Tips for Working Remotely

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Tips for Working Remotely

Alexander Djerassi, Chief Public Servant and Policy Officer at Mos.com and former state department policy maker has seen in his own offices the great amount of confusion and problems with people working remotely.

And Djerassi doesn’t feel that it’s not that people are not willing to work just as hard or nearly as hard at home as they do at the office. But rather they aren’t really trained on the best practices to work remotely.

Here are some tips he feels are important.

  • #1. Set a work schedule and stick with it.

    Working remotely from home, for most people, is not the time to shorten your work days from 8 hours a day to three.

    If all the workers that physically go to your work are there from 9 to 5, then you should also be prepared to do the same.

    Want to know if you are sticking to the schedule? Consider a free automatic time tracking app.

  • #2. Create a morning routine.

 This doesn’t mean checking your email or going on social media. Rather sit down and for at least 10 minutes outline roughly all the tasks you will complete today and list them on a sheet of paper in order of importance.

You may not get everything done during the day, but by listing the tasks in order of importance, you’ll at least get the essential tasks accomplished.

  • Set firm ground rules for the other people in your house.

 Everyone, including your children, should know the hours where you will be working, and they should avoid as much as possible, any interruptions

  • Schedule breaks and a lunch hour and utilize the full amount of time allotted.

    You need time away from your work for breaks and for lunch. Stick to it for your best mental health.

  • Have a dedicated office space

    Even if you are just behind your closed bedroom door, the fewer interruptions you have the better your work will be.

  • Before working from home remotely, have your IT department download any essential
    software on your computer. This is critical, otherwise, you may have a significant time doing the same work you do in the office.

    Better yet, if working remotely is a company essential, have your company supply you with a dedicated laptop with all the tools you need to work.

  • Finally, get training on all the remote software you will be using to communicate with those in the office who will accept your work.

    If you use zoom for example, then zoom to a few of your fellow employees in the office, before going home and getting totally lost over the use of the software.

    Avoid those last-minute calls to technical support because you are unfamiliar with how the dedicated communication program works.

    In addition, ask your IT folks if they recommend a VPN to keep proprietary information private, have IT install it for you on your computer, and have them teach you how to use it.

Alexander Djerassi believes that working remotely does not have to be over-complicated, but you do need to have all your ducks lined up in a row to make the best of it.