Working remotely isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Many people find it difficult to remain positive and productive. In this episode of the Business Review, April Miller, Owner of AE Miller Management, shares her experience and tips after many years working remotely.
Working remotely can be productive and positive. April Miller, owner of AE Miller Management, a construction management firm, discusses her experiences from years of telecommuting.
I think the biggest tip is to have a routine. When you go into an office building or an office space, you have a routine. I keep my same routine. I set time aside to do certain tasks. I make a little meeting reminder on my own calendar that says, "Do invoices every third week of the month," and it's that dedicated time so that I don't feel like I'm not doing something. Or if it's just organizing my files instead of having it piled up on one side, because I know we all have that, it's taking that time to be organized. I think that's probably the second biggest tip other than having a routine is really try to be organized.
I think working from home, you really can get more done than we all think we can. When you focus and set that routine, it actually helps you get way more done. If you have a conference call, you can actually throw a load of laundry in. You can throw the dishes in the dishwasher all at the same time while the kids are doing their online courses. There's a lot of things you can do, parallel paths, very similar to what you do at work.
Miller shares how she stays positive in the remote work environment.
I have a couple of folks that help me stay positive. They just remind me of what I've done. Sometimes we just need to be reminded…if we can just reach out to someone and be their positive that will also make us feel more positive knowing that we can help and be helpful to someone else.
The Business Review is a production of KWBU, Livingston & Mcay, and the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University.