The most cited reason people fail to adapt to working remotely is they fail to recognise the neccesity of superior organisation and robust self management.

I have been toiling remotely for nearly 8 yrs since I first unearthed [2] Quickbooks online an [3] ‘on demand’ [4] small business accounting software service and was struck by the fact that if you can do accounting on the web then why shouldn’t it be viable to do other key types of of work away from the conventional office?

Whilst working remotely has numerous upsides there are numerous mistakes that people make which turn into problems that cause reduced productivity and lower motivation. The major reason for reductions in work output from remote employees is interruption and it is a verified and well publicised fact that it can take a professional up to 20 mins to return to their original efficiency level after experiencing a distraction.

Research also shows that members of both sexes who are consistently subjected to distractions are more likely to suffer from decreased memory ability and are prone to developing mental health problems in later life. We exist in an over communicated era and it is important that you recognise the issues this causes before you start working remotely. Whilst operating remotely you have to do everything possible to mitigate the probability of being interrupted.

Here are the essentials:

1, Get a routine, communicate it to absolutely everyone and stick to it!

Good examples are a specific time of day when you check or send electronic mail and make or take phone calls. Before I began working remotely I used to receive up to two hundred electronic mails a day. Now I think I am unfortunate if I get more than 4. To start over with my e-mail experience I modified my e-mail address and obsessively took steps to guard the details being made known to anyone. I then made sure everybody who I gave my e-mail address to, to use it wisely and sparingly. I also created an auto-responder that swiftly told anyone sending me mail my routine for attending to mail and if something needed my immediate consideration to mark it as ‘Urgent’.

2. Get rid of alerts.

Turn off every function that can send you a interruption. This includes mobile and
conventional handsets and types of alerts from electronic mail such as on screen pop ups, audible warnings, display changes to your inbox list and of course facing a window. Get a door on your work place and put up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.

In ‘Remote Working Part 3 – Basic Toolkit’ I will reveal my favourite tools and software.