Everyone knows that there are benefits to working from home. I absolutely love lists and as I began thinking about it, I noticed that I’ve never actually spelled out the major benefits to working from home and how you can make remote working a bit more efficient. You might be able to piece together some other material and gain a general consensus about why we love this lifestyle but it’s still not the same as actually creating a black and white list of great reasons to join the community of remote workers around the world. Here’s a quick list of some awesome benefits to becoming a remote worker.
It’s always been a dream of mine to work for myself and set my own schedule, and working from home gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that. The only commute I worry about is the small walk from my bed to the computer desk and I consider that to be awesome. It’s really not possible in other situations. Staying up late and sleeping in are two activities that I thoroughly enjoy and when remote working, it really doesn’t matter because I set my own hours. Nobody is there to monitor my daily activity so that freedom is in totally in my hands. It can be powerful if not abused.
I tend to wake up and shower straight away, so I’m not extremely keen on this idea but I know it’s a particularly big deal among some remote workers. Just the idea of not showering until noon again implies a level of freedom that doesn’t exist when you’re chained to a desk.
I’m a people person so It’s really important to develop close social relationships by investing time but unfortunately, these activities don’t always happen at the most ideal moments. Like any fine wine, a great relationship takes time so having the freedom to shift my schedule and allocate that required time when the occasion arises is a great benefit to becoming a remote worker.
I’ve written quite a bit on this point so I’ll keep this somewhat brief: I love traveling when I get the chance but when I work in a classic office setting, this becomes an itch I don’t often scratch. When I shift focus to working remotely, my office becomes a mobile workspace and I can then work anywhere on Earth with a solid internet connection.
There are always benefits to being out and about but what about the creature comforts ofworking from your own home? Your home is powerful in the fact that it’s a familiar place where you can shut the door and really focus. Also, working from home gives you the opportunity to step away and clear your mind with other activities when necessary. Just don’t get distracted!
From my personal experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that remote working gives me a sense of stability that typically doesn’t exist in a classic office setting. There’s something to be said for controlling your environment and for me, that idea brings about a much less stressful dynamic in my daily life. There’s also a social aspect that somewhat emulates a “rat race” mentality in a physical office that doesn’t exist in a remote setting.
Similar to point #3, when working remotely I have a much larger capacity to shift my schedule and become involved in my local community. Whether it’s volunteer work or playing sports on the community league, this ability to be flexible is an extremely important part of a healthy social dynamic.
No matter if you’re a freelancer or part of a larger remote team, you’re doing something amazing and paving the way for others to join you. You have the unique ability to teach people how they can make money, set their own schedule and enjoy all the other benefits that come along with living and working a remote lifestyle.
As an avid researcher of the remote lifestyle, I’ve come across study after study and blog post after blog post about why remote workers tend to be more productive than office workers. It’s difficult to pinpoint but based on my own lifestyle, I have a strong feeling it comes down to responsibility. When working in a large office, it’s really difficult to own your experience and consider the work you’re doing as important and valuable, thus you’ll be less productive. It’s very easy to get caught up in relating the office space to a centerpoint of the organization but in reality, the organization’s centerpoint is the people. It’s much easier to get a strong center of gravity on the people in a remote setting where the only thing you have is each other and no office spaces to distract you from the overall goal.
This entire article would be pointless if I didn’t leave you with some solid advice on how to make your remote working experience more productive and beneficial. Here’s a short-but-sweet list of simple ways to work hard, achieve balance and increase your productivity as a remote worker.
I’ve always found success in becoming a frequent customer at coffee shops and co-working spaces where people are actively building cool things. The best way to get inspired is byspending time with inspiring people so make it a point to engage with someone that’s doing
something cool.
Ambient noise (room chatter) is a proven method of increasing productivity and giving you an amazing electric feeling. There’s nothing that will whip you into shape like walking into a room where people are actively discussing future plans and world domination.
I get distracted very easily. Turning out the lights can be a good way of bringing focus to your computer screen while excluding everything else that might be distracting from your view. I’ve found this method really helps me sift through the potential distraction of working from home. It seems strange but definitely works for me!
Working from home can create a sense of always being attached to your work, even while you’re not working. I find it helpful to create distinct lines between your work and home life. This can be achieved by setting a schedule and sticking to it. When you’re stressed at work, the last thing you want to do is bring that stress into your home life so creating these lines and making a schedule are very important steps in achieving this separation.
No matter who you are or where you work, it’s important to take a step back and make a quick inventory of the reasons why you do what you do. If you’re not quite at the place where you’re stepping away from the physical office, hopefully this post is helpful in giving you an idea of some great benefits that come along with this lifestyle while staying productive in the process.
Keep remoting.
What helps keep you productive throughout the day: How to Work from Home and Stay Ultra-Productive
Featured photo credit: Office in the green via Shutterstock
With more people working with each other all over the world and the Internet becoming more ubiquitous by the minute, the physical computer is becoming less important. Rather than relying on taking your physical computer with you everywhere you go, as long as you can get to a “dumb terminal” with an Internet connection, you can reach your computer from anywhere.
This game uses the remote control symbols to facilitate learning the skills. The symbols are to STOP and redirect behavior; REWIND and learn from past mistakes; and FAST FORWARD and think ahead about potential consequences. There are both competitive and cooperative versions for grades 1-5 and for grades 6-9. The two age groups have separate decks of cards. During the game players read brief case studies adapted from the angry behavior of real kids. Players then practice one of the three essential skills: they PAUSE and describe an additional feeling that they might have along with anger in the scenario, or they REWIND and describe a time in the past when they have been successful calming their angry feelings, or they FAST FORWARD and describe a typical angry response or behavior that might follow the scenario and the probable consequence if the angry behavior is acted on. All players practice all three skills during the course of the game. In addition to practicing the three skills, players practice planning ahead and social skills as well as exercising frustration tolerance.