James SpillaneOur digital marketing team is spread across beautiful British Columbia. With physical distance between us, we are very much capable of achieving our audacious mission while exceeding our individual goals each month.
This week, our Kamloops Community Managers, Caitlin McKinlay and Dustin McIntyre, were interviewed on CBC Radio. The topic? Coworking. In the feature spot they tell the tale of how a collaborative, shared space helps them get the office environment feel when they need a change of scenery from their home offices.
Listen to the broadcast here: http://bit.ly/1uG7LIB
As a majority of our team works remotely, we wanted to share our top tips for being an extremely successful and productive team member minus the presence of the typical office space.
Let’s get started.
Stay connected: A daily huddle with the team starts the day off right. Join Skype or utilize Google Hangouts to share successes, get aligned on departmental goals and kick the day off with on a positive note.
Check-in with your colleagues: Feeling a lull in your day? Connect with a team member on video chat to brainstorm ideas and get the creative juices flowing.
Build a routine: Start each day like your going to an office. Take a shower and get prepped just like you would before heading to your place of business.
Set working hours: Think about when you do your best work, and plan accordingly. Some of our team members prefer to jumpstart their day an hour or two before our morning call, but others get their daily burst of inspiration later in the afternoon. Tap into your most effective times to get projects done, and stick to it!
Take advantage of a coworking space: Caitlin and Dustin have this one nailed! They utilize the Kamloops Innovation centre to collaborate on projects for our social media and reputation management customers. Coworking spaces offer less noise then a coffee shop, private areas for telephone conversations, and access to office resources like wifi, printers and more.
Stay motivated: When you’re working from home on a daily basis it can be challenging to be at your peak of creativity. Here are our favourite ways to stay inspired:
- Networking: Attend a group related to your role or personal interests. Make the most of it; converse with the featured speaker or experts in the topic at hand.
- Take a Course: This is one of the best ways to get a break from your home office and meet people with similar interests. From cooking classes, to enhancing your computer skills, pick something that stimulates you!
- Physical Activity: Working from home has its downsides, and this is one of them. You no longer need to walk to the transit stop or go get a bite to each at lunch. Take a 15-minute walk as often as you can or sign-up for an evening yoga class to centre your body and mind.
A change of scenery: Make a list of coffee shops, bookstores, and shared spaces where you can get the most work done. Keep transit time to and from in check!
Make sure you’re not ignored: Speak up! Set remote meetings or send frequent updates so the executives and team members hear you. Don’t let remote working keep you from sharing your successes, or asking for help when you need it!
Close the door at the end of the day: This is THE hardest tip for remote workers to achieve. Why? We LOVE what we do…really! Our goal is to end the day once we’ve accomplished the best work we can. If that means adding a few more “office hours” we’re happy to continue our day. The biggest takeaway here is: end your day on a high note. No one does his or her best work when tired or unfocused! Plus, other people in your life will enjoy spending time with you away from your computer. Make sure to schedule time with your friends and family.
Working from home isn’t for everyone, but when you take advantage of the perks it can be an excellent tool for producing some pretty exceptional work!
Are you a remote worker? Share your tips for success in the comment field below.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by James Spillane.
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Great tips Tara!
Being a remote worker for more than a decade I agree that remote working is not everyone and managers that are used to managing in-house employees might find it difficult to handle remote workers as trust can be an issue.
Yes, it’s challenging that it requires employers and remote workers to set-up a structure that will keep them stay in the same page – a subject I covered in my blog post; http://bit.ly/1s0fsKL