“I Heard it on the Trail”– Capitalize on Visionary Trends: Optimize your remote office

Capitalize on visionary trends around you. It is fun to walk in public spaces to find balance and pick up on trendy conversation topics. No, I do not eaves drop, but I often pick up on catch phrases that peak my interest, especially when shared by diverse groups of people. We don’t need social media or syndicated news to catch onto a trend.

An interesting topic caught my attention this week while hiking on a trail. The conversations that peaked my interest went kind of like this, “You know I was like getting things done and like taking a break… and now, like, they don’t get it! I have to go back in from 8-3… I got things done before… like, what are they thinking (paraphrased).” Another exchange questioned how the other person handled a technical issue. I also heard the word “office” in yet another chat. I determined that remote office was the main topic, their conversations were calls to action, and remote working in a flexible environment was on trend. I was able to work remotely during the pandemic, but not efficiently. This was definitely a topic I wanted to pursue.

~ Capitalize on visionary trends to optimize your remote office ~

The remote office offers flexibility and refreshment so that creativity can flourish. An article in the online magazine Entrepreneur, “How Remote Work Will Transform the Innovation Landscape and Establish a New Kind of Entrepreneur,” shares the same view. They believe “as a result of our current challenges, the innovation landscape will never be the same. Remote work means that a new species of entrepreneur has emerged, and those who adapt fastest will be best-suited moving forward.”

We are malleable, open to learning, capable of creating the best assembly line, and increasingly becoming network-savvy. During COVID, even seasoned businesspeople found themselves forced to get on board with the trendy remote work environments as they became eminent and vital to business survival. However, remote success requires prioritizing and thoughtful attention to the jobs that make money for the entrepreneur or their company.

Optimize your time

Spending time seated at a desk, often without windows, does not necessarily prove that productivity is contained in an office. Trying to replicate the same office environment and tasks in remote working situations is laborious and unnecessary. It is time to rethink antiquated processes to optimize time.

I listened to a great podcast, “Work Smarter, Work Harder, Just Don’t Work Longer” by TeamGantt that emphasized time management skills. They said, “Everyone should be working on a time limit.” The podcast also referenced the Parkinson’s Law adage, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” In the podcast’s extension, the adage was related to work habits and productivity to succeed in a timely manner. Time well-managed increases flexibility and helps keep a visionary’s work and life in balance.

Workplace culture has been trending toward wellbeing and flexibility. An article in news.gallup.com, “Majority of US Workers Continue to Punch In Virtually,” by Lydia Saad and Adam Hickman, Ph.D. says, “despite the decline in the percentage of employees working remotely since May, the percentage of all workers hoping to maintain this arrangement has edged higher.” Their research signifies that “roughly a quarter of the workforce will test employers’ willingness and ability to support remote work beyond the pandemic.” They also tout that, “fifty-six percent of workers continue to work remotely at least some of the time in January 2021.” Post-COVID, lockdown-released creative workforces are choosing to retain their flexibility in remote workspaces.

Some will accomplish their directive with little effort. Unfortunately, everyone got a taste of flexibility, but not everyone got flexible. Those that did got a big surprise – productivity and a life!

Optimize your remote office resources

Taking the time to discover fantastic tools for time management and workflow will in turn save you time. Sleek options for the visual learner can be downloaded from the App Store and software websites. An industrious and frugal option is found in the trusted Microsoft Office Suite where Excel spreadsheets and email threads can get the job done. Unfortunately, it lacks workflow connectedness. The good news is that we don’t have to type out lists and create flow charts from scratch or pin a task in Outlook.  

A bounty of business creatives have already blazed the trail with management tools that work! Integrated workflow and collaboration tools also include task management and real time editing.  The all-in-one packages may be a beneficial change to an office that has used intra-office email sharing and filing cabinets. Additionally, cloud-based sharing decreases the need for local server storage. Better yet, an all-in-one collaborative product increases productivity to reduce the cost of wasted time so you can make more money. 

Here are a few Tools for time management and workflow that I found:

• Notes! It comes preinstalled on an iPhone. I love the check-circle feature. Just click on the checkmark circle to add it to the beginning of any list. Check it off when you are done with the task. It is FREE and functional!
• Asana.com is a workflow, task manager for collaboration and project completion. This trail-blazing product makes team work a breeze and project completion manageable. “With 100+ integrations you can bring together everything your team needs to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate work, start to finish.”
• TeamGantt time management software (mentioned above that I discovered in a Podcast). “TeamGantt is a refreshing take on project planning software that brings gantt charts online. You can plan, schedule, and manage your projects…” There is a FREE trial for one project. It’s definitely worth a try!
• Air Table. An easy to use and essantial GID treasure. Grows with your team and has a massively colorful workflow calendar selector.

Old programs and protocols may not be the most on trend or the most productive. When an employee in a business gets tangled in the challenge of working offsite, new products are discovered that streamline antiquated processes.  A Virtual Assistant can navigate new Apps or take on the task of setting up collaborative software to fast-track transition to virtual success. Try off-boarding a task or two so you can capitalize on your strengths.

Research is echoing what people are saying “on the trail” and vise versa. The echo is getting louder as social media, syndicated reports and dinner conversations converge.  Schedule a coffee meeting or a walk with an another remote office entrepreneur to share tools that have helped your remote businesses organize and thrive. Equally, join remote work-related social media groups. Groups can often be found in Forums that are directed to your type of business goals. Finding those industry connections or hiring a Virtual Assistant can help you navigate to remote work resources, likely increasing your marketing contact list and your bottom line. It’s a win, win!

Capitalize on your visionary trends

Bottom line… make the most of whatever path you are taking.  A visionary is tuned in to trends that optimize flexibility for wellbeing and recouping time.  Capitalize on visionary trends. Optimize your time. Live your best life. My path to remote success started on a hiking trail. What trail leads to your success?

(If you would like help with collaborative management tools or have mundane administrative tasks holding you back, fill out the CONTACT form for a free 15-minute strategy session with www.AdministrativeAccess.com. I am a Virtual Assistant, providing remote administrative assistance to help businesses unlock their potential.)