Productivity hacks: 5 tips to master remote work

If you choose to work from home or it's an option you seek for work-life balance reasons, there are tools and strategies that can set you on the right path and ensure you succeed in making the most of your workday. With so many articles and resources out there we want to share our top 5 tips for to get you started.

1. Prioritise what needs to be done first: This may sound like a simple suggestion, but it has powerful implications. It’s easy to want to finish the little things first just to check them off your list. However, what you're really doing is postponing the real work to when you're too tired and less productive. Start each day by asking yourself "What is the most important thing that needs to be completed?" and do it. 

2. Create your work zone and set your schedule: Working from your kitchen table and then from a coffee shop may sound tempting, but is it it really efficient? Make sure you create a working space at home that is comfortable, organised and inspiring. 

3. If something can be done in two minutes or less, don’t postpone it: We all know too well that the little tasks add up and what seemed like a simple email reply can quickly turn into a pile of work that could have been easily avoided.

4. Make your own weekend: Besides taking breaks during your weekdays, you need to set aside at least one day where you don’t work at all. Working more hours does not mean that you will be more efficient. After a couple of weeks of not taking a real break you will find yourself exhausted and unmotivated and it becomes much harder to bounce back. That’s why you also want to set a work schedule that works for you. 

5. Embrace the flexibility: Nothing is set in stone and even though you might have set your own routine and work schedule realise that things might change. Have an action plan of how you might deal with these changes whether they are new deadlines or your kids will be home more than usual, it helps to be prepared.