Working remotely is not always easy, nor is it for everyone. We all get tired, we all get distracted. Balancing our working and personal lives may sometimes feel hard or even impossible. Here you will find a few suggestions team members have shared from their experience. Remember that what works for one person does not necessarily work for all of us; this goes for remote working.

Please take the following suggestions and make them your own! You are also welcome to add your suggestions to the following list:

  1. Check out this blog post - 19 ways Hotjar's remote team stays focused and productive.

  2. Force yourself to take scheduled breaks (e.g., https://cirillocompany.de/pages/pomodoro-technique ).

  3. Remember that we don’t have a fixed schedule outside of core hours. You’re not tied to starting work at the same time each day, and you can walk away from your laptop whenever you want to throughout the day.

  4. Don’t have a break on your computer: get up, exercise, walk, or do something else.

  5. Disconnect a few hours a day.

  6. If schedules work for you, schedule your day by adding tasks to your calendar. This helps you focus and time-box properly.  It can still be flexible.

  7. Use the calendar to block/assign time to friends and family (you could block time to meet a friend or have lunch with your family). This lets team members know not to book over your calendar at that time.

  8. Enjoy small rewards for accomplished tasks.

  9. If you cannot focus: stop working, go out to clear your mind. Solutions will come to you when you’re not in front of a desk.

  10. Use time management apps to review your productivity and pinpoint distracting activities.

  11. Test out which location works best for you: your home, a coffee shop, or a co-working space. Perhaps a combination of these throughout the week helps you maintain focus.