Remote work is a privilege that not everyone can enjoy, but in the IT industry, we have the flexibility to work from anywhere our computers take us. At SNOW.DOG, we value this opportunity and empower our employees to choose their work location. We understand that remote working can be a new and unique challenge for some individuals, which is why we've compiled a set of helpful tips to enhance your productivity while working from home. Whether it's establishing a routine, creating a conducive workspace, or managing distractions, these practical suggestions will support you in maximizing your efficiency and achieving success in your remote work journey. Let's make the most of this freedom and excel together!
Navigating Remote Work: Insights and Tips from the Snowdog Team
The Snowdog team is filled with highly motivated people from all over the world, some of whom work permanently from their comfy homes or while traveling. Some prefer to work in our office and only work remotely when necessary, due to the number of distractions that await at home. We asked some of our remote-working developers to share some advice and tips to maintaining productivity from wherever you are.
For the article’s purposes, let’s roughly group people in the company into three groups. I am sure that in every company you will find people of these types, and you will be able to fit into one of the groups:
- those who love remote work and only need a few social contacts per week,
- people who do not feel motivated enough at home, and outside of the office, they face the impression that they are missing out on something,
- people with superpowers, who have high productivity both at home and in the office
For a long time, we have been developing mechanisms to allow these groups to work harmoniously on many projects. But what if this suddenly becomes a necessity? How can we deal with a fear of low efficiency at home? How can we transform a team of remote avoiders into remote lovers? Or at least join the team “I can work remotely and it doesn’t affect my projects”. Let’s check.
Robert, a front-end developer, has noticed that everyone has different needs and what works for him and his nature —might not work for you. He often has discussions with friends who also work completely remotely and sees the different approaches they use, but there are also many similarities between them:
Prepare your goals
Clearly define what you want to achieve that day, and give them some time blocks or deadlines, to avoid spending way longer working than you need to.
Take real breaks
Even if you can’t talk to anyone in the kitchen over coffee, remember about breaks. Robert likes to get into work and sometimes without memory he gets into the vortex of solving code problems — but he always remembers to take a break of 15 minutes just for him once every 1.5h — 2h.
During breaks try not to do work things— watch something on YouTube, maybe play a quick game
Monitor your time
Control and observe your time using tracking tools — if the company doesn’t supply one — try Toggl or Timing App. Also, try focusing on one task at a time to improve efficiency.
Jarek is another front-end developer who works from Olsztyn. He takes a slightly different approach to Robert — because he focuses mainly on the entire system and workplace.
No distractions
The most important thing in remote work is to find a place where there are peace and quiet, a place where we can focus 100% and nothing distracts you. If you do not have this option — invest in headphones to block out noise.
You can also install the Block Site extension to chrome and block yourself Facebook pages etc. so as not to get distracted.
Start and end your workday
Our UX specialist Clara recommends trying to “commute” to work if you normally travel to an office, even by taking a short walk around your neighborhood before starting work.
On the other hand, make sure there’s a clear end to the day. Don’t keep working just because there is no physical end to the workday.
Chat naturally
Don’t avoid the chat just because you can’t see your coworkers. Try writing as normal, as if you were sitting next to them in the office.
Artur is an early-bird iOS developer who usually opens the whole office every single day — except Fridays. Remote Friday is really popular in our company. He truly belongs in the third group — people with superpowers, who are efficient both at work and at home. How does he do it?
Have a separate “workspace”
Artur has a separate area only for work. If your home doesn’t allow for that, try cleaning up and hiding all your work stuff and equipment once you have finished for the day to avoid seeing it in your relaxation time.
Change out of your PJs and go to work
Wear normal clothes! We know that loungewear is comfortable— but changing your clothes will change your mindset to a more “ready to work” one than “chillin at home”. One of our front-end developers says he even wears his shoes.
Stick to a routine
Many of our team members have supported this idea. Try to keep a similar rhythm as at work; e.g. eating breakfast and lunch at the same time. Stick to similar working hours and break times every day so you get into the habit of working remotely.
Piotrek is an Android Developer — he has been working remotely for many years and can still admit — you are not alone, sometimes I just don’t wanna work!
For when you feel yourself losing motivation…
Clench your teeth and work although you don’t want to — just commit to another 5 minutes, and it will get easier.
Remember that all of us are social creatures, some of us need fewer contact than others, but take care of your physical comfort and schedule some meetings or calls.
Do whatever you can to help you focus
Whether you like to work in silence, or listen to music, play whatever works for you. Some background noise can be helpful — one of our coworkers recommends atmospheric sounds for more social people who like to work in crowded places — you have plenty of playlist on YouTube or Spotify with people talking in the background, or cafe sounds. Signature color noises can be also useful for you and help you to focus.
If you live with people who tend to interrupt you during your work — lock the door. Just separate yourself from people for a few hours
Last but not least — keep your phone away. It’s the biggest distraction!
It’s understandable to find yourself demotivated when working from home. Start by trying to apply some of these tips. If you are worried that you are not disciplined and do not trust yourself — put on control tools and strict working hours. For people who have problems with concentration, the Pomodoro technique can be useful, which divides the work into segments and introduces many breaks that should be spent on non-work activities. Remember about your well-being. Your environment influences your mood — get ready, set your favorite music, make your favorite coffee, and try to push yourself a bit with a great plan (you can use paper, Todoist, or Trello for planning).
Remember that you are not alone — especially in the current situation when we face a pandemic. There is a whole bunch of your colleagues who are in the same situation — support yourself and each other by having a break together or having team lunch on a video call.
