Awesome until it’s not: Five great habits for remote workers in 2016

Working remotely can be a dream: the flexibility, the recaptured commute time, the independence, and the trust. But what if working in isolation turns out more like a nightmare that increases your social anxiety, takes a toll on your physical health, and reduces the quality of your professional relationships? These can be serious issues—but fortunately, they have remedies. Here are five easy habits you can adopt to make sure your rad remote work life supports you now and in the future:

1. Leave the house for lunch at least once a week, and eat with someone in your professional network: a friend in the same industry, someone you met recently at an event, someone you’ve connected with online, someone who teaches in your field at a local university or college, or even a former colleague. Make sure you offer as much to these conversations as you take away. For tips and motivation, check out Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time. Habit time: 2 hours/week.
2. Take a short walk every single day. This is a must-do whether you work in an office or at home. But if you’re home, you’re less likely to have to walk to meeting rooms (or even much farther than the kitchen). Walking can be a meditative break, a moment to reflect on your work, to generate ideas, or to clear your head and think only of the weather. Getting your body moving will benefit you in the short term with a change of pace, and in the long term by reducing your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Habit time: 15 min/day.
   
3. Be visible. You may work remotely, but it is likely that you communicate via email, phone, Skype, IM, or another online system with your manager, your colleagues, or even your direct reports if you’re a manager. Truly “show up” for these interactions by keeping your profile image current and by using your webcam anytime the platform allows. Connecting with people by video is not the same as in person—but it is massively better than just using the phone (which is better than just email), and it will allow you to build trust and rapport with remote colleagues more quickly. You’ll also have to get out of your pajamas, which helps draw a thin line between work and rest. Make sure to post and comment on work social platforms, too (Jive, Yammer, Jostle, Zyncro, Mumba Cloud, etc.). Habit time: 30 min/week.
4. Create a work oasis. Your work space has the potential to be supportive or distracting. Take advantage of the control you have over your space by setting it at the ideal temperature, with great lighting and no distracting sounds (TV, radio, etc.). Also make sure your chair, keyboard, mouse, and screen are ergonomically appropriate for your needs. Then, once a month, reassess your environment and continue to look out for your own productivity and health. That way your home office will not impact you negatively during the day or in the long term. Habit time: 1 hour/mo.
5. Attend at least one professional networking happy hour, lunch, or meetup every month. I know this is a hard one, but those who plan to have a successful future will make this investment in themselves. Commit to meeting with people in your industry, learning from others, building new professional connections, and keeping your social skills on point. You may get an opportunity to share knowledge, meet a potential mentor, or find your next client. Check out this Forbes piece, “7 Reasons Networking Can Be a Professional Development Boot Camp,” for inspiration. Habit time: 3 hours/mo.

Yes, yes, yes—as you can see, these habits add up to about 20 hours per month, or just under an hour for each workday. That may sound high, but you don’t have to start all at once. Anyone trying to do something new should consider the time investment and be realistic about when and where that time will come from. Pick the top one or two habits that feel like a priority for you and start there.

So where will those hours come from? I recommend reducing the time you spend on LinkedIn (kidding!). But if you don’t have any obvious windows, you’ll have to decide what isn’t giving you the return you seek for your career and your health, then slowly make adjustments. Each of these habits is worth the investment in the long term. I'm sure you have some ideas too! Post below or let's chat on twitter: @AnikaMarketer.

Take care of yourself, remote friends! May health and happiness be easy to find in 2016.