How to make remote work successful

Remote work is a big part of our lives now, but we are still adjusting to it. There are some important factors you need to keep in mind to make it work and integrate it into your daily flow.

We all know it: remote work is here to stay. According to Forbes, a growing share of U.S. jobs is now remote. The trend started spreading during the pandemic, but today there are many reasons why it has ended up being a win-win situation for companies and employees.

The benefits and challenges of working remotely

The great benefits

For companies, having employees working remotely saves them a significant amount of money on office space. Many people also start working earlier, with fewer distractions, which tends to translate into an overall increase in productivity.

For employees, the benefits are equally important:

• They save money and daily time on commuting, and their schedule is flexible enough to handle domestic unexpected events while they work, especially when kids are part of the picture.
• Without a commute, remote workers can use the extra time to do things that bring better quality of life: practising sports, yoga or simply resting properly.
• No office means no need to spend a fortune on a work wardrobe. Goodbye expensive suits and leather shoes; welcome t-shirts and sneakers.

The challenges

But beyond the benefits, there are also a few downsides. Workers can feel isolated, team spirit may weaken, and there is a noticeable lack of meaningful social interaction. You no longer spend time telling a colleague about the funny dance your kids did the night before, or how your partner cooked your favourite meal.

Employers, on their side, need to have the right tools and processes in place to help employees use their time wisely and meet deadlines. They have to take a leap of faith with their teams, but also put systems in place to regularly check goals and progress.

One way or another, there are some important principles that every remote worker should follow to establish discipline and make the remote model a real success, both for the company and their personal life. Let's go through the most important ones.

1. Designate a work area

Dedicate a room or area where you feel comfortable and set up your home office there. You will spend many hours in that space, so personalise it with whatever you need to be comfortable and cosy.

It should have enough space for a proper desk, enough natural light, and it should not be overly exposed to noise. Since you'll be sitting for long periods, invest in a comfortable and ergonomic chair; your back and neck will thank you in a few months.

2. Establish a regular schedule

Don't spread your work throughout the day: it does not benefit you or the people around you. Waiting until late afternoon or evening to get things done adds unnecessary stress to your life, prevents you from disconnecting from work, and ends up upsetting the people you live with. It is not worth it.

Have some discipline: set a start and an end time. When your working schedule is over, sign out of all platforms and apps and shut down notifications. If the company suddenly crashes and they need something from you that is a matter of life and death, they'll just call you.

3. Take breaks

A big part of productivity and good mental health depends on how well you can disconnect from work.

Working longer hours doesn't necessarily mean achieving more, so rest your eyes and mind every couple of hours and learn to disconnect. By doing that, you'll avoid burnout and return to the task with renewed energy. A short walk around your neighbourhood does the trick, but there are plenty of options.

4. Change scenarios

A couple of days a week, just for a few hours, is enough.

Changing the space a little gives you the mental readjustment you need to be more productive and feel more fulfilled. It also allows you to see some people, which you sometimes miss when working remotely.

If you head out to a public place, save more automatic work for those sessions so you can tolerate distractions. Grab your laptop, order a big cappuccino at your favourite café and enjoy the place and the unknown company.

5. Write down your goals for the day and prioritise them

A good way to organise your schedule is to sit down, write a list of tasks and put the most important ones at the top. Get those done first so you can wrap up the day feeling accomplished, without pending tasks dragging into tomorrow.

You'll stop worrying the night before, and you won't pound your head until the next morning thinking about what you didn't finish.

6. Technology is your best friend — but use it wisely

There are thousands of tools out there to work online and be productive, no question about it. The problem: many of them are very similar versions of each other, some slightly improved over others, which gets confusing fast.

Instead of logging into 10 tools every day, companies and employees should pick one preferred version and stick to it. Depending on the goal, some tools bring more benefits than others. A few examples:

• If you're a visual person, Notion is a great default.
• If you need folders and compartments, Google Drive.
• Asana, if you like to microsegment tasks and goals.
• Perdoo, if your goal is more on the company OKR side and you need to share objectives.
• Airtable, if you like organising content or tasks into lists and tabs that link to other platforms.
• Trello, if you prefer a more visual kanban-style organisation.

There are many other platforms, so do a bit of online window shopping and pick what fits your workflow best.

7. Focus deeply and communicate often

Do one task at a time and focus on it

If you think about four things at once and keep 15 tabs open every time you sit down to work, you won't be able to focus on any of them properly.

Lack of work-related mindfulness is one of the heaviest burdens in the way we work today. It's a bit sad to admit we need help with this, but there are great online tools that block notifications and other distractions on your computer so you can actually concentrate on a specific deliverable from beginning to end.

Communicate with people often

Do it as close to a real experience as possible: face-to-face is best. Make sure your wifi connection is top-notch; people get tired of hearing that your connection is poor and your camera doesn't work. Real conversations need to happen often and without disruption.

Important tip: keep calls and video conferences within a reasonable schedule. The more defined your work and personal life are, the better your mental health will end up being.

Don't limit yourself to one address. Take advantage

One of the best values of remote work lies in the fact that you don't need to be anchored to just one place year-round. Remote work means increased flexibility and freedom for workers, so there is a real chance to maximise your quality of life while you work and enjoy being somewhere else.

VIVLA's co-ownership model to own a second home in Spain allows you to split your time between your current location and a holiday home in one of Spain's most beautiful destinations. You avoid the financial and personal burden of buying a second property by yourself, because buyers can own fractions of the home they dream about, in the destinations they love, and pay much less for it.

Co-ownership means you can access top-quality homes and exclusive villas for a fraction of the cost, without dealing with maintenance or very high associated expenses. Each property is acquired by VIVLA through a dedicated SL and then divided into ⅛ shares, with the option to buy up to ¼. Each share gives you approximately 6 full weeks of use per year at a spectacular villa in Spain.

VIVLA homes are fully managed and come with great spaces for you to work remotely while your loved ones enjoy the property. You will make much more of your personal time and enjoy life in a much more fulfilling way.

Do you feel more equipped now to rock remote work? We hope so. Each time you feel a bit lost working at home, come back to this article and remind yourself of what's important.

If you want to talk to us about co-ownership and the possibilities it can unlock for you, visit vivla.com or schedule a quick call with our team.