Remote Work Digest: August 30, 2022

The latest on all kinds of information, news, and resources that help you make working remotely better.

10 Time Management Tips For A Working Mom | Women Fitness Magazine, Womenfitnessmag.com

Time management is a big concern for working mothers, considering job demands can vary daily, and children’s needs evolve as they grow. Besides, we must manage our growth as we work towards realizing personal ambitions. You may not avoid chaos, but with these life-changing time management tips for a working mom, you can learn to optimize your time both at work and home and live life to the fullest. Without wasting more time, let’s dive right into it.

Use A Planning System

Having a great planner ensures you get what needs to be done at the right time. But this point is only true if you use it. You may be shocked to hear many moms have great systems collecting dust on their smartphones or bookshelves. No shame: many successful moms use notebooks, paper calendars, and journals every day. This list is in addition to digital calendars, spreadsheets, and Google docs they rely on. Use these tools to record what you need to do and be realistic.

Make Lists

As a busy mom, it is easy to forget what you need to do and spend so much mental energy trying to keep track of everything. You can make lists for just about everything.

Get Enough Sleep

When you take care of your kids, you compromise on the healthy eight hours of sleep that your body needs to function properly. The negative effects take a toll on your health when the deprivation continues for a long time. You begin to experience stress, anxiety, and irritability. However. You can adopt an effective routine to catch up on those lost hours of sleep to rejuvenate yourself.

Use Essays for Sale

As a working mom, you probably feel like you have deadlines dropped left, right, and center. Perhaps you have an argumentative essay, a lab report, a discussion post, a dissertation, or a cover letter to write, all due in a few days. How on earth can you do it, attend to your child and still show up for work? Fear not; online essays for sale carry the load for you so you can attend to your family and job by lifting the extra weight off your shoulders.

Learn to Delegate

Whether it is about hiring someone for domestic help or any other kind of work, figure out the tasks that don’t require your attention. It is worth the investment once you take those tasks off your to-do list. Another option is to use online services, such as custom writing services, as much as possible. We understand that it’s tempting to solely cover all household chores to ensure everything is done right and quickly. Break those chores into simple tasks and reward people for doing them.

Maintain Work-Life Boundaries

As a working mom, find a workable strategy of family-friendly work hours with your employer, such as declining work emails or calls after your shift is over. Set a clear boundary between home and personal life.

Automate Everything You Can

Effective time management for working moms entails putting everything you can on an automatic mode. Simplify what you do so you can do it less often. In today’s world, you can do so many things with less time and energy than in the past.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness has proven benefits for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. It eradicates your stress, decreases chronic pain, controls your blood pressure, enhances sleep, and boosts your heart health. It also enhances your mental health by helping you deal with anxiety, depression, and interpersonal conflicts in a healthy manner. You don’t need to convince yourself why it’s important to maintain good health as a working mom. You need it; and your kids need it.

Let Go of Perfection

The perfection concept doesn’t exist in motherhood. There’s an illusion about a perfect mother. But in reality, no one is perfect at motherhood. Imperfection is part of the adventure. If you get bogged down and frustrated by seeing perfect mothers out and about, it is time to reset your expectations. Muting or unfollowing triggering social media accounts is a great place to start filtering out expectations versus reality.

Multitask for Optimal Time Management

The key is to mix tasks that don’t require too much mental energy with fun tasks that you might not otherwise find time for. Do you like listening to audiobooks while doing chores? Just make sure you have fun while doing your family chores.

Conclusion

Moms, we hope the above tips will help you manage your schedule like you never could. They are easy, effective, and customized for working mothers who selflessly work around the clock to bring up healthy and happy humans. You deserve appreciation and acknowledgement for all that you do. There’s no one like you!

Emerging Trends of Remote Work in 2022 | Foreignpolicyi.org

Remote working is a benefit offered only to a select few, but it is now the standard for most organizations. As Covid rates and regulations relax, it becomes evident that remote employment was more than simply a band-aid solution to a problem. 

RemoteHub worldwide today expect to be able to work from anywhere, at any time, for at least part of the workweek.

People empowerment is essential:

While most people think of employee empowerment as something done for a team on-site, it is an even more significant aspect in remote work. It’s ideal for a team distributed across geographical areas because it’s less on a top-down leadership approach. By utilizing HR to supply what remote workers require, the firm uses a department historically tasked with supporting the workforce and provides them with additional tools to do so.

Opportunities for Remote Networking:

Professionals may now network across countries and throughout the world thanks to remote work. Working from home has reduced the first discomfort of interacting with someone. Working from home also makes networking simpler since you can interact with experts you would not have encountered if you worked on-site or in the office. 

Without intervention, DE & I scores will deteriorate:

According to research, people in remote jobs or on a hybrid schedule perform at the same level as in the office. On the other hand, managers feel that employees who work from the office perform better and are more likely to be promoted than those who work from home. This erroneous impression is perpetuated by high-profile leaders publicly declaring that hybrid and remote workers underperform. 

Cybersecurity grabs the spotlight:

Remote security is much more vital since online work-related infractions cost an additional $1.07 million. Cybersecurity providers will advertise more remote work solutions in 2022 to address this issue. Similarly, corporations increase spending on endpoint security solutions and zero-trust cloud infrastructures. 

Boosts productivity:

Fewer interruptions get attributed to increased productivity by 68 percent of people on average. Think again if you believed working from home would lead to additional distractions. It appears that the contrary is true. When asked why they were more productive, 68 percent of respondents in a recent poll said it was because they had fewer interruptions.

Virtual Interviews Are Increasingly Popular:

Companies have started employing virtual technology to conduct job interviews since the outbreak began. A recent poll found that 86% of employers had resorted to virtual hiring because of pandemic issues. However, the transition to virtual recruiting and interviewing does not appear to be a disincentive. Indeed, many CEOs are said to be pleased with the remote recruiting procedure. Some have even maintained the success level of pre-pandemic interviews.

Working from home versus higher salary:

Employees have such a strong affinity for working from home that 71% of employees polled in the Everywhere Workplace research stated they would choose remote work over Telecommuting. According to the report, avoiding traveling time, a better work-life balance, and lower expenditures are the top reasons employees identify remote work, even if it means passing up a promotion or higher pay.

More liberty at work:

Employees seek more freedom while employers struggle to develop procedures for remote work. After experiencing the benefits of a location-independent lifestyle, many people do not want to return to the workplace, at least not in the typical 9-to-5 paradigm. 

Employee Benefits Reevaluation:

To weather the volatile era of The Big Resignation, firms’ Employee Value Proposition will change to more comprehensive benefits focusing on what is vital for their employees in 2022. There’s a lot to enjoy about a coffee maker at your workplace, from employee mental health programs to save on significant supplies to amusing onboarding packages to give your new arrivals wherever they are.

Getting ready for post-pandemic office work:

Over time businesses in all geographies and industries can continue to benefit from remote workforce trends; however, you must also be prepared to do some office work in the post-pandemic period. According to a few research, some employees anticipate returning to typical office work following the epidemic. Choosing a significantly smaller office space to accommodate certain employees can be highly cost-effective and beneficial to firms in this situation.

8 Best Freelance Websites for Online Work (2022) | Harsh Sharma, Techdator.net

Several sites offer a platform to connect freelancers with their clients. We have prepared a list of some of the best freelancing websites on the internet. If you are also a novice independent professional and want to try your luck in freelancing, refer to these freelancing websites. 

1.Upwork

It is one of the most widely preferred freelancing websites for independent workers. Numerous works are posted on the site to make it easy for freelancers to get something. The site has posts from both big and small companies.

2. Fiverr

This is another fantastic site to get quick freelancing work. The site offers lots of features to its users. For example, you can set your starting price, packages, and add-ons on the site. You can also offer sample work for reference.

3. Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is one of the oldest sites for getting contractual workers online. The site is arguably the first to introduce online freelancing to the world. Freelancer.com has works for web designers, social media experts, marketing specialists, etc. In addition, it conducts several programs for the welfare of its users.

4. Toptal

It is an employee-specific site that helps small businesses get their hands into top freelance specialists worldwide. Toptal helps you to get your work done dexterously on a low budget. You don’t have to worry about the quality of the work as freelancers working here are screened regularly.

5. Designhill

This unique freelancing site incorporates several creative ways to allot work to freelancers. For instance, one can conduct a contest to scout the best employee they need. Employers can also get an overview of the work they will be doing.

6. Behance

It is another freelance website that has worked in several fields to offer its users. Some of its work categories include animation, web development, content creation, etc. Behance asks its freelancers to submit a copy of their work as a Portfolio.

7. Linkedin

LinkedIn is a multi-purpose website for any type of job online. A LinkedIn user’s main focus must be building networks rather than directly jumping into searching for jobs. Later, you can send your portfolios to potential clients to get referrals and work.

8. Guru

Many freelancers have a common problem with their work: they get cheated several times by fraud clients. Guru will be a perfect site to safeguard your interest if you are among them. the site is skeptical about the payment process of the users.

18 essential tips for working at home | Amy McCarthy, Yardbaker.com

Whether you’ve only been working from home for the past couple of years or are a longtime remote worker, pretty much everyone could stand to make some improvements to their work-from-home set-up.

Set working hours and stick to them

Establish your working hours and stick to them, or you’ll end up working far longer hours than you should. 

…and turn off your notifications when you’re not working

Turn off notifications for email and chat apps on your phone, and make sure that folks on your team know who they can contact in an emergency outside of your established working hours.

Consider putting on real pants

For many people, getting into the habit of getting up and getting dressed for the day makes it easier to get the job done. 

Make sure your team knows your working hours and availability

If you’re trying to avoid off-hours pings, keep your calendar updated so that everyone you work with knows when you’re going to be around. 

Go for daily walks

Make it a priority to take a short walk, even just 15 minutes a day is helpful, in the outdoors to get your blood flowing and take a quick break away from work. 

Create a comfortable workspace

If you’re stuck at the kitchen table, invest in equipment like laptop risers and a supportive chair to make your workspace a little cozier. Decorative elements and plants are also an excellent touch.

Invest in the right equipment for your job

If you’re going to be working at home long-term, it’s essential that you obtain good-quality equipment needed to do your job.

…and a really comfortable chair

It’s worth investing in the best chair you can afford if only to prevent you from having terrible back pain after sitting in one of your kitchen chairs for hours. Pro-tip: secondhand shops and sites like Facebook marketplace are often replete with good-quality used office chairs that can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of retail.

Consider an adjustable standing desk

Health experts generally agree that sitting all day isn’t great for the body, and a new generation of adjustable standing desks makes it easy to get a little more standing time into your day. 

Take a real lunch break

So many people eat lunch at their desks, and that’s one of those little things that add up to total burnout over time. Take 30 minutes — or an hour, if you’re able — each day for an actual lunch that isn’t eaten in front of your laptop.

Invest in noise-cancelling headphones to cut out distractions

Whether it’s a noisy neighbor or your spouse who is also working from home, cutting out distractions can be tough. Noise-canceling headphones can be a huge help, even if you don’t use them to play music. 

Don’t work in bed

As tempting as it might be to take emails from bed in the morning, don’t do it. It’s a good way to end up with sore muscles that may interfere with your sleep. 

Set limits on social media scrolling

Everyone gets distracted on social media at work, but when you’re at home and there’s no boss looking over your shoulder, it’s easy to get lost browsing comment threads for hours. Consider using an app like StayFocusd to limit your time on websites like Facebook and Instagram, and keep your phone out of reach unless you absolutely need it. 

Use a planner or productivity software to stay organized

Self-directed work is a challenge for even the most organized folks, which is why there are tons of organizational tools that exist to solve that problem. 

Take breaks

Most office workers get to take breaks, but work-from-home folks often forget that they’re entitled to step away from the keyboard from time to time. Pencil a 15-minute break into your calendar in the morning and afternoon and use that time to go for a walk, zone out, or enjoy a snack before getting back to work. 

Keep your workspace clutter-free

If your workspace is cluttered and messy, you might feel like it’s tough to get things done. At the end of each day, take a few minutes to clean up your desk and organize your stuff for an easy start the next morning. 

Work outside occasionally for a change of pace

Bored of working in your office? Switch it up! Head to a park if the weather is nice, or take advantage of the free WiFi at a nearby coffee shop for a few hours to get a nice change of pace. 

Listen to music you love

As long as you’re not on client calls or Zoom meetings, play your favorite tunes to energize you in the morning, or consider lo-fi beats for those times when you really need to concentrate. 

Remote Work Digest: July 18, 2018

The latest on all kinds of information, news, and resources that help you make working remotely better.

The Rising Digital Workforce: Six Tips for Small Business Owners Managing Remote Workers | Chanell Turner, Myasbn.com

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Allowing employees to work from home is proven to lower the turnover rate and decrease real estate and overhead costs, two things from which small business owners can benefit. So, how do you help your employees manage this perk? Read on for six tips for working with and managing workers who work at home.

Establish Expectations

If done correctly, remote work can increase productivity and the overall employee performance. However, you have to be clear about what you are looking for from these workers. Is there a specified period during the day that they need to be accessible for calls? Are there specific programs you need them to use to track time worked? Whom do they need to contact if they need to take time off? It is crucial to be upfront about what you are looking for from them to ensure everything runs smoothly from the beginning.

Set-Up Regular Meetings and Short Check-Ins

It helps to carve out at least five to ten minutes a day for remote workers to ask questions and reveal what their projects are throughout the day. It also helps to meet with the entire staff at least once a week and involve remote workers through video or conference call. This act can help everyone feel they are on the same page.

Utilize the Right Tools

One of the best ways to do this is to invest in project management and virtual communication systems. Project management software programs allow you to delegate tasks, monitor progress and even project how long a job would take to complete. Many of these can be integrated with virtual communication systems that enable workers to talk with each other as they complete tasks. These programs allow remote workers to stay in the loop and reveal their progress throughout the week.

Be Wary of Time Zones

Communication is probably the most crucial part of ensuring a smooth and well-run work environment, and time plays a considerable role in this.

Make Sure They Feel as If They Are a Part of The Team

It is easy for remote workers to feel invisible, so take as many moments as possible to let them know you see how they are assets to the company. Also, make a point to include them in fun office activities creatively.

Final Thoughts

While sometimes challenging, the process of managing employees who work from home does not have to bring chaos. By setting clear expectations, putting communication front and center, and ensuring they feel like a part of the team you can set remote workers up to thrive in your company.

5 Foolproof Strategies To Find And Land Your Next Remote Gig | Abdullahi Muhammed, Forbes.com

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Before you can enjoy the benefits of being a gig worker, you have to get some of those gigs lined up. Quantity isn’t the issue. There are plenty of low-paying gigs out there. What can be challenging is finding jobs that are consistent and that pay a decent wage.

Then there’s the matter of competition. Predictions are that the freelance workforce will increase to 43% by 2020, and you can be sure a good number of those workers will be remote workers. To find good positions, you have to be savvy. Here are five foolproof strategies to help you get started.

1. Conduct a skills inventory first
The most effective way for a freelancer to land remote work is to think of herself as a small business and focus on marketability,” said Nancy Van Brunt, Director of Freelancer and Agency Success at Upwork. “The skills needed today are constantly evolving so those who are proactive about skill-related education and development are more likely to possess the skills businesses are seeking today.”

2. Browse both job search boards and communities
Don’t ignore the potential of niche online communities and organizations to help in your job search either. Many of these are a great source of advice and insights about the job search. Some even have job listings for members. You can also find recommendations from more seasoned gig workers. There are multiple subreddits dedicated to remote/freelance work on Reddit as well.

3. Develop you CV and portofolio
Your portfolio should include detailed information and images of your best work. Remember to keep it up to date. Don’t forget to optimize your portfolio for relevant search phrases as you’ll want it to be findable by potential clients. You’ll also want to create a great CV that lets potential employers know exactly what you can do for their business. The key here is to ensure that the most important elements stand out.

4. Research a company before signing on
Before you accept a gig, always research the entity behind the offer. If you’re going through a gig worker platform, check the poster’s profile. This is often easy as most gig worker platforms, which exist to match, create trust between and protect parties to a gig project, make it easy to see the track record of the job poster.

5. Plan and work for sustainability
There are two categories of gig workers. First, there are those who are happiest picking up one short term job after another and doing one off assignments. If this is you, chances are you don’t need to sweat the interview process. Just build your reputation and you’ll be in business for the long term. Then there are those gig workers who seek long term relationships with companies who hire remote workers. If you want to pick up longer term work with companies that hire remote workers, you should expect the recruiting and hiring process to work just as it does with regular employment. This includes being interviewed.

Be prepared to work the gig you land

It does no good to land that next gig if you aren’t prepared to work it. Make sure you have the following taken care of:

  • A workspace that allows you to be productive. Consider a home office, coffee shop, or coworking space.
  • An internet connection that you can count on. It may be time to upgrade to a business package if you plan to work from home.
  • The tools that you need. Is your computer up for the job? Do you have the right productivity apps, word processing software or video conferencing app?

Follow these tips, then ensure you are prepared to be effective and productive.

Wasted Employee Time Adds Up: Here’s How to Fix it | John Rampton, Entrepreneur.com

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This guide is for everyone else. While occasional breaks are great for the mind, excessive time waste leads to lost productivity, lower morale and decreased employee retention. Even employees who would otherwise be high performers can get caught in time-wasting traps, so leaders need to step in before things get out of hand.

To avoid low productivity and improve employee time management, follow these tips.

1. Set specific productivity goals.
People who don’t feel like they have the support of their managers are more likely to feel stressed than they are to feel motivated. Give workers the tools they need, and make yourself available for questions and feedback; then, step back and let employees work toward the goals you helped them set.

2. Schedule tasks in chunks.
The same type of work should take about the same amount of time to complete. Help employees create timelines for different types of projects so they know how quickly things should move across their desks.

When employees understand how long projects take and how long it takes to complete each piece, they don’t have to scramble at the last minute. This steady stream of effort prevents workers from falling into a cycle of working overtime to compensate for earlier procrastination.

3. Show employees how their work affects the whole.
Employees who waste time typically do so because they don’t see the point in working faster. To them, the company and their co-workers do just fine, no matter how well they do their job.

In this case, the issue isn’t about time management — it’s about employee engagement. Keep employees in the loop about what the company is accomplishing, and tie their work to those achievements. Recognize the contributions of outstanding employees and departments. Constantly communicate the mission of the company and how employees help further that mission.

Financial bonuses for a job well done are nice, but people respond even more positively to personal praise. Write handwritten thank-you notes to employees who go above and beyond. Include employees on customer communications when they solve a problem or provide great service. The more employees see the effects of their work in action, the more motivated they become to work hard.

Employee time management has a cumulative effect. Engaged employees who get things done inspire others to follow suit. Those who have little to do (and those who don’t do what they should) bring others down. Use this advice to develop an office filled with productive, time-conscious teammates.

11 helpful tips on how to balance working from home + #momlife | Danielle Braff, Mother.ly

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If you dream of being a working mom and stay-at-home mom, take some tips from these mothers who’ve made the most of flexible work options (and a whole lot of inner drive).

1. Be honest with your clients
If you’re working from home, be transparent about that from the get go. That way, if a child does burst into your office or the dog starts barking while you’re taking a call, you can just keep going without having to explain away the background noise.

2. Get a gym membership
A gym with on-site childcare is essentially an on-call babysitter, says Traci Kantowski, communications director with Trust Transparency Center. “I regularly take advantage of gym childcare when I need to be able to focus, or have an important call because I know my kids are cared for,” Kantowski says. Bonus: You can also actually just hit the gym.

3. Designate an area of your home for work
Kantowski’s children know they need to knock before entering her office, but not every family can devote an entire room to mom’s workspace. If all your bedrooms are full, you can still carve out a designated area just for your work, even in small spaces. Closets can make great compact work spaces, thanks to DIY ideas and products like this closet-to-office conversion kit from the Container Store.

4. Get a hotspot plan
For many mamas, working from home is appealing because it also allows us to be away from our desks. Ballet practice, carpool duty, library time—these are all things you can make time for when you’re not commuting, but you might have to squeeze in some work while chauffeuring the kids around.

Make sure your cell phone plan includes hotspot access, so you’ll be able to sneak in work time from the carpool line, the pool and the indoor playspace, Kantowski says.

5. Use electronics in case of emergency
Screen time guidelines suggest parents keep video time to a minimum, but, one work-at-home mom, Julianne Robicheau says sometimes a little screen time goes a long way to helping mama get her work done. Robicheau started her skin care company, Robi Luxury Skin Care, when her child was a year old, and says that, in a pinch, Ryder and his team of pups have come to save the day.

6. Let them help
Robicheau often lets her 4-year-old help her when it comes to photoshoots and putting together shipments. “I’m raising them to just roll with it,” she says, explaining that she even brings her kids to most business meetings. “I shot a marketing video with a videographer from home with both kids around,” Robicheau says.

7. Reserve special toys for key work moments
When her children outgrew napping, Stephanie Woodson, who writes sewing and craft tutorials for her web site, Swoodson Says, transitioned them to quiet time with audio books and puzzles in their room so she still had a chunk of the day to herself. “Reserving special toys or crafts for busy days is key: A sensory bin or magazine collage activity can keep them happy for a long time,” she says.

8. Share childcare with other work-from-home parents
If you know of other work-at-home-parents, you can swap children with them, giving each parent a day to work while the other parent watches everyone’s kids, says Swoodson, who did this many times.

9. Wake up early
Allison Carter, creator of Confetti Party Plans, wakes up an hour earlier than her children to set her daily goals, check her email and plan her social media so that when her children wake up, she gets to focus on breakfast knowing that she already accomplished something before she actually started her day.

10. It doesn’t matter where you’re working from
Sonja Thompkins is a homeschooling mother of a 5 1/2 -year-old and an online business coach for brick and mortar boutique owners. She says she uses her gym, the library, fast food restaurants or even the car to work—as long as her child is entertained, and even takes video calls.

11. Batch work when you can
Thompkins’ husband is an army reservist and a firefighter who works in 48-hour shifts. But when he’s home, he takes over so she can crank out as much work as possible. “I use a project management app to keep me focused on the tasks I need to accomplish, which is great for my productivity,” she explains.

If you’re just starting out as a work-at-home parent, you’ll soon figure out that you’ll need to adjust your expectations, your technique and your methods as your family grows.

In the end, it’s all about flexibility. And isn’t that what working from home is all about?