By Martha Payne
Working remotely has its own benefits, from not rushing in the morning to beat the traffic to have flexible hours and the bucks it saves you. However, not having a coworker or someone you are accountable to can lead to lack of motivation over time. So how do you stay motivated to ensure that you are being productive? Here are a few tips.
1. Dress up for work
A cliché of some sort is thinking you are not going to the office so why get out of your pajamas. Your mind however needs to switch from sleep to work mode. You need to feel like you are at work, your pajamas will make you feel that you are still at home and will slowly draw out your motivation. Taking a shower and dressing up in the morning ignites that work mode to get you started and keep you motivated.
2. Be an early riser
When working remotely, you may not see the need to wake up early since you don’t have a specific reporting time. However, waking up early will help you plan your day well. You will be able to take care of your chores and run your errands such that when you start working laundry or dishes won’t rush you. Since your work time is not competing with other duties, you will be focused, productive and motivated.
3. Take a life coaching course
Having to work alone can make you lonely and sometimes feel like you are not getting anything done. You may feel like your dreams are stalling and the timeline for your goals rushing you. This is the time you need assurance that everything will work out well. Enrolling for a life coaching course can come in handy in situations such as these. A life coach will help you put into perspective where you are and what you should do to get where you want to go. With the help of a life coach, you will be able to figure out what is next and find the motivation to work on it.
4. Be organized
With no one else checking out your workspace, you can be a bit lazy organizing your desk. What you may not know is that a disorganized desk can hinder your thinking capabilities. Looking for a file for hours on end can be irritating and can even make you abandon your work for the day. Try organizing your home office or workspace, keep your desk neat, and get rid of clutter. When things are organized, your work will be much easier and you will have your energy levels up there.
5. Have a consistent routine
The best part of working remotely is the fact that you can work from anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection. This privilege, however, requires a certain level of discipline in order to get things done. Having a consistent routine helps set in the work mode regardless of where you are working from. This means that you are aware of what to do at any given time and you don’t have to guess what task to take on. You will find that you are consistently motivated to get things done with ease.
6. Connect with a friend
Humans are social beings, which makes working alone harder for some. If you are feeling demotivated, it could be that you miss some company. Make use of technology and video chat a colleague or a friend. Listen to what they are doing and as well as tell them what you are working on and your achievements. At the end of the call, you will feel refueled to keep doing what you are doing to achieve greater heights.
7. Take a break
Working for long hours is one factor that will leave you uninspired and tired. If you are used to the 9 to 5 job routine, you may feel like you are cheating on your work ethic if you take a break. The truth is that taking a break will refresh your mind and elevate your energy levels. A change of scenery can bring new ideas to mind. Take a five minutes’ walk in your neighborhood, you will be surprised to have a new focus or renewed creativity to continue with your task.
Conclusion
As discussed above, it is so easy to lose motivation when working remotely, but it can as well lead to a happier and more balanced life when you are disciplined. The next time you feel uninspired or your motivation gets low, think of the above tips to get you back to track.
About the Author
Martha Payne is a Personal Growth Coach with 10 years of experience working as a Business Development Professional. She is truly passionate about nurturing talent and ideas that evoke transformative change in individuals, teams, and organizations. Her focus is to help organizations develop leaders for the future – unleashing the full talent, passion, and potential of individuals (in particular Millenials) through tailored leadership development and coaching programmes.