3 Routines For The Remote Worker (2.5 min vid)

These remote working routines will help you establish a sense of certainty and control, and lead to greater levels of focus and productivity whilst working from home.

Getting To Grips with WFH

In times of crisis it’s easy to let our minds start to get us down. This can come from the uncertainty and a lack of control over the situation that we might find ourselves in.

For many of us working from home is something that we’re just beginning to grapple with and it’s the first time we’ve done it, however it’s apparently not something that’s going to be just for the next couple of weeks and could well be for a number of months.

What we’d like to do here is to equip you with some key routines that you can do which will help to bring back a sense of control as you focus on the things that you can work with, and aim to give you some more certainty.

Our last video was aimed at team leaders and managing remote teams, this one is for you as an individual contributor or a team member.

1. Your Weekly One-on-One Meeting

The first routine is to schedule weekly one-on-ones with your manager, this will typically be 30 to 60 minutes long you’ll be having them over Zoom or Hangouts, or some other technology, but the main purpose is for you to get absolute clarity over the work you’re going to be doing over the next seven days, and to help you stay connected with your manager.

You’ll be discussing the top three outcomes you’re looking to achieve, perhaps some challenges that may be stopping you from getting there, and also your well-being and how you’re tracking on a day-to-day basis under this new environment.

2. Your Progress Update

The second routine is to send your manager a progress update on a Friday. This update is very much a backward-looking reflection on the week that’s just been.

Perhaps you might like to include:

• How far you’ve come with the outcomes you’re working towards,
• Any unforeseen work that landed on your plate, that your manager may not know about from during the week, and
• What you intend to focus on in the new week that’s coming.

You’ll be equipping your manager with valuable information and building trust. If you would like a quick easy template check out our weekly snapshot template. It works for us!

3. Sharing Feedback

The third routine is feedback, remembering that if you’re new to working from home, then ask your manager how you’re tracking - should your communication be more, or less; more in-depth, or less in-depth. By seeking that feedback you can really improve the speed of your learning cycles and settle into a rhythm a lot more efficiently.

Secondly is to share feedback or praise with your team mates so if you see something, or you’ve had an interaction where someone’s done something great, then let everybody know about it. Really, recognizing people especially in a remote environment is particularly helpful because it doesn’t get seen in the office.

Get your Cheat Sheet

We know these routines can be a lot to remember so we’ve created a one-page cheat sheet which you can download here

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