With the rise in remote work, remote workers are looking for the best ways to be productive for optimal results. Hence, providing the best productivity hacks for remote workers becomes crucial in the ever-changing corporate work.

The remote work trend is increasing by the day and is projected to grow by 12% before the end of 2025. While 61% of the workforce seems to be comfortable working on-site, about 39% of the workforce works remotely.

This paradigm shift in the workforce can be likened to the inception of COVID-19 where people were working to save the economy while staying from the infection virus.

One would have thought that people would return to the traditional work culture of working from the office, however, a lot of companies and individuals have chosen remote work over the traditional work culture.

Given this, it is pertinent to devise means of supporting remote workers to maintain efficiency and turnaround time.

The Challenges Of Remote Work

Five out of ten remote workers have one challenge or the other, it is either managing time, keeping up with team communication or getting the job done. Let us look at a few of the challenges faced by remote workers.

Managing Time

Many remote workers struggle to keep up with the activities around them. If you work from home, the activities never stop;  from taking care of domestic chores, kids and maybe your spouse, it is easy to lose focus on work and get distracted.

Another thing with managing time is scrolling endlessly on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok can be a lot to deal with at a time.

Managing time and producing optimal results can be challenging for remote workers to get things done.

The Work Never Stops

Remote workers with no definite work schedule struggled with a defined work-life balance. You can be caught in the web of working around the clock if your work schedule is not probably defined.

If you are ever found in this situation where you work around the clock, mastering product hacks for remote workers will save you time and enhance your work-life balance.

Fragmented Communications

Communicating with the team feels like a burden, especially with companies with no dedicated communication channel. This can make remote workers feel left out and lose sight of the company’s activities. 

When you are working from the office with your team, there is nothing like impromptu launches, office parties, office politics and even building quality relationships with your co-workers.

Working remotely will deprive you of this kind of luxury and may even affect your interpersonal relationship skills.

Unreliable Technology Services

Of the major challenges of remote workers is unreliable technology services. You will struggle with internet connectivity, internet outages and even high internet costs due to daily usage.

You May Become Complacent

Working remotely means the opportunity to work from anywhere and with anything, this literally could mean working in pyjamas and working even from your kitchen. This may make you become complacent and not dress up for the job

“No one can remotely work their way to the top” This phrase was a bone of contention on X a few days ago. This may be the case for some remote workers if not put in check with the best productivity hacks for remote workers.

Best Productivity Hacks For Remote Workers

To continue to mark as a high performer, especially for remote workers, here are some top productivity hacks for remote workers to incorporate into your daily routine.

Have A Dedicated Work Space

To maintain focus and deliver your best at work, it is important to create a dedicated work area where all your works are done. Think of this space as an office you have to work from.

So every morning, do your morning routine, dress up and head to your office area. This will not only make you organized but focused and help you create the work-life balance that you so desire.

Plan Your Day Ahead

To get the best of your time working from home, it is crucial to plan your day before the day’s work. Plan your food, your chores, your tasks, your meetings, etc. This will allow you ample time to make mental preparations for your day and deliver excellent results.

Have A To-Do List

In addition to planning your day, having a to-do list will keep you organised and focused/ It is easy to get distracted by mundane things and side distractions. 

Create a realistic to-do list highlighting your most important work activities, enlist the most important thing at the top of the list. Tick off each task as you accomplish it and create a reward system that motivates you to stay focused and work harder.

Automate Re-occurring Task

 One of the most reliable productivity hacks for remote workers is to automate re-occurring tasks that may often be overlooked. For instance, you can set up your daily alarms for a specific for an entire month.

 This way you do not have to struggle to wake up for house chores before going to your work area.

If you work as a social media manager or any creative in the technology space, you can also maximize your work hours by automating your social media posts, the good news is that several productivity apps can enable you to carry out all these activities seamlessly.

Decide On A Work Schedule

If you work with a company with no definite work schedule, then it becomes necessary to decide on your work schedule, else you will work around the clock with no healthy work-life balance.

You can decide to work from 9-5 or 12-7 depending on your role and how your work impacts other team members

Communicate With Your Team Mate

It is easy to lose track of work activities and updates, to ensure that you do not become invisible, keep open communication with your teammates. Send feedback regularly and share your work progress and activities.

 You can use platforms like Trello to manage work activities and collaborate with teammates.

Take Regular Breaks

All work and no play will make you an overly exhausted employee. You need the right amount of breaks to unwind and fuel your creative juices to be productive at work.

While deciding on a work schedule, make room for breaks. Taking regular breaks will you stay energized and overcome creative blocks. So be very intentional about breaks such as Netflix, taking a walk or cooking your favourite dish

Conclusion

Remote work comes with its pros and cons and can be very tedious. Working remotely can take a greater part of you if not managed right. It offers various challenges and sumptuous benefits. To keep track of your activities, make a conscious effort to incorporate these best productivity hacks for optimal results.