A remote workers 5 tips for staying focused

The amazing thing about TDA Creative is that we offer our team the chance to work from anywhere. Reader, we might not know each other, so it’s likely you don’t know me. I’m Sean, the CMO here at TDA and although I serve a great company based in New York, San Fran, and London, I work full-time remotely from Bristol in the South-West of England.

The pandemic was a monumental landscape shift for all of us, while it is still very real, many of us are starting to settle into what is now our reality. I will use my platform here to say that if you are still opening emails with, “I hope you are well in these unprecedented times”, we’re all going to need you to stop.

This shift to being a full-time remote worker has been an interesting move though. I’m a social creature at heart and I get no greater joy than seeing my colleague’s smiling faces in person so not being able to just drop in has been an adjustment.

Dave and Andy, the founders of TDA, have been brilliant though. Ensuring the well-being of all the team, keeping communication flowing and being flexible, especially with those who have children (well done to those that do, homeschooling sounded hard).

As someone who has been remote working for a long time now, I’ve come up with some top tips for those of you who are in the same boat as I am. As you know, it can be hard to stay motivated and genuinely not fall into madness being in the same place all the time.

Here are my top tips:

1. Get dressed – You might not be seeing anyone that day, but you will feel far more productive if you change out of your sweatpants and a decade-old band t-shirt. You also never know when you might need to get on a video call at short notice. Yes, I am fully dressed writing this at 11:34 am.
2. Get some air – Seems simple but just standing outside for 5/10 minutes every hour or so is revitalising for the soul. We are glued to phones and screens all day. You deserve a spot of mindfulness.
3. Lists – Write them in the morning and use that as your Magna Carta for the day. It’s easy to get sidetracked doing choirs, let lists be you be productivity saviour. Start small and work up to the big stuff and really enjoy the endorphin rush you get from striking through that task you’ve been putting
4. Move – In the words of Bob Marley and the Wailers, “get up, stand up”. This was a hard one for me. I found the more I didn’t move, the harder I found myself finding the motivation to move but my mother didn’t raise a quitter and just getting out for a quick walk around the block has kept me sane.
5. Use technology to stay connected – There are many programmes out there like Stack, Whatsapp or Microsoft teams that make connecting easier. Get on video calls for face-to-face conversations with your colleagues or call a friend/family member, it will help your sanity.

To tie things up, I’ll say it’s key to act as if you are at work. Don’t let the lines blur between profession and personal life.

make sure you put your tools down at the end of the day to enjoy your leisure time. Keep boundaries, snooze the emails on your phone after the workday is done and enjoy yourself.

You’re doing great. Keep it up.

By Sean Hanly, Chief Marketing Officer, TDA Creative – Find me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear your own remote working tips.