12 Tips For Remote Marketers As We Adapt To Working From Home
The world’s current state has forced many of us to change the way we work. To keep employees, families, and communities healthy, more and more companies are going remote.
CoSchedule is one of them.
From our personal experiences, we’ve gathered a list of tips, advice, and best practices that have made our transitions to remote work as seamless as possible. We’re passing these tips along to you to help you get through this transition with confidence and optimism.
If you’re a CoSchedule customer, here are tips for navigating remote work with CoSchedule.
1. Continue your morning routine.
With no commute time, it can be tempting to sleep in or work in your pajamas. But your daily routine sets the tone for your work day - especially when you haven’t left the house.
Try to continue your same morning routine even though you’re not heading into the office.
2. Set a daily schedule for your work day - including breaks.
Set a daily schedule for your work day (and stick to it) to stay motivated and productive while you work from home. Block off your day into chunks of time, so you can be intentional about your work - and don’t forget to add time for breaks, too!
“If you’re juggling multiple projects, schedule a block of time on your calendar for each one. Take 15-minute breaks between projects to get fresh air, check social media, or pet your cat. It helps refresh and reset your brain.” - LaRissa Hendricks
Give yourself a break. It may take a while to figure out the right schedule for you.3. Organize a designated place to work.
Set up a designated space to serve as your home ‘office’ while you’re remote. Try to make your at-home work station mirror your office work station as closely as possible. It will help you get in the groove easily and feel more comfortable with the change.
Here are a few pro tips when selecting your new work space:
- WiFi - consider the location of your router in your home. You may need your desk to be nearby for faster internet speed. Test your WiFi speed here.
- Background - You’ll likely be doing a lot of video calls. Make sure the background of your work space isn’t too distracting. Adjust your camera as needed.
- Door - if available, choose a work space with a door. If you have partners, kids, roommates, or coworkers at home, closing the door is a great “do not disturb” signal if you’re on an important call.
4. Leave work at work.
It’s hard to separate work and home. But when you’re remote, it’s essential to keep a healthy work/life balance.
Set boundaries for yourself, so you can always leave work at “work.”
5. Schedule daily standups with your team.
When your entire team is remote, schedule daily standup meetings to stay connected. Daily standups are 15-minute syncs that take place every morning (usually right after people get to work). They should take place at the same time each day. In these meetings, each team member shares:- What they did yesterday: Summarize what they worked on and accomplished.
- What they will do today: What are their top tasks for the rest of the workday?
- What potential roadblocks might prevent success: If there is anything preventing work from getting done, bring it up so it can get resolved.
At CoSchedule, we host daily standups even when we’re not remote. But they’ve continued to be extremely beneficial to keeping our team engaged & in the know.
“Our standups help everyone get on the same page. It’s nice to see everyone when we’re out of the office, too.” - Tim Walker
For leads or managers, this is also a perfect time to get insight into what’s going well (and what isn’t) with the transition.
For a complete breakdown on running effective standup meetings, check out this guide.
6. Stay connected with video.
Working remotely can feel isolating, but video can help. Schedule video calls for regularly scheduled meetings. Or jump on a video call to have lunch with a coworker.“In the short time that we’ve been working remote, video has helped us keep continuity. We still feel like we’re one team in a room together, rather than several separate people working in our own worlds.” - Ben Sailer
Getting to see your coworkers and talk to them ‘virtually in person’ adds some normalcy back into your work day.
Try Zoom, HighFive, or other video conferencing apps to stay connected with your team.
7. Make it a point to move!
When you’re working from home, it can be tempting to move from your desk to the couch. But it’s important to move your body. Exercise is a mood booster and it reduces stress and anxiety. Here are a few ways our team gets up and active while working from home.“I’m grateful there are so many gyms and workout programs offering online classes for free right now. Planet Fitness has been offering a Facebook Live workout class at 6pm CST every night this week. It’s been a fun way to move and still get that feeling of connection by doing the class with others.” Megan Otto
Schedule time for some physical activity into your day to get your blood pumping & clear your mind.
8. Parents - be flexible.
If you are a parent with kids at home, here are a few tips to get through the day (and still get some work done). Take advantage of the fringe hours. Focus on work when your kids are sleeping or napping.“I usually get my best work done in the morning, so I’ve been up and working a few hours earlier than I normally would be. This is my most productive time of the day with my daughter at home.” - Whitney Deterding
If you have a partner, try to divide the day between the two of you. One parent can have focused work time, while the other is on kid duty.
Depending on the ages of your kids, you can plan out activities to keep them busy during the day. Create a schedule for your kids. They are used to structured days, and a daily schedule will help the transition feel more familiar to them, too.
Friendly reminder: now is not the time to feel guilty about screen time. Give yourself grace, and know your kids are probably going to get antsy, too.
Which leads us to our next tip…
9. Enjoy the outdoors.
Get outside! Working from home doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the house. Walk around the block. Go for a run. Take your puppy out for a stroll.
“It’s still safe to go outside as long as you’re practicing social distancing, so I’ve been taking my dog on more walks.” - Ben Sailer
If you are around other people, continue to practice social distancing. The CDC suggests staying at least 6 feet away from anyone who appears sick.10. Take time for professional development.
Many conferences and events have been rescheduled or cancelled, but there are tons of opportunities for professional development from home. Sign up for an online certification or course. Read a marketing book. Now’s the time to learn something new.
Not sure where to start? Check out CoSchedule Academy. Develop new marketing skills in 30 minutes (or less) with 30+ premium, on-demand marketing courses.
If you’re a reader, you can get your hands on free digital copies of our books.
- 10x Marketing Formula: Your Blueprint for Creating ‘Competition-Free Content’ That Stands Out and Gets Results by our CEO, Garrett Moon
- How to Get Started With Agile Marketing and Do Better Work by Ben Sailer
11. Check in with your team.
Most importantly, remember to check in with your team during the day. Whether it’s a two-minute chat or a quick message of encouragement via IM, be intentional about connecting with your coworkers.
Remember, you are not alone. If you were thrust into remote working and now feel isolated, reach out to a coworker. They may feel the same way.
12. Celebrate wins - big & small.
In times of uncertainty, we can take all the positivity we can get. Be mindful to celebrate wins with your team - big and small. Share them in IM, email, and on video calls. Share them often. To wrap things up, here are a few final words of encouragement from our team to yours:“If you feel overwhelmed, find something you can do to help someone else.”
“Have a spirit and mind of flexibility. Approach each day with the willingness to accept something new or unexpected.”
“Prioritize gratitude and positivity.”
The current state of the world has changed the way many of us work. To help out our fellow marketers, we’ve put together a list of resources to help make working from home a little easier. If you’re a CoSchedule customer, check out this guide on using CoSchedule as a remote team. Working from home is now the new normal. Take it one day at a time, and remember that we’re all in this together.
