Working remotely has never been so easy. Nowadays we can travel almost anywhere, check emails directly from our smartphones, monitor stock markets, promote us and live our entire life online. Even if finding a freelance job online it’s now easier than ever before, one of the main pain points for remote workers is staying productive, delivering work on time and increasing their incomes.

Working from home or remote work can be rewarding but it takes self-discipline to stay focused and work regular hours. Here’s why there are some simple tips all remote workers should follow to avoid burning out and losing all of their clients.

Create a routine

The best way to work remotely is creating a routine for yourself and try stick with it. Just make clear in your mind that it’s now or never and think of it as a test: if you pass it, you get rewarded!
If you want this habit lasting in the future, reward yourself with something you really care about after every single completed task and after finishing a project.

Make sure not to break the chain: set higher reward every day to keep you on the game.

Have a goal

If you want to set a goal for something you’ve always wanted to desperately achieve, pick something that you have always dreamed about but never had the time or money to have it. It could be a trip to your dream destination or boosting your incomes for the next month, it doesn’t really matter. Dream big! This goal should keep your mind aimed straight towards your target.

Having a solid goal will drive you towards what you really want thus boosting your productivity.

Set up a workspace

Make sure to have a tidy workplace where nobody can distract you before starting any task: bed doesn’t count!

Even though you are working from home you are still part of a company or either you are running your own business, so make sure to create an efficient yet simple working area: having a dedicated desk will help you concentrate more on your work and it will automatically eliminate distractions around you. Your workplace must be somewhere you can concentrate, somewhere that is clutter free and completely organised. If you are sharing a flat with other people and you don’t have enough space at home to build your own “office”, consider joining a co-working facility: it may also help you meeting new freelancers, sharing your ideas and learning new things.

Be in control of your time

Working with multiple clients and on various projects at the same time is stressful and losing track of where time goes it’s a very common consequence. Tracking your time spent on each task and project will save you a ridiculous amount of time and money every year. Make a list of the things you have to do for the day (Basecamp is a great solution for it), eat the frog and make sure to start a timer for it.
After just a week of tracking your time daily, you’ll be impressed on how much time you spend on unimportant things and how you could better manage your projects and improve your time management.

At Timeneye we care about freelancers and remote workers: that is why we have created a free solo plan that allows single users to use our time tracking platform for free. Our tool will help you become more efficient in your work, help you identifying your strengths and weaknesses and create complete reports to generate accurate quotes for your clients.

Conclusions

After working hard on something, make sure to do the most important thing: take a break!
The Pomodoro technique teaches us we can only stay focused on something for 25 minutes. So freshen up your mind, clear your thoughts and remember to enjoy life. Breaks will lead you to an increased motivation which will ultimately boost your productivity.

Always ask yourself why you are working and doing this job and remember to enjoy it because, at the end, that is all that matters.