The holidays are quickly coming upon us, and sometimes when you work remotely, you may find yourself a little bit more distracted during this time of year than you’d like to be. The first thing worth acknowledging? It’s OK. Everybody goes through periods in their life when they find it hard to sit down, concentrate, and actually focus on the work in front of them.
The only difference between in-office employees and remote workers is that remote workers don’t have the physical office space pressuring them into being productive. Instead, they have to rely on their own professional drive, strong work ethic, and personal goals to keep themselves motivated. Really, when you think about it, it’s a beautiful thing — but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need some help with it sometimes.
Need some pointers on how to stay motivated as a remote worker? There’s no need to scour the web any further — we’ve got you.
1) Remember How Lucky You Are
While we’re firm believers that remote work is the way of the future, that doesn’t mean that everybody’s there yet. Although companies are starting to trend more and more towards opening remote positions, there are still many companies that don’t yet allow their employees to work from home. A major bummer, right? We think so too.
That being said, if you’re fortunate enough to work from wherever you like, that’s not something you should never become jaded about.
2) Choose a New Location to Work From
We all get antsy from time to time, and if you feel like your work environment may be the cause of your lost motivation, there’s really nothing stopping you from finding a new one. Sometimes this might be as simple as switching rooms in your house. Other times you might want to sign yourself up at a local coworking space (after all, there are some pretty amazing ones). If you don’t have the budget for a coworking space membership, then head to a local cafe or library to plug away at your projects.
3) Reevaluate Your Professional Career
Sometimes the problem isn’t us. Sometimes is the job. If you’re feeling lackluster about your current work situation, take a step back and try to objectively evaluate what the position is offering you and if that is truly what you are wanting. It may just be that you’re not in a good fit right now.
A great job should challenge you, build your skillset, and offer you enough control over your own assignments and tasks that you’re not feeling micromanaged by an employer. If you’re not getting all three of those things, then it may be time to start looking for a new gig.
4) Cut Out Distractions in Your Workspace
Do you sign onto Facebook every twenty minutes? Do you feel the need to clean your entire apartment before you sit down to work? Does a warm cat on your lap prevent you from getting anything done? If you said yes to any of these questions, then you need a serious lesson in how to avoid distractions when you’re working remotely.
Motivation is easy to lose when you can’t focus, but fortunately, it’s also something that you can quickly get back if you take the time to weed out the distractions that surround you.
What are your tips for staying motivated as a remote worker? Tell us on Twitter!
This article was originally published on Remote.com