How to work remotely professionally on a long term basis? Follow those 11 steps!

Effective remote work is the ability to focus and act like a professional in all conditions, without any negative feelings involved. It’s the ability to focus even in a situation in which untrained people get distracted or become unprofessional.

The next level of know-how is the ability to work effectively remotely for many years.

By the way, this skill is useful not only in professional life.

How to develop the skill of effective remote work? Below you can find some ideas on how to do it.

1) Recognize the value of your work.

No office space around you, no colleagues… Does it affect the value of your work? It should not… You are a professional. You generate value and profits for your employer. Keep it in mind - it’s you as a person, your knowledge, your habits, your contacts…

An office environment can be helpful at work, but it is not as valuable as it is often prescribed. You don't need an office to spread your wings, because you already fly :)

2) Realize that high-quality intellectual work can be done in all conditions.

We can work everywhere once have a laptop or smartphone.

And even without them, you can find a solution to professional problems. You can do it literally everywhere even in the store or under the shower. Even in inconvenient conditions you can come up with a new sales pitch, find an error solution or plan important IT architecture components.

3) Be independent of external conditions.

You do not have to programmed to relax at home. You don't have to behave programmed at all.

I appreciate the opportunity to make decisions. Just realize that regardless of the conditions, you can behave as you need.

Despite your decision-making possibilities can be limited at first, through practice you can train to a level you didn't know it existed. You can reach the level of effortless ability to focus in all conditions, significantly exceeding the skills of the average person.

4) Execute what you need to work.

Too loud music in the cafe?

Wife ordering purchases and cleaning the house while you work at home?

If possible, adjust the conditions to your needs and don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Taking your work seriously, it's easier to get others to do the same.

Execute the required time and space for your work. It is your responsibility as a professional to ensure you have the right conditions to work.

5) Respect yourself.

"Is it just work from home"? Keep your own respect for your work. Treating your work contemptuously creates the risk that the quality of your work will be inadequate.

You should not feel guilty because you work at home, at a café or even at the doctor's waiting room. The same you should not feel guilty because you have an extraordinary skill that only a few people understand.

6) It’s your work. Don’t care what others think about it.

Do you get up late and work well in the evenings? Parents ask doubtfully how to work while traveling?

Not everyone has enough imagination and willingness to understand new ideas. Most people will not understand you because they judge what you do just from the perspective of their skills. And for them, this is simply not feasible. If you can't explain your decisions and intentions to someone, don't feel guilty about yourself. Make it clear that explaining yourself is not your job. Work out more effective methods to achieve your goal (gain understanding, admiration, respect, etc.).

7) Keep the high work standard and discipline.

Working in non-standard conditions doesn't allow you to act unprofessionally. Keep the professional level of communication with both the team and the clients. Keep the professional level of planning, meeting deadlines, punctuality. Remote work does not release you from your responsibilities. On the contrary, you need an extra level of discipline to fulfill your duties. Keep the high standards or you will quickly fall into the trap of low-quality work and even worse you can start to get used to. Certainly, these will not be results that you and your employer will be satisfied with.

8) Ensure high quality of work.

While working during the day, ask yourself at least once in two hours, whether the quality of your thinking is still high. 

How do you recognize that your work quality has fallen and that you should take a break?

Compulsive work means that we miss rest time and work with low effects. We fall out of our daily schedule, not allowing for adequate regeneration, followed by increased fatigue during a week.

Your work is optimal and effective once your body rested. The high quality and faster work are assured only with proper breaks and rest time. It’s always better to avoid mistakes that will cost us later additional time to correct them.

9) Solve problems on a regular basis.

If you suspect something is wrong, are you waiting for the car to repair until the engine stops?

Do not allow yourself to spend too much time with a given problem, try to resolve any issues on a regular basis. Find and build the right level of trust with the person you can talk to. A person who is not your competitor, your supervisor, someone from another company or maybe even outside the industry who can analyze and understand your situation. Such a person can look at problems from a distance, show you a broader perspective and give optimistic vision ideas.

Don't lose hope of solving problems that are difficult to articulate. Take care of such problems first and don’t expect quick results. Spend more time on various approaches to problems and their solving.

Quickly change ineffective advisers, even those you like and respect. Change advisors if they do not understand the topic and they cannot convince you. Change “good sounding solutions” advisors if their proposal cannot be implemented or do not bring positive results.

10) Get company.

Keep the proper work-life balance while you want to work remotely for a long time. You need contact with other people as well as your good job. Take care of it in advance before you burn out.

Lack of oxygen introduces irreversible changes in the body. The supportive and energizing social relationship is the oxygen you need.

Even if you do not like to socialize at all or at the moment, just think ahead and treat it as part of your plan for a long-term remotely career. Doing nothing you risks to your plan.

When you are a social person, skipping these steps, sooner or later, will bring loneliness and the quality of your life will drop. Unfortunately, there are always consequences. E.g. your level of healthy optimism and the level of a realistic assessment of your own situation decreases imperceptibly step by step. This is a simple path to depression and making suboptimal or even negative decisions in various areas of your life.

Take this seriously and get company outside your online work. There are many ways to do this. You can start charity projects or help others with your knowledge. Get involved in groups that will require your real presence for a long time.

11) Watch out for overwork.

Working on demand in all conditions is a great power. 

The ability to relax in all conditions is a superpower.

It is worth monitoring your tiredness level when working remotely. It’s important to not overload your body. You must understand that rest time is an important point on your calendar and cannot be missed or postponed.

When you can focus and do a lot in one day, you can easily see the quick progress. Then there is a temptation to keep such a fast pace constantly. However, it is good only in the short term and never works in the long run.

It is like credit on your own future energy - sooner or later the loan will have to be paid back with interests. Your own body will remind you and demand it. Stop deluding yourself that "I am special" and "this is not my case”.

Prolonged coercion to work above the norm is deceptive and will definitely result in burnout. Often it is a ticking time bomb. It may turn out that the body begins to demand a lot of rest without our consent, even though we have slowed down the pace for some time already. Unplanned loss of control over your own body is an uncomfortable situation. It will cost you additional stress. 

Especially it is worth paying attention to rest time.

If you are a fan of the fast pace of work, it is a good idea to alternate periods of aggressive work with periods of laziness.

I do hope this article will help developers and others at various stages of their careers. 

Good luck!