Working remote does come with its challenges. Here's how to tackle them.

This article is part of a pilot for LinkedIn Series, a new feature which aims to spark conversation between a community of like-minded professionals. Click 'subscribe' to become part of this community and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Let's be honest: working remote is not always rainbows and unicorns. While you might have the freedom and flexibility to work from the comfort of your own home, a cozy cafe or a pool side bean bag in Bali (true story), at the same time you might have to battle bad Wi-Fi, fix a laptop crash without IT support (also true story) or sometimes even work more hours.

In last week's article of the Rise of Remote work series, we discussed the key benefits of a remote workforce for both professionals and companies. Because yes, working remotely can be the lifestyle of your dreams—however it can be a nightmare, too, if you don't have the right strategies in place to make your (new) location independent lifestyle a success.

So, let's have a look at some of the most common remote work challenges and how to tackle them (and feel free to share your key strategies to overcome any remote work challenges in comments below):

1. Learn to disconnect

It may sound counterintuitive, but remote workers actually tend to overwork. Without a clear designated office space there is a fine line between work and private life. This makes it hard to fully disconnect from work responsibilities, and you might find yourself doing a "quick email" over the weekend or spend lunch breaks in front of your laptop. To overcome this, try schedule work and break times in your calendar, plan your holidays ahead and turn off email notifications in weekends and after work hours—your work-life balance will be thankful!

2. Surround yourself with like-minded people

Ask any remote worker and most will agree that working remotely can be quite lonely. Without any clients or colleagues sitting directly by your side, you can quickly feel isolated or lack a sense of belonging. Hence, try working from co-working spaces or cafes to meet fellow remote workers, schedule virtual 1:1's with your clients or team members on a regular basis, or even try plan workations with friends who also have the flexibility to work remote — it's never a bad idea to combine a productive work week with a city break to the sun!

3. Travel smart, not fast

More and more remote workers opt to live the digital nomad lifestyle, where they choose to work online from their laptops without having a fixed home base. While this may sound like a dream for most wanderlusting souls, traveling full-time can be quite exhausting and you may feel a lack of stability. Hence, it is important to allow enough time to adjust to the new country you're visiting, find a good work spot with decent Wi-Fi, and invest time in making new friends on the road—even if that means you'll settle in one place for a while.

4. Celebrate the small wins

Yes, as a remote worker it can be hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed in the morning when there's no need to clock into the office, or to focus on work when a new season of your favourite Netflix series has been released. Hence, it is important to manage yourself: set an alarm clock in the morning, write a daily to-do list, be clear on your daily, weekly, or monthly goals and, most importantly: celebrate your (small) wins — you might want to treat yourself on binge-watching that new Netflix series after a productive work week after all...

If you're working remotely, do any of these challenges resonate with you? How do you help overcome them? Any other tips or tricks you implement to make your location independent lifestyle a success? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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This article is part of a pilot for LinkedIn Series, a new feature which aims to spark conversation between a community of like-minded professionals. Click 'subscribe' to become part of this community, share your thoughts in the comments below and feel free to join the Digital Nomad group.

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