Remote work is having a moment—and may continue to grow as the pandemic rages on. According to Gallup, nearly seven in 10 employees work remotely all or part of the time. Only one in four remote workers want to work in the office.
Whether or not working from home is your preference, it pays to know how to work from home effectively. Without keeping a close eye on your time and activities, you may start to see some negative consequences of working in a more relaxed environment. Kaitlin McManus, an associate law editor for Vault, has compiled a list of four bad habits to break when you work remotely.
In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share McManus’ thoughts on the pitfalls of working remotely and how to avoid them.
1. Not following a morning routine. Working from home saves you the hassle of a morning commute, but this doesn’t mean you should roll out of bed and right into work. McManus advises professionals to stick to a morning routine that works for them. Whether you like to meditate, exercise or catch up on the news over a cup of coffee, do what works for your lifestyle. If you are supposed to start work at 8 a.m. and wake up at 7:55, you’re not giving yourself a good start to the day. Give yourself time to complete your regular morning routine.
2. Never signing off. While remote work comes with the perk of no commute time, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly working. It’s all too easy to start your day sooner and work later into the evening since you are already at home. However, McManus says this is a bad habit because you will start to feel like you spend all your time working. To avoid this, be sure to sign off for the day at an appropriate time.
3. Giving in to distractions. Even if you work in a home office with the doors shut, distractions are all around you. McManus once got a Snapchat of a friend making homemade marinara at 2:45 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon. Whether you get tempted to make a batch of cookies or put on a load of laundry, be cautious about how you spend your time during the workday. McManus says it’s okay to take small breaks throughout your day, but make sure they don’t start taking up more and more of your day. To help, try setting a timer to keep yourself on track.
4. Eating all the food and not exercising. In the workplace, you often have to pay for snacks in the vending machine. At home, all the food is there for the taking—no loose change necessary. Your fitness routine may be thrown off, too, especially if you are accustomed to working out on your way to or from work. McManus advises professionals to keep an eye on their eating habits when they work remotely and to schedule time to be active. This could mean going for a short walk around the block or pausing for a yoga break. The idea is to try and eat mindfully and stay active while working from home.
You can work from home successfully if you keep yourself accountable. Create a reasonable schedule for your work and try to adhere to it as much as possible. Be sure to stay mindful about how you spend your time and look for ways to get up from your laptop. You can be productive and still enjoy the perks of working remotely by striving to avoid the bad habits above.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Kaitlin McManus is an associate law editor for Vault, a site that provides ratings, rankings and reviews for thousands of top employers.
