5 Good Work Habits in a Remote Setting

Working from home has become the new normal. You might have realized that some of your team members are really good at it and have found incredible work-from-home hacks that make them more productive and keep them motivated throughout the work week. Most of the time it boils down to one thing: forming good work habits. We’ve asked people at flair about the best work habits. In this article you will find the five most important habits that take remote work to the next level.

Why Are Good Work Habits Important?

The pandemic has taught people a lot about their own lifestyle. When there is no geographical distance between the office and home, staying focused can be very challenging. When done right, employees tend to be 47% more productive when working from home. A successful culture requires room for habits that allow for maximizing personal efficiency, aligning with other team members, and at the same time maintaining work-life balance.

We had a chat with our team members at flair to learn what workplace habits help them get things done throughout the workday.

What Are the Most Important Work Habits in a Remote Setting?

1. Blockers in the Calendar
2. Team Meetings
3. Virtual Coffee Dates
4. Focus Time
5. Cut Time in Meetings

#1 Blockers in the Calendar

Whether it is going for a run, meditation, journaling, or having breakfast – people work better with habits. In order to function effectively at work, it is essential to find ways to maximize your own efficiency. A good start to the day will most likely define how the rest of your day will be and influence the way you work and treat your coworkers. As Tim Ferris puts it: “If you win the morning you win the day”.

At flair we work in a multinational work environment. So working in different time zones can be challenging. However, everybody is encouraged to insert their working hours in the calendars. Employees don’t need to get up in the middle of the night to attend a meeting as an employee’s good night of sleep and personal well-being are respected. Also, you can find all different kinds of blockers in individuals’ calendars dedicated to morning routines, lunch breaks, and other healthy habits.

#2 Team Meetings

Tools like Slack, Loom, Notion, etc. make it easy for teams to work asynchronously. However, regular check-ins can help align a team within a couple minutes of video call. At flair, there are different kinds of meetings: Teams meet on a regular basis to keep track of what everyone is doing – be it Product, Marketing, Sales, HR, etc. Additionally, colleagues that work a lot together tend to have regular meet-ups. It’s important to give attendees a clear idea of what the meeting will cover. It gives your team a change to prepare accordingly and and be more efficient in achieving your desired result in the meeting.

Chris Masanto, the CEO and co-founder of PetLab Co., says: "At PetLab, we've turned our remote meetings into a rhythm of success by embedding asynchronous work as a key practice. Before every meeting, our team engages through collaboration platforms, laying the groundwork for discussions. This preparation allows us to dive deeper into strategic decision-making when we meet, making every session impactful. This practice, now a habit, ensures that our remote meetings are not just check-ins but catalysts for progress and innovation. It’s a testament to how thoughtful preparation and embracing asynchronous communication can significantly enhance the effectiveness of remote team interactions."

#3 Virtual Coffee Dates

Coincidental interactions like running into someone in the hallway, meeting somebody in the office kitchen, or having a chat after a meeting just don’t happen in a remote work environment. Taking breaks, however, is important – not only to be more productive but also it enhances creativity and motivation over a longer period of time. At flair, every week each employee is assigned a random partner to have a virtual coffee date with. This brings together people who would otherwise have little interaction with each other and cuts a break in your regular schedule.

#4 Focus Time

Working from home offers a fair amount of distractions. Be it having your kids at home, your partner working next to you, multitasking, or receiving notifications on a work platform or even social media. In order to get things done it is important to set aside time that is dedicated to your productive work only. In a remote culture there must be space for this kind of time for every employee. Just recently, flair introduced a reflection day once per week. On that day employees avoid having meetings in order to have time to reflect and get things done.

#5 Cut Time in Meetings

Video calls on Zoom, Google Meets, Skype etc. help us to make meetings much more efficient. But have you ever questioned why we schedule meetings exactly for one hour and exactly to the full hour? Most likely it is because our calendar or meeting app suggests us to do so. However, it can be a life hack to end meetings just 5 minutes or 10 minutes earlier. Breaks that would happen naturally when walking from one room to the next in the office just don’t exist in a remote work environment. As this doesn't happen online, one idea is to change the default meeting setting in the calendar to 45 minutes, 30 minutes or even 25 minutes. Consider making meetings shorter and make sure to end meetings on time. This is as important as showing up on time.

Are you ready to pick up one of those ideas and take them to your team? We hope this article makes you curious to discuss work habits with your team.

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