Remote Working Part 2 – Best practises
The number one reason workers fail to adjust to operating remotely is they don’t recognise the need for excellent organisation and robust self management.
I have been operating remotely for nearly 8 yrs since I first found Quickbooks online an ‘on demand’ small business accounting software web application and was mesmerised by the fact that if you can do accounting on the Internet then why shouldn’t it be feasible to do other key types of of work away from the conventional office?
Whilst working remotely has many benefits there are numerous traps that people easily fall into which turn into problems that cause decreased work output and reduced morale. The most significant reason for decreases in productivity in remote workers is disturbance and it is a confirmed and well publicised fact that it can take a worker up to 20 mins to return to their original productivity level after experiencing an interruption.
Deeper insights reveal that individuals who are consistently subjected to distractions are more likely to suffer from decreased memory capacity and are prone to developing mental health problems in later life. We exist in an over communicated world and it is critical that you know the problems this causes before you decide to work remotely. Whilst operating remotely you have to do everything feasible to eradicate the jeopardy of being distracted.
Here are my most important tips:
1, Get a routine, communicate it to absolutely everyone and obsessively maintain it!
Good examples are a consistent time of day when you look at or write and send mail and make or will accept phone conversatiions. Before I began working remotely I used to get nearly two hundred e-mails every 24 hours. Now I think I am unfortunate if I receive in excess of four. To start over with my electronic mail experience I altered my e-mail address and vigorously took precautions to look after the details being made known to anyone. I then ‘trained’ every person who I gave my e-mail address to, to use it prudently. I also configured an auto-responder that swiftly informed anyone sending me mail my schedule for reading mail and if an item must have my immediate attention to mark it as ‘Urgent’.
2. Get rid of alerts.
Turn off absolutely everything that can send you a perceptible alert. This includes cell and
conventional handsets and types of alerts from e-mail such as visual alerts, beeps, display changes to your inbox list and of course facing a window. Get a door on your work place and put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.
In ‘Remote Working Part 3 – What should be in your tool box’ I will reveal my favourite tools and software.
