This topic is extremely important to cover when seeking to lower stress and keep your eye on the prize as a remote worker. It's an especially hard landscape working from home when you're entirely on your own throughout the day and need to look inward for support and motivation. I face this challenge frequently, and as much as I wish there was a single quick solution, it often takes a balance of these five areas to remain level-headed over the long term as you WFH.
1. Setting daily goals and prioritizing tasks
In this day and age, it can be hard to remain focused on the present day and what's in the immediate future. Especially when your calendar is already crowding up for the next week and you're already thinking about what plans with friends you can squeeze in next month.
While having mid to long-term goals are definitely important, they aren't accomplished without a clear focus on bite-sized activities that when executed every day, yield larger results. Daunting long-term goals or deadlines looming over your head can really prove stressful if constantly dwelled on.
Think about the tasks required of you to accomplish by the end of a mundane 8-hour WFH day. Then ask yourself- what about this day sucks the most?
Maybe it's the workout, the admin work in a spreadsheet, or if you're in sales, the cold calling. Probably one of the more crucial parts of the day, whilst also being the least enjoyable.
Then, when you're planning out your day, schedule that activity first. For example, a sales rep would put knocking out 50 cold calls as the start of their day. Once that activity is checked off the list, every other remaining item can only suck less.
This is often referred to as the "eat the frog" technique- AKA, completing the most intimidating part of your day first.
Focus on making this important input the kickoff of your work day to help create momentum for you heading into the rest of the day. Prioritize executing the specific activity every single day. It's easier to stomach "showing up at the gym 3 days a week" than it is "bench 225 pounds" as a goal- but the consistent daily input is ultimately what gets you to that larger goal.
2. Create a productive workspace
Simple, but incredibly effective.
Think about the environment you thrive in- is it vibrant, with your personality displayed all around? Do you require privacy and as few distractions as possible? Or maybe seeing others hard at work helps you maintain focus and follow suit?
Whatever the case is, curate the space you'll be working in to be tailored to your needs. Maybe that means in your bedroom, inserting photos of loved ones or things you're passionate about on the wall for that extra mid-day motivation. Or maybe you need a home office, totally separate from your sleeping space that is strictly dedicated to work and being productive. Some may even choose to do remote work in a public space, such as a coffee shop or library.
Either way, make sure your space is clean and clutter is reduced to a minimum. A study on the effects of clutter in the home revealed that clutter may promote procrastination, and undermine the comfortable feeling of being at home. Both would prove quite detrimental and counterproductive to the remote worker.
In the distraction-ripe world we live in, minimizing these is also important for remote work productivity. One way I like to approach this is by placing my phone across the room or in another room entirely whilst trying to focus on a task. Making sure Slack or email inboxes are closed is also a helpful way to avoid distractions when focus is required.
Ultimately, a productive workspace can lead to more getting done, which helps you combat stress and stay motivated.
3. Establish a routine and work-life balance
Work-life balance is all the rage these days, as more and more workers are feeling totally consumed and unable to escape from their day-to-day responsibilities.
The first step to building some structure and balance into your day is by establishing some sort of routine. Include in this routine your wake-up/bedtime, dedicated work hours, space for breaks, and time for self-care activities (such as exercise, hobbies, or time with friends/loved ones). I wrote a blog post recently on balancing fitness with your demanding work schedule, if that's one of the ways you like to practice self-care.
Make sure in your routine you draw clear boundaries between work and your personal life- the grey area that often exists here is a common cause for burnout and stress for remote workers, and something I want to continue focusing on with WFH Guy content. I'll give some quick insight here, but know that this is something I plan to cover more extensively.
What in your personal life are you passionate about? If you're struggling for an answer, dig deep. Maybe you enjoy walks, video games, exploring restaurants, or reading. Build this into your routine too- even if it's on the weekends! Make it a goal to have time dedicated to what you love in life, just as you'd make professional goals aligned to work. It's impossible to create a work-life balance without the life part.
During the non-working hours of your schedule, turn off notifications on your phone related to work, and fully immerse yourself in what it is you're doing that is non-work related. If you're cooking a meal, playing with your child, or having a date with your significant other, know that work time is over. Give yourself the grace and self-assurance that it's okay to step away from work after a long day, and that nobody at the end of life regrets having not worked enough.
I understand this is easier said than done for a lot of roles to simply step away from work, and sometimes it's not so straightforward to just 'be present'. I hope to revisit this topic in more detail in the near future.
4. Practice mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness techniques can significantly contribute to remote workers' motivation levels and prevent burnout. A 2012 study concluded that meditation, one form of mindfulness, can trigger a physiological relaxation response in the short term, improve cognitive function, and reduce stress in the long term.
Anecdotally, meditation has done wonders for my mental clarity and peace of mind. As someone with rampant ADHD, my mind is constantly racing and fighting to jump from one task to the other. I started my meditation practice as a way to help myself focus and quiet the noise in my head, and it's worked incredibly well over the years.
A lot of meditation can be boiled down to breathing and focusing on the breath. In addition, meditation allows you to observe thoughts as they arrive, and lets you just do nothing for 10 minutes or so. With the hustle and bustle of your remote work day, this can make a big difference. I use Headspace to help my meditation practice as it helps give instructions on breathing & letting your thoughts come and go.
Another great way to integrate mindfulness into your day is with gratitude. The former CEO of the company I entered out of college used to preach to employees that he keeps a gratitude journal where he simply writes one thing at the end of each day he's grateful for- no matter how trivial it sounds.
Even without a journal, reminding yourself to be grateful for what you have, especially when times are tough, is crucial. You don't "have" to work from home, you "get" to not commute and make your own lunch. You don't "have" to go to the gym, you "get" to go to the gym because you're healthy enough to and fortunate enough to have access to a space to exercise. There are a number of direct links between gratitude and overall levels of happiness.
5. Conduct 'audits' periodically
Every few months or so (or more frequently if that works well for you), taking a step back and considering your day-to-day and how it directly ties to your self-identity and 'why' is crucial. With now being the start of the year, it could be perfect timing to practice this.
For example- why do you have the job you have? Is it something that you're passionate about, maybe it was just an easy role to obtain, maybe it pays well, or maybe it's a stepping stone to a larger goal you have. Get crystal clear on this.
Then start to consider the effects of your role- does it burn you out, fulfill you, bore you, or something else? It's totally normal to feel a wide range and combination of emotions here, and for them to fluctuate.
It can be helpful to do 'audits' like this to ensure there's some ultimate purpose or reason behind why we spend so much of our time in our day job. Maybe if you start to notice positive trends over time in your emotions tied to your job, you know you're in the right place and want to keep growing in that field.
Even the position that you wake up every day excited for and absolutely love can burn you out sometimes, and that's totally okay.
If the negative emotions such as burnout or stress keep taking a toll though and start impacting other areas of life, then perhaps it might be time to consider a change, or taking other measures to prioritize your mental health (therapy, discussing with your manager, etc).
Without an 'audit' here or there on yourself, it's difficult to know if you're headed in the right direction, or if you are truly living the life you want to live.