Remote working is no longer the future of work; it is now. Many companies and individuals alike have come to accept the benefits that come with working remotely.
Individuals get a flexible schedule that gives them a good shot at improving their work-life balance. They save on commute expenses, they are more productive and achieve job satisfaction.
Businesses enjoy reduced office overheads, increased productivity and are exposed to a wider pool of talents.
However, working remotely has its own challenges. For starters, working in isolation can have an adverse effect on individual job management. In addition, managers find it hard to manage work when teams work from different locations.
For remote work to be successful, job management is very crucial. Here are 7 tips to help you excel at job management when working remotely.
Tips to help you excel at job management
#1 Structure a routine
One advantage of working remotely is having a flexible schedule. To some, it would mean working at any time of the day. You sleep, work for an hour, run errands, get back to work and so on. The problem of working this way is you might find yourself rushing through things and getting fatigued without having much done.
While working remotely allows that flexible schedule, it is important to determine the times when you are optimally productive. You can then structure your day around this time. Have time to clock in, take breaks and clock out. This will help your mind be ready to stay on top of tasks.
#2 Have a reliable file sharing solution
For remote work to run smoothly, team members need to share information relating to projects at hand. They also need to submit finished work to the managers, which sometimes means having to send large files.
Having a structured way of sending and storing documents and files, therefore, become very crucial in remote working.
While working, employees will need tools that enable them to open and compress large files. Using Zip files enables them to do this efficiently. It also enables them to organize files related to a project in a single zip file that is easy to find and work with. Organized and efficient file sharing ensures that they stay focused on the tasks and are able to manage them better.
#3 Make use of available job management systems
As a manager, you will be required to assign jobs to the employees. This includes giving deadlines and timelines for milestones. In that, you need to have a record of assigned jobs, jobs in progress, completed and canceled tasks. You also need to track time and costs for each project.
Achieving all these can prove impossible without a reliable job management system. Ensure you employ one to help you have all this information in a single platform.
#4 Use scheduling apps
Working from home sometimes translates to having a reduced capacity to work, especially when one has to juggle between chores and childcare. As a manager, you may fail to notice an employee’s capacity to work since you are not on co-location. You might find that you are assigning jobs that end up being delayed or underperformed.
To counter this, use a scheduling app to monitor time used on tasks on a daily basis. That way, you will assign jobs in a balanced way to ensure all tasks are done effectively.
#5 Divide work into simple tasks
Viewing a project as a whole sometimes makes one fall through the crack to procrastination and motivation drop. While it is important to look forward to completing tasks, breaking them down to doable tasks helps in boosting morale. Seeing yourself hit major milestones on a project goes a long way in helping you stay on track with the whole project.
#6 Encourage breaks and playtime
Working in isolation can sometimes be overwhelming for employees. While it may seem harmless at first, continuous feelings of loneliness can lead to physical and mental health problems. You agree that unhealthy employees can’t stay on top of their work.
Encourage your team to take regular breaks, organize virtual playtime, and train them on stress management, exercise and healthy eating. Encourage regular communication between members.
#7 Avoid distractions
Working remotely sometimes means working in areas filled with distractions. In addition, social media and surfing the internet can take a big chunk of your time if not used carefully. These distractions can easily have you falling back on deadlines and important tasks.
To manage your work better, ensure that you have eliminated all the possible distractions. Use internet blocking tools to block out some sites that steal your time in the period of your work. You can also use noise-canceling headphones to keep away any noise.
While it may seem like a daunting task to excel at job management in a remote set up, the above tips can help you. However, your success working remotely starts with the right mindset, self-discipline and staying motivated.
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