3 strategies to maintain your mental health while working remotely
Working in fully distributed offices has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly with the advent of digital productivity tools that enable teams to collaborate as if they were working together in person. While most employees still work from an office, the proportion of people working from home has increased steadily over the past few years – no doubt exacerbated by the outbreak of coronavirus.
The following strategies can help you stay healthy, increase your productivity while working from home, and even pursue a new course of action.
Set boundaries and build structure
One of the perhaps first and most significant problems arising from remote work is the lack of structure in your time management. For example, if you work from home it can be tempting to work from bed or the couch. However, this can not only affect your productivity, but also blur the lines between work and home life. If you are outside the office, you can often schedule your time more flexibly. However, this also means that you may find yourself distractingly for an afternoon, so that you have to work in the evening to make up for it.
While flexibility can be good, particularly for people with children or other commitments that make a traditional 9-5 job more difficult, it is important to keep track of your hours rather than working nights and/or weekends just because you managed to not be productive during normal work hours.
Set boundaries around your physical work area. If you work from home, limit yourself to one or two work areas. This can help keep other non-work related areas safe from the stress of work.
Perhaps you will also find that working from home is not for you, or that it is only sometimes a good solution. In this case, look for another place where you can work reliably for at least a few hours – public libraries, friendly cafes and community rooms are good starting points. Remember to consider your most important requirements when looking for alternative work environments. For example, if you make a lot of phone calls, a library probably doesn't meet your needs or if you need reliable Internet access, some cafes may not be an option.
Over-communication and establishing accountability measures
Another factor to consider with remote work is the lack of human interaction, which can be a adjustment even for the most introverted employees. For both your own health and in the interest of your work relationships with colleagues and/or managers, make sure to stay in communication even when they are not in the office. This can be a daily or weekly phone call or email or a shared task board. Work together with your team regardless of the method to figure out what will work best to keep everyone updated.
This responsibility allows you to stay informed in less structured environments as well. If you are aware that your superior or peer is expecting a specific project or assignment to be completed by an arranged time, you will be inclined to finish it rather than add another unending task list.
Schedule in "human time"
Whether it's a virtual hangout with your colleagues or frequent evening plans with friends or family, spending time with co-workers is an underestimated but crucial part of remote work. While it may be easy to be more productive when you stay home all day, the lack of human interaction will catch up with you over time.
Instead, proactively plan things to get you out of the house (or wherever you work). If you're working from home, consider a routine such as B. Going to a favorite coffee shop once a week.
