8 secrets to efficient remote work

Without any doubt, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the inevitable process of turning towards remote work which ultimately saw employees become more flexible and achieve a better work-life balance. Remote work is even done in sectors which before the pandemic seemed out of bounds due to sensitivity and confidentiality concerns. 

To learn more about it watch out EonD Expert Talk with Todd Rosenblum – Defense and Security Advisor 

According to Owl Labs,  the current picture is that 74% of workers admit that having the opportunity to work remotely makes them less likely to leave a company and a further 77%  claim to be more productive when working from home. Even though only 16% of companies operate 100% remotely, it is clear that this trend is already changing the economy. A study by WBM Technologies shows that remote employees deliver more results and with better quality. Compared to their office-based colleagues, they made up to 40% fewer mistakes 

Considering these exciting prospects, how can you be better prepared for your remote assignments? How do you organize your work while working from home? Here are EonD’s 8 secrets for effective remote work! 

1. Match your home-office routines with office routines – Create a pattern of actions and behaviors that allow you to enter in a work-like frame of mind from home (e.g. suit up or always drink coffee from one specific mug at the beginning of the work day).  

Choosing to wear formal clothes also helps with a professional atmosphere. Although this might cause a smile, it does actually mean that you can stay focused on your work in a home environment by replicating some features of the office. 

2. Stay in touch with your team and business partners – Humans are social creatures who need interactions. While it is reasy to enjoy a chat at the office, it takes more of a conscious decision to connect and interact with others when working from home.  Doing so will benefit your productivity and mental health in the long run. 

It is also possible to organise regular weekly meetings with your co-workers to talk about non-work related topics – this helps to keep the team spirit high and prevents you from shutting yourself off in your home-cave! Here at EonD, we observe a special EonD Coffee Break every Friday in order to keep in touch with our colleagues, share updates about our personal lives and tell a few jokes besides. 

3. Good Planning Skills –Generally speaking, your are your own boss at home and that is why you need to stay productive, disciplined and organised at all times. If you are not naturally good at planning, you can always use an online planning application. These can do more for you than you might expect! 

There are indeed plenty of apps to help you become a master in organisation – Microsoft To Do; Time Timer; Jour; Calendly; LastPass; Evernote; Todoist; Camcard; Active Inbox and many many more – give them a try and choose your favorite. 

4. Work – Life balance – This is not always the most popular topic but here at EonD we believe that it is extremely important. When we work from home, it’s easy to forget when to call it a day. Don’t overlook the leisure activities that help you relax and stay productive.  Set some boundaries.  Don’t overwork yourself! 

It is common knowledge that we can’t remain productive without some spare time for breaks and for our private life. So take good care of yourself: sleep, walk or do sports with friends and family to recharge your batteries! 

5. Shine bright like a beacon – When at home, you need to stay visible to others for example by not turning your camera off during meetings. Prepare and dress up for every team meeting just as you would for a meeting at the office. 

To make longer meetings more stimulating, try to stay active, ask questions and propose new ideas or ways to resolve existing problems. It will make you feel more engaged in your work. 

6. Set up weekly milestones and tight deadlines to deliver results – This is yet another important rule associated with good organisational skills. To best motivate yourself to perform, you should set deadlines for every task you plan on doing. 

When you are focused on a task, don’t let anyone or anything interupt your concentration. Without the necessary discipline, you won’t be able to deliver the results on time! 

7. Acquire new knowledge – When you are at home, try to spend some time listening to an interesting conference or start a course in your area of expertise – you will stay up to date with all the latest trends and at the same time become more knowledgeable in your field. 

Manage your time wisely – if you have some time off and need to wait for an approval or consent from your team, don’t waste precious minutes by scrolling social media and instead, try to learn new skills that will be useful for your work, be it current or future! 

8. Constantly adapt and review your process – It is important to create the right environment that helps you stay effective and productive. If you are struggling, explore some new options, improvise and adapt! 

Remember that even though one approach worked in the past, it doesn’t mean that the same will work indefinitely. Being at home for long periods of time requires of you to try new things that are better suited to the current you and that help you remain an effective professional. 

Be sure to join EonD now! Find unique opportunities for remote work, phone consultations or traditional project placement. Create your profile with EonD here.