While the 9-5 workday, 40-hour week is still common in most companies, the structural shift to the work week continues. More and more employers are warming up to the hybrid and remote work model.
In fact, according to a survey of 12,000 job seekers by McKinsey, the consulting firm, “flexible work” was the third most popular reason for looking for a new job. The top reason was greater pay or hours followed by better career opportunities.
Without a doubt, remote work has been effective since its widespread adoption a few years back. And thanks to platforms that enable it, the shift was more streamlined.
But the transition hasn’t been easy and it’s quite natural to feel overwhelmed when working remotely, especially, for the first time. As much as we all enjoy the benefits of working from home, it still takes time to get used to the new setting. Self-discipline plays a major role in tracking your working hours, but is there a way to make life easier?
Ask and you shall receive! Our time-tracking app will take the managing of tasks off your shoulders with its Smart Alerts. With Traqq you are protected from missing billable and unrecorded hours.
Before we show you how time tracking can make remote work less stressful, let’s first discuss the impact of remote work on our lives.
Difficulties and benefits of remote work
To say the ride has been bumpy is putting it lightly. While the benefits of working from anywhere are evident, remote workers face many challenges. Here are some of the top pros and cons of working remotely:
Pros:
Increased productivity
With remote work, staff lateness is a thing of the past. There are fewer one-to-one distractions from coworkers, reduced work stress and peer pressure, and lengthy in-person meetings. Workers find more solace working from the comforts of their homes or coworking spaces and high levels of concentration due to fewer chit-chats from coworkers.
Better work-life balance
In today’s busy world, the line between work and home life is blurred. Working 8+ hours a day and then commuting leaves no time to spend with family. However, when working from home, employees save time and money they could’ve spent commuting, are better rested, and get to spend more time with their families.
Better inspiration
A change of scenery does wonders for the mind and can be a great source of inspiration. Working from home can get lonely sometimes, but there are opportunities to connect with like-minded people and create new connections through workshops, seminars, or events.
More flexibility with work schedule
Not only can remote workers work from anywhere, but they can also set work schedules that fit their lifestyle. One can tend to personal matters without compromising on work hours.
Got a doctor’s appointment, a social function, or your kid’s soccer game to attend? You don’t need to request time off.
You can start work earlier or burn the midnight oil, so you can create time to fulfill your personal endeavors. Moreover, you can work from a new city every few days!
Cons:
Difficulty staying motivated
Self-discipline is essential when working from home. With no direct supervision, it can be difficult to stay motivated and meet your targets, especially if you’re the type who gets easily distracted by social media and other things unrelated to work.
Isolation and loneliness
Remote work takes away direct social interaction with coworkers. If you’re an extrovert, it can be overwhelming to work in isolation. To counter this, try finding coworking spaces or buddies to interact with. Even for introverts, working alone can sometimes feel lonely, and they, too, need their moment to socialize.
Loneliness is a huge challenge for remote workers and can lead them to feel less engaged and less motivated, leading to a drop in productivity. That’s why many companies are organizing virtual social events to talk about non-work stuff.
Communication gaps
With no face-to-face interactions with team members over coffee breaks or lunches, it becomes difficult to maintain meaningful connections. Luckily, these communication gaps can be filled with tools like Teams, Skype, and Slack, where team members can chat about anything.
Difficulty unplugging after work
One of the greatest challenges of remote work is unplugging from work, which can lead to overworking. With the office just a few steps from your bed, it can be hard to separate work from personal life.
If you have difficulty detaching from work, try to devise end-of-workday rituals like exercising, clearing your desk, walking the dog, or playing with your kids. Find something that works for you and do it consistently.
Health issues due to a sedentary lifestyle
Working from home can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle and other bad habits like ‘fog eating’. Over time, this can affect your physical and mental health. Try to overcome these bad habits by getting outside and going for a walk every day, exercising (like biking or running), and eating consciously (and away from the office).
Management challenges
Unlike working in the office where most things are managed for you, working remotely means you take care of everything. From managing your time, projects, internet connections, and your workstation, it’s all on you. Without proper management and organization, it can be challenging to stay productive.
Time management can be particularly tricky when working remotely. You’ll need to create your own work schedule to manage time properly to accomplish tasks on time. Even with an excellent schedule, you’ll need self-discipline and a good time-tracking system to keep track of time spent working.
If you haven’t found the best time-tracking tool yet, don’t fret. Traqq offers the solution to your time management woes.
Easy and Accurate Time Tracking
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Traqq’s Smart Notifications – smart way to track working hours
No one likes too much buzz. Traqq has determined the essential notifications that are solely focused on your productivity.
Get an alert when you forgot to turn our employee time tracking software on. That way you will not miss a minute from your billable hours.
Get an alert when you forget to turn Traqq on
We keep it fair, so you will be notified if you’ve been idle and Traqq detected no activity on your device. In no action will follow, Traqq will automatically turn the time tracker off, to avoid overtime.
Traqq will notify you if you’ve been idle
Following the same rules of fair game, Traqq is notifying you about taking a screenshot of your current activity. You can also check all your screenshots in your dashboard.
Traqq is notifying you about taking a screenshot
And last but not least, our smart time tracking app will remind you that you’ve worked another 60 minutes with its hourly notification. It’s an overtime tracker, in a way.
Traqq reminds you not to overwork
Well, if you find the notifications whenever a screenshot or screen recording is captured distracting, you can mute the sound or the notifications, or both from the settings – as always, you control your time.
Mute any of the notifications in Traqq
Traqq is a time tracking app made for remote workers by remote workers. We take it personally. Check out our security compliance or sign up for our free beta today!
