How do you stay on task?

Interview with Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams

I am, overall, a pretty big fan of kanban boards. What I do is I use Trello, and I design my lists and cards in a way that resembles a kanban board.

It might seem minimal, but the number one thing that I have to do to stay on task is to only move ONE card at a time to my “In-Progress” list.

What I find is that if I don’t explicitly tell myself to only work on one thing at a time (by using Trello), I will end up working on all things at once and doing nothing correctly.

My brain just goes on this “jump around” mode which means I end up working 10 minutes on something and then jumping to something else.

When I get to the end of the day, I can see that most of my day has been wasted. I haven’t gotten anything accomplished because I ended up jumping around between marketing materials, writing a blog post, checking and replying to emails, taking work calls, etc.

By using Trello, and making sure that I only work on one thing at a time, I’m able to get to the end of the day feeling pretty happy about the quality of the work I got done.

Gino realized how important remote work could be to finding the best talent—see his strategies for building remote teams.

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Interview with Kay, an independent software consultant who found freedom in remote work

It really helps me to start my day with a plan.

When I start without one, the day drags on and often forget things. That's why I love to have a bunch of issues to solve for the next day. I stand up, get a coffee and can work right away.

Learn how Kay made the jump from full-time employee to full-time remote consultant

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Interview with Steven Wade, a software engineer working on a remote team

I use Trello to track my tasks across their phases. The Mac app Tyme to track what I'm working on at any given moment.

I also use Slack reminders heavily. I have 2 daily recurring reminders - one at 8:30am and the other at 4:30am - to check GitHub for any pull requests that I've been tagged to review.

All of those things mixed with a consistent schedule help.

Learn more about how Steven works remotely, including his work routine, habits and how he found his remote job

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Interview with Michael about being an entrepreneur and freelancer

I used to struggle with productivity a lot but now I have so many projects with my business and clients that I have to be efficient.

The biggest productivity hack for me is planning the next day the night before, in order of what I will complete.

Each morning starts with a digital detox — 1 hour with my morning routine. This includes journaling, meditating, and reading. This helps start my day fresh and creative.

From there I workout and then I start my work. I always do the hardest tasks first thing when I am most creative and efficient.

If I'm really feeling lazy, usually toward the end of the week, I'll do tasks that don't require much energy — tax stuff, social media posting, etc. For the most part, I try to do the most important work from 7am-1pm.

I set a monthly income goal and work backward by thinking of how much I have guaranteed and what I can do to earn more. I try to maximize efficiency by planning out the month, week, and day in detail. Without specific goals, it's easy to slack off and not be as motivated. As I work at home I also have a no TV rule. I never watch TV before 7 pm to make sure I don't try to sit in front of the TV with my laptop multi-tasking (which rarely works).

Michael is an online entrepreneur, author, and freelance writer who specializes in self-improvement and personal finance.

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Interview with Patric, a UX designer and usability engineer that works from home

In Trello I have a list where I force myself to only add 2-3 tasks which are the most important / impactful ones each day. And I try to define those 2-3 tasks either the day before or early in the morning before checking any emails.

There is a big ugly backlog right next to it of course, but only having 2-3 items to focus on helps me stay on track.

I try not to react to emails immediately.

I only check the inbox 4-5 times a day to evaluate whether one email needs my immediate attention. Some emails can sit there for a few days until I have another focus-day on that particular topic.

Sometimes it also helps if I write down the desired "end state" of one task instead of a general topic. For example I'd create a task and call it "Complete and send Interview for Remotehabits" instead of the neutral "Remotehabits Interview".

Patric works on his own projects while also consulting for medium sized software companies, learn how he works remotely.

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Interview with Taylor, a marketing director and intentional digital nomad

Headphones are helpful. I often don't play music, but the feeling of earbuds inside my ears is enough to switch my brain into focus mode. Plus, they keep people from distracting you.

Taylor shares how co-working spaces, digital nomadism, and work flexibility gave her the work environment she always wanted.

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Interview with Pamela, a travel writer adjusting to freelancing

Honestly, this is an area that needs improvement. I’m easily distracted by a friend calling, jumping in to help others, and answering text messages.

Pamela is new to the world of freelancing. In this interview, she shares the ups and downs of adjusting to the gig economy.

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Interview with Michelle, an organizer of digital nomad experiences

I make sure to turn off notifications to help me overcome distractions, but it is not always easy, haha!

A solo backpacking trip led to Michelle organizing co-travel experiences for digital nomads—hear how she manages working while traveling.

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Interview with Leon, a journalist teaching the world to play chess

I think people work in different ways so it is difficult to come up with a generalisation that will help everyone. However, for me, I like to break the day up into parts where I focus on one single task, so I can get that ticked off.

I also like to have a period of about an hour or two, usually at the end of the day, where I do a bit of "freestyling." For example, going between tasks and making sure I've finished things, finding new tasks to work on later, and checking everything a second time.

Knowing I'm going to spend a small part of my day freestyling means I feel more comfortable really focusing on specific things at other times.

I have a scatty mind, so I make a point to schedule time to manage this.

Leon James Watson is a former journalist who has found the intrinsic value of remote work while teaching the masses to play chess.

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Interview with Celine, a VP of People Ops and remote team member

Being remote did not change the way I work. Not at all.

I know what I have to do, and I organize myself accordingly. Working from an office or being home did not change a thing.

Being remote means you need not be shy in asking questions and being autonomous on your role.

Celine has experienced the highs and lows of working with remote and hybrid teams—see her tips for thriving as a member of a remote team.

Read full interview from Interview with Celine, a VP of People Ops and remote team member.