On top of everything going on with the world this year, you’re also working remotely. That means you’re the boss of your day and need to manage your time and energy levels well, stay on top of your game, find work/life balance, get things done for work, and make sure everyone else at home is doing the same.
How can all this be accomplished?
Time management and productivity have some basic rules, laws and principles that need to be kept in mind when trying to achieve something and move forward with your work.
It’s not about how much time you have or how many things you’ve got on your to-do list. It’s all about making time, setting deadlines and prioritizing.
Here’s how to make the most of your day when working from home during the pandemic.
7 Ways to Work Remotely During The Coronavirus Outbreak
1. Plan your day the night before.
That will save you time tomorrow and will help you get to work right after you leave bed, without any hesitating, procrastinating or wondering what to do first.
2. Get up early.
We’re talking about creating time here. So it won’t happen by sleeping for more than 6-7 hours. Luckily, you can train yourself to need less sleep.
Even something as little as rising an hour earlier can give you tremendous results. If you make it a daily practice, you’ll be able to do many more things later in the day.
You can use that time for yourself by investing it into enjoyable activities, start a side hustle by giving your online business idea a try, or organize your daily schedule in advance and set a fixed time for anything that needs to be done today.
3. Get to work right away.
Have a quick morning routine that includes activities that get you energized and help you kickstart the day. Then, start working on your tasks immediately.
If you don’t stick to that rule, you’ll think of tens of other things to do. And eventually, you’ll find yourself indulging in distractions and unproductive activities (like browsing the Web, researching, checking social media and email every 10 minutes, etc.)
4. MIT’s.
Figure out which your most important tasks are.
Even if you have 30 things on your to-do list that all seem pretty essential to you, just a few of them are urgent, concern your success and/or will help you see results in the long-term. Start with them, anything else can wait, be delegated, automated, or simply removed from your schedule.
That’s another thing you can decide the night before. It won’t take more than a minute or two.
Also, don’t forget to add self-care activities to your to-do list. If that’s not planned, you might not find time in your day for taking care of your mental health.
It might be something like meditating, reading on the topic, having conversations about it with people, or even talking to a therapist. There’s even a chance your health insurance can cover therapy.
Here’s a good article to find out more about health insurance and therapy coverage. It’s important to know what your plan covers – and what it doesn’t – when you’re considering mental health services.
5. Don’t waste time on making decisions.
We don’t often think about that, but a lot of our willpower, energy and time throughout the day are used for making small choices – what to eat, what to wear, when to have a break, what to work on first, etc.
And sometimes we think about it so hard in our desire to make the perfect decision, that we end up wasting precious time and focus.
The solution is to plan stuff like that the night before or at the beginning of the week.
Alternatively, you can save yourself time and make your decisions now. Just have a set time for waking up and going to bed every workday, clothes waiting for you in the morning, same meals each day, etc.
That will make your life easier and more organized.
6. Leave only the essentials.
Believe it or not, many of the things you do during the day are just not necessary. If you want to reclaim your time and work from home effectively, it’s your job to eliminate them.
Take your to-do list, for instance.
Think about all the things that someone else can get done, or the projects you’ve been putting off for a long time and haven’t started, but which are still on the list.
What about all those secondary tasks that have nothing to do with your main objectives in life?
Get rid of them all. Your time and attention are limited. It’s much smarter to use them for what works and takes us in the right direction.
Here’s what should be on the list:
- urgent tasks (but be careful what you consider urgent)
- things that will get you closer to what you want in life
- tasks, the completion of which will make your life or the life of others better in some way.
Keep the list short. Also, make sure you break all these down into specific actions, so that you don’t waste time wondering where to begin (which often leads to not starting at all).
7. Prioritize.
Often, you’ll have more on your plate than you can handle. That’s overwhelming and takes your precious focus away from you.
Then you’ll have to remind yourself of what’s important to you.
Stop doing favors to others by completing their tasks. Say ‘no’ to the things that only take your time but lead to no progress.
You’ll have to be ruthless when it comes down to reclaiming your time and working remotely.
No one has enough of it (as they don’t manage it well) and that’s why they want to take some of yours. If you let them once, they’ll come again.
Protect it as it’s your most precious resource and the only one you can’t take back.
Do only meaningful tasks and activities. Nothing that makes you miserable and does nothing for your goals.
Go ahead! Make the best of today, even in times of crisis and uncertainty.