The permanent remote staff of Senior Marketing Specialists recently formed a remote task force where they get together and communicate regularly on challenges with which they are uniquely faced by not being in the office daily. With most of America (and the world) transitioning this week to remote working, our permanent remote team wanted to give you their top tips on staying productive and healthy while working remotely! We have your back and we will get through this together!

Check out what each of your remote Senior Marketing Specialists team members say keeps them productive and healthy!

Erin Stage’s (First Impressions Specialist) tips on working remote.

• Make sure you have a notebook or a way to write down your daily tasks to stay productive.
• Establish and stick with your morning routine like you are going into the office, this is important to remain energized and productive.
• Communication is key when remote, reach out to co-workers and your supervisor.
• Minimize as much distraction as you can in order to stay productive- this can include having your house cleaned up around you. A sink full of dishes can be very distracting
• Keep active, get fresh air.
• Keep the mentality of still being in the office and use company time properly. ​

Matt Bietsch’s (Senior Support Specialist) tips on remote working and working with kids in the home.

• Have a designated area to work from – free from distraction
• Make sure to charge all of your devices each evening! – you don’t realize how many you use and need to work all day!
• Glip (RingCentral Chat) is a quick and easy way to keep connected with other team members (better than long phone calls that make you hard to get a hold of)– just don’t overuse it to the point of not being productive
• Get up and move around!
• Try to develop some sort of schedule for your kids.  You don’t want them sitting in front of the TV for 8 hours a day.  Set specific times for shows/reading/games/naps/outside time (weather permitting).
• Have specific times that you plan on checking in on the kids – have to make sure they aren’t burning down the house!
• Have designated play areas that can separate you from the noise of playing children.

Allison Mulholland’s (Operations Specialist) tips on staying active and healthy.

• Set a schedule to keep yourself on track: make sure you have your hours of operation in place. Just because you are remote you still have to “show up” on time
• Minimize distractions
• Have your workplace
• Make sure you take breaks and get up and move
• Step outside and get some fresh air
• Sometimes you still need to get up and get ready! We all think sitting in our pajamas may be easier but still get up and stick with your same routine you originally had. It will help you stay in the same mindset as being at work. You will be more productive.

Will Pierce (Support Specialist / Accounts Manger) on working with pets in your home.

Those of us here at SMS who have pets might get to experience the difficulties of working from home with them.. I can’t count the times I’ve had a cat attempt to walk across my keyboard, one jumped onto the desk and almost into my coffee cup (full of coffee) in the middle of a phone call with an agent, dogs coming over and trying to demand attention while on a phone call or in a meeting. On the rare occasion, the agents notice they’re always in good spirits about it and it opens the door for a more personable connection with them as most of our agents have/had pets at some point in their lives.

Brittany Wibbenmeyer’s (Director of Key Partnerships) tips for keeping pets occupied so you can work.

• Will and I both I just try to keep ours occupied with toys so they don’t distract me, and keep things that make noise out of their reach!
• Lock them out of the area you are working in.
• If they are used to being in a kennel while you are at work, then you do not need to change their routine drastically or suddenly into being out all day with you. It will only make getting back into their routine harder when you go back to the office.
• If you are going to be stuck inside with them try getting walks in over lunch or before work so that your dogs will be more tried and willing to lay quietly at your feet. And you will get out and about… Win win!

Andrea Kiser (Executive Assistant) on staying active and healthy while working remotely.

Working from home can make getting any sort of exercise hard. Sometimes even getting out of your seat can be a challenge. Luckily there are some exercises you can do around your desk to make sure you keep your body moving! Here are some basic body weight exercises that can increase your blood flow and help lower your risk for heart disease!

• Squats – these are great for your entire body as it incorporates your core and legs! You can use your chair as the low point and stand up. Do these 10x and you will be feeling it!
• Lunges – These can either be done in place or you can go down the hallway and back. Try and do 10 on each leg! Push Ups – This is another great exercise. You can either use the wall, your desk or make it really challenging and do them on the floor!
• If you are not up to doing exercises just simply get out of your seat! Even stretching can help benefit your health!
• Here is the link with some additional exercises you can do at your desk!  https://draxe.com/fitness/exercise-to-do-at-your-desk/

Finally, here are some resources for you to check out!

• Brand new to remote work? Try these 5 habits for a perfect day.
• Need to spruce up your space? Here are 13 home office upgrades we suggest.
• Kids at home too? Check out our Parent’s Survival Guide to Remote Work.
• Battling distractions all day? Discover the secret ingredient to remote team productivity.
• First time leading a remote team? Our #1 suggestion is to default to trust, not tracking.

Please reach out to us if you have questions! We are just a video chat or a phone call away.