How do you stay on task?

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 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 Vaishali, a content marketer and a productivity tool expert

I start by preparing a checklist before I start my day, and update it at the end of it. I then set reminders in Slack for some tasks. Next, I prioritize important tasks during the first half of the day and then handle less critical functions during the second half.

Continuous self-learning is important when you don't have your team around. So, I set aside some time each week for learning and keeping myself updated with the latest marketing developments and trends.

Also, we have quick weekly meetings. During them, I take notes and make sure to complete the tasks we discuss each week.

Vaishali persevered until she found the right remote work job for her lifestyle—check out how she uses productivity tools and time management strategies to stay productive.

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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 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 Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work

Because I juggle so many clients and projects at a time, time blocking is crucial for me to keep from feeling overwhelmed or reactive.

I have certain chunks of time set aside each week to work on each project, then try to only work on (or even think about) that project during it's slot.

If I find myself low on motivation or getting distracted during work hours, turning on a french Pandora station (if I don't understand the lyrics, they can't distract me from my train of thought), taking a break to run some errands, or taking a quick walk around my neighborhood usually does the trick.

Laurel is an advocate for remote work and helps companies learn how to work remotely through her consulting and writing.

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Interview with Dane, a freelance writer and author with 7 published books

When you work in a creative job, I think you need to take regular breaks so that you can recharge.

That’s particularly true if you’re stuck on something, because I tend to find that as soon as I stop worrying about a problem, a solution presents itself.

Another option is to hop from one task to another, which is what I’ve always done to deal with “writer’s block”. I’m not sure that I’ve ever really had writer’s block anyway, or even that it exists. Every time I’ve ever been stuck with something, I’ve just switched tack and worked on a different project for a while and then when I return to whatever I was stuck with, I’m good to go.

Another thing that I’m quite good at is multitasking, and while I don’t necessarily do that while working on client projects (unless there’s a need to do so), it does come in handy for admin tasks. I’ll quite often be responding to emails whilst simultaneously working on job proposals or updating my website. I’ve been doing that for years though, so perhaps it’s not the best idea for everyone.

Other than that, all I really need is my trusty to-do list. I use it to plan my work out based on how long I think tasks are going to take and then I just make sure that I stay on top of it.

I actually think that one of the best ways to stay productive is to make sure that you’re always organized.

And having a clean and tidy working environment helps, too.

Dane is a freelance writer and author who works remotely, and balances client work with writing his own books.

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Interview with Vivek, an entrepreneur building a virtual office for remote teams

I have three strategies for eliminating distractions:

• Silence all mobile and desktop notifications. - This is the lowest hanging fruit. You can't stay focused if your device is screaming for your attention every other minute.

• Remove visual distractions - Visual distractions are often more nefarious than notifications. Even when I silence my notifications, I make sure that the windows on my screen are relevant for my deep work. If they aren't relevant, I close them. This also extends not only to the virtual world but also to the physical world. I used to have a workspace that faced the road, but even seeing my neighbors waving to each other could subtly throw off my focus.

• Reduce distractions caused by anxiety - The hardest distractions to eliminate have been self-inflicted distractions caused by anxiety about events that have happened during the day. This is especially relevant for startup founders.

Chaos is normal during startup life. A new feature can introduce massive unintended bugs in the product. Or a potential customer might not understand the product's value prop during a demo. Or an existing customer may get frustrated that you haven't shipped a feature request yet.

It seems impossible not to obsess about the craziness of the day when you want to stay focused.

Meditation has been critical in combating this self-sabotage. I recommend that everyone experiment with different meditation techniques to find out what works for them.

But, I use the Headspace mobile app to reduce anxiety and stress and use techniques from Eknath Easwaran's book Conquest of Mind to improve my mental focus.

The long San Francisco commute sent Vivek into remote work—hear about his three strategies for eliminating distractions & his must-have tools.

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Interview with Melissa, a co-founder and remote work champion

Some days I don’t.

We have a lot going on right now and, as a start-up, you are wearing so many hats. We might be having a very high-level strategic conversation and then get an email that our web site form isn’t working and I’m off spending three hours trying to figure out something in the code.

I look at my tasks on a weekly vs. daily basis. It’s less overwhelming.

Melissa started Work Well Wherever to help individuals & companies embrace remote work—see how she balances entrepreneurship, parenthood, & self-care.

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Interview with Alaina, a nonprofit program state director

Planning days and keeping to-do lists are my saving graces. I am currently trying a new version of a to-do list on two pages in my notebook where I list any follow-up items from the previous week, tasks for the week, and a day by day breakdown.

Believe it or not, keeping my refrigerator stocked with lunch options and snacks for the week keeps me on track for shorter lunch breaks and snacking throughout the day.

I also don’t waste time thinking through what I will eat for lunch. And because I work from home, I might cook a burger or make a salad for lunch and it’s easy to have the ingredients available to throw together and not waste time running to a fast-food restaurant and returning—it’s also very cost-efficient.

Taking breaks throughout the day is also important; getting up and walking around helps break the monotony of staring at a computer screen.

Sometimes I will walk around while taking phone calls using my headphones or Bluetooth, and since my dining room table is bar height, I can take notes while standing up.

It takes a minute to find your rhythm in a new remote position—hear how Alaina organizes her time to hit the ground running in a new remote work job.

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