{"id":42611,"date":"2020-07-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/time-management-techniques-for-remote-work\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T04:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T11:14:58","slug":"time-management-techniques-for-remote-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/time-management-techniques-for-remote-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Time management techniques and tools for remote employees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone has different abilities, aptitudes, and inclinations, but we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Benjamin Franklin went so far as to say that one should forego sleep, for one could always sleep when they were dead.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not healthy (or necessary) if you have great time management skills.<\/p>\n

24 hours. The finiteness of that number can be deceiving because based on what you\u2019re doing, an hour can either go by in a flash or last forever.<\/p>\n

You might have experienced it before: some days you wake up at 7 a.m., and before you know it, it\u2019s time to make dinner. Other times, you\u2019re exhausted by 2 p.m. and can\u2019t wait for bedtime.<\/p>\n

You could have \u201cedit report\u201d scheduled at 3 p.m. but find yourself nodding off to a lasagna-induced stupor post-lunch. Or, maybe you just don\u2019t have the bandwidth to do a 1:1 mentoring session right after you\u2019ve had a hell of a time finishing a week\u2019s worth of laundry.<\/p>\n

Time management sounds a lot like you\u2019re managing minutes and hours, but if you think about it, though, it works only if you also manage your mood and your priorities.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll cover:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Why time management is particularly important for remote employees<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. How to approach managing time as a remote employee (Hint: it\u2019s different when you\u2019re in an office)<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Tools you need to be a time-management ninja<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. 3 steps to better time management (with bonus tips)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n

    Why time management is particularly important for remote employees<\/h2>\n

    Working remotely is great. When done right, it offers tremendous flexibility and unmatched levels of work-life balance<\/a>. To benefit from these extra hours and wonderful advantages of working from home though, you need to possess several essential skills<\/a>\u2014chief of which is time management.<\/p>\n

    On average, workers gain about an hour <\/i>daily that would otherwise go into long and tiring commutes.1<\/sup> This would be a great opportunity to channel that time and energy towards a hobby, cooking healthy meals, or simply spending time with friends and family. That\u2019d be nice, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

    But without good time management strategies<\/a>, it\u2019s more likely that you\u2019ll find yourself in an anxious mess: completing a heavily overdue assignment halfway through your child\u2019s birthday party or burning your dinner because you left the stove on while taking a virtual meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The cost of poor time management can be a lot more than just missed deadlines. Research shows that remote workers are more prone to overwork and, subsequently, burnout.2<\/sup> The good news is, this can be mitigated with good time management.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    \n    <\/a><\/p>\n

    How to approach managing time as a remote employee (Hint: it\u2019s different when you\u2019re in an office)<\/h2>\n

    For most in-office employees, between 9 and 5 every day, your priorities swirl around eight solid work hours, falling into place with a little help from micromanaging managers, meetings, and the exposure of an open office.<\/p>\n

    While working remotely, though, you\u2019re responsible for holding yourself (and sometimes a team) accountable<\/a> and setting up a structure or routine that helps you get things done effectively and on time. Pretty important if you don\u2019t want your work to spill into family time and if you want to have time to take a proper lunch break (no lunch at your desk).<\/p>\n

    But even the most organized<\/a> remote workers can find themselves drained at the end of a day of juggling home and work.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s why the goal isn\u2019t just to get everything done according to schedule, checking one thing off after another. It\u2019s to have a nice, easy rhythm to work so that you don\u2019t feel drained at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

    Lucky for you, as a remote employee (hopefully with a truly flexible WFH policy)<\/a>, you can set up your timetable any way you want!
    \n    <\/a><\/p>\n

    Tools you need to be a time-management ninja<\/h2>\n

    Fortunately, to be a good time-manager, you won\u2019t need too much by way of tools. As it is, constantly having to switch between different apps is a big drain on your time. So, keep your arsenal of remote working tools <\/a>compact.<\/a> Here\u2019s a quick 5-item list of time-management tools that can help, ranging from the must-haves to the nice-to-haves.<\/p>\n

    Or if you don’t feel like reading, here’s a clip from our Remote Work Masterclass on how to build your remote work starter kit:<\/p>\n