Remote’s work popularity has increased over the last couple of years. Many offices recently, decided to work remotely. Such work has many benefits. We listed out a few in our previous article. However, remote work isn’t always as Instagram-worthy as it may seem. It also involves many challenges. Today, we present some of the common challenges, which are mainly difficult to meet, and simple ways to overcome them.
Remote work may be demanding and difficult especially in the beginnings. Of course, the advantages and comfort that comes with working from any place are immense. In fact, many remote workers struggle with unplugging from their work, loneliness and communicating. Yet the obstacles which remote workers have to face may cause a lot of problems and lead to a lack of work-life balance. Especially with the digitization and technological progress, the number of people working remotely will increase and so it is important that we overcome them.
Challenges of a remote work and some tips to overcome them
Time management:
It looks like working remotely is not problematic when it comes to time management. We save a lot of time when working from home. All that time most people spend at commuting, being stuck in a traffic jam to and from work is important and can be utilized productively. On the other hand, you may think you have a lot of time to do all the things and that could be a problem. And sometimes that one or two hours can be crucial to a project delivery.
There’s always something to be done at home. So you have to take into consideration all the house chores. You have to prioritize and organize the daily or weekly schedule and stick to it no matter what.
Here are ways to help you improve your time management:
- create to-do lists;
- use time mapping technique;
- calendars;
Use of the right technology:
When you work from the office you have the chance to directly walk up to the person to discuss the project or talk to colleagues during breaks. Instead, at home, you sit alone doing your work. This, lack of communication is one of the most significant challenges in remote work.
If you don’t communicate, you don’t know what’s happening in the company you work for. Also, you may not know what are the expectations from you regarding the work. Communication also makes it possible for you to stay updated with the latest news .
Here are ways for effective communication:
- use special tools for communication, e.g., Skype, Slack, GoToMeeting; Choose anyone as per convenience and work. We at Diginnovators use Slack.
- set a time and day for a weekly team meeting during which you will talk with your team about tasks’ progress, future goals and plans, and any other blockers related to work;
- also, call the person directly in case of an urgent issue instead of waiting on that person to reply on the slack/skype.
Working too much:
When you are working from home it could be difficult to separate work from your personal life. Some people tend to spend much more time on work during the day than is needed. This could mean no work-life balance. Too much work and no personal time can lead to a significant decrease in productivity.
In order to prevent it, you can apply the following methods:
- prioritize your tasks;
- organize your day well ahead, don’t sit in front of the computer all day. Take breaks.
- Go to some nice location to work once in a while.
Distractions:
When woking from home, you often tend to find yourself in situations which you not necessarily have to do at that time. Watching one episode of your favorite tv series, reading one more chapter from the book you are reading, cleaning up your room. Unfortunately, flexible work schedules don’t work that way.
Here are ways for overcome them:
- don’t engage in social media activity;
- finish all the chores before you start work;
- plan your day ahead.
Remote work may seem comfortable, it’s a real challenge to face all the difficulties connected with unproductivity. These are just a few of the common challenges of working remotely. If you pay attention to them and overcome them, you can stay on top of your work. We at Diginnovators have always been working remotely and faced more or less these difficulties at some point. We have learned to overcome some and still in the process of learning new ways to overcome them efficiently. If you have faced any other challenges or have better ways to overcome these challenges, do let us know.
