you shouldn't be expected to do all the household chores. Establish some boundaries and ask everyone to stick to them.

Most ERP software supports remote working, and with a few clicks of the mouse, you can easily manage inventory, process and track orders, stay connected with employees, and generate reports. To find out more,contact us at WinMan ERP today.