WordCamp Talk – How to do remote working Effortlessly

I was thrilled to speak at WordCamp Kerala 2023 on the topic of “How to do remote working effortlessly.”

After the pandemic, our company went remote. This transition initially presented some challenges for me. When I had word with my colleagues they were also facing similar problems. We together tried a few things which helped us to navigate the obstacles and embrace the many benefits of remote work, such as increased flexibility and improved work-life balance.

I shared some of these insights in my talk, which you can watch here.

If you wish to read it, I have just summarized the points below for your reference.

1. Pomodoro Technique. – Take short, frequent breaks to refresh your mind and regain focus. Try using a tool like pomofocus.io to help you stay on track.
2. Office space – Set aside a designated workspace with proper seating arrangements to maintain good posture.
3. Meetings – Keep meetings to a minimum and schedule them consecutively. Consider using a tool like getclockwise.com to manage your time effectively.
4. Focus Time – Find out less distracted time in your routine schedule and make the best utilization of it to tackle important task.
5. Social Breaks – Keep some social as well as Social media time aside. Make time for social activities and consider using apps to manage your screen time.
6. Be a Proactive Communicator – Keep your communication Clear & concise, and consider using tools like Grammarly to improve your writing skills. You can use AI Tools to take meeting notes etc. depending upon the resources you are using.
7. Prioritise your ToDos – Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your tasks and stay focused on what’s important. This is a very important and crucial step in remote working.
8. Gmail Multiple Inboxes Techniques – You can use multiple inbox methods in Gmail to your advantage. This will help you to track Where you need to act, where you need to follow up & where you need to check the status of the task. Please note, this is not an alternative for the ToDo list. This is just a handy tool for easy tracking.
9. Set the right expectations – It could be hard for some people to say ‘No’, change it to affirmation, and set the right expectations about the task delivery.
10. Keep small habits – Incorporate at least one habit that promotes your physical and mental well-being, such as taking a walk or practicing meditation.
11. Fail to follow, it’s okay – It’s completely fine if you are not able to follow the routine on a particular day. Just remember the 2-day rule. Make sure you don’t miss the habit one consecutive day.

You can find the Q&A session followed by session. Some tips/takeaways collected via Q&A are as follows,

• When working on Github issues, you can easily manage your tasks by adding tags such as Urgent, Not Urgent, Important, and Not Important. Then, sort the tasks using the Eisenhower matrix to simplify your life.
• It may take some time for family members to understand your availability while working from home. You may encounter some expectations or hurdles, but negotiating with them for your designated office time can be helpful. Remember not to ignore them, as having loved ones around can be a positive thing.
• Avoid overloading yourself with too many tasks. Prioritizing tasks and setting expectations can help manage the workload.

It is a satisfying experience when individuals can connect with my illustrations and ideas and derive some valuable insights from them.

Whether you are commencing your remote work journey or already working remotely, I trust that these techniques can assist you in making your work more manageable. If you have any other tips or takeaways from this, please feel free to share them in the comments section.