How To Stay Motivated When You’re Working Remotely

How To Stay Motivated When You’re Working Remotely

It’s no secret that remote work has rocketed in recent years. Far from an intermediary solution to tide over the Covid-19 health crisis, remote work is positioned to be the future of work. Sounds far fetched? Well, major corporates like Facebook, Twitter and Shopify have already made the decisive move towards flexible work, and in some cases, allowing employees to work from home indefinitely. 

However, remote work isn’t all rosy. Distracting home office environments, repetitive surroundings, social isolation and mental exhaustion, are all drawbacks of remote work which can demotivate remote workers.

Staying motivated with remote working means doing your part. In short, workers want to enjoy the flexibility and freedom of remote work, but don’t want to feel trapped at home, deprived of social interaction. Here’s a quick guide to how you can motivate your work day! 

Keep to a daily routine

Whether you’re prone to procrastination or overworking, the lack of daily 9-5 routine at a conventional office can result in a disbalanced schedule. This can make remote work feel overwhelming and suffocating which can quickly lead to burnout. 

Keeping to a routine helps to keep you organised and productive, so that by the end of the workday, you can hit the hay feeling accomplished. More importantly, routines remove the unnecessary stress of remembering every little ‘to-do’ of the workday. 

You can start by keeping the schedule you normally would during a typical workday. This can be as simple as: grabbing coffee before your morning meeting, followed by clearing your inbox, before starting on your assigned tasks. 

Of course, don’t forget to schedule in breaks and meal times too! Breaks are important in keeping you refreshed and recharged throughout the day. 

Utilise the power of small rewards

Rewards don’t have to be big, or expensive for that matter. Small rewards can come in the simple form of grabbing a snack or having a short coffee chat with a colleague. Planting such small incentives throughout the day helps to motivate you from task to task.  

Small rewards are good motivators because they aren’t big enough to distract you from your task at hand, but they’re powerful enough to keep you productive and focused. 

Change up your environment

Static or distracting environments can be detrimental to productivity and mental health. While home is where our loved ones are, juggling domestic obligations alongside full-time work can be incredibly stressful. 

Coworking spaces are a convenient (and affordable) way to change up your work environment. Beyond providing fully-furnished professional environments, coworking spaces are also designed to keep you connected to a wider community of professionals. 

Additionally, the stimulating open-concept approach taken by most coworking spaces also encourages collaboration and networking which rivals the stiff professional environment found in most traditional offices. It’s one of the secret to staying motivated with remote working.

Keep a hobby

Remote work has blurred the line between the workplace and our private lives. Hence, it’s important to maintain hobbies and social interests outside of work. 

As explored, long working hours and digital overload caused by remote work can be mentallly exhausting. This makes hobbies good for mental health – They have been found to ‘lower anxiety, lower your stress level, and help cope with depression’. 

From sporting activities, side projects to learning new languages, hobbies provide us with important ‘downtime’ during after-work hours that take off the pressures of a fast-paced work environment. 

Practice self-care

Self-care has been a hot-topic of discussion in many social circles over the last few years. Essentially, it explores individual physical and mental health management. You can’t be expected to produce good work if you don’t take the time to take good care of yourself. 

With regards to physical health, take some time to make grocery runs each week. Although home cooking can be a difficult commitment to make, especially in the face of hectic work schedules, making the effort to keep a healthy, home-cooked diet can do wonders for your well-being in the long-term.

On a psychological level, practicing mindfulness can help you to mentally prepare for the day ahead. Start by spending some quiet, uninterrupted moments before the workday begins to refocus yourself in the present moment.

Staying motivated with remote working by paying more attention to your emotional needs and experiences, you are better able to manage any negative feelings or frustrations you may experience at work. It’s time to start asking yourself, ‘how can I better take care of myself’. 

Work in small blocks of time

Bite-sized wins the prize! Breaking up your tasklist into small allocated time blocks can help you to work towards completing a  daunting deadline. 

For example if an immensely tedious administrative task takes approximately 3 hours to complete, you can try to split the task into smaller portions to be completed in intervals of short 30-45 minute blocks. This makes big tasks seem more manageable which can be a powerful motivator. 

About Deskimo

Deskimo is the flexible work platform of choice that helps businesses navigate the new future of work. With us, you and your business can adapt to flexible work, and pay-as-you-go across dozens of spaces in Singapore and Hong Kong. 

*Our workspaces are currently safe, open and ready for your return. Do adhere to local Covid-19 safety measures to keep yourself, and other workspace patrons safe.

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