What Advice Would You Give for Maintaining Productivity During Remote Work?
Productivity Advice
What Advice Would You Give for Maintaining Productivity During Remote Work?
To help you boost your productivity while working remotely, we asked productivity coaches and business coaches for their best advice. From establishing strong boundaries and self-discipline to implementing timeboxing for productivity, here are the top six tips these experts shared to maintain productivity during remote work.
- Establish Strong Boundaries and Self-Discipline
- Use Habits and Routines
- Create an Accountability Partnership
- Set and Maintain Regular Work Hours
- Utilize the Pomodoro Technique
- Implement Timeboxing for Productivity
Establish Strong Boundaries and Self-Discipline
Maintaining productivity during remote work requires strong boundaries and self-discipline. As the founder of Kinder Mind, an online therapy group, I know the challenges of working from home. Establishing dedicated workspaces and consistent schedules has been key. Our therapists book clients based on set hours and take short mindfulness breaks to recharge, which helps maximize focus.
Limiting distractions is also important. My team uses productivity apps like FocusTime that minimize notifications and help track tasks. We also suggest clients set device-free times to avoid burnout from constant connectivity. Some of our most productive sessions come after therapists and clients have taken digital detoxes.
Finally, don't underestimate the value of human connection. Remote work can be isolating, so we encourage video calls over messaging when possible and host weekly team video chats. Our research shows therapist and client satisfaction has increased by over 200% by enhancing our online platform to facilitate engagement. Staying connected with others fuels motivation and accountability, even from a distance.
Use Habits and Routines
You can't rely on willpower. Use the power of habits and routines to stay productive during remote work.
Set up an ideal day-and-week schedule that works for your type of work/employment, family situation, and chronotype/personal needs. Make sure your schedule includes wake-up time, morning routine, exercise, planning, shut-down routine, evening routine, and go-to bedtime.
Start changing your current schedule to bring it closer to the ideal schedule with small, consistent changes. Make sure your environment supports those changes, including people living with you.
Get an accountability coach to help you implement those changes and stay consistent.
Create an Accountability Partnership
Working from a remote and/or home office has many perks but can also present some real challenges. The most valuable advice I can provide to remote workers who struggle with productivity is to create an accountability partnership. Whether it is with a colleague, a friend, or a family member, lean on others to enhance daily motivation and focus. As social beings, humans are wired to be more powerfully motivated by others than by ourselves. When remote workers rely solely on themselves to stay focused and productive, it often leads to feelings of loneliness and self-sabotage. We are often our own worst productivity enemy! A positive accountability partner can help us stick to deadlines (especially those that are self-imposed), help us celebrate wins both small and large, and can ensure we recognize how our individual contributions each day are connected to the greater cause and/or mission of the team and organization.
Set and Maintain Regular Work Hours
One of the most important pieces of advice I would give to someone struggling to maintain productivity while working remotely is to set and maintain regular work hours.
One thing we lost when we went remote is the built-in boundaries of time and space that an office provides.
When you no longer have those built-in boundaries, it's important to intentionally recreate them.
Maintaining set work hours, including a stopping time each day for when you'll be "done" for the day, will help you disconnect when the workday ends and prevent work from bleeding into all aspects of your life, which in turn will leave you more rested and ready when it's time for work to start again the next day.
Utilize the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a wonderful tool to use when you are struggling to be productive while working remotely. Whether you struggle finding time to focus or find yourself forgetting to stretch and take breaks, this technique can help. Set a timer and focus on work for 25 minutes, then take 5 minutes to stand, walk, stretch, or get water. Set a timer again for 25 minutes, and then take a 5-minute break. Do this several times and then take a longer break. Also key is having a plan for what to work on during these blocks.
Implement Timeboxing for Productivity
People struggle to maintain productivity in remote work settings because of two major reasons: virtual meeting fatigue and lack of clear separation between work and after-work. Timeboxing helps address both challenges. It makes us less available. When we’re less available, the quality of meetings increases. They become more intentional because our time is rare. People value and treat differently what’s rare. And a rewarding and fun ritual blocked in our calendar at the end of the day is a simple yet effective way to signal to our brain a clear cut of the workday.
