Your Ideal Remote Workday in 3 Steps

Expert Talks are short audio learning files that your employees can listen to on any device, anytime, anywhere. Today, we explore the Expert Talk " Home Is The New Office" with Crystal Jonas.

Hypothetical scenario: Your commute to work changes to a 20-second walk from the bedroom to the kitchen table. Your newest colleague is a toddler. You’ve swapped business attire for PJs. The most commanding executive figure in the facility appears to be feline? No, this isn’t a strange dream. Welcome to the new business reality. You are now one of the millions of professionals carrying out their work duties entirely from home. However, even seasoned remote work veterans face novel office dynamics. Quarantine adds layers of complexity, making remote work organizational parkour! Corporate consultant Crystal Jonas shows us how professionals can optimize motivation and simultaneously enjoy home office luxuries. Use emotional intelligence secrets to become more positive, productive, and profitable!

Create ideal remote workdays with the following strategies!

1. Plan your “One True Thing” for tomorrow

20% of the items on your to-do list, will deliver 80% of the value! In a list of 10 action items, 2 are worth more than the other 8 combined. Figure out which two are the most valuable each day! Then, narrow the shortlist down to the priority: the one true thing. Unless stated by a superior, do not move onto the next task, until you have completed your one true thing. Using discernment with lengthy to-do lists creates a good return on investments in time and energy. Spending your day very busy with tasks that matter little in the long run, leads to exhaustion and burnout - without much real progress! Neurologically, your brain knows it feels good to tick things off a to-do list, so it opts to complete the easiest tasks. Instead, tackle the more important, time-involved, and usually harder tasks. Focus on quality over quantity.

2. Prescribe, describe, and value your time

At the end of every day, write down your most important tasks for tomorrow. By prioritizing your tasks, you are clearly prescribing your next day. You may have found in the past that you logged 10 hours of the day at work but had very little to show for it. Here, you create a short success list of just a few important items that you’d like to action tomorrow. Next, keep track of how you spend your time. Record everything: answering emails, phone calls, kids, questions, etc. This process reveals exactly how much time you spend working and how much time you spend on other activities. You’ll be surprised at how little time you may actually spend on the most important tasks of the day. At the end of the day, value your time. How much did you spend on your one true thing? Spending time on your true tasks is A-work, while routine work such as inboxes, is C-level-work or lower. Note how much time is spent on A-work.

3. Learn something new each day

We’re living in stressful times. You may be frustrated that your normal routine is upset and it might be difficult mastering remote work. Be kind to yourself. Have reasonable expectations of how quickly and easily you’ll adapt. Even those who are experts at working from a home office had challenges at first. Each person's situation is unique and yours may be more nuanced and complex than your coworkers, so don’t judge your experience by theirs. At the end of each day ask yourself: “What did I like best about my routine today? What can I do a little differently tomorrow, to improve my experience?” Once you have had this learning opportunity, know that you have done the very best, you can possibly do. And that’s all anyone can expect of you!

Explore Bookboon’s Expert Talks audio series and soundscape your home office with feel-good podcasts. Bookboon Learning is a fully branded, plug-and-play online learning platform that covers subjects such as leadership, personal development, and management. We are currently focusing on topics such as 'Working from Home,' 'Staying Positive,' 'Managing Virtual Teams,' and 'Resilience.'

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