The recent precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 may have you working remotely for the first time ever. Working remotely can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but we are here to help. As online learning and working specialists, we’ve come up with our top five tips for working remotely. Let’s dive in.
1. Find your “space“
You need to find a space free from distractions to allow for optimal focus. If you have a shared space, this one is for you. All of a sudden now you, your family, your roommates, or maybe your pets are all stuck inside. This has the potential for both distractions and frustration. Get together with whomever you live with and make a plan so that you can all work and exist in peace while sharing a little more space than usual. As a part of this plan, ensure you have room on a flat surface for your computer or laptop and make some guidelines around conversation, noise levels, and breaks.
2. Overcommunicate with your teammates and leader
Since you’re used to being able to quickly meet or run over to someone’s desk to get information, make sure you are getting everything you need as clearly as possible from your leader and your teammate. A small miscommunication can be a huge hiccup in remote work. Get on the phone if you need to clarify, and make sure expectations are clearly expressed to and for everyone. Send small chat messages during the day with your team to stay connected.
3. Start at a set time, take lunch, and end at a set time
Since you will be “plugged in” somewhat endlessly, with the availability to hop on and check emails at any time, it’s super important to set boundaries around work so that you don’t overwork, overstress, and put your immune system at greater risk.
4. Meet/check-in at regular times every day
Ensure your leadership has set a time every day (maybe multiple times a day) to check in with the team via Zoom, Skype, Webex, however you remotely join meetings. Zoom has a free level of membership that is very useful. Get into the habit of meeting and downloading in the morning, and then again in the afternoon, to ensure everyone is on the same page and accomplishing goals.
5. If you can, get some blue light blocking glasses
Since you won’t be doing much else other than looking at a screen, you can easily overwork your eyes and develop eye strain. This can be combated with blue light blocking lenses. If you can’t get your hands on some, set some timers on your phone to get up and walk away from the screen and rest your eyes.
If you need help or have questions reach out to us.
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