How to Perfect Your Remote Workspace

Remote work has become a popular method for many employers to utilize within the last decade, with 70% of the world’s population working at least one day a week outside the office. A 2015 study from Stanford University revealed the many benefits of working remotely, including greater autonomy and less time spent commuting. As opposed to a traditional work setting, doing your job outside the office can lead to getting off task if you’re too distracted by your surroundings. We’re providing some insights and tips on how to stay productive in a remote setting to enhance your workflow.

Organization

Whether we like to admit it or not, organization plays an important role in our daily lives. When it comes to work, having an orderly space cuts down on time, energy, and stress when you need to find something immediately. If you conduct work out of a home office, make sure your files, invoices, and office items are tucked away in labeled organizer bins so you know where things are. Keeping a tidy work area is critical in alleviating distractions. If there is stuff all over your desk, your brain can become overloaded with stimuli, taking away from the task you’re trying to work on. It may also be beneficial to try out KonMari method — a system of simplifying and organizing your home by getting rid of physical items that do not bring joy into your life, created by organization consultant Marie Kondo.

Creating order in your surroundings doesn’t just mean your physical work, but your digital one as well. It can be easy to have a buildup of loads of images or virtual documents scattered around your desktop when you need to send something out on the fly. But closing out of your browser and seeing random files dispersed on your home screen instead of your wallpaper can be just as stressful as if it’s on your actual desk- and will slow down your computer as well. Create virtual folders and delegate files accordingly, this way you’ll actually be able to log on without document overload.

Plug In

Listening to music is a perk of remote working that oftentimes is not always accessible in an office. If you’re in a co-working space, people around you may be noisy and throw off your workflow, so having some sort of noise to cancel that out is beneficial. Depending on the type of work you’re doing, music can help enhance that experience. Research from the University of Miami published a study that showed those who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and had better ideas overall than those who don’t.

While music can aid in job duties, it can also hinder them. Music can be considered a form of multitasking, with the listener switching back and forth between a task and tunes. If you’re already used to listening to music while on the clock, it’s usually not an issue. However, if you’re new to trying out music and work, it can divert you from what you’re trying to accomplish. Instead of your normal jams, try listening to instrumental songs without lyrics. This can be a more subtle background noise that provides substance to your work and helps you stay on task.

Create a Routine

For remote employees, commuting to work may mean just walking from your bedroom to your kitchen table or home office. While this sounds ideal, not having a set boundary between work and home mode can make it easier to get off track. Implementing a regular schedule in your day will help increase efficiency, as you’ll know what you have to do next after you’ve completed a task. Besides having stable work progress, a routine will save you time that would have been spent on planning, decision-making, and preparation for another project.

Creating a routine removes the guesswork of what should be done first in your day and helps prioritize important things that should be finished as soon as you start working. Having structure in your day will help you accomplish goals in a timely manner, give you the drive to complete the rest of your tasks, and benefit your well-being overall.

Working remotely is an added perk in many job fields. Enhancing your office setting to ensure that you’re able to stay on top of your work is important to a productive and fulfilling workday. Find out what works best for you, but make sure to keep these tips in mind when catering to your work environment!

About HiringThing

HiringThing is a modern recruiting platform as a service that creates seamless hiring experiences. Our private label recruiting technology enables organizations to add hiring capabilities to complete their solution. With our open API and developer-friendly documentation, we enable customized workflows and seamless connectivity for HR Solutions, PEOs and ASOs, Franchises, Staffing Agencies, and more. Approachable and adaptable, our platform empowers everyone, everywhere to hire their dream team. 

HiringThing has been a 100% remote software company since 2012, so we’re experts when it comes to working from home. Check out our open positions to see if a future at HiringThing is for you!