Remote working offers many opportunities and perks. Studies have shown that employees who are given more flexible work schedules are often a lot happier and more productive, so it stands to reason that workers who are self-employed and work from home can achieve the same levels of contentment.
Working in a virtual office can teach you some valuable life lessons, and here are just four of them.
1. You learn self-motivation
One of the biggest lessons learned is becoming more self-motivated than ever before. No one else is going to do the work for you, and you must make sure you’re focussed on the tasks in hand, rather than getting distracted by domestic chores.
Investing in task management software is one way of helping yourself become (and stay) motivated. This kind of tool can help you plan your day, see what needs to be done and also, whereabouts you’re up to with specific projects at a glance. Seeing everything in front of you can help immensely with working out what needs to be done and when.
2. You learn time management
A flexible working schedule is great and offers much in the way of freedom that people who are employed simply don’t have. With that comes the inevitable problem of time management. Making sure you have a set space to work in with no distractions helps, and setting some kind of regular work pattern (for instance, getting up early to work, taking some time off mid-afternoon to do the school run or attend appointments etc.) can help you plan and motivate yourself every day.
3. You learn to reach your maximum potential
You can plan your working day around when you’re most productive. Find out when you work best and then as far as possible, stick to it. It doesn’t mean you can ditch meetings at 8 am or pull the odd late night when you’re already tired out, but it does mean you can find a space in the home where you work best and make it suit your needs. If you want relaxing music playing while you do admin, you can.
Likewise, if you want to keep a window open to keep fresh air coming in, that’s fine too. Do what you can to make your work space work for you.
4. You must learn to separate work life from home life
Once your working day ends, you might move from your dining table to your sofa. The laptop is off, but you haven’t left your office behind. It’s essential, if you can, to try and have one space for work and to stick to it. If you can’t, then think about making sure that at the end of the working day, your laptop is shut away in another room, or that every few days you go out to work in a different space such as a coffee shop or local library.
It can take a little adjusting to, but once you’ve made the switch from working in an office to a more virtual environment, you can really reap the benefits it offers to you, and your family.
