We are all in a time of change and uncertainty.
With a large portion of the workforce working from home, your company and competition’s productivity is bound to change.
So to make sure your team’s productivity skyrockets, I recommend reading to the end.
Regardless, if your company hates or loves the idea of working remotely, they are forced to do so, or will soon be forced to do so.
So to keep your competitors from surpassing you, set up your remote tactics to benefit you.
With a large portion of the workforce working from home, your company and competition’s productivity is bound to change.
So to make sure your team’s productivity skyrockets, I recommend reading to the end.
Regardless, if your company hates or loves the idea of working remotely, they are forced to do so, or will soon be forced to do so.
So to keep your competitors from surpassing you, set up your remote tactics to benefit you.
To make sure you can work from home to the best of your ability, you are going to need to have your work laptop at home and a good internet connection.
Be sure to take home anything from work that will help you be more productive. Highest on the list of things to bring home are charger (don’t forget that one!), mouse, keyboard, extra monitor, and inspirational pictures from your desk!
If your team does not already have a collaborative platform that you communicate through, you’re going to need one!
Some of the best software for a remote team to use is Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, and GoToMeeting. You might want to look into VoIP for your communications if you are concerned about security. Your IT department or vCTO should be able to keep you safe.
Remind yourself that discipline is freedom.
As amazing as working in your pajamas or underwear sounds, it will actually make you less productive. The mindset of relaxation and laziness comes from wearing clothes that you wear when it is time to do that.
What you need to do is to get dressed in the normal attire that you wear when you go to the office.
Whatever else you normally do before you leave the house and head into the office you should do. So go ahead and do your hair, put your deodorant on and pick that watch or necklace that suits for today.
This will get your mindset in the working mode. This is because going through your normal routine before work will get your mind ready for work.
If you are wearing your work clothes, when you feel like opening up Reddit or stopping to watch Netflix, you will feel guilty because you know you show be working.
How your team functions will change drastically if you have always been apart of an in-office team.
Leaders will now have to turn meetings into emails and reach out via collaboration platforms instead of walking to your desk.
This will create communication problems if your team is not ready to start working online.
Collaboration platforms will give your organization a flat hierarchy feel. This will increase productivity and inspire co-workers to work openly on more projects.
The starting ground of all communication in a remote setting is a collaborative platform.
Collaborative platforms will outperform emails and SMS because of the ability to create workspaces, channels, threads, and groups.
This allows teams to have areas where they focus on specific topics.
When co-workers need to call each other for a more in-depth conversation, video chat is best.
Video chat enables you to see each other’s emotions more clearly which allows for better communication.
Video chat is the most personal interaction you can have when working from home, which maintains or creates the co-worker connection that is needed to thrive.
If you have been instructed to stay at home to work, your kids likely received the same instruction from school.
This means while you are trying to work in your house, your kids are building forts, chasing each other, making sound effects for everything they are doing, and begging for your attention.
Not the usual environment your typical co-workers create around you!
So you'll need to keep your kids entertained while you work alongside them.
Having them play educational games, reading, or doing their school work online are all great starts to keeping your beloved children entertained!
Understand what will become harder to do with the recent changes, and make sure to tell your leaders what might be more difficult to accomplish to change their expectations.
Some positions that were mostly online-based will not see any disadvantage, maybe even an improvement in work!
But for the other positions that thrived with physical tasks, personal interactions, or anything else we are quarantined from, work will slow significantly if changes are not made.
Making sure that you understand this to help combat depression and anxiety from these significant changes.
Also, being upfront with your leaders about what you think you can accomplish in a remote setting will better manage their expectations.
This, in turn, creates more collaboration and understanding of what can get done with these circumstances.
I hope this post helped you with improving your productivity while working from home.
Which tactics will you try first?
Getting dressed in your normal work clothes?
Or keeping your kids entertained while you work.
Let me know! Leave a comment below!
Here at 150 birds, we are a completely remote-based team and have created our environment to let us thrive in all work from home conditions.
Original post. (drop that link boy!)