How to manage yourself when working remotely

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a “new normal,” the possibilities for remote working in development were already on the rise — from young, tech-savvy organizations that had always intended to operate remotely to big, established employers trying to take advantage of telecommuting’s benefits. While not all development work is possible to undertake remotely, the fact is that more and more professionals are working in hybrid or fully remote work environments. Despite this growing trend, and the benefits remote working offers such as flexible schedules, many still struggle. From knowing how to separate work from home life to feeling genuinely connected with colleagues, it’s not easy to thrive fully when physically separated from your organization. “I see the struggles we might face in terms of remote working in two buckets,” Simone Anzböck, an international coach and the founder of Prosper Abroad, said during a recent Devex digital careers workshop event. “On the one hand, it's the self-management, the idea of like ‘I'm unable to unplug from home. I'm unable to focus,” you know, this home distraction. On the other hand, [there’s] team and the team management and the company management. So, ‘How do I connect with my team and what are the rules or ways of working?’” Anzböck covered both of these categories during the event to help global development professionals make remote working environments work for them. To give you a better idea of what the workshop covered, here are the three aspects of self-management that Anzböck explained and instructed during the workshop. Set boundaries Anzböck outlined the five-step framework for setting boundaries that she developed in her consulting practice. The first step is to establish why you want or need to set boundaries in the first place. “Why is it important to have a boundary around your work container? So you have some time for [your] personal life? What is it that you're looking forward to? What is it that you gonna use your time with when you're not at work,” Anzböck asked. Another step involves identifying your own inconsistent actions that may be contributing to boundaries not taking hold. “[For example] if you don't want your boss to call you after 8 o'clock at night, maybe don't answer emails after eight? So, the idea that we often have inconsistency [in our actions],” she said. Establish rituals Rituals are the habitual actions you can establish that can help you separate work from life, which are influenced by your own environment and context, and influenced by what you need and like, Anzböck explained. “A ritual for me personally, as much as I can, [is to] take a walk or go to the gym after work. It's my closure activity [to] clear my brain, and then the evening starts,” she said. Clarify personal priorities “I always think that planning how you intend to spend your time is the only way to know the difference between traction — that you’re going to do what you said you would do — and distraction, which is everything else,” Anzböck said. In other words, if you don’t plan your personal priorities, you’ll likely fall to the default of other people taking over your time. The problem, she explained, is that people often don’t make time to live their core values, and spend too much time in one area of life, which is usually work, which can come at the expense of others in our lives. To clarify personal priorities, as well as gain perspective and clarity on all three of these aspects of self-management, Anzböck suggested using the brainwriting technique, which is similar to brainstorming. Watch our workshop event for instructions on this and more insights into how to master the art of working remotely.