How to Make the Most of Your Hybrid or Remote Job

I feel like I’m one of the OG remote job people. I’ve been working primarily from home since 2013. That’s basically my entire adult career. My early career was kinda similar to the post-COVID pandemic world. I had a traditional office I could work in. And I had to come in sometimes for meetings. However, the decision of where and when to work was largely up to my discretion.

I’ve always felt like I worked better working partially from home. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But I’ve always focused much better without office distractions and with the ability to take strategic breaks. Plus, I’m big on setting and sticking with habits. Regardless of whether I worked from home or in the office I followed a consistent schedule and learned key hacks to limit distractions.

In this post, I share my favorite resources for making the most of a hybrid or entirely remote job. This article is for anyone starting their career in one of these jobs or someone who is just looking to make the most of their remote/hybrid job. I include information on scheduling your time, limiting distractions, building in breaks, making the most of meetings, and positioning yourself for advancement. In other words, many of the most key things you need for adulting on the job.

What Does It Mean to Have a Remote Job

Before I dive into those tips, what does remote working actually mean? New terms have proliferated in the work from home (WFH) space. And this has led to confusion for many people. The structure of remote jobs varies across employers. However, generally remote employees are given the option to work from home (or in whatever space they choose) full time.

The main difference with a hybrid work model is that work time is split between home and the office. Specifically, it involves working in a physical office anywhere from 1-4 days a week and working from a place of the employee’s choice (home, a co-working space, etc.) the remaining days.

Finally, flexible work arrangements generally allow employees to work in a remote location or in a company’s office, depending on the employee’s personal preferences. Employees may also have the option of establishing flexible hours as long as they get their work done in a timely manner.

Remote work statistics show that 29% of the remote-capable workforce works entirely remote. 52% has a hybrid work schedule. And 20% goes into the office full time.

The Benefits of a Remote Job

There are so many benefits to working remotely for both employees and employers. Hence the popularity of remote work. For employers, remote work saves on real estate costs and utilities as employers do not have to maintain physical spaces for employees to work.

Plus, studies have found that remote work arrangements have a positive impact on employee retention and job satisfaction. This improves employee wellbeing and saves employers money on replacing employees.

For employees, remote work corresponds to improved happiness and better work-life balance for most people. Employees also spend less time commuting, which lowers transportation costs (both financially and environmentally) and allows for more time for family, hobbies, or even work. Finally, surveys show that people from traditionally marginalized backgrounds are less likely to experience discrimination.

Finally, studies show that remote teams and remote companies largely do not have meaningfully lower work productivity than non remote organizations.

The Costs of a Remote Job

So why have many companies seemed so resistant to remote work? For one thing, remote work environments involve less in-person meetings and team-building interactions like casual conversations or after-work drinks. This has led some business executives to argue that remote work opportunities correspond to less engagement and original thinking among their employees, as employees have fewer opportunities to collaborate and develop new ideas with coworkers.

There is some debate as to how much face to face interaction is truly key for this kind of creativity. Many argue that video conferencing and competent managers can bring out the fullest potential of employees without frequent in-person social interaction.

Additionally, many employers think their employees are less productive at home without oversight.

And many corporate offices are short-sighted and conservative. While in the long-run, they could save money on running company-owned offices and even profit by selling or renting out office spaces to others, they are more focused on the short-term benefits of making use of existing office spaces.

There’s also an intergenerational element to this. Baby Boomers and Gen X are less likely to like remote work relative to Millennials and Gen Z. However, they are more likely to be in management positions. So they have more influence over return to work.

Hybrid Work Models: The Future of Work?

Unsurprisingly given my critical tone, I am a big supporter of remote work options and flexible schedules, with occasional (once a week or once a month) in-person interactions. However, I believe the future of work is a hybrid work model.

Gen Z and Millennials aren’t going to give up their remote roles without a fight. Likewise, many corporate businesses are probably not going to let in-person interactions and, let’s be honest, employee monitoring slide.

So a balance will likely have to be struck. As a result, many of us will work remotely at least some of the time and need to develop our work-from-home routine. I developed this remote work guide and the digital tools below to help you be as successful as possible in your hybrid or remote positions.

How to Schedule Your Time While Working Remote

When it comes to working remotely all or part of the time, it’s important to set consistent work hours and a consistent work routine. Without that, it’s easy for our personal lives and professional lives to blend a little too much. As a result, we can spend either too much or too little time working. We all know the stereotype that Millennial and Gen Z remote workers don’t actually do any work. It’s a super unfair stereotype that’s largely based on a few bad apples and people who are not being managed well. Shots fired, I know.

However, the reality is that as remote workers, we generally do have to manage ourselves more than those who go into the office. In the office, we have distractions like coworkers to talk to and general noise and stimuli. But for the most part we don’t have the option of doing a leisure activity instead of work. At home, we do have that option, so we have to exercise self-control to stay on task.

Doing that is much easier if work is a built-in habit. Just like you don’t have to consider whether to brush your teeth in the morning, it shouldn’t feel like a choice of whether to work or not. Part of getting into that headspace is having a consistent schedule. If you go into the office sometimes, it’s generally easier to have a work schedule that follows your office schedule or that follows your chronotype. Your chronotype influences when you prefer to sleep, wake up, and when you are most alert.

Aligning Your Remote Job Schedule with Your Chronotype

If you have the flexibility to do so, try scheduling your most demanding activities for when you’re most alert. For early birds, that’s before 12pm. Those who prefer to wake with the sun are most productive from 10am-2pm. And night owls tend to be especially productive from 5pm-12am. If you’re not sure what chronotype you are, check out my quiz on chronotypes.

Meetings and less demanding tasks like answering emails are generally best scheduled for the low-points in our days. Many people have an afternoon slump from about 2pm-4pm where energy is lowest. Some studies have found that creativity can be a little bit higher during these tired periods as well.

While we can’t always control our schedules, even in a remote environment, it’s helpful to aim for consistency and to schedule tasks in a way that works for us rather than against us.

Resources for Remote Job Scheduling and Collaboration Tools

If you’re looking for helpful resources to schedule your work day, check out my daily, weekly, and monthly planners that are included as part of my Work From Home Bundle. These help you set short-, medium-, and longer-term goals and block out your time. I personally prefer having a physical planner to schedule out my time.

Alternatively, you can use online resources and software tools for scheduling. Trello is a great option for breaking down projects into tasks, delegating those tasks, setting deadlines, and more. It’s not a resource for blocking out your personal time, but it is great for keeping track of your ongoing projects and to-dos. Asana is a similar tool with great functionality. And Monday lets you synchronize calendars across platforms and team members, delegate and schedule out project tasks, and more.

You can also schedule out time and establish your work hours on your Google, Outlook, or other calendars. This involves a bit of legwork. Plus, if you are not in a management position, you may not have the flexibility to block out time for work projects that could be useful for meetings instead. However, some people find these tools helpful. Plus, Google, Outlook, and other calendars easily translate meeting times across different time zones if team members are in different countries.

How to Limit Distractions While Working a Remote Job

Setting a schedule is your first step, but then you have to use that time effectively. There are lots of distractions in the office environment and at home. One of the biggest is, somewhat ironically, email. Yes, email is a work task, but all those pop-up notifications and dings distract us from work. In fact, studies have shown that if we’re distracted, it takes us over 23 minutes to get back to the level of focus we had before we were distracted. Thus, the more email notifications we have, the less on-task we’re likely to be.

The best way of avoiding this distraction is to close your email app or silence notifications outside of a time each day you set aside for responding to email. If you manage a group, you can create notification rules to silence notifications for all but a select group of people.

Noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs, or instrumental music are also helpful for blocking out noise distractions. Try leaving your phone in the other room as well to limit temptations and the visual and auditory interruptions of your notifications.

Reduce Task Switching

As mentioned above, task switching from a work assignment to email can have a huge negative effect on our focus. Instead, try blocking out time for work activities like emails, problem-solving, data analysis, etc. and try to stick with that activity for that period of time. You can even set a timer so you don’t have to worry about looking at the clock.

Hone Your Focus in Meetings

Finally, many people find it difficult to concentrate in video meetings. The temptation to tune out is especially great if we can turn off our videos. To maintain concentration, try asking yourself what main takeaway you want to get from the meeting and be on the lookout for that throughout.

Taking handwritten notes can also help maintain your concentration and demonstrate your commitment to the meeting and material.

Hacks for Boosting Productivity in Your Remote Job

Build in Strategic, Meaningful Breaks

Research finds that breaks are key to our productivity. Even taking a 5-minute break every hour or two improves our ability to focus and do good work. Even better is a movement break. Researchers have found that walking improves our creativity. Power naps are also super beneficial for our concentration.

A 5-15-minute nap is restorative for 1-3 hours after the nap without harming our sleep later. Aim to take the nap before 3pm ideally.

One of the great parts about working from home is that it’s easier to take these kinds of meaningful breaks that actually improve our productivity.

Try scheduling your breaks strategically. Over the course of a couple of days, notice when your energy tends to rise and decline. Plan breaks for yourself during these times. A 10 minute walk or nap is even enough to make a difference.

You can also use these breaks as rewards for concentrating on a task for a certain amount of time. When I run marathons, I sometimes let myself walk for a song if I can get through running for two songs. Often, I find I can end up running longer than two songs. Breaks can be used as a similar motivation to keep you focusing continuously.

Set the Stage for Your Remote Job

If you have the space to do so, create a separate home office work area that is conducive to your workflow. For example, if you can’t concentrate with mess, make your last task of the day tidying up your work space. Keep the office door closed when you are not working so it truly feels separate. Some people also find working in a coworking space or even a coffee shop helpful for maintaining productivity. Having a separation between home and work can provide a signal that it’s time to stay on task.

You may also find it helpful to “dress for success.” Wearing nice office clothes makes many people feel more productive. Plus, it can help you look more professional and productive to wear at least a nice work top during meetings.

Not going to lie, I don’t have the space for an office and I refuse to give up my pajama pants. But again, many people find following these practices useful.

Making the Most of Meetings in Your Remote Job

One of the downsides of virtual teams is that you likely have less face time with your team leaders and colleagues. This can mean you may miss out on opportunities to get to know your colleagues as friends or highlight your professionalism and skills to your manager.

As such, make the most of meetings. When my current position was entirely remote, my colleague and I set up weekly Zoom check-ins to catch up on what we were working on and each other’s lives. It helped us become friends and allies before we went back to the office.

Likewise, try to set up regular meetings with your manager, both about work tasks and, less frequently but still consistently, career advancement. Use these meetings to highlight the work you are doing, especially any work you may be taking on that goes above and beyond their requests.

And if you are looking for a promotion, volunteer yourself for remote leadership and team-building activities, whether it’s running a committee, organizing an event, or presenting at a conference. Volunteering for these sorts of activities shows that you have initiative, are a team player, and care about your work, even if you’re not in an office.

Also, save any emails or messages where your work is praised and keep a running list of work accomplishments. Bring these to your boss every quarter or six months to discuss your progress and set goals for your trajectory. You want to make sure your work is very visible, even if you are not.

I have included a document I use to fill in my own work accomplishments and position myself for promotions. You can download the document and use it to track your own progress.

Other Work from Home Resources

If you’re looking for more work-from-home resources, I recommend checking out my work-from-home bundle. In the bundle, I include daily, weekly, and monthly planners to help you make the most of remote opportunities. I also include a work supply checklist you can use to keep track of supplies that need restocking. Or, if your employer covers your work supplies, supplies you can ask for. And there are sheets to keep track of passwords and account information, email templates to let your boss know you need to work from home, and the promotion assessment worksheet.

You can download these resources in PDF format and print them at home or your local library or print shop.

Final Thoughts

Working at home can be incredibly rewarding. I especially love the flexible work model for balancing remote and in-person work and obligations. I love how much more efficient I am when I work from home. Plus, I save tons of time commuting. And it’s wonderful to spend a work break going for a short walk or taking a nap rather than escaping to a bathroom stall.

Flourishing in your career is such a key part of adulting. With just a little organization and habit building, it’s easy to maximize the positive side of WFH and minimize the negative sides. Namely, less facetime with colleagues and managers and the temptations of home life.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found useful resources for making work from home more successful for you. If you enjoyed this post, please consider liking, subscribing, or sharing with others. It’s always a huge help! And again, if you are looking for resources on working from home, check out my Work From Home Bundle on Etsy.

Finally, if you would like related content, check out my posts on asking for a promotion, side hustle ideas, writing a great resume, and giving a good presentation.