How do you stay on task?
Interview with Dani and Luca, digital nomads who have mastered work and travel
Well, we love our jobs, and we love to travel. We couldn't travel if we didn't have these kinds of jobs and we couldn't work in this cool way if we didn't travel.
Lucky for us, we don't feel the stress: our tasks are the first things we think about when we wake up, and we are happy to see them get done.
Dani and Luca have mastered the art of traveling while working—see their hacks & tips for thriving as digital nomads.
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Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night
Again, Slackbot reminds me of what I need to do. But WebDevStudios also relies on project management software like Trello and Basecamp to keep things organized.
I rely on Google Sheets in Google Drive to keep my content organized and insert deadlines. I use these sheets for our company editorial calendar as well as for the freelance content I publish on the side.
Laura Coronado discusses her method for juggling her career as a communications specialist by day and her side hustle as a freelance travel writer by night.
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Interview with Gregory, a Senior Software Developer
Strict scheduling, being ready to work the moment I sit down, and having a dedicated workspace are key.
I have ADD, so I've learned over the years how important a strict schedule is to me. I need to schedule chunks of time dedicated to a specific task, and I need to stick to it.
Interestingly enough to those who don't know, ADD can have an aspect called "hyperfocus" where you generally become so engrossed in a specific task that literally hours can go by without you even realizing.
Hyperfocus might sound like a blessing, but very rarely is it a good thing for me. Most of the time if I get hyperfocused on something, the result is not ideal.
It's often missing big parts (like documentation or testing), it's sometimes deviated from solving the actual problem (instead I almost create my own problem to solve and then solve it), and the code is often more complicated than it should be.
Making sure I follow my schedule on both when to start and when to stop a task are very important in avoiding both the lack of focus and the hyperfocus caused by my ADD.
Being ready to work when I sit down is another. Before I start working in the mornings, I'm fully dressed, done eating, well rested, and overall just ready to work. Distractions are a lot easier to indulge when you have to get up anyway to go get breakfast, or you have to go get dressed before that video call at noon so you can just slack off for the next 15 minutes since you won't get anything done in that time anyway.
I treat walking into my office like a commute: I shouldn't have any other obligations that have to be done for a while before I sit down to work.
And finally, that dedicated workspace is very important. My family is home during the day, so to be able to close the door and not get distracted by others, or to be able to keep the rest of the house out of sight and out of mind means, there is less to be tempted by in the first place.
Gregory is a senior software developer working from home - learn how he finds the balance between lack of focus and hyperfocus.
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Interview with Digital Nomad Sage, an entrepreneur and UX consultant
For intensive work that requires my utmost attention, I won’t listen to music at all. I’ll also close all my social media tabs so that I won’t get distracted.
A lifestyle hack that I implemented was removing my desktop speakers to remove the temptation of just listening to music.
From e-books to blogging, Digital Nomad Sage has become an expert on making money online—see his advice for developing an online business.
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Interview with Betsy, a head of content and remote work routine expert
First, I think that getting enough sleep and taking care of yourself is essential. If you're sleep deprived, not eating well, never exercising, then it will be really difficult to do good work.
Next, I am adamant about tracking my time. It might sound crazy but I track my time seven days a week in 15-minute intervals using a Google spreadsheet. By doing this, I can end the day or week knowing exactly how I spent my time. This also prevents me from wasting too much time watching YouTube videos and participating in other online activities. because no one wants to have to write that in a time log.
I've also found that listening to classical music or soundtracks is helpful. This activity is great for staying on task and inflow for longer periods of time.
Lastly, I think a big part of it goes back to keeping a schedule or routine. If you tend to do the same functions each day at a particular time, it's much easier to stay on task and know what to do because it's already an ingrained habit.
Betsy Ramser is a content manager, blogger, and teacher who helps other remote workers thrive while creating a daily routine that works.
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Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate
At the beginning of the workday, I'll take an old-fashioned pen and paper to write out a high-level to-do list. It's such a satisfying feeling to check off tasks in those little checkboxes as you go through your day.
I have a small ritual with my headphones as well that's developed over time. As soon as I put on my noise-canceling headphones, I've trained myself that I have now entered productivity mode.
Liz is a traveling UI/UX designer—see her strategy for thriving as a digital nomad and her efforts to promote coworking.
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Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
First and foremost, for staying on task getting enough sleep is crucial.
Everyone has different sleep needs. For me, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day helps. I also stick to this pattern on the weekends.
I plan my work a week ahead while keeping deadlines and priorities in mind.
Katerina fell into remote work by accident - she reveals how easy and straightforward it can be to make discipline a daily part of remote work.
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Interview with Ayush, a CEO and avid remote team builder
Personally, I am one of those who likes to concentrate hard on tasks. Hence, no headphones, and no multitasking. At the start of the day and during checking my emails, I keep on creating a to-do list with a pen and paper. At the end of the day, I like to see all the things struck off that list.
Ayush is a CEO that is committed to helping companies build successful remote teams—see his process and tips for developing location independent teams that thrive.
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Interview with Alexandra Cote, a remote digital marketer and freelancer
Again, it's all on a mental level for me. Lots of years of studying for school and college helped me develop this habit of never leaving work for later. Later is for fun, duh!
So when I know I have something to do, I just do it until it's done. If I have multiple things to take care of, I just choose one based on priority, interest, or I just begin with the task I have more ideas for.
I do have one trick, though. And it's good. No matter how productive you are, you'll come across distractions. Let's say I'm writing an article and need to check Twitter for what other people are saying on the topic.
Twitter is full of distractions, but instead of getting caught up with them, I simply bookmark everything. When I get a bit more free time, I just check all of my bookmarks. I've been doing the bookmark trick for 10+ years now. Always works. Surprisingly, for many of them, I have no interest left, so I'm literally getting hours out of this.
Alexandra juggles freelancing, a full-time remote job, YouTube, and Skillshare instructing. How does she manage it all? Find out in her interview.
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Interview with Cameron, a designer who works remotely at a WordPress agency
The way I stay on task is to write out the 3 most important things I need to do that day on a note card and place it in front of my monitor.
As long as I do those 3 things I know I'll have had a productive day and can always circle around to less important things before the day is over. My company uses Basecamp for tracking tasks and goals so there is always a big list of items to pull from.
Learn how Cameron started full-time remote work after trying freelancing and starting a digital agency.
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