9 Tips for Effective Time Management when Working Remotely

Time management is about creating a productive routine that suits you and your habits, which is where my list of 9 top tips should help!

During the current COVID-19 global crisis, many of us have seen a shift in our routines, not only in how we work but also in discovering new hobbies to fill our days and innovative ways to communicate with friends and family.

You may be struggling to maintain motivation and manage your time during such an uncertain period, or you may be a productivity machine. Some days you may feel like you’re smashing it superhero style and other days can feel totally overwhelming, simply due to the sheer volume of work (or housework for that matter).

The wonderful words of the famous Ronan Keating “Life is a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it”, sums up the past few months for me, do you feel the same?

Working from home requires you to be self-disciplined to ensure you manage your own time and get your work done, whilst retaining a work-life balance. Understanding how to best manage your time is essential if you want to continue smashing those deadlines and/or targets.

I’ve been working remotely since 2018. I’ve found to make the best use of your working day, whilst maintaining a positive and healthy mindset during and beyond the current lockdown, it’s important to structure your day appropriately. In order to assist you in mastering the skill of time management whilst working from home, I’ve shared my top tips below:

1. To-Do List

To-do lists are probably on all of the top-tip articles you read but I can’t stress how important writing down a to-do list is, for me. To-do lists help me manage my tasks and keep me on track throughout the day.

I always create my to-do list the night before so I know what needs to be done when I log on the following morning. Ticking things off the list provides such a strong feeling of accomplishment. No matter how small or big the task is, it feels so good to get it crossed off.

2. Manage Your Diary

Before you start your day, proactively manage and ensure you have control of your calendar. Split your day up by blocking time for each task. Every morning I go through my to-do list (having created it the night before), my projects, and my priorities.

From that, I add time to my diary for each task. I don’t block every single hour out of my day as that allows me to be flexible and slot in other tasks that pop up throughout the day. Additionally, I’m able to review the week as it progresses to see if any tasks need re-prioritizing.

This, of course, depends on your job but I find that blocking a certain time slot for projects allows me to better manage my time as I have full control of my day and allows me to plan ahead rather than allowing others to populate my diary, which brings me to the next point…

3. Plan Ahead

Having a plan to follow each day is not only said to increase efficiency, but I believe it is essential for staying focused. It gives our mind a purpose and a clear direction to follow throughout the day which in turn allows us to stay focused.

If you are a person who is easily distracted by small requests that pop up throughout the day, having a plan allows you to better manage your time and increase your productivity.

4. The Pomodoro Technique

Francesco Cirillo first came up with the Pomodoro technique back in the 1980s. The reason it’s named ‘Pomodoro’, the Italian word for ‘tomato’, is because he tracked his time using a tomato-shaped egg timer. This time management technique splits your workflow into 25-minute sections, where after each 25-minute stint, you’re able to take a 5 minute break.

After completing 4 of the 25-minute workflows, it suggests you take a longer break of 20 minutes. In theory, this technique works as it allows you to focus on one task without shifting your focus or attempting to multitask. With the clock counting down you resist distractions and stay focused.

I find this works best if you involve rewards at the end of the 4 workflows (more on this below)! I am able to stay focused without distractions and look forward to the reward at the end. To track my time, I use Toggl which is a time-tracking tool that does in fact have a built-in timer specifically for the Pomodoro technique. Toggl is available via desktop and if you use Chrome, you should check out the extension.

Tracking your time allows you to understand your overall working habits, whilst also allowing you to gauge what tasks take up most of your time and how often you get distracted. Understanding your work habits is essential in order to be able to make the necessary changes to increase your productivity and have better control of your time.

5. Rewards

Giving yourself rewards at the end of a task is proven to encourage productivity, it’s a basic positive reinforcement method. For me, working from home, in a studio, means I am dangerously close to the kitchen.

Therefore stopping for a snack, as a reward once I’ve finished a piece of work is a form of motivation to keep my focus. Of course, I’d advise snacking in moderation but it’s nice to know there is a break just around the corner.

Rewards shouldn’t only be linked to food, the options are endless. Rewards could be a 5-minute break to watch a youtube video, stretching, exploring new music, or catching up on your Whatsapp groups, which can all be incentivizing. Find your own mini incentives or happy moments that you can look forward to throughout the day!

6. Limit Your Web Surfing

Many jobs require us to use the internet and it’s so easy to waste a lot of time just aimlessly surfing the web or scrolling deeper into the rabbit hole of Instagram- you’re not alone here, it happens to the best of us. Certain applications now include time tracking options in order to limit the time you can spend on these distractions.

In my opinion, the best way to prevent these distractions is to remove the temptation by setting time limits or using a website blocker so you’re unable to access certain websites during your work hours. This is totally down to your own self-discipline, there are no co-workers to ask you if you’re ever going to put your phone down and get back to work -this one is on you.

7. “Eat The Frog”

Mark Twain said it best “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first”

It’s very easy to jump online in the morning and check your emails and Slack messages right away. I’ve even been known to check my Slack messages before I’m out of bed (oh the benefits of working with a team across multiple time zones).

Before you know it, you’re getting lost with admin and then, without realizing it, it’s already midday — this happens a lot! Many say this isn’t the most effective approach to productivity and I couldn’t agree more.

The “eat the frog” methodology argues that one should face the challenge first thing by starting your day with the highest priority tasks, (you know, those tasks you have zero motivation to complete and end up on multiple to-do lists before you realize there’s a deadline and it needs to be done ASAP).

How about trying this for a week? Who knows, you may enjoy eating frogs after all.

8. Routine

Routine can bring a sense of stability and structure to our days and as remote workers, especially those with location independence, it’s important to stick to a routine no matter where you are.

Whilst some details may change, the overall shape of your day should stay consistent from getting up, starting work, breaking for lunch, and finishing your day all at the same time, every day. I’ve found that having something planned at the end of my workday, such as going for a walk, working out, or reading for 30 minutes helps mark the shift from work time to personal time.

9. Downtime & knowing when to stop

With a lack of clearly defined boundaries between work and play, it’s difficult to make sure we get downtime. Allow yourself the downtime by planning coffee breaks, mini switch-offs, and time to reflect throughout the day.

Ensuring you are benefitting from downtime is even harder when your office is also your home. Switching off entirely can be difficult, as you may feel the need to respond to messages immediately.

You can combat this by setting expectations and sharing your online hours with your team so they know when you’ll be online. I usually mute my Slack and email notifications outside of my working hours, especially at the weekend or when I have time booked off to relax. To fully switch off in the evenings, I close my laptop and don’t sit at my work desk until the following morning!

In order to stay on top of your time management, you need to have days with structure, therefore organizing and prioritizing your key tasks using a to-do list will help you stay focused and avoid procrastination.

Make sure you factor in mini-breaks, aside from just your lunch break, as they’ll help you stay on track and allow you to feel refreshed throughout the day. Managing your own time may seem challenging at first but it feels great once you have full control over it — choosing when, how, and where to work.

How do you currently manage your time?

I hope these tips will allow you to save time, improve your work ethic and be more productive throughout your day.