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One benefit of working from home is creating a remote work routine that allows you to spend more time doing what you love. It is vital to set expectations with employers and clients.
Having a routine is essential to creating a sustainable work-life balance. However, creating a routine is not easy, and many people, including myself, struggle to succeed in their careers and lives because of a lack of routine.
Trial and Error
When you start working from home, it’s essential to experiment and try different work routines to evaluate when you are most productive.
Think about your lifestyle and commitments and how they might impact when you start and finish work.
Everyone works differently, and some employers will be more flexible than others. They will be more flexible if you’re working for a fully distributed company with a worldwide workforce.
Many remote workers prefer to work a few hours in the morning and the remaining hours in the late afternoon. Others work late into the evening when the day is quieter and free for activities.
Don’t feel you have to follow the same routine every day. You might want to work one schedule from Monday to Wednesday and another on Thursday and Friday.
Unplug From Work
Working from home makes it easier to always be in work mode, without breaks or relaxation. However, setting expectations with employers and clients is essential so they know you are not contactable 24/7.
Some people will take advantage if you are not careful.
As mentioned, having a remote work routine is essential, but so is taking time out of the day to exercise, get fresh air, and disconnect from work.
It is highly recommended that a workspace be hidden away in a part of the home, such as a spare room or bedroom.
Keeping your workspace and laptop in the living room will ensure you are continuously in work mode. If you use your mobile phone for work, make sure notifications are disabled after you complete your day.
It’s important to remember why you opted to work from home. Most remote workers want freedom and flexibility, so don’t let work take over.
Look at Productivity Techniques
We’ve discussed work routines, but another area to explore is productivity techniques. These can help you stay motivated and get work done. The Pomodoro technique is worth considering, especially if you are easily distracted.
The process is simple: Set a timer for a task that will take around 25 minutes. After this time, take a 5-minute break and continue for another 25 minutes. Once you’ve completed four rounds of 25-minute sessions, take a 15-minute break.
You’ll find this keeps you focused and reduces procrastination. Productivity is further increased if you spend 10-15 minutes at the end of the day writing down the tasks that need to be completed the next day.
The result is that you jump straight into work instead of procrastinating about planning your workday.
Communication is Essential
Whether you are a freelancer or an entrepreneur, communication skills are essential for working from home successfully. As this guide mentions, setting boundaries and expectations is critical to ensure a good work-life balance.
Firstly, communicate with your household that you will be working from home. Set boundaries, and inform them you do not want to be disturbed while working. Of course, this is complicated if you have children at home.
Next, communicate with clients and colleagues regularly. There isn’t such a thing as over-communication when working remotely. Many companies use Slack to send text messages and images and host video and audio calls.
You should create non-work Slack channels about health, fitness, travel, and entertainment. This way, you can build relationships with colleagues outside of work and learn more about them.
Communicating your work routine for the day or week to colleagues and managers will help you set expectations.
Again, if you use Slack, use the notifications feature to inform your team of your work availability, primarily if you work with colleagues in different time zones.
Get to Grips with Timezones
While we are on global workforces, remember that you might have colleagues working in various time zones when creating your work routine. For example, the US alone has six!
For freelancers, knowing what timezone your clients are in is essential. Where possible, try to communicate with them during those times. If you’re in Kuala Lumpur, and your client is in the US, working in the evening might be more advantageous.
Creating a remote work routine
Don’t make your work routine strict unless your employer or client requires you to work a specific time. Give yourself plenty of time to do what you enjoy while working hard and getting work done.
