Entrepreneurs: 9 tips for organising your teleworking effectively
Teleworking: a dream for many employees, a nightmare for others, a major challenge for many companies in a context of confinement and post-confinement.
Teleworking is also a challenge for many entrepreneurs who want to regain a balance in their lives but also improve their performance in terms of time management.
The facts are simple: the repercussions of the COVID-19 health crisis are not just economic. Numerous scientific studies into the repercussions of the pandemic on entrepreneurs have highlighted stress management, psychological overload and isolation as the main risks of burnout associated with the current situation, as perceived by over 60% of entrepreneurs.
These problems are compounded by a deterioration in the quality of their sleep and a loss of meaning.
What is teleworking?
According to article L1222-9 to 11 of the French Labour Code,
" Teleworking refers to any form of work organisation in which work that could also have been carried out on the employer's premises is carried out by an employee away from these premises on a voluntary basis, using information and communication technologies. "
The Labour Code also states that:
" In the event of exceptional circumstances, in particular the threat of an epidemic, or in the event of force majeure, the implementation of telework may be considered as an adaptation of the workstation. rée comme un aménagement du poste de travail rendu nécessaire pour permettre la continuité de l'activité de l'entreprise et garantir la protection des salariés."
Teleworking therefore means organising the working day at home, or in any other place than the employer's premises.
However, one conclusion can be drawn very quickly: staying concentrated while working at home is not always easy for a number of reasons:
- the presence of children
- difficulty in getting organised at home
- lack of space
- or the need to reconcile different activities in your professional, family or personal life!
So in this article, I'm going to set out some best practice in 9 tips for entrepreneurs on how to organise teleworking effectively.
Step 1: create a working environment that is essential for effective teleworking
Tip 1 - Develop an efficient and effective mindset
As I wrote in my book "Comment développer une intelligence prodigieuse" (How to develop prodigious intelligence) published by BookBoon Editions:
"Attention is the ability to fix the mind on a specific object, but also to pay attention to it.
Etymologically, attention comes from 'to wait', in the sense of being patient. It is therefore also a capacity that enables us to wait for a future result.
Lack of attention can have harmful consequences in life or at school (or in business)".
I also advise you to be in harmony with your Ikigai.
To develop effective and efficient attention, certain conditions must be met:
Tip 2 - Get dressed and stick to your normal routine
Get dressed and keep to the normal rhythm of your day, even if it's tempting to keep your pyjamas on. Working in casual clothes reduces attention and concentration, because the subconscious is in "Relax" mode.
If possible, have a dedicated workspace. If you're going to work effectively, especially if you're at home, it's important to have a space that's conducive to concentration. To be efficient, the human brain needs to focus, i.e. to do just one thing at a time.
Studies by the University of Utah have shown unequivocally that the human brain does not multitask. The results of these studies could not be clearer:
In the various experiments, participants who considered themselves to be excellent at multitasking were at least 40% less effective than others, and their stress levels increased considerably!
The truth: multitasking is a myth! People who consider themselves to be great multitaskers tend to be impulsive, thrill-seekers and over-confident in their ability to juggle several tasks at once to get good results!
Tip 3 - Set yourself working hours
Set yourself working hours for your remote working day, as if you were actually in the office. This frees you from the constraints of travelling between your home and your office. This means you can manage your time more flexibly, but since nature abhors a vacuum, you run the risk of becoming restless.
Restlessness is a passive defence system that consists of filling your schedule with lots of things that have nothing to do with the work you have to do and your (in this case professional) objectives. It's a good way of self-sabotaging and limiting your productivity.
When managing your working hours, also remember to plan breaks. Regularly taking a few minutes to get some fresh air, go for a walk in the fresh air or simply relax by taking a step back will help you to be more productive.
Step 2: organise your work and your professional activities
Tip 4 - Use to-do lists and tools
Use to-do lists and tools to manage your professional projects over time.
You're probably familiar with the metaphor of large stones. This allegory is often used in time management training courses. It teaches us that we need to prioritise the most important tasks and those that add the most value to our work, otherwise there will be no room for them afterwards.
Tip 5 - Keep your diary up to date
Remember to keep your diary up to date too! Get into the habit of noting down break times, travel times based on distances to be covered, and spaces for dealing with unforeseen events or emergencies. I work with a lot of clients who only use their diary to note down important meetings or client appointments. That's a big mistake, because we spend at least 25% of our time dealing with things that aren't planned. And you can plan for that in your diary!
Tip 6 - Keep in touch with your colleagues
Keep in touch with your colleagues and remember to check in with your teams regularly. Human beings are social animals. We need contact and social relationships. This is probably one of the most important aspects of teleworking.
Tip 7 - Think training
Think training. Working alone at home and working with others in the office are very different things. You'll probably need to acquire new skills or soft skills to adapt. Adopting the continuous professional training reflex is a good way of staying in the race, even when you're the boss!
Tip 8 - Get organised with your family too
Get organised with your family too! Working from home, with your spouse and children at home, requires organisation and often negotiation. Everyone needs to have their own space during the day, to make it easier to live together, especially if your partner also teleworks. Remember to plan meals, breaks, telephone calls and teleconferences so that everyone can enjoy peace and quiet and maximum concentration during their working time.
Tip 9 - Disconnect
The right to disconnect is not just for employees! If you're an entrepreneur, think about taking time out to do some sport, enjoy your favourite hobby, meet up with friends or simply relax in nature.
Article translated from French