Time Management Strategies When Working Remote

Why Is Time Management Important?

Time management is one of the most important and challenging aspects of remote work. When time is managed correctly, remote work can offer tremendous flexibility and increase productivity. However, poor time management can sometimes make your work environment and plans feel very stressful and isolating. If you can't manage your time effectively, you may struggle to balance your work responsibilities and personal plans. That's why the value of time management is increasingly being understood every day.

Set Your Working Hours

Unlike a typical 9-5 office job, remote work does not always have a fixed work schedule. This makes it difficult for many remote workers to establish specific work routines and stick to them. While working remotely, balancing work and personal life is very valuable. By setting your working hours, you can maximize your focus on work. This way, you can focus more deeply on your work during the day and create time to truly relax after work.

Create a Daily Task List

Sometimes, having too much unstructured time can make you feel overwhelmed. One way to deal with this is to plan ahead. Creating a planned task list every day can help you organize tasks as well as prioritize them. Focusing on important tasks allows you to achieve more satisfying productivity by the end of the day.

Manage Your Workflow with the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is based on the principle of working for specific periods and then taking short breaks. This technique involves 25 minutes of uninterrupted work followed by a 5-minute break. This method can be highly effective not only in increasing your focus but also in reducing fatigue. Taking regular breaks, while seemingly contradictory to time management, can actually enhance your time management skills. Taking a deep breath and taking a short break from your workspace can help you focus better on your work.

Reduce Distractions

It's important to minimize factors that can distract your focus while working from home. Controlling phone notifications, social media, and other distractions can help you focus only on your work during a specific period. If you can manage these distractions, you can increase your productivity and manage your time more effectively.

Use the Equipment and Software You Need

We're in an era where we shouldn't overlook the power of artificial intelligence. You can benefit from a wide range of software options that will speed up your work without compromising its quality, increase productivity, and monitor your work processes. Video conferencing platforms, project management software, and other specialized applications can help you organize and track your work processes. Being equipped with the right tools can not only optimize your workflow but also facilitate effective communication with your team.

Take Inspiration from Movement

Taking care of your physical health during remote work can also improve your mental performance. Doing short exercises at regular intervals or going for short walks several times a day can help refresh your energy. Remember, physical activity can have a positive impact not only on your health but also on your work motivation.

Bring Your Office Routine Home

You can prepare for work as if you were going to the office; grooming yourself, putting on your clothes, and doing this at the same time every day can create a routine. This routine can prepare you for work and help you plan your day.

Set a Deadline

Sometimes projects or tasks may not have a specific deadline. In this case, you can take responsibility and set your own personal deadlines to make quick progress. Breaking down big projects into smaller milestones with individual deadlines can help you focus and track your progress. Approaching big goals with small steps can make projects more manageable and successful.

Prioritize Based on Urgency and Importance

Prioritizing your tasks based on urgency and importance will guide you in prioritization. Focusing on urgent tasks can help you use your time more effectively.

Avoid Procrastination

Today, most people tend to have a tendency of 'chronic procrastination' regardless of the sector and working style. Employees who apply the procrastination defense mechanism delay a job item until they feel ready. This disrupts time management and daily plans. In such cases, you can take a break, give your brain a rest, and try to see the job item from a much broader perspective.

Listen to Energy Management

Teams being sensitive to each other's energy can positively affect work productivity and time management. Identifying the times when you are most productive and focused can help you plan your daily routine more effectively. This time frame may be the early hours of the day; because starting work fresh after a night's sleep is usually the most productive time. Perhaps the later hours of the day might be when you start grasping really important tasks and becoming productive. Aligning your calendar with these energy time frames can help you organize your work better.

Handle Similar Tasks Together

Combining similar tasks can significantly increase work efficiency. For example, do you have multiple emails to respond to? Then you can set aside a specific time period to address these emails all at once. This approach can help reduce the need for constant switching between different tasks, helping you conserve mental energy and increase focus. Additionally, grouping similar tasks together can help you manage your work more systematically. For example, grouping meetings or similar topics together can strengthen the thought flow on the same subject and thus help make more effective decisions.

Avoid Multitasking

Often, multitasking may seem like a logical strategy to quickly and effectively complete your tasks. However, research by the American Psychological Association clearly shows that multitasking can actually reduce productivity. Focusing on tasks one at a time on your to-do list is an effective way to complete tasks without splitting your attention. Studies show that when you fully focus on a task, you are more likely to complete it faster and more accurately. This can not only help you manage your work more professionally but also reduce stress and pay more attention to your mental health.

Reference: Madore KP, Wagner AD. ‘’Multicosts of multitasking.’’ Cerebrum. 2019;2019:cer-04-19.

At CoBAC Workspace, Time Management and Working Are Much Easier!

At CoBAC Workspace, we provide an inspiring environment by bringing together contemporary office spaces, creative work areas, and professional meeting rooms for those who want to adapt to the new norms of the business world.

Here, you can increase your productivity with office spaces and work desks tailored to your needs, manage your time perfectly by focusing on your project, benefit from equipped rooms for all kinds of meetings from business meetings to training, meet and collaborate with other professionals in the business world.

We invite you to Eminönü to meet you with a creative and efficient working experience.