Are of one of the lucky ones that work remotely? First, congratulations! Second, you have probably figured out how to work productively from home. If you are still struggling, you should find this article on maintaining productivity while working from home helpful. Perfecting the art of working from home and loving it doesn’t take away the feelings of stagnation while working remotely after a while.
A disadvantage of working remotely is that work time bleeds into your personal time, and you sometimes can’t tell the difference between the two. You find yourself in a never-ending cycle of work, more work and maybe sleep. After a while, you start to get bored and perhaps even feel trapped.
A few signs that you are beginning to feel the touches of stagnation while working remotely include;
i. Feeling uninspired and unmotivated to do any work.
ii. Constant procrastination.
iii. Finding ways to avoid responsibilities, e.g. aimless internet surfing, watching Netflix instead of working, etc.
iv. Constantly feeling like you are not maximising your potential.
Working remotely has many benefits, but it also comes with a few disadvantages, such as the feeling of stagnation. To help you combat that, we have come up with seven great tips.
1. Don’t work from your bed; set up an office.
Setting up an office to work from remotely is imperative to your productivity. It might be tempting to work from your bed, but you can also easily fall prey to distractions or even falling asleep when you should be working, and at the end of the day, you’ll not have a lot to show for your work.
Set up a workspace in your home that is free from distractions, and set it up to be comfortable enough for you to work from. Decorate it with things that will make you comfortable enough to work from, e.g. a suitable desk and chair, some plants, proper lighting, etc., that will make you feel excited to work in that space. This is the first step in being more productive and making better use of your time to prevent you from feeling like you are not achieving a lot.
2. Consume the right content online
You are probably online a lot, so you’ll come across many contents, ranging from blog posts to LinkedIn articles to podcasts. There are also numerous social media posts. Instead of mindlessly scrolling on the internet, find content related to your field, which contains relevant information that can help you grow in your field. Find ways to incorporate the things you learn in your work so that every day is exciting and you don’t feel like you’re doing the same things over and over again the same way.
3. Work on building a strong social network
You might work from home, but you don’t have to cut yourself off from the rest of the world. Build a viable social network, both online and offline, especially with people who share the same interests with you or in your fields. Attend networking events- both online and offline, join discussions in chat rooms (clubhouse seems to be all the rave now) relating to your field, actively seek ways to connect with people who can motivate you or inspire you.
4. You probably don’t want to hear this, but you need to attend conferences.
Do you know those virtual conferences in your field that you find links to them online and then proceed to ignore? If you want to fight the feelings of stagnation while working remotely, you must keep working on your skillset; finding ways to improve yourself professionally. Attend these conferences and pay attention. Listen to the contributions made, the questions answered, and pay attention to the people in attendance that you can connect with afterwards to improve your social network.
5. Create a work schedule and stick to it.
Working from home can deceive you into thinking every time is work time, and you might become tempted into believing that the longer you work, the more productive you are. More often than not, this isn’t true, especially since you can start to burn out after a short while.
Create a work schedule and follow it as much as possible to make the best use of your time while being very productive. Create a to-do list and tick each task off as you complete it, all within the work hour you set for yourself. Avoid distractions as much as possible, from family to social media and focus instead on your work.
At the end of each day, if you only work for 6 hours while avoiding distractions, you will find that your work’s quality will be excellent, and you’ll have time after work to catch up with your distractions.
6. Get your bosses to notice you.
There are several things you can do as a remote worker to catch your boss’s attention.
To answer the question “Why do I need to catch my boss’s attention?” we’ll say that it gives you a sense of accomplishment when your boss acknowledges your contributions to the company. It also sets your career on the right path for growth.
Being acknowledged for the work you do will make you feel appreciated, and it will offer the right incentive to keep improving at your job. In between putting in the work and finding ways to get better, you will not feel stagnant in your career.
7. Get an accountability partner.
With no colleague close to you to constantly keep you on your feet, the only person keeping you in check is yourself, which isn’t always effective. You need someone who will constantly check-in on you to ensure that you do what you said you would do in terms of career development and executing tasks. This person should also offer positive criticism (you can’t take this personally) to help you grow career-wise. They should also be able to provide helpful tips and give good advice.
Whenever you feel like you are in a rut, you should be able to talk to your accountability partner to come up with creative ways to come out of it. If you try out some or all of these tips to get out of the feelings of stagnation while working remotely, we are sure that you’ll notice some remarkable improvements.
If after trying these tips, you are sure that the next best step for you is to get another remote job that is even more challenging, click on this link to get you started.
