Reading Note: Some tips, if not all, mentioned in this article are not limited to iOS engineers. Whatever your field is, they might be useful for you as long as it's remote.
Remote jobs can be challenging. Also, as the first work, you may encounter obstacles.
It's not too long since I started my first remote job as an iOS engineer. It's been since 2021. Since then, I have tried many strategies to keep as concentrated and motivated as possible.
In this article, I will be sharing and mentioning them, hoping to help you in your current job or future ones. I highly recommended to follow and using them respectively.
Start the day with exercise
Whether doing outdoor running, yoga, or even some meditation exercise, it helps you to have a calm mind for the upcoming hours. Also, it's obviously for your mental health, which I care about very much.
I usually go with meditation exercises since I'm a bit lazy.
Clearing out your desk
Clearing your workplace desk at home before starting work can motivate you and help you concentrate. I have experienced it. Most of the time, I feel great when I commit to it before beginning work.
Organise your desktop contents
This one might surprise you, but I experienced that having so much content on my laptop's desktop can make me feel overwhelmed, especially in the morning. I also recommend having only the necessary windows opened on your laptop.
Filter your devices' notifications
To be productive, you have to keep concentrating on your tasks. But if you constantly receive unnecessary notifications on your smart devices, especially on your phone, you will not only be distracted but also may experience laziness. I don't recommend silencing them all, because you may receive important emails or messages from work. But instead, filter them.
Since releasing iOS 15, I use Focus's feature on my iPhone, which is a new feature for filtering notifications depending on your needs. I have automated a session on it to automatically be turned on in the morning until the evening with some filtration to only receive notifications from the apps I use for work.
Stick with your workplace
Keeping coding at a specific place can help you avoid distractions. It's great if you can stay in your workplace as much as possible.
Follow a focus session
It's the best tip you can get from me. My daily basis strategy is I code for 25 minutes, and I have a 5-minute long rest time as a reward afterwards. This strategy can stabilise your mental health and help you be less overwhelmed. I use it mandatorily. So should you.
I have a dedicated app on my mac which makes me do it easier. If you wonder, It's called Bluebird. You can have a simple timer instead. But I suggest having a similar app I have mentioned.
Single-tasking
You may think simultaneously doing your tasks can help you finish them quicker than doing them one by one. But according to researchers and my personal experience, you're quite wrong. It's not just helping you to concentrate but also stabilising your mental health.
Short-term exercises
Whenever I feel overloaded, bored or have an issue I find hard to solve, I try to have a short walk that takes no longer than 2 hours. Then, I can get back with a refreshed mind and have them resolved. I suggest dedicating some time to it when you encounter issues or feel bored while working.
If you don't like or can't do it, you can at least spend time with your hobbies.
Listen to relaxing music
If you're someone like me who likes and used to listen to something while using your laptop for work, I highly recommend listening to relaxing music. Whether it's piano or nature-sounded and avoid songs as much as possible. It keeps your mind calm.
Conclusion
Exercising in the morning, clearing out the workspace desk, organising desktop content, creating focus sessions, and filtering unnecessary notifications can help you concentrate better. While single-tasking, short-term exercising, keep doing work in one place and listening to relaxing music can stabilise your mental health and keep your mind calm.
That's all! I hope they can help you motivated and focused while you're stuck at home.
If you have any tips in mind, suggest them in the comment.
Stay healthy and productive, folks! 🙌🏻
