10 Things I Have Learnt About Remote Work

By Chantal Jenoure

This is not business as usual. We are not operating in normal times. Working from home is challenging because with no commute time or face-to-face days… it is far easier for the lazy part of us to kick in and it takes more effort to maintain a high level of team engagement.

But while there are layers of complexity, success is achievable. Here are 10 things I have learnt about remote work.

Plan your day

There is so much value in planning your day. Having a goal in mind or a list of tasks that you are trying to get through, will help to keep you focused on what you are supposed to be working on achieving. 

Photo by Zen Bear Yoga on Unsplash

Get up and move
Because we don’t have that daily commute, if you haven’t noticed, you can easily spend the entire day seated - at your desk or in bed. It is imperative that you get and take a walk, exercise, do some stretches, even water your plants. Do anything that keeps you moving and gets your blood pumping. 

Take breaks

This goes hand in hand with getting up and moving. Take small breaks to check in with your friends, or make lunch or to say hello to your neighbours. My fear is that people may end up burning out because they are working, working, working, from sunrise to night. 

Check in with your teammates regularly

If you are used to working in the same room, it is hard to feel connected with your teammates if you are no longer co-located. It is important to keep all lines of communication open and explore new ways of keeping in touch. 

Videos on

It’s hard enough being in the same room for one or two meetings, but when all your meetings are happening virtually, videos on helps to make you feel present in your meetings and reduces the likelihood of multitasking during these sessions.

Arrive 10 minutes early

If you are the host, arrive at least 10 minutes early. It will allow meetings to start and end on time. 

Make work fun

When you are sitting with your teammates daily, it’s easy to tell jokes and have an impromptu fun time. Working remotely, it is cool to figure out how we can add that spice to our new way of working. Fun online team activities, such as spot the difference, can help to bring a little joy to our work days.

via GIPHY

Experiment with different things

Unless your team is used to working remotely, you have to experiment with different ways of doing things. Whether it means that every touchpoint starts with a quick icebreaker or a quick question. Recently, we started trying Andy Bound’s Best-Next-Help format to replace the typical updates meeting, which has made them more valuable and quicker. 

Communication is like oxygen

Communication is king… it is oxygen. Without it, we all perish. Over communicating is the name of the game. Coming up with frequent touchpoints to make everyone feel in sync and operate from the same page makes a difference. You don't want anyone to feel abandoned or like they are left to work on their own. Providing the team with enough channels and sessions to keep on the same page and talk about any challenges they have, is imperative.

via GIPHY

Bonus:

Share an agenda

I have noticed that it makes it is so much easier to keep meetings within the scheduled time or finish earlier. Having an agenda, that is shared ahead of the meeting, allows persons to adequately prepare for the meeting and keeps everyone focused on the tasks at hand.


What are some of your remote work hacks that helps to keep you and your team on track and fully engaged?