Improve Remote Work Productivity with this Simple Question

Working remotely?! WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

I’ve worked remotely for over 6 years.

I’ve gotten major projects done in almost every environment you can imagine from the back of my car in the Sawtooth National Forest in Stanley, Idaho to a hostel in Siem Reap, Cambodia (home to: Angkor Wat).

I’ve also worked from home. In fact, the majority of my years working remotely have been spent working from some form of “home,” whether home was a 250 sq. ft studio in San Diego, or a family member’s house, or an AirBnB I was renting.

The point is: I’ve learned how to get sh*t done while working remotely. But it took some trial and error. If you’re new to working remotely, or new to working remotely full-time, you may be in that trial and error period where you realize that working from home comes with its own unique set of challenges.

The One Question to Improve Remote Work Productivity

There are no shortage of tips on how to work remotely, and most of them are helpful if followed, but in most cases, what it really comes down to is this:

ASK YOURSELF: “WHAT WOULD I DO IF I WAS GOING INTO AN OFFICE?” THEN, DO THAT.
Larissa Bodniowycz

For example: if you were working on an office, would you spend two hours making an elaborate breakfast and watching TV before going into work? NO! Because you’d be late, and you’d be starting your day behind. The same goes for working at home.

But Larissa, you might be thinking, “what about the time I’m saving on not having to commute?” You’re likely to lose it with distractions throughout the day as you get used to working remotely. If not, save that time for the end of the day or week when you can really enjoy it because you won’t be anticipated the work ahead.

If you were working from an office, you probably would NOT:

Sleep until 10AM
Spend two hours making breakfast
Have Netflix on in the background
Wear your pajamas all day
Publicize when you are slacking off at work on social media
Go to the gym for three hours in the middle of the day
Work from a couch or bed
Stay in the office for 24-hours straight

So, DON’T do those things while working remotely.

But Larissa, you might be thinking, “what about making fun exceptions like you’ve recommended?” You can’t have exceptions until you have the rule! Set up your remote work structure first, then make exceptions. Otherwise, there’s a high risk that your entire day will become an exception and you’ll be cramming at night or the end of the week to get in all the work you’ve procrastinated on. Trust me, that’s not fun.

If you were working from an office, you probably WOULD:

Start work by a certain time every day
Wear clothes you would be seen in public in
Use calendar alerts so you don’t miss meetings and calls
Work at a comfortable chair at a desk
Meet your deadlines
Take short breaks to talk to people or goof off to stay sane
Use headphones to drown out distractions
Close your door or tell co-workers when you need uninterrupted focus time
End work by a certain time

So, DO those things while working remotely.

But Larissa, you might be thinking. “I don’t have a home office,” or “XYZ is different at home.” Get creative! A comfortable chair, table of any kind, and laptop propped up on books (for ergonomic purposes) make a great make-shift office Or, you can shop Amazon for simple, affordable office furniture.

Ok, now that I’ve sufficiently drilled the serious stuff into your head, don’t forget to ENJOY working from home and feel free to comment or email me with your work from home, tips, tricks, and questions!

Improve Remote Work Productivity with this Simple Question

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