Tips for Overcoming 4 Common Productivity Challenges Remote Workers Face

Contrary to what some might believe, studies show that remote workers are typically more productive than on-site employees. However, there are of course some hurdles—like a slow laptop or the temptation to work from bed—that can make it hard for some to maintain those high productivity levels all the time.

Lucky for you, we’re here to address a few of those common challenges remote workers face, and offer some unique advice on how to handle them!

Here are four common remote worker productivity challenges, and solutions for each one:

Challenge: Temptation to stay in pajamas and work from bed.

Solution: Don’t! Get up and get dressed.

Sure, you might think one of the biggest perks of working from home is that you can stay in bed in your pajamas all day. That might sound amazing, but it’s actually not great for productivity levels. Why? Well, when you don’t physically get up out of bed, or change out of the clothes you slept it, it’s harder to convince your brain that the workday has started. You might remain in that “sleepy time” mindset, and that can cause you to work at a more sluggish pace.

Getting out of bed and getting dressed (yes, yoga pants are fine—just get out of those jammies!) will help you shift gears into “work mode” and allow you to be more productive.

Challenge: Sluggish technology.

Solution: Speed things up by using cloud storage.

Have you ever noticed that the more files you have saved on your computer, the slower it runs? And the slower your computer moves, the less productive you are? Yup—we’ve all been there!

When the memory on your computer is maxed out, the machine will likely begin to slow down, making it difficult for you to move at your normal work pace. It’ll take you longer to turn on your computer, download files, and run apps and programs. But, there’s a pretty simple solution to avoiding this problem: use cloud storage! That’s right: you can free up space on your computer by saving all your files to the cloud. Dropbox, for example, offers secure cloud storage plans with features like file recovery and version history, so you’ll never accidentally lose a file or project again. This can also help you maintain your high productivity levels, since you won’t have to spend time trying to recover lost files.

Another benefit: storing files to the cloud will make it quicker and easier to share them with your virtual colleagues!

Challenge: Working too much.

Solution: Shut down your computer at the end of the workday.

Not only is it good for your electricity bill to power down your laptop or computer as often as possible, but it’s great for your own well-being and productivity levels, too!

When you work remotely, it can be difficult to separate your work life from your home life…since, well, you work from your home. But by turning off your devices at the end of the workday, you’re signaling to your colleagues, your family, and yourself that you’ve “left the office” and have “gone home” for the night. It also makes it far less tempting to check your email “one last time” at 10 p.m., or “just spend 10 quick minutes on that project” before bed…when you really should be recharging your proverbial batteries.

When you don’t set these types of boundaries and take the time to disconnect from work, you’ll be more likely to lose steam and burn out faster.

Challenge: Distractions from friends and family.

Solution: Educate your family and friends on your work situation.

One of the biggest challenges of working from home is getting your friends and family to understand you have a real, legitimate job—and that you actually do work all day! There’s a misconception that working from home means you can do whatever, whenever you want. And yes, sometimes remote workers have a decent amount of flexibility—but it doesn’t mean they’re free to chat on the phone for hours on end, or meet for long brunches, or constantly help with last-minute favors. If you do get sucked into these activities, it’ll wind up distracting you and can seriously wreak havoc on your productivity levels.

Take some time to explain your work arrangement to friends and family. Tell them what a typical workday is like, and even consider sharing your work calendar with some of them, so they can see when you’re in meetings or on calls. Educating them will likely reduce distractions from friends, family, and neighbors—which will help you maintain great productivity levels!

Readers: Do you use tools like cloud storage to increase productivity? Do you get dressed every day when you work from home? Tell us in the comments section below!

This is a sponsored post for Dropbox. All opinions are Remote.co’s. Dropbox is not affiliated with nor endorses any other products or services mentioned.

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