Remote work might seem like a great way to make your work life more manageable. However, some people might find that the overall experience is different from what they expected.
More often than not, one has to face certain challenges while working remotely. And unless you can overcome these challenges, you will struggle to find a balance between work and life. After all, it is not that easy to distinguish the two when you spend most of your time at home—a place that is often associated with leisure rather than stress.
Let’s take a look at some prominent remote work challenges and discuss potential ways to overcome them.
Here are some remote work challenges
Communication
Working independently as a freelancer means fewer instances of communication throughout the day, but even then, you still need to keep in touch with your clients.
Meanwhile, those who moved home from their office have to stay in touch with colleagues, coworkers, and clients. Not meeting other people in person leaves more room for potential errors.
Sending an email, even though the message is clear, might not necessarily be successful due to failure to deliver it or the recipient not opening their inbox for too long and checking if there is new mail for them.
To avoid miscommunication, make sure to use multiple channels so that you can get the message across clearly and on time. If possible, use the phone or voice chat instead of texting.
Lack of Motivation
Lacking motivation is another example of an issue you will run into while working remotely. Not having coworkers and supervision around means that you are not in an environment that encourages work.
The problem with finding motivation is that different methods work for different people. Some remote workers might have an easier time if they know that there is something good waiting for them at the end of the day. Others might need to combine physical exercise with their work throughout the day. And then there are those who need constant breaks.
Try different things and see which works for you. Unless you discover a source of motivation, you will struggle to complete work on time.
Poor Computer Performance
Working in a company means that you usually have an IT guy who can take care of various issues related to your computer or smartphone. Well, the situation is different when you are alone at your home.
Unless you are tech-savvy yourself and can figure out why various issues are persistent, you will need to find a solution to fix your work computer, phone, and other tools so that you do not fall behind too much.
Ideally, there should be a tech repair store nearby. If not, it is recommended to find someone who can fix potential problems for you on short notice after you get in touch with them.
Another challenging experience of remote work can be the lack of necessary office essentials at home. For example, if you are a working-from-home architect, but don’t have reliable production printers around for architectural blueprints or other documents that will provide high-quality printings, this will create discomfort. Likewise, you may not have access to office supplies and equipment, such as fax machines, scanners, and photocopiers. Of course, you can seek the service nearby but if you are going to get out of the house, the office is a more welcoming place to choose.
Distractions
Distractions are arguably the biggest problem for remote workers. Since there is no supervision or looks from coworkers, you are pretty much free to do whatever you want so long as it does not get in the way of your work.
If you continue to finish tasks before the deadline, then there is nothing to worry about, right? Well, the issue is that you might build bad habits and procrastinate even more. Not prioritizing the work because you want to play video games or browse social media is not great long-term.
Using time-tracking tools such as RescueTime or alternatives to RescueTime and forcing yourself to work is one possible solution. It might be difficult to get in the mindset of leaving the entertainment for after you finish the work because you want to have fun now, but getting rid of distractions and putting your work first should be a priority.
Failure to Create a Schedule
No work commuting means that you get to spend more time in bed in the mornings. But should this extra time be used in bed? If you can, try to get up at an appropriate time and put that hour or so to good use. Get some light exercise, make yourself a nice breakfast, read, or come up with another idea to start your day with a ritual.
Next, make sure that you have a proper lunch. Take the usual hour or so that you had before starting remote work.
There are many construction time clock apps available to help workers stay on track with their projects. These apps can help with a number of different challenges that remote work can pose, such as the failure to create a schedule. These construction time clock apps can be used to set alarms and reminders for construction workers, so they know when to start and stop working. construction time clock app can also be used to monitor worker productivity, and to create reports that can be shared with clients or supervisors. In short, the construction time clock app can be an essential tool for anyone who wants to be successful with remote work.
Build your schedule in a way that you have no problem following it. And once you establish a routine that you can follow, working from home should become more manageable.
Isolation
Not meeting others in person is hard, particularly if you had close colleagues back at the office. You will get the sense of isolation and the fear of missing out.
Unless you can meet people after work, you will need to look for other ways to socialize. Use available communication tools to voice chat or join various online communities and try to establish new relationships.
