Managing Time as a Remote Worker in Ireland

Managing Time as a Remote Worker in Ireland:   We are all hoping for a bit of normality again but in these unprecedented times all sorts of debates still rage, pubs reopening, will the schools return as planned, is it safe to go back to the office? 

I recently had a chat with two friends, one a lecturer and the other an accountant in financial services. 

 Both have been working remotely from home for months.  

Whilst the former is far more tech-savvy than the latter, it interested me that both confirmed that they have been able to do their work with no difficulty and that they used Zoom to collaborate with students and colleagues. 

 Each confirmed saving cash considerably by being able to work from home, but the lecturer pal indicated that he felt he was working a lot harder than if he was actually in his college office and he put his increased workload down to the fact that communication to him was just so easy for all concerned. The accountant merely complained that some of the zoom meetings were in her view unnecessary. 

The Pandemic Workday Is 48 Minutes Longer and Has More Meetings – Bloomberg.

Curiously I then came across on one of my news feeds an article from Bloomberg, the title being in the quotes herein and you can read the Bloomberg post here 

With no lack of communication possibilities, never-ending digital distractions, forgetting altogether about work collaboration or just doing the job, it can be difficult to manage your time properly whilst working from home. 

My own view is that the guilt of wasting time at home, working by yourself, on digital distraction such as social media means falling a bit behind and naturally leads you to have to work that bit longer to make up.  

Maybe meetings can be sometimes unnecessary- if both parties wrote down what they needed to discuss rather than having that “Oh, I forgot X moment”.  

This is a Bloomberg Video referencing a study about the pandemic effect on working days.

For many working remotely in Ireland, it can be tough to keep up the motivation and focus levels needed to do the job well from home, but often the simple things in life just work. 

Maybe a dedicated office space 

A dedicated workspace at home is good for the mind and gives a message to family and friends that when you are in there “you are working”. Even my pet dog realises when I am in the office, its be quiet and lie at my feet-he does! 

Have a set start and finish time when possible  

Yes, it’s not always possible to be rigid. Stuff happens. It may be tempting to have that extra lie in bed, but will that make the rest of the day stressful? A familiar routine will help you to be more productive and focused. 

Plan your meetings more carefully  

Avoid the “I forgot to ask” moments by writing a simple list of what you need to discuss with the boss or work colleague. When they see you organised it may have a ripple effect on them causing them to do likewise. This will help to focus on meeting agendas and save time. 

Prioritise  

We all seem to have a never-ending list of tasks that need to be done. The first thing I do is write a list of what has to be done today. I keep a separate ongoing list of non-priority projects and do them as time allows. 

This helps me, at any rate, to tick off the important to-do items better and with more focus and less stress. 

Turn off the social media- the radio or TV? 

Distractions are everywhere- it’s hard to keep the train of your thought going if your phone is beeping every 5 minutes with distraction and unimportant social media messages. 

 It’s ok to say cannot do it because? 

If someone asks you to do something and you simply cannot do it working from home, or you simply don’t have the time, explain why you cannot do it and if possible, offer an alternative. Sometimes even in our working life, we have to compromise – even the boss.