Eight Ideas for Staying Motivated While Working Remotely

Working remotely can sometimes make an employee feel disconnected from colleagues and even from goals. While leaders must find a way to keep their team members in tune with what is going on, there is a lot that one can do to keep up their own motivation and stay on track when working outside of a traditional office space.

To explore these ideas, Young Entrepreneur Council members were asked the following question:

Q. When working remotely, what’s one practice you rely on to stay motivated and connected to your goals?

Their best answers are below:

Clear Goals and Deadlines

While working remotely provides employees flexible work opportunities, separation from the rest of your team can occasionally provide motivational hurdles. Developing clear goals and deadlines to match can go a long way toward staying on track when working remotely. Another strategy is to involve remote employees in collaborative projects. This will not only increase communication among team members but also accountability from afar. – Zohar Steinbergtoken payments

Simple Rewards

It’s pretty easy. All you have to do is make a plan that you enjoy. After tasks one, two, and three, I will eat dinner. After tasks four and five, I will have a beer. Things like that can help you keep moving. You can do it all day. Coffee after this task, and a half-hour walk after that one. – Derek BromanDiscount Enterprises LLC deguns.net

Realistic Expectations

As entrepreneurs, we always shoot for too much. During travels, I try to set the right expectations for myself. I know that there will be many distractions, so I pay attention to only three to four tasks to finalize every day. This allows me to underpromise and overdeliver. I also always keep in touch with my team so that I am never completely disconnected. – Michael HsuDeepSky

Self-Care

When working remotely, I used to have the bad habit of rolling out of bed, walking to the computer and beginning to write emails. However, I found that by an hour or two in, I would feel the pull of distraction start occur. To combat this, I now wake up and shower immediately as if it were a day I was going into the office, move my computer to my desk (instead of the couch or kitchen table) and begin my ‘workday.’ Mentally setting myself up in a more structured, official way has made a huge difference. – Kim KaupeZinePak

Normal Business Hours

While starting at 9 a.m. doesn’t mean anything in a globally distributed business environment, it’s got a psychological effect that tells you to get going for the day. If you’re working remotely, time management, especially when you start the workday, can be extremely poor. Start during the beginning of the normal workday to set the right tone for the day. – Andy KaruzaFenSens

Work Routine

As the owner of a company managing team members in several different markets — Los Angeles, Seattle, Michigan, Philadelphia, and Denver — it’s important that I am as organized as possible when working remotely. I set office hours during times I know they’re all working, have a dedicated office space so that I am focused, and we have regular calls and video meetings so that we are staying connected. – Leila LewisBe Inspired PR

No Email

One of the easiest tasks to start when working from home, or any comfortable environment for that matter, is email. It seems like a great way to get the day rolling with some progress, but it is actually a Pandora’s box. The inbox brings with it more distractions than any founder will ever be able to handle. So, when you are at home, where distractions are also present, delay the email until you complete a few tasks. – Ryan BradleyKoester & Bradley, LLP

Scheduled Time for Work and Play

When working remotely, calendar your work time and your play time to stay focused. By scheduling your work time, you will more fully enjoy your non-work time while also accomplishing your business goals. – Doug BendBend Law Group, PC

 

These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC has also launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

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