Mastering Remote Work: Staying Productive and Avoiding Burnout

There are hundreds of thousands of articles about remote working, but here’s my personal take as a web developer and designer based in Malaysia.

1. Maintaining regular working hours.

Treat your freelance gig as your day job. Have a dedicated working hour so that you can easily slip to deep focus mode, even if that means 2 hours per day. For me, I like to have my focus mode in the morning after my morning walk with MacGyver. Brew acup of tea and I'm ready to go. Making sure all my devices are on silent mode. Having a time-tracking app like Toro Timer or track helps me to stick to my schedule, so I can utilize my day. There's something about seeing how many hours you worked today gave your brain a sense of accomplishment. Having a productive morning helps you to have better sleep at night, which helps ypu to get up early in the morning.

2. Have a dedicated office space

This helps you to separate work from personal life. It doesnt matter how small your workspace is, but this helps you to slip in the zone faster if you have a dedicated work space (even during travel) gets you in the zone as soon as you're in that space. Minimize distraction as much as possible.
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3. Remember to socialize.

I've been working remotely for over 4 years now, and sometimes it does get lonely especially if you're more leaning toward introvert in the dsmv 5. as the saying humans are a social creature, even though you need just a little socializing, this can help tremendously with your mental health. Before I got my dog, I would join classes/events that forced me to talk to other people. It can also be as simple as talking to your local groceries cashier, your barista and etc. Nowdays, I get to talk to fur parents and ask more about their pets, which they happily share with me. Have a regular phone calls with your family and/or friends. Other thn that, I encouraged you to join community like Floxies, where you can share interest, work, solution so you dont feel as alone working remotely. I lost count of job and project pitch rejections, and having support makes a big difference.

4. Don't skip meals.

It's easy to skip meals when you're busy. But this would results in bingeing, headaches and will make u less productive. You'll get tired easier which may lead to burnout. I usually dont have snacks around my working area because I feel it's counterproductive, but I would regularly walk to the kitchen for some snakcs. this can also strecth my legs which is good for your body.

5. Utilize online calls.

Rather than typing your question that might lead to more confusion, a quick 5 mins call will do the trick.6. Be easy on yourself. Being a successful remote employee is often related to strict self-discipline. But sometimes it's okay to cut yourself some slack to prevent burnout.Do you have anything to add?

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Shorter version of this content was originally posted on January of 2023 on LinkedIn, check it out.