Tips for staying positive when working remotely

Working remotely is challenging, especially to those who were used to spending their work hours in a physical office. Staying positive and motivated throughout your work hours starts with a focus on benefits.

The freedom, trust, autonomy, flexibility, and happiness that usually comes from working remotely is making our lives better in general.

But to make remote working effective, we need to adjust to the new environment and give ourselves the best possible system to thrive. The following practical tips can aid you regain that motivation and positive vibe you had in the physical office.

1. Take breaks when needed

Working from the physical office had specific hours when work started and ended. However, remote work provides more flexibility towards work hours to allow workers to make their own schedule.

And that makes it easy to fall into the routine of overworking. Since you’re working from the comfort of your own home, it’s easy not to realize how fast the hours are passing. Especially when you are involved with work you’re passionate about, time can fly.

Overworking creates stress and unhappiness, and that’s why you should ensure proper breaks when you need them. If you have trouble reminding yourself to stop, you can set up timers for breaks. Using the pomodoro technique can also be useful.

2. Establish a routine

One thing people liked about working in the physical office was the routine of work. Going at the same place at the same work hours and following a routine that is constant creates a special productive environment.

While having the flexibility of working different hours to create a better life-work balance is a valuable asset, you should generally try to establish a routine for work. Working at the same hours everyday will mimic the working environment of the physical office which gives us the motivation to work and be productive.

3. Set clear boundaries

Commuting to work is one of the reasons people don’t want to get back to the physical office. All that time wasted on transportation can now be used more productively. However, having a work space is an important thing for keeping a person focused on the job.

Working from home blurred the line between work and home, and that might lead to an increased level of distraction. Being focused at work is imperative for having productive work days.

You should set clear boundaries for keeping the home life away from the work life, and also for shutting off work completely at the end of the working day. Even if you work from home, you can separate the two elements.

4. Work during your most productive hours

There are certain hours during a day that provide the most amount of energy and productivity for each individual. Some might prefer to use these productive hours to catch up on laundry or for grocery shopping.

While that might be a nice break once in a while, it would be most productive to use these hours to focus on the work. When we are “in the zone”, we have the most amount of energy, motivation, and acumen to produce the best work. And it also feels amazing to crush it in those moments.

5. Prioritize self-care

We can’t take care of others until we take care of ourselves, and that is also true regarding stress. It’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly working or solving problems without allowing ourselves time to relax and pause. Especially when the virtual office is right there in our own home.

The current world state and the upcoming energy crysis only add to the stress level.

It’s imperative to combat these stressors, and some ways to do it include sleeping well at night, avoiding sugar and alcohol, and having a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that practicing mindfulness and meditation can also help us better cope with stressors.

6. Make your home office your own

When switching to a home office, most people don’t make a priority to decorate it, as transitioning to working from home is difficult enough. Even if it is not a priority at the time of transitioning, it’s imperative to make the time to set up the workspace so you can call it your own.

Having a properly set up workspace can do wonders for mental health. Even small decorations and items that we love to see in the workspace will give us an incredible boost in motivation and happiness.

7. Stay close to your team

Nothing motivates us to work harder than our teams. When we see others that we work hard, it motivates us to work hard as well. And it also makes us feel as part of a community, something that matters. Being part of something greater than us is the foundation for meaningful work.

Not to mention that our team is there for us to encourage and inspire us when we need them.

Now you’re wondering what this tip has to do with the virtual office. We understand that with traditional videoconferencing apps, the team spirit was diminished and many workers faced decreased levels of motivation and creativity.

But not anymore. ivCAMPUS brings the closeness we had in the physical office back to the virtual one. Thanks to features such as permanent presence in the office and the possibility of spontaneous professional and social interactions, creativity and motivation is back to high levels. Furthermore, a virtual office like ivCAMPUS brings back clear boundaries between work and private life: the spatial concept of ivCAMPUS allows you to “enter” the office (start working), be close with your team and leave it (stop working).

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These are 7 tips to stay positive when working remotely. As the world transitions to a hybrid work model where we can all work from anywhere we want in the same virtual office, we must ensure that we don’t forget to take care of ourselves and our mental health.

And when we are too stressed, it’s not a bad idea to take a break from work.

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A successful hybrid work model requires an adequate technical platform. ivCAMPUS combines the benefits of physical offices with those of remote collaboration. We digitalized office interactions to allow people to intuitively work together, socialize, and be part of the company culture just as they would in a real office. And all of this in an immersive platform that they can access from anywhere they want.

If you want to find out more about ivCAMPUS and all the benefits it brings in terms of creativity, motivation, and happiness, we invite you to find out more about it and even try it for free.