How to work remotely: 10 simple tips

Media expert Alexander Amzin shared on Medium the rules that help him to work effectively from home and feel good. Lifehacker publishes material with the permission of the author.

Many instructions have already appeared on organizing work in quarantine and on remote work. I decided to do my bit. Here is my situation.

First, for almost 10 years I have been working for myself and do it mainly from home (there were breaks, but I still did most of the work remotely).

Secondly, I have a bunch of chronic diseases characterized by accumulating fatigue and stress. If I work anyhow, not according to the rules, then in my week I get only a couple of full working days. This is very small, so over the years I have created several rules.

It's absolutely okay if you don't follow all of these rules. But the more of them you do, the better you feel.

1. Go to bed early, get up early

Most overlooked rule. If you go to bed at 23:00 and wake up at 6:30, then the following will happen. First, you will get enough sleep. Secondly, you will have two and a half hours before the first urgent letters and calls. This time can be spent on personal projects.

For example, at 7:00 am I sit down for an hour to host the channel "We and Jo" and plan recordings there for the whole day ahead, so as not to be distracted. Convincing your family to go to bed early will benefit all of you. Your schedule shouldn't have any interruptions, but, say, on Saturday you can get up later.

2. Do your exercises

This rule is thrown first. But if you try to devote 15 minutes to yourself in the morning, the day will start a little more cheerful. Finish with a coffee. If you find it difficult to do charging, at least take a shower with a hard washcloth. The goal here is to massage and improve blood flow.

3. Replace your afternoon nap with a warm up

If you lie down for an hour after lunch, then the whole afternoon can go down the drain. It is better to replace this dream with a buildup and finish what is left.

There is a myth that it is better not to exercise on a full stomach. Of course, you should not jump and roll, bend over too. But two dozen squats and small arm swings won't kill you. Do a twenty-second bar and sit down at your laptop.

4. Force yourself

This rule was the most difficult for me to develop and understand. It is impracticable if you have depression (I had such a state), and it is difficult to imagine if she is not.

The body is pretty dumb. He makes up reasons not to do business. Very often you can work with pleasure, you just don't know about it. To do this, you need to sit down, turn on Yandex. Music ”and, for example, set a timer. I used a mechanical egg timer for a long time, now I switched to the program Togglshowing how much time I spent on myself and clients.

Surprisingly, but true: after 10-15 minutes I forget that I didn't want to work. It is worth starting, and the process itself will be enjoyable.

5. Understand the table

One Sunday I got up and realized that it was impossible to live like this. I spent three hours, but dismantled the table, leaving instead of dozens of unnecessary things those that might be needed: pens, a notebook, a couple of books, a calculator, cards with notes, an egg timer, a couple of napkins and a small trash can basket. Now it is much easier for me to find what I need, and most importantly, I am not distracted by trifles.

6. Celebrate tasks done

You will find your way. I change it all the time. Now the table is empty, so I'm sculpting stickers with inscriptions on the side of the printer. The higher the sheet, the more urgent the task. I try not to keep more than five things in sight, although there are dozens of them in my head. But today I will try to do exactly the tasks from the stickers. Or at least I will try to get closer to their implementation. The best part is to remove the stickers, crease them and send them to the trash can.

7. Observe the Sabbath Day

Surprisingly, it works. Set aside one day when you are definitely not stressing. Read, watch movies, kill villains in video games. It shouldn't be Sunday, because there are a lot of things to do on Monday for it, so you can't rest.

On Sunday, do some cleaning, including digital: rake in mail, browser tabs, make a list of tasks for the next week if you can.

8. Take breaks from work

It is not always possible to work continuously for more than an hour or an hour and a half, this is normal. Work without distraction as much as you can, but then rest. Try to reach your goal and let the rest be the reward. Best short break is a hot drink, best long break is a 20-minute How I Met Your Mother episode and food.

9. Don't eat sweets regularly

Sweets - it's very cool, but you get used to them. With physical inactivity, the attachment to candy buns will not end well with anything.

10. Self-isolate with work

You need to isolate yourself from your household while you work. Follow two rules. First, put on headphones even if you are not listening to music. Secondly, do not work in the same room as the bed - this will end up winning the bed.