You've traded in the bustling office environment for the comfort of your own home, and you're ready to take on the challenge of working remotely.

But with this new way of working comes new challenges - managing your time, staying connected with your team, and setting up a productive home office setup, to name a few.

An In-depth Guide on Remote Work Recommendations

Don't worry, though - we've got you covered! In this blog post, we'll share with you some of the best practices and tips for remote work that will help you stay productive, connected, and balanced.

From setting up your workspace to prioritizing self-care and mental health, we'll cover everything you need to know to maximize your remote working experience.

Why Remote Work is Better

Our website boasts about the benefits of working remotely every time. Go to any other article on this website, and you'll probably find us advocating for remote work. That's because we've seen its true potential.

And we want to keep spreading the benefits of remote work that far outweigh any benefits of working in the office.

That said, let's take a closer look at why remote working is better for many of us.

Lack of Commute

First, let's talk about the commute. Or should we say, lack thereof?

No more:

• Waking up at the crack of dawn just to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour.
• Fighting for a spot on the train or bus.
• Dealing with that one co-worker who always brings a smelly lunch on the subway.

With remote work, your commute is from your bed to your desk. And that's a commute we can get behind.

Soaring Productivity

But it's not just about convenience. It's about productivity too. A Stanford study found that remote workers are 13% more productive than their in-office peers.

And that's not just because they're in their PJs all day (although that's definitely a plus). Remote workers have fewer distractions, can better control the work environment, and can focus more on tasks.

You Are Your Boss (For the Most Part)

And let's not forget about flexibility. Remote work, especially when coupled with an asynchronous culture, allows you to create a schedule that works best for you. If you're a morning person, you can start work at the crack of dawn. If you're a night owl, you can work into the wee hours of the morning.

And if you need to take a break in the middle of the day to go for a run or take your dog for a walk, you can do that too. You're the boss of your own schedule.

Remote Working Recommendations - 8 Remote Working Tips and Best Practices You Must Follow

Remote working comes with a few challenges of its own. And that's where following best practices becomes a necessity.

Because if you don't, chances are that you'll feel remote work like another obligation that you do not want to do anymore. We're sure you don't want that. You don't want another trouble lingering around you!

And this is why we encourage you to take notes of these tips and follow them when working remotely. If you're already into remote work and you feel it's a burden, try following these best practices listed below.

We believe you'll thank us for saving your day. Or should we say, your career?!

1. Set Up a Proper Workspace

Let's start with the basics - your workspace. You're going to be spending a lot of time here, so it's essential that you set it up in a way that's conducive to productivity. You don't need a fancy office, but you should have a designated space where you can work without distraction.

Aesthetics do matter, but listen to your heart. Only you know what's comfortable for you. Always put comfort at first when setting up your workspace.

• Find a comfortable chair.
• A desk at the right height.
• And a reliable internet connection.

2. Manage Time and Become Productive

One of the biggest challenges of remote work is managing your time effectively. Working from home can make it easy to get sidetracked by household chores or personal tasks. This is where time and task management tools become one of the best practices.

Tools like Trello and Asana can help you keep track of your tasks and deadlines, while time-tracking apps like RescueTime can help you identify how you're spending your time.

3. Stay Connected with Teammates

Working remotely doesn't mean you have to be isolated. Staying connected with your teammates is essential for:

• Collaboration.
• Productivity.
• And maintaining a sense of community.

Schedule regular check-ins with your team, whether it's through video calls, instant messaging, or email.

Some people find it really challenging to tackle isolation. It's a normal phase of the process, but if you're such an extrovert that working within the bounds of your home becomes unbearable for you, consider talking with your manager to take you into the office for work.

4. Communicate Clearly

Clear communication is essential for remote work. When you're not in the same physical space as your colleagues, it's easy for misunderstandings to happen. Be sure to communicate clearly and frequently, and always confirm that everyone is on the same page.

Especially in an async remote team, communications must be concise while still delivering the ultimate message. Whenever you need input or want help with something from your colleagues, make sure the message you're sending them includes every possible detail.

Also, if they're working in the same time zone as you, make sure that you send a single message with all the details rather than multiple messages at once. You don't want to distract their focus at work, so you shouldn't keep triggering their notifications like a firework.

5. Set Your Schedule and Stick to Them

One of the benefits of remote work is the flexibility to set your own hours. However, it's essential to set boundaries and stick to them. This means setting a start and end time for your workday and avoiding the temptation to work outside of those hours.

Setting a start and end time for your workday can create a sense of structure and routine that can help you be more productive and prevent burnout. It's important to communicate your work hours to your colleagues and clients to ensure they respect your time and don't expect you to be available 24/7.

You also need to set your non-working days. Just because you can work from anywhere at any time doesn't mean you should. Taking time off is essential for your mental and physical health, and it can actually make you more productive in the long run.

6. Remember to Take Breaks

When you're working from home, it can be easy to get so caught up in your work that you forget to take breaks. But it's vital to make an intentional effort to take breaks throughout the day to stay focused and productive.

Taking a break doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop working entirely; it can be as simple as stepping away from your desk for a few minutes to:

• Stretch.
• Grab a healthy snack.
• Or take a quick walk around the block.

A method of working effectively is to work by the Pomodoro Technique. This basically means splitting your work into smaller chunks of 25 minutes, with a short 5-minute break after every Pomodoro (25 minutes) and a long 15-minute break after every 4 pomodoros.

7. Exercise

Another best practice to stay productive is incorporating exercise into your daily routine.

Working from home can be sedentary, so getting up and moving around is essential. This could be as simple as doing a quick workout video or going for a walk during your lunch break.

You don't have to do anything hardcore. The goal here is to shake your body a bit after long hours at your desk.

8. Self-Care and Mental Health

Finally, it would help if you prioritized self-care and mental health. It’s easy to neglect these aspects of your life when you're working in the same space where you relax and unwind, but taking care of yourself is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Maintain your physical and mental well-being by getting:

• Enough sleep.
• Eating well.
• And taking breaks when you need them.

It also means being aware of the signs of burnout and taking action when you start to feel overwhelmed.

Burnout can manifest as physical symptoms like fatigue as well as emotional symptoms like stress and irritability. In such cases, take a step back and re-evaluate your workload and self-care practices.

Remote Working vs Office: Why You Should Follow the Best Practices

As we move into a new age of work, the battle between remote work and the office is heating up. On the one hand, you have the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, and on the other hand, you have... well, the office.

For starters, following the best practices for remote work keeps you accountable. When you're in the office, you have a boss peering over your shoulder, making sure you're doing your work.

But when you're working from home, it's easy to get distracted by Netflix or your cat's cute antics. By following best practices, you can stay on track and make sure you're being productive.

Another reason to follow best practices is that it promotes work-life balance. When you work from home, separating your work life from your personal life can be tricky. So you need to set boundaries and stick to a schedule to make sure you're not burning the midnight oil every night.

All of this comes down to the fact that you don't have a manager micromanaging you in remote work. That's why best practices are vital to staying productive, organized, and putting in your best effort at work.

Conclusion

Remote work can be a fantastic way to achieve a better work-life balance, but it requires some adjustments to your daily routine.

By setting up a proper workspace, managing your time effectively, staying connected with your team, and following the other remote working best practices listed above, you can make the most out of your remote working experience.

So, go forth and conquer the world of remote work - with these tips and best practices, you've got this!

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