Diana May-JenningsHow to Hold Yourself Accountable While Working Remotely
It’s no secret that working from home isn’t the same as being in the office surrounded by coworkers. When you’re at home with the comfort of your bed and fridge, every day provides a distraction. As we know there’s nothing wrong with taking the occasional break from work to reset your mind, but a break from work at home can look like 2 hours of Netflix or an eating binge. Every day is not the same, concentrating is easier depending on the distractions around you. So if you set yourself up for success in your environment using tricks like this, holding yourself accountable becomes easier and easier.
Set Concrete Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Goals
Setting goals for yourself is a well known way to keep you accountable, especially while working from home. Most people don’t have concrete goals, and those who do, rarely write them down. But the few people who do write down their goals are 10 times more successful than those who have goals but don’t record them. The important thing to remember when making daily, weekly, and monthly goals is to make them measurable and attainable. If you create goals that you cannot reach, that will derail your work from home. The goals you create can be recurring depending on your line of work, but as long as you make goals everyday that keep you on track and your bosses happy, then that’s a job well done from home.
Block of Parts of Your Schedule Off
If you don’t use some kind of calendar for work, you need to. Having a calendar system not only keeps you organized, but it helps you to block off sections of your work day on an actual program. Blocking off time can be done for multiple reasons, that’s up to you. It can be used for scheduled meetings, time you need to set aside to complete a big project, or even just a small break or lunch to give your brain a break during the day. Allowing yourself to have time set aside for what you need will help you make the most of the time you don’t have blocked off as well. However you choose to organize it is unique to you, but getting a calendar and creating a system will keep you on track from now on.
Chat With Coworkers and Friends
We don’t mean chat instead of working, but if you chat with your friends or coworkers about what you need to accomplish that day, they will hold you accountable to that goal. You will also feel more responsible for finishing those tasks if you’ve told someone else about them. Using your relationships with others will help push and motivate you even if you’re not with them in person. Chatting with others not only keeps you accountable, but it can help your coworkers keep themselves accountable too.
Try it Now
Keeping yourself accountable from a home office isn’t easy, but using methods like this and suggestions from others is a start. Even if you end up leaving remote work as things progress back to normal, these are tips we can all still use together. These are simply good work practices that can be used no matter where you set up your office.
Giveaway!
We’ve decided to offer the first ever blog giveaway! To enter you just need to comment below about one of the ways you keep yourself accountable while working, from home or in the office, and include any of your social media handles so we can contact you. If you’re the lucky winner you’ll get a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Winner will be announced on August 18th.
