{"id":120285,"date":"2020-03-13T16:08:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T22:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=120285"},"modified":"2020-04-21T15:59:47","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T21:59:47","slug":"tips-and-tricks-for-working-remotely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=120285","title":{"rendered":"Tips and tricks for working remotely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Photo credit: Andrew Neel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the world navigates challenges presented by the spread of COVID-19, many faculty and staff members will begin working remotely on March 16 to help prevent the spread of the virus. Whether you\u2019re new to remote work or a work-from-home veteran, here\u2019s how you can stay productive, keep connected with your team and avoid going stir-crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stick to a routine <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy for work hours to blur together when you\u2019re at\nhome. But if you don\u2019t set boundaries, you could end up working 24 hours a day.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establish a time to start and end your work every day. Block\ntime on your calendar for a scheduled lunch break, during which time you will\nbe unavailable for calls and email. And make a point to get dressed in the\nmorning \u2013 even if it\u2019s something comfortable. Routine and structure signal to\nyour brain that it\u2019s either time to work, or time to relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set up your space<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Create a dedicated working space that separates your work\nfrom your personal life. It should be comfortable, but not a place you go specifically\nto relax \u2013 so avoid your bed or the couch. Instead, make your space a corner of\nthe living room, the kitchen table or a seat at the counter. If you will be participating\nin video conferencing, pick a spot with good light and access to a power\noutlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider the ergonomics of your space to maintain healthy\nposture as you work. Your computer monitor should be about an arm\u2019s length away\nfrom your eyes. When typing, your hands should be at or below elbow-level, with\nyour wrists straight. Your knees should be about level with your hips when\nsitting, and your feet should rest flat on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make deadlines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stay focused on your work priorities by checking in\nregularly with your supervisor and team. Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool available\nto all UCCS faculty, staff and students. It offers instant messaging, video conferencing,\naudio calls and file sharing to help you stay in touch. Planner can help you to\ncreate task lists, and SharePoint can allow your team to work together towards\ndeadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have an accountability buddy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just like a workout buddy, an accountability can help you\nstay on track. Agree to check in on each other\u2019s\u2019 progress and priorities.\nThen, establish a time to check in with your accountability buddy, whether it\u2019s\nat the beginning and end of the workday or somewhere in the middle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask your accountability buddy about progress on their prioritized\ntasks and update them on your own progress. Then, commit to a new set of goals\nto accomplish before your next check-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take scheduled breaks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s five minutes at the top of the hour or 15 minutes every three hours, breaks are necessary \u2013 and good for you! Taking a break can help you to be more productive over the long-term and can even boost creativity. Breaks can also help your brain to reset, reducing \u201cdecision fatigue\u201d and helping you to make the right choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before a break, alert your team that you will be away from your desk, and let them know when you return. During a break, step away from your computer to rest your eyes and change your posture. On that note\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Move your body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Walk the dog, stretch, dance or do a few yoga poses. Moving your body gives your brain time to decompress and can help reduce the negative health effects caused by too much sitting. Make a point to say hello to your neighbors and spend time outside, too. Both can help you to keep your spirits up and stay connected to your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have more questions about working remotely? Visit the Office of Information Technology’s remote working resource page<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many faculty and staff members will begin working remotely on March 16. Whether you\u2019re new to remote work or a work-from-home veteran, here\u2019s how you can stay productive and keep connected to your team. (More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":120288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,49],"tags":[331,292],"class_list":["post-120285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-campus-announcements","tag-campus-announcements","tag-marketing-and-communications"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/andrew-neel-cckf4TsHAuw-unsplash-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-vi5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120285"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121939,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120285\/revisions\/121939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/120288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}