How do you stay productive while working remotely ?
Varun Krishnan
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Would love to hear from the community on how to maintain productivity while working from home and maintaining a good work-life balance.
Replies
Prashanth@uleadin
I do a mix of the following:
1. I set a goal for every hour of scheduled work. This ensures that I know where I'm headed, and whether it's going to be a long day.
2. There are two "shifts" earmarked everyday for scheduled calls, and I avoid scheduled calls outside of those shift timings. One is in the (IST) morning/noon and the other is in the (IST) late evening. Those two bands typically cover the wide range of regional offices I work with.
3. I split all my projects into notes and drafts. Notes involve a lot of research and learning. Drafts are pure editing endeavors, and can be done better without Internet connectivity. This mix is the best of both worlds for me.
4. Breaks are compulsory. I take 10 mins off after every hour (unless some work is incomplete and can't be left as it is). Those 10 mins are for walking, stretching, eye exercises, and hydration.
5. I have a threshold time beyond which I don't take unscheduled calls. This has been the hardest to accomplish but I've managed it somehow. It ensures my family never has to see me walk out during dinner or lunch to take a call.
Would love to know what else has worked for the community.
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Hey @varun_krishnan1
Great thread..
1. I follow the GTD technique to manage my tasks, which helps me stay in line with my goals. You can read about this technique here: https://todoist.com/productivity...
I also ensure that I review my tasks/projects on Sunday and plan my week. I use @todoist to manage my To-do's and use this template every Sunday https://todoist.com/templates/gt... (I have customized it a bit according to my need)
2. While working, I use the #Pomodoro technique to stay focused and not get distracted. I do follow the standard practice of turning off my Wi-fi and 4G on the mobile so I don't get distracted by the notifications. I don't use Airplane mode, as it is inconvenient for many trying to reach me.
3. To manage my long-term goal, I follow the North star document technique, which was introduced to me by a friend of mine "David Henzel" https://www.davidhenzel.com/
4. I make sure to give enough to my family coz what ever we are doing is to enjoy life, and spend a gala time with family.
5. I start my day with a workout and make sure that I spend at least 30+ minutes meditating. You can try this app called @Calm, which has a segment called "Daily calm," which goes for 10 minutes and is a great way to integrate meditation into your life.
6. Every year I attend one camp for Vipassana meditation, which lasts for 10 days. In these 10 days, I don't have access to a phone or to the outside world. I maintain noble silence and meditate for almost 90+ hours. This yearly retreat refreshes my mind and soul and connects me to my higher self.
I do many more things, but these are some of the top techniques that help me to stay en route to my long term mission/vision.
We at Tira have been actively finding ways to boost our productivity and stay on track.
First of all:
1. We limit meetings! And follow one simple rule: If a meeting can be a message, we’ll send the message. :)
2. We have a hybrid working model, cuz different people are more productive at the office, other at home!
3. We set goals (and review them).
4. We take breaks - At Tira, we all like to spend our breaks differently. It’s a personal preference! Some of us socialise, some meditate, some go for a walk, and some of us have a quick nap. We find that we’re then able to come back to our desks recharged and with more focus.
5. We keep interruptions to a minimum.
6. We have fun! oking around and having a laugh together helps us deal with stress, boosts our team morale, and motivates us to be more productive. 😊
7. We have flexible schedules - We don’t have set work hours. People work best at different times, so as long as we get our work done, it doesn't matter when we do it.
And last but not least 💕😍😎
8. We use productivity software! It probably goes without saying that we use our own productivity software, Tira. Everything we need is there. With chat, task management, project management, and a calendar all in one place, Tira houses all of our messages, tasks, projects, documents, and schedules. We don’t have to waste time switching between apps searching for missing information. Cheers!
I use TMetric app for this purpose. It keeps me productive, and focused, saves time, helps me avoid overtime, and establishes a work-life balance.