If people could work from any place in the world, it’s more likely they would like to work from an island drinking the Mai Tai cocktail while managing their job duties.

Last year, the number of employed Americans who spent at least some time working remotely has reached 43%, according to a Gallup survey. And being able to work from anywhere is not the only reason why people want to skip the office as it gives you a lot of benefits, indeed.

Reasons for working remotely:

• it allows you to grow earnings
• it organizes a better work-life balance
• it helps to save time
• it gives a possibility to achieve career development faster
• it reduces a risk of stress

Working remotely seems to be a kind of magic for 9-to-5ers, though it is not that easy. There are different obstacles that remote workers face and it takes some time to get used to it.

1. Form Good Habits

All people have habits that we do regularly even without paying attention to it. This automatic behavioral activity helps to do things without conscious thinking which means taking less effort.

Moreover, the mood you have while working affects your job performance, and having some habits can help you simplify the work process which is especially important if you’re working remotely.

• wake up early: being active in the morning is important if you want to get more things done, but you should never sacrifice the quality of the rest as it impacts your health and well-being. If you have a habit of waking up early, you have fewer distractions around you. Plus, it can be your private time for doing things that are valuable for you.

• change clothes: working remotely, you may think that being in your cozy home clothes is normal. Believe it or not, your image affects your productivity. The way you view yourself impacts your work, and wearing business attire helps to improve your productivity. Thus, change your clothes before the start of the work day.

• set up time for work and relax: while working remotely, you’re in charge of your workflow and the length of your working day. However, it may be a hard thing to do as you need to keep a balance between work and relax in order to earn money and avoid burning out. Having time for breaks and work is a must, and it should be your daily habit.

• drink green tea: it’s scientifically proven that green tea includes L-theanine that helps to boost brain functions. If you drink a cup of green tea daily, you can work smarter.

Good habits increase your chances to succeed at work. The above-mentioned tips are aimed at adjusting to working remotely.

2. Organize a Perfect Work Environment

A place where you complete your job duties and tasks is called a work environment. No matter where you work from, whether an office, home, or cafe, a good work environment around you matters.

What is a perfect work environment?

• A well-organized workplace
• A decreased number of distractions
• Helpful tools and apps to improve the working process
• Good relations with colleagues, boss, and customers

To work efficient, you need to have good conditions for it, and a work environment should be well-organized. Thus, you need to define zones for work and relax, get rid of distractions, install tools and apps that can help you work better, and establish long-term and good connections with your colleagues and customers even if you communicate with them online.

3. Establish Contacts with Clients

Working away from an office, you especially need to have great communication skills as more often than not, you use email and phone calls to get through your clients. It’s a world-known fact that a face-to-face communication helps to establish long-term and reliable connections faster, but being a remote worker, you’d better find other actionable ways to contact clients without real meetings.

Modern technologies allow people to stay mobile, so use video conferences, emails, chats, or social media to keep your clients updated. If you have your contact list of clients, it’s more likely you have a great number of orders to work on.

4. Keep a Balance Between Work and Life

Although people spend 1/3 of their lives working, your life isn’t just about handling tasks and replying to emails. Having a strong family, keeping in touch with dearest and nearest, and paying attention to the self-development are elements of your life, so you need to have a balance between work and life in order to spend time on average activities that make you happy.

Ways to keep a balance between work and life:

• learn time management techniques
• go on vacations when you need it
• set goals and celebrate their accomplishment
• create traditions with family and friends
• take breaks daily
• find hobbies

Working remotely, it’s harder to draw a line between the work process and private life, so you need to understand how to keep this balance in order not to face stress and anxiety that may lead to a burnout.

5. Ignore Distractions Around You

While the number of distractions at work is big, it can be even bigger when you work remotely. If you work in the office, you might have noisy coworkers, disturbing calls and meetings, email push-ups, etc. You have more sources of distractions when working remotely, and it’s highly important to ignore them in order not to sacrifice productivity.

Working at the messy workplace, you allocate attention to the distractions around you which reduce your productivity and kill inspiration.

Here are some ways to get rid of distractions:

• find a silent place to work from
• declutter your workplace
• organize shelves and drawers
• turn off instant notifications
• keep a focus on one task

If you can sharpen your focus, you can get more things done without wasting effort and  time.

6. Find Things That Inspire You

The working process isn’t that easy, and all people face obstacles that may lead to stress. However, to stay positive and work hard, you need to be inspired and motivated as it helps to do your best to achieve career goals.

While all people have different sources of inspiration, it’s important to find things that inspire you exactly. It can be quotes, articles, books, photos, goals, or whatever you want, but the main idea is to have an inspiration boost once you need it.

If you work remotely, you need to stay inspired in order not to waste time and work hard.

The Bottom Line

Starting working remotely can be hard as it’s you who is in charge of your schedule and shifting work and relax. Thus, you’d better understand how to get used to working this way to stay a good employee and achieve your career growth.

Do you have your tricks on working remotely?