Remote Working Part 2 – Why self discipline is important
The top reason individuals fail to succeed at working remotely is they don’t recognise the criticality of having superior organisation and enduring self management.
I have been toiling remotely for more than six years since I first discovered Quickbooks online an ‘on demand’ small business accounting software web application and was struck by the fact that if you can do accounting on the net then why shouldn’t you be able to do other important types of work at a distance?
Whilst working remotely has significant advantages there are numerous traps that people easily fall into which convert into problems that result in lower productivity and reduced morale. The number one reason for decreases in productivity in remote employees is disruption and it is a verified and well publicised fact that it can take a worker up to 0.33 hours to establish their original output level after experiencing a distraction.
Deeper insights reveal that members of both sexes who are regularly experience interruptions are more likely to be susceptible to reduced memory ability and are prone to developing mental health trouble in later life. We live in an over communicated time and it is critical that you know the issues this causes before you start working remotely. Whilst working remotely you must do everything feasible to reduce the threat of being distracted.
Here are my most important tips:
1, Get a habit, make sure that everybody knows it and stick to it!
Good examples are a consistent time of day when you read or write and send electronic mail and make or will accept phone conversatiions. Before I began working remotely I used to receive as many as hundreds of electronic mails over a period of twenty four hours. Now I think I am unfortunate if I receive over 5. To ’reset’ my e-mail experience I altered my e-mail address and obsessively took steps to protect the details being made known to anyone. I then ‘trained’ every person who I gave my e-mail address to, to use it wisely and sparingly. I also created an automatic reply that swiftly informed anyone sending me mail at what time of day I would be attending to mail and if someone required my urgent awareness to mark it as ‘Urgent’.
2. Get rid of alerts.
Disable every feature that can send you a visual or audible alert. This includes portable and
conventional phones and forms of alerts from electronic mail such as on screen pop ups, audible warnings, screen changes to your inbox folder and of course facing a window. Get a door on your work place and put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.
In ‘Remote Working Part 3 – My list of essentials’ I will reveal my favourite tools and software.
