As we deal with the global pandemic of COVID-19, more and more marketers and salespeople are finding themselves in a new remote environment. While some of us might be familiar with off-site work, many are struggling to adjust to the new routine away from the office. However, while we all are anxiously waiting for the day that we can return to work as usual, the skills that come with remote working are useful for many situations, even after the time of required social distancing has ended.
If you are one of the many who is finding remote work difficult, here are 8 helpful tips to make the days easier and more productive.
At the office you have your own space and desk area that you’ve set up to be an effective workspace. The same philosophy applies at home as well. If you don’t have a dedicated workspace you can easily find yourself struggling to focus.
Even if you don’t have a home office, it’s important to create a space that you can exclusively use for working. Taking over the coffee table or a corner of the dining room might be your best bet if you don’t have a desk. A specific workspace helps you focus your mindset on today’s work tasks and stay away from a more leisurely mentality.
The office provides a great place for focusing on work since everyone there shares the same goal. At home, you might find yourself much more easily distracted with chores, family, pets, and activities that aren’t available in an office setting.
Removing these distractions as much as you can is a great way to stay focused and on task. Consider:
You likely have a schedule you follow when in the office for things like preparing your coffee, taking lunch, and stepping out for a break. These activities typically follow a routine. Working from home doesn’t have to be different—in fact it shouldn’t. A work-from-home schedule will help you stay on task and remind you to do important things like take a break and eat lunch. It can also help you get started in the morning when you might be tempted to lie in bed for a few more minutes since you don’t have to worry about a commute.
Because the people you are working with, both in your own company and externally, are also trying to manage remotely, it helps to be flexible with scheduling calls and meetings. After all, they might have a work-from-home schedule they are also trying to stick to.
Take into consideration that others are struggling through similar situations and work together to find the right times for business meetings among everyone’s busy days.
Taking regular breaks will help you remain focused on your tasks without getting a headache. While focusing on work and staying on task is important when working from home, it’s also important that you keep your own health in mind too. Staring at a computer screen for 8 hours isn’t good for anyone, so step away when needed to take a walk or play with the kids for a few minutes.
Having a plan for working remotely won’t do you any good if you don’t have the bandwidth to to support it. If you’ve been a holdout from high-speed internet, it may be time to change that. A strong internet connection is essential to keeping pace while working from home.
In addition, you might want to invest in a newer computer or add a monitor to your workspace if you find that your at-home setup is lacking in useful technology. While these expenses might seem over the top, in the long run they will all serve you well.
Communication is key while working remotely. When you’re unable to quickly stop over at someone’s desk for a conversation, you may forget to update coworkers on essential developments or new projects. It also might be harder to get a hold of someone when something urgent comes up. Stay as available as possible so your coworkers and employees are able to contact you.
Working from home depends on having the right platforms and tools in place to ensure easy communication, project management, teleconferencing, and document sharing. Working from home is incredibly difficult when you rely on things like personal spreadsheets and in-person conversations. While leveraging technology may seem like a simple thing to implement, the truth is these tools should be set up for long-term success both during the COVID-19 crisis and afterwards.
While we all wait for social distancing to end so we can return to the work/life balance we are accustomed to, it’s still important to understand that the digital world is going to be an ever-present part of sales and marketing. If you have the capabilities to successfully work from home, you can find yourself able to handle more situations and be able to embrace more opportunities.
Want to learn more about the technology and tools available to improve your company’s digital presence? Schedule a talk with us, and we’ll help you get started.