5 Tips to Work from Home More Effectively

Being able to work from home offers remote employees many attractive benefits—but let’s not pretend there aren’t also some big challenges to staying productive. The key is to come up with a clear plan to overcome the most common WFH challenges that can cause distraction and a lack of productivity.

How to be successful with remote work

Millions of people worked remotely prior to the pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, tens of millions of people were working remotely. And even now, after shutdowns have ended, remote working is still considered to be normal.

A survey by Growmotely shows 74% of professionals and 76% of entrepreneurs expect remote work will be the standard moving forward. Roughly 97% of entrepreneurs and professionals say they do not want to return to the office full-time (meaning they want some form of a hybrid option). More than three in five employees say they prefer being fully remote.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum, chances are pretty good that you’ll be asked to work in a remote capacity at some point in your career (if you aren’t already). The big question is, how will you handle it?

Here are several helpful tips for maximizing your success in a remote work environment.

Tips to work from home effectively

1. Set clear expectations with your family

The first step is to set very clear expectations with anyone you share a house with. This may be a spouse, partner, children, roommates, etc. Make sure they understand that working from home doesn’t mean you’re “home.” Work hours have to be treated as work hours.

One of the best things you can do is create a closed-door policy if you have a dedicated room where you work from. When your “office” door is closed, you are not to be disturbed. If someone needs something, they can call, email, or text (like they would if you were at a real office).

2. Optimize your office space

One of the best things you can do is optimize your home office for productivity. Exactly how you do this will depend on a myriad of factors. For example, if you live by yourself in a 2,500-square-foot single-family home, your home office needs are different than if you live with your spouse and three kids in a 1,500-square-foot apartment. Either way, the goal is to create a distraction-free zone that’s conducive to productivity and focus.

When optimizing your office, think about key elements such as soundproofing, lighting, and ergonomics. You want to be comfortable, but not so comfortable that you risk dozing off. Ideally, your office is reserved for work and nothing else. (In other words, it shouldn’t double as your bedroom or game room.) You need to create some mental separation between your work life and your personal life.

3. Overcommunicate with your team

Good communication is a must in any job position. However, it’s especially important when you’re working remotely and don’t have the luxury of having face-to-face conversations with coworkers.

Overcommunicating doesn’t mean bombarding your coworkers with unnecessary messages. Instead, it means carefully communicating information so there is no confusion. One suggestion is to host a 15-minute morning huddle via Zoom. You can also host another 15-minute huddle at the end of the workday. This helps keep everyone on the same page at all times.

4. Use the right digital tools

One of the best ways to increase your remote working productivity is by using the right suite of digital tools. Thankfully, there’s a tool for almost anything these days.

For example, if part of your job is to sign off or approve documents on a daily basis, using some sort of electronic signature tool is a great way to increase security and save time. Or let’s say you spend a lot of time meeting with clients and prospects. Using appointment scheduling software prevents the back and forth of trying to find times that are convenient for everyone. You can just have people book themselves onto your calendar.

5. Change up your work from home environment

You don’t have to spend 100% of your time working out of your home office. While this should probably be your “home base,” it’s a good idea to switch things up.

One of the biggest perks of being a remote worker is the fact that you can move freely. Consider spending some time in coffee shops or coworking spaces. Or maybe you want to travel one week and work from a new city?

Changing up your work environment prevents you from getting in a rut. It also sparks creativity and keeps you motivated to continue producing at a high level.

Working from home is here to stay

Remote work is no longer the exception to the rule in business. In many industries, it’s become the norm. So if you want to be successful in your career, it’s important you learn how to work productively and efficiently from wherever you are.