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How to prepare for the future of work while working remotely
Everywhere you look these days, people are talking about the future of work. With more and more jobs moving to remote or freelance positions, it’s important to know how to best prepare yourself for this change. With technology constantly evolving, more and more people are working remotely. Doist, Buffer, Zapier, InVision, and Automattic are all successful companies that have moved to a fully remote model.
If you’re one of those people who work from home, it’s important to make sure you’re preparing for the future of work. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
Table of Contents
How to thrive in the future of work as a remote tech worker
Build communication skills
Develop strong communication skills that will help you succeed in a remote work environment. When you can’t rely on face-to-face communication, you need to communicate through other means, such as email, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc. You should be able to communicate with your boss and peers effortlessly, even without face-to-face communication. Remember that simply talking well is not sufficient.
Listening is a critical communication skill for remote workers. By listening carefully, you can understand the speaker’s message and respond appropriately. It shows that you are interested in what the other person has to say. In fact, good listeners are better problem-solvers.
Despite being in different locations, these communication and collaboration tools allow remote companies to stay productive.
Also read: How to write a winning resume if you don’t have experience to show
Here are some popular tools for remote work
| Tool Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Zoom | Video conferencing and online meetings |
| Slack | Instant messaging and team communication |
| Trello | Project management and task tracking |
| Google Drive | Cloud-based document and file sharing |
| Asana | Project management and team collaboration |
| Microsoft Teams | Team collaboration and communication |
| Monday.com | Project management and team collaboration |
| Dropbox | Cloud-based file storage and sharing |
| GitHub | Version control and software development |
| Notion | All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, and projects |
Take ownership of your tasks
Owning your tasks means that you are responsible for completing them, and you are accountable for it. You are the one who makes sure that the task gets done, not someone else. This means that you need to be proactive and stay on top of things.
It’s important in a remote setting when people are not in the same room and can’t nudge you for every little thing or can’t just walk up to you for any status updates.
If you encounter any problems, you need to be self-reliant. When something goes wrong, you need to take responsibility for your mistakes. If something is outside your scope of responsibility, let your team know so they can take the lead.
Some benefits of taking ownership of your work are:
- Increased productivity
- More autonomy
- A greater sense of ownership and responsibility
- Feeling more in control of your work and life
- Increased sense of accomplishment
Stick to a fixed schedule
In remote work, keeping a fixed schedule for every day can be difficult. However, it is important to maintain some order and routine, especially when working alone. Having a regular routine can help you stay focused and productive throughout the day.
You can use tools like Sunsama or Trello to keep track of what needs to be done and when. These will also help you stay productive.
Another way to stay productive and organized is to set time blocks for your personal activities and outside-of-work hours. This will help you keep track of what you need to do and when and will help you avoid overlap between work and personal time. Try to be as specific as possible when setting your time blocks, and make sure that you leave enough time for both.
To protect your time off, add these hours to your schedule and note them as personal activities/non-work hours. This will let everyone know when you’re not available for calls or meetings. And it’s important to have some downtime so that you can be productive when working.
Also read: Best Tools to Optimize Communication in Remote Work
Create an end-of-the-day ritual
It can be tough for remote workers to disconnect from work mode at the end of the day. When your office is also your home, it’s common to work past your scheduled time. This problem is especially common for people who are not used to working from home.
It’s important to relax and not think about work when you’re off duty in order to avoid burnout. So, how can you make your mind switch from work mode to relaxation mode? One way is to create an end-of-workday ritual.
What steps are included in this ritual? Here are some ideas — You can close out your last hour by checking your email and answering any questions.
You can also let your remote colleagues know you’re about to leave for the day in case they need anything else from you. Plus, take a minute to write a to-do list for tomorrow while everything is still fresh in your mind.
At the end of each day, take a few minutes to reflect on what you achieved and where you may need to make improvements. This reflection period gives you an opportunity to assess yourself and adjust your plan for tomorrow if needed.
It’s important to spend this time reflecting so that you don’t lose sight of how far you’ve come and where you want to go next.
Socialize at events in your city
When you are working remotely, it can sometimes get lonely without teammates to chat over the water cooler or share a good banter with.
A good way to socialize and meet new people is to go to events in your city. These events can range from tech meetups to networking events, which can help broaden your professional circle.
You can also look for casual happy hours or join a workout class with other local professionals. All these activities can be great for building relationships and connecting with people in the same industry as you.
Additionally, you can join online forums or chats to connect with other entrepreneurs and remote workers. These virtual communities can help you exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and find solutions to common problems.
You may also look out for an online mentor who can offer guidance as you grow professionally.
Set clear expectations and know the outcomes expected from you
It can be easy to get tangled up between your professional and personal lives when working remotely. However, it’s important to set clear boundaries from the start in order to avoid frustration and confusion.
Doing so will help everyone stay on track with common goals, especially since members of a remote team are often located far apart from one another.
Implementing specific guidelines for work hours and availability can also reduce stress levels. Things that should have clear expectations around them are:
- Communication protocol
- Scheduling and availability
- Performance KPIs
- Feedback method
- Calendars and deadlines
- Procedures and processes
Look for Training and Learning Opportunities
It’s easy to feel left out of the loop when you work remotely, and your company isn’t paying close attention to include you in its roster for e-learning opportunities. But resist the urge to sulk–there might be something good happening that you don’t want to miss. Raise your hand and ask to be included.
You can always request additional training if you need it through online courses, in-person classes, or coaching sessions. There are also plenty of reputable online learning sites that offer business soft skills courses, programming tutorials, software skills training videos, and more.
If your organization doesn’t have a learning and development department or budget yet, asking if one could be added is unlikely to hurt your case.
Also read: How To Reduce Hiring Biases To Recruit The Best Fits
Final Thoughts
Working remotely is not going anywhere, and the future of work will continue to be more digital. You need to make sure you are prepared for this new world by continuously upskilling and keeping your resume up to date.
Platforms like ellow can help you with that by connecting you with remote work opportunities. So what are you waiting for? Get started today so you can stay ahead of the curve.
Jisha Panicker
