GUIDE

How to self-manage when working from home.

Over two-thirds of employers say allowing their employees to work outside of the office resulted in increased productivity. But despite this, many people still worry about how to manage themselves and their time when working from home.

People tend to raise the same concerns when discussing working from home, and self-management is one of the most common.

Many workers still believe they would find it difficult to take on the responsibility of managing their time and keeping on top of their to-do list when working outside the office.

That’s why we put together this guide; to outline some ways to overcome these issues around self-management. The guide will also give you some simple, actionable tips to help you stay productive while working from home.

Documents to help you self-manage working from home

CREATE A TEAM TASK SCHEDULE

One of the easiest ways to manage your time and stay on top of tasks while working from home is to create a clear schedule and task list with your teammates.

There are a number of team collaboration and project management tools available to help you to prioritise your tasks, see what everyone is working on, and set deadlines. Many people worry about how their team members will work together. More significantly, many leaders worry their team will have less clarity of their responsibilities while working outside of the office. But these tools are a great way to avoid these issues and ensure everyone knows what is expected of them.

With clear priorities and working schedule, you can focus on work without worrying about a lack of clarity over project timelines.

Woman making notes as part of her morning routine

LEARN TO SAY “NO”

In the office, people tend to be more aware of which projects you are already working on, as you are working together in the same space. If they can see you’re busy then they are unlikely to keep piling new requests on you.

However, when you work from home, your colleagues may not be aware of your workload. That can lead to different team members asking for input, even if you’re already overloaded. Outside of the office, it can be tempting to take on every task you are asked to do to ensure your teammates know you are working and aren’t forgetting about you.

Choose a team collaboration tool that allows you to share updates on your current workload. Your team can check on your current workload and consider your availability before asking for help. Of course, if you’re still inundated with requests for input, it is important to learn to say “no”.

Taking on too many tasks will lead to burnout and limit the quality of your work across projects.

Next time you’re asked to do something that isn’t feasible under your existing workload, politely decline and explain you don’t have the time required to provide the required input. Your co-workers can see you are indeed working hard. More importantly, you have the opportunity to add more value to the projects you’re already working on.

Woman working on floor trying to self manage working from home

MAKE A PERSONAL DAILY PLAN

At the start of the day, some people find it difficult to motivate themselves when they are not in an office environment. You might overcome this issue by creating a separate workspace at home, going to a coffee shop, or working in a co-working space. But wherever you decide to base yourself, having a personal task list is a great way to start your day and stop you from spending too long staring at a blank screen wondering where to begin.

As mentioned previously, team task lists are essential when working outside the office, but having a more personalised daily plan for yourself can help you to break tasks down even further and see exactly what needs to be worked on.

When you don’t have your colleagues around you as a physical reminder of what needs to be done, creating a daily plan helps you to know exactly what to get stuck into as you begin your working day. This is a good process to follow regardless of where you work, but clearly outlining all of your tasks in this way can be especially useful for those working from home.

The easiest way to improve your team’s ability to collaborate when you’re working Anywhere is by using the right tools.

SET DEADLINES AND REWARD YOURSELF

If you have agreed on a task list with your team, you probably already have specific deadlines to work towards. But setting yourself mini-deadlines for different stages of a task and giving yourself rewards when you meet them is a useful way to continually stay motivated.

One of the simplest ways to put this into practice is through the Pomodoro technique. This describes a process whereby you spend 25-minute bursts of time working on a defined task, then take a short break of around five minutes before repeating the process.

You can also structure your deadlines around other small-scale rewards and structure wider project deadlines around bigger rewards like holidays.

In an office, rewards might take the form of going for a long lunch with your co-workers or after-work drinks. These events can become second-nature, to the point you don’t even think of them as “rewards.” Similarly, when you work from home, it’s important to reward yourself.

Woman working from home trying to self-manage her time

TRACK YOUR TIME

Time tracking is another useful method of self-management as it records how you spend your working hours. Using time tracking tools and software makes you aware of exactly how long is being taken up by each task and helps you to manage your time accordingly.

You can also see what other members of your team are working on, which again helps with transparency. Reviewing the information can help you identify weak points in your time management. and work out how projects and tasks could be completed more efficiently.

Recording your progress is the only way to improve it, which makes time tracking invaluable for remote workers who would like to improve their productivity and self-management skills.

Clocks on wall for working across time zones in a distributed team

KNOW HOW TO SWITCH OFF AT THE END OF THE DAY

Self-management issues when working remotely aren’t always about procrastination or a lack of motivation. Sometimes, you may simply find it harder to switch off. “Don’t bring the office home with you” isn’t the easiest advice to take if your home is your office.

As mentioned earlier, setting out a clear work schedule with your team is useful for managing your time. But it also means managing how to end your working day too. This isn’t to say that you can’t occasionally work later than planned to finish a task. Be sure to record how often you are doing it to help you understand if it is happening more often than it would if you were in the office.

When you have decided to finish your working day, turn off your notifications and log out of any work-related software on your computer. This way, you can avoid having your personal time interrupted by incoming emails or work requests.

SUMMARY

Create a team task list – Manage your time more effectively by breaking up tasks and assigning timescales to each.
Learn your work limit and communicate it– Taking on too many tasks will lead to burnout – don’t be afraid to say no.
Make a personal daily plan – Draw up a daily schedule the night before and try to stick to it, but make allowances for unexpected tasks.
Set deadlines and reward yourself – Set times for tasks and break projects down into manageable chunks. When you hit a deadline, take some time to reward yourself.
Track your time – Focus on your daily output and track your output. This way, you’ll be able to assign reasonably accurate timescales for future projects.
Take time to switch off at the end of the day – To keep a clear distinction between work time and personal time, design a simple end-of-day ritual and communicate your working hours to your team.