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Time Management: Make Your Day at Work Much Better

August 25, 2021August 25, 2021Leave a comment

Remote workers failing to meet deadlines are most probably practicing poor time management. Yes, it is particularly comfortable working from home, but it also implies that there would be more factors that could hinder proper time allocation for work. You could start with the distractions, which would keep one from focusing on his or her job – the internet, television, house chores, unexpected guests, etc.

However, it is not an excuse for you to perform ineffectively at work simply because you are based remotely and you cannot keep yourself from being caught by home-related disruptions. There are various easy ways to ensure the time dedicated for your job would not be impacted negatively. Remember, despite being in your comfort zone, professionalism should remain intact. This is not for your employer alone, but your reputation as a remote worker or virtual assistant.

To begin with the ways you may follow to ensure your day at work is much better, here are some time management tips to keep in mind:

Identify most time-consuming activities during your day. These activities are the ones that would most likely keep you from spending sufficient time at work. Once you have found out these time wasters, you could already manage yourself better. Let us say you identified social media browsing as your major time waster, then while reporting, you should keep your accounts logged off. Though you may still sign in your accounts to kill time, once again, but being offline could be a start of disciplinary measure. It could keep you from constant notifications luring you into another time wastage.

Set a time for each task at work. Time would never adjust for you. Hence, what you need to do is manage yourself. Put restrictions to yourself while at work. You can do this for every task you will carry out. For instance, you need to accomplish a report for the month worth of sales. Set a couple of hours for it at a specific schedule, say, 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Within those hours, you would only focus on the said sales report without succumbing to calls, texts, or e-mails.

Know what to prioritize. You have to consider the relation between your energy levels and how effective you can manage your time. Be reminded that at the start of your work, it is when you are most active. Hence, it is best to carry out the biggest and most important activities at the onset of your shift. This would also guarantee that you would not be compromising the quality of your output given you can pour out all of your resources to the said tasks.

Keep in mind that multitasking is not always the solution. If you think you are accomplishing more by multitasking, then probably, you are wrong. A study done by David Strayer, Ph.D., University of Utah’s Director of Applied Cognition Laboratory, stated that 98 percent of people cannot multitask. It is not a surprise if you are part of the said percentage. Take note that this study is not based on observation alone, but in accordance to what Strayer found out in the brain region structure of multitaskers and the contrary.

Take a break. For certain, this is a surprise for some, since they may think that having a respite would require time. However, your mind and body also require rest. Human beings will never be machines and can only focus for 90 minutes before needing rest. This has been discovered by Nathaniel Kleitman and was named ultradian rhythm by other researchers. How would you know a break is necessary? There are signals, which include concentration loss, drowsiness, and hunger among others. Without break, you would not be able to function more effectively and even think clearly.

With the aforementioned tips, you can already begin your journey to better work days. Conclusively, it is more about managing yourself instead of chasing time. It is simply discipline to achieve your goal daily. With the changing setting of workplaces due to the pandemic, you should be more motivated to shape yourself into becoming a professional remote worker regardless of your location – either office or home.

How to Avoid Delaying Your Work Due to Absence

July 12, 2021Leave a comment

Working at home became a norm nowadays, particularly due to the pandemic. It is no longer a choice, but rather a system that has been pushed due to the incapability of people to return to their offices. Primarily, because of safety concerns and the unknown end of this worldwide crisis. With no questions asked, there is no business that would prefer to keep their operations stagnant.

Given the aforementioned facts, if you are a home-based worker, it only means that things are not literally different aside from your workspace setup. You are still an integral part of a company. Without you being at work, things could get affected. It may be a project due at a certain date or your co-workers getting the burden with your extra load.

How could you prevent this? Of course, before anything else, when it comes to getting ill, that is something that is uncontrollable. Even if you are following a healthy diet, there are certain times that you will be struck by a sickness unknowingly.

To give you a few tips on how to avoid delaying your work due to absence, here are the following:

Prepare internet connection backup. Being a virtual assistant means you should have a backup of one of the most important things you need to work from home – your internet connection. One source would never be enough. Disconnections can either be scheduled and often unannounced.

Though it is a great idea to subscribe to two internet service providers, backup in the form of mobile data can also work. As long as you can set up a hotspot and your applications are working just fine with your connection, then all is set. At times, it is all about the reception in your location.

Ensure your laptop is 100 percent charged always. If you are using a laptop, it is always best not to leave it low in battery. This is for the possibility of power outages. Some batteries may last up to eight hours or more, which gives you the assurance that even if there are blackouts, you can continue with your work.

Make sure your laptop or PC is pre-checked. Did you know that most home-based workers miss their work simply because of OS updates? There are updates that take hours. Due to that, virtual assistants can miss their reporting time or their entire shift (particularly, if they work for only a few hours for a certain client).

Instead of waiting for an update and unexpectedly face hours of processing it, schedule restart for updates at a time that would not interfere with your work.

On the other hand, there are also applications that take time to load before opening. Hence, make it a habit to open your laptop or PC at least an hour before your shift. This will help you avoid procrastination should your client require you to finish a task right after you started your shift.

The listed tips are just a few of the things you can do to prevent absences, resulting in delaying your pending tasks. Remember, being at home does not mean you are meant to be too comfortable, to the point that you will neglect your responsibility as an employee. It is always best to show that despite being in a convenient setting, your reliability remains intact.

Remote Work: The Future of Workplace as Shaped by the Pandemic

January 15, 2021Leave a comment

Pain. Struggle. Anxiety. Depression. Uncertainty. These are the words that could top the list of adjectives for what happened in 2020. No one anticipated the vastness of the COVID-19’s effect on the world and not just on a small community. At first, it was taken for granted, mocked even. People were dubious of the fact that there could be a virus, which is unseen by the naked eye, that could stop the world. Unfortunately, whatever doubts there are, all were mistaken. COVID-19 became a part of the history of mankind as one of the most destructive viruses in the world.

The virus did not simply detriment the health of the people, but even their livelihood. With the onset of the killer virus, lockdowns were implemented, which resulted in the unexpected and unfortunate closure of most companies in the world. The businesses that you thought to be highly lucrative and impregnable for years to come suffered unimaginable losses.

The jobs of the society being the focal point, you can clearly see that companies were not prepared for what took place. They have seen how they failed to create a shell for their businesses to keep further losses at bay. Most importantly, entrepreneurs realized and regretted the fact they could have at least saved more only if they have welcomed the idea of remote staffing. Nonetheless, this is no longer the time to keep on pressing the issue. This is the moment to open the possibility of welcoming home-based workers.

If you believe that your business would not operate effectively with virtual assistants or remote staff, then what occurred during the pandemic may convince you. Companies were able to continue their operations by deciding to set up remote workplaces for their people. Indeed, it is undeniable that cutting manpower has been far-flung. However, one cannot refute the fact that businesses managed to salvage their work by keeping their core employees functioning despite being at home.

From the given reality, you can see that establishing a team of remote workers could be your future defense. By simply setting up communication means and applications for your people to use, everything could be done as usual as it had been.

For instance, you are a restaurant owner, you could keep things in order by having your administrative work handled by your employees remotely while keeping just the right number of people in your physical store. This may be a partial setup, but still a good preparation for the possible extension of this “social distancing community.” On the other hand, if you have an accounting firm, then you should know that all of your functions in the business could be done from home. If everything has been all paper in your company, do not fret, for there are various software applications that could convert your company into a paperless one. The process may be tedious, but it is worth it.

It is not yet late to prepare your company for what is coming, and it is incontestable that the future is remote work. Do not let another unforeseen damaging force ruin your livelihood. Start making a change; a change that will not simply protect you and your people, but keep you in pace with what the world demands.

Punctuality: How Important It Is for a Remote Worker

July 23, 2020Leave a comment

Have you ever been late at work? Do you find yourself frequently missing your kick-off meetings? Probably, it is time to reflect if these happen to you, for punctuality is an essential trait of a reliable remote worker. In other words, if you fail to possess this habit, it may also cost your job.

There are various reasons why punctuality is something employers look for in a virtual assistant. It may be trivial for some, especially to those, who highly favor flexible schedules. However, it is not the case for the rest, who value professionalism, which encompasses one’s careful consideration of work schedule.

To begin with, punctuality is a very important characteristic of a remote worker for it shows how committed you are to your work. Simply think of it in this way: were you ever late for an appointment with your wife or husband? There is a possibility that you failed to show up on time, but it costed you big time, either by an argument or long-term guilt. This only implies that you will never be late to something that is of import to you.

Employers believe that a punctual person is someone they could rely on. Obviously, for instance, your shift starts at 8:00 A.M., so it is quite anticipated that tasks, either urgent or not, will be available for taking as the clock strikes at the said time. If you are often tardy, your employer would not even consider you for projects, given he or she would not be certain if you would show up early or the contrary. Somehow, it is a gamble for him or her to depend on you all the time.

Moreover, punctuality shows that you are someone, who cares about your co-workers. If you are on time, you would not be delaying the tasks, which may be needed by your team members before they could proceed with their part of the project. Being punctual is not limited to going to work on time. Instead, it could also cover instances, wherein you ensure that you do not miss the deadlines of your activities.

Professionalism is greatly conveyed by punctuality as a remote worker. It shows that despite the convenience of being at home, you respect the rules set upon by your employer. This includes showing up on time based on the schedule agreed upon by both parties.

Being punctual is not difficult, only if you put your mind into it. Be reminded that as a virtual assistant, you have fewer reasons to be late. Your workspace could only be a few steps from your bedroom. You do not have to battle traffic and pollution outside. As a virtual worker, you are often not required to don a professional attire, which may take much of your preparation time. Plus, it is not too time-consuming to open up your PC and set up the materials you need for the day.

Be reminded that despite working home-based, you should still maintain your professionalism in every aspect possible. Never let comfort ruin your reputation as a steadfast virtual assistant.

Avoiding Client’s Trust Issues as a Remote Worker

July 2, 2020July 2, 2020Leave a comment

Being a remote worker entails a lot in terms of sustaining the trust of your client. With the difference in working virtually or not personally interacting with your employer, it is nothing but expected that he or she would have episodes of trust issues. However, fret not, for there are ways for you to avoid these.

You could begin with the situation of you working without the client supervising you personally. Apparently, this is the point wherein your employer would likely think about how active you are during your working hours. There are cases that virtual assistant encounters assumptions from their clients that they are not carrying out their tasks, as necessary.

In order for you to prevent your employer’s trust issues in terms of your activity during your shift, you may simply maintain your responsiveness. Most clients surmise you are doing something else aside from the tasks he or she assigned if you do not respond to his or her messages immediately. Responsiveness has always been effective in ensuring your client would not have any problem with coordination. Even if there are urgent activities up ahead, your employer will never worry relying on you to be there, whenever needed.

On the other hand, in terms of assuring your client would not have any doubts relative to your productivity, a full report would be most helpful. Every end of your day, a list of your accomplished works would be efficient in showing your employer that you are not stagnant. You would also be helping your client to understand how efficient you are in terms of time and project management. Your report somewhat serves as your validation to contest how contributive you are to their organization’s growth.

With the virtual environment for your entire work with your client, taking advantage of technology is one way to ensure he or she would not doubt your work result. For instance, he or she is having reservations as to whether you are looking for the materials needed or not (since you were not able to provide it given it is unavailable), then you may give him or her proof of where you have sourced it. At present, you could provide links, attachments, or even screenshots to your clients, giving them a better understanding of how you carried out your work. This will keep them from thinking that you slack off.

Lastly, in terms of leaves and absences, clients tend to develop trust issues whenever they do not have further proof of your reason for not reporting. For instance, you have been gone for too long due to sickness. Then, it is best to submit a medical certificate, which could somehow avoid their clouded thoughts on what keeps you away from work. Transparency and honesty are keys here.

With the aforementioned pointers above, you would understand that trust issues would never develop with the right management of your relationship with your employer. No matter how different your setup is compared to office-based employees, you could still make your remote work life ideal and valuable for you and your client.