The Bad Remote Work Habits You Should Avoid

You are the boss of your own daily schedule. You, yourself,  know what hours are the most productive and distribute your tasks and recesses accordingly. There is no need to waste precious time on commuting and surviving severe traffic. Rush hours are no longer the words to scare you since you plan your day to avoid those. Your working area is comfy and well-thought, no interruptions possible. Your planner gets all the checkmarks at the end of the day, and your free time is filled with family activities and some hobbies. So… If you are engaged in remote work and something you have read above does not align with how your working day looks like, then probably you might want to keep on reading. As tempting as remote work may sound it does have its pitfalls. Let’s have a closer look at those and how to avoid them.

Turning the bed into the office

Working from your bedroom ( if it is not an emergency) is quite a bad idea. First of all it is not healthy. Half-sitting, half-lying is damaging for your eye-sight, your spine, and your posture in general. Also, discipline decay will catch you off guard. Slouchy attitude will devour immediately and there is no talking about meeting deadlines for sure. You have got to arrange your working corner, even a tiny one ( not in a closet, though). It should be assigned strictly for working purposes. No food is allowed as well. Just a bottle of water should accompany you.

No clear-cut schedule

Remote work still implies a careful planning of how the day should go, of what must be accomplished, and places to be attended. You are the boss of your time. You have been given the benefit of the freedom of making the day productive for your work achievements and physical and emotional well-being. Start a planner, make a poster, get a whiteboard and fancy markers…whatever will work for you to have all your tasks documented and timed. Notwithstanding the relative accuracy of the timing ( electricity went out, poor internet connection, babysitter canceled the last minute) you will still have a compass to rely on and be more organized.

Multitasking

This issue comes from poor planning. When you have no clear structure of the day it is easy to start with one thing, continue with another, get them mixed together, and have some more on top. You may also feel as if it brings you closer to completing more. However, this is a farfetched truth. Have you ever heard such a wise proverb: “Jack of all trades and master of none”?  Make sure to avoid becoming that Jack. Focus on one thing and make sure to do it right. For example, if you need to send a letter to someone, there is no need to compose it all by yourself. Take advantage of a postcard template and stay away from extra pressure load.

Damaging health

Working remotely sometimes can set a trap for your physical well-being. Trying to accomplish more happens at the expense of decent physical activity. Staying physically passive for long causes troubles to pretty much every organ there. Though the heart will probably suffer the most, and it works for you without interruption. You have no right to play lazy and ignore at least several sit-ups, and casual jumps. Set boundaries and make sure people know that you are not 24/7 available for work, questions, clarifications, etc. You must have breaks, active preferably. Also, food is destined to be consumed in the kitchen and every bite taken ( healthy bite) should be mindfully tasted. No clicking with one hand while holding a greasy cold piece of pizza in the other.

Becoming whole with your pajama

It’s been decided: working in bed, eating in front of a computer, and having a havoc in tasks completion is not a norm for a remote style of work. Not doing that, but remaining in your pajamas all day long( only putting a jacket on when there is a meeting about to happen will not improve the situation with a proper work organization. Pajama is a symbol of relaxation and sound sleep. It has nothing in common with the working atmosphere; more like Netflix, or cats on youtube aura. Wake up, brush your teeth, and put on, if not a suit, then at least something that would be fine to meet people

Distancing too much

Working secludedly may become a habit that will be very hard to fight off. The danger is that you will simply outlearn social skills and feel no further need to communicate with other humans. Chatting is not the same. Real, live communication is vital for emotional well-being. Indeed, sometimes the rest from that is needed but do not establish it as the new way of life.

Conclusion

With all the obvious benefits of working remotely, be careful not to dig for the worst scenarios of how to adjust to this style of work. Be smart and reasonable. Remote, or not,  it is still a work, even if you do not need to cross the threshold of your house. Discipline and effective organization of your working day will let you enjoy the process and demonstrate desired results.