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Since 2013, MB&A\u2019s now 40-person team has worked almost entirely remotely. Sure, we have offices, but they\u2019re dedicated to small groups and are used, primarily, for collaborative projects. Over the past eight years we\u2019ve mastered strategies and learned techniques that have enabled us to work effectively across regions and time zones, create a shared culture, and build strong relationships, some of which I\u2019ve shared in this blog: <\/p>\n
Today, I\u2019m going to focus on what it takes to succeed within a remote work force. Beyond corporate management strategies and technical support, what is most critical to organizational success is each team member\u2019s work habits. Generally speaking, these habits can be grouped into three categories:<\/p>\n
Although you\u2019re already familiar with these concepts, the challenge is acting on them until they become habitual. The goal of this post is to help you to get more <\/em>work done, get the right<\/em> things done, avoid distractions, and ensure that the right <\/em>folks understand what you bring to the team. It\u2019s worth underlining the last point: in a remote work force, highlighting your contributions is key to helping your coworkers (and manager) to understand what you do for the organization.<\/p>\n Full disclaimer: I\u2019ve never been great at remembering things, but I come by this naturally. My dad was a farmer, and \u2013 whether he was wearing coveralls, overalls, or a collared shirt \u2013he always kept a small notepad in his shirt pocket. Whenever he had to remember something for more than 5 minutes, it was documented.<\/p>\n Taking a modern twist on my dad\u2019s methods, I use Apple\u2019s Reminder app to keep track of tasks, timelines, and progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are a few of the tools I\u2019ve used over the past 10 years to give you a clear idea of my methods, strategies, and approaches that I\u2019ve used to be more keep track of tasking and be a little more productive every day:<\/p>\n This is what I use today. Beyond its list management capabilities, I remain loyal to this app for Siri. By simply raising my Apple Watch, I can set reminders, drop in a date and time, and have the peace of mind that it\u2019s been covered. <\/p>\n More than a journal, this is an entire philosophical approach in notebook form. For two years, I used this guided method to deconstruct my annual goals into quarters, months, weeks and days. This allowed me to focus on achieving three priority items and creating feedback loops each day. Despite the fact that I ended up moving to a different technology, I still use these methods.<\/p>\n Initially, when I became serious about making lists, I would document all of my action items and reminders in the same notebooks I used for my meetings. I\u2019d designate a page as \u201cmy list\u201d, drop a Post-it Note onto the current page, and then use the list until the page was full. It was a simple but highly effective method, because it enabled me to see everything at a glance. <\/p>\n When I started making lists, one of the first things I noticed was how much being organized, honoring my commitments, and keeping on top of my work reduced my anxiety. Now, even when my list grows \u2013 as it inevitably does \u2013 I take comfort in knowing that I haven\u2019t lost track of anything.<\/p>\n From this foundation, the next steps are to prioritize activities and track progress.<\/p>\n At MB&A, we use an internal software to view status updates, milestones, and manage projects (to learn more about ExAM Tracker, click here<\/a>). Essentially, I convert my reminders into work items and then delegate tasks and monitor activities through a shared project\/task management system. These work items get prioritized during our sprints, and, as the CEO, I refer to the status my updates to keep everyone on our daily calls informed about how my efforts align with the broader team\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n Because we work collaboratively, when people add to my list, the items go into a queue that becomes backlogged until I can work with my managers to ensure they\u2019re ranked in terms of priority. In the end, I\u2019m left with a high-level overview of everything I need to accomplish. <\/p>\n Of course, keeping a running list of everything you need to do and tracking the moving pieces is only one part of the equation. The bigger, and I would argue more challenging aspect, is getting things done<\/em>, especially in this age of digital distraction.<\/p>\n Below are a few of the techniques I use to ensure my team\u2019s work flow aligns with our overarching priorities, needs, and core values:<\/p>\n On any given day, I receive a lot of emails, calls, and messages. To keep myself organized and moving forward as I add to my list, I use the Pomodoro Method \u2013 where I dedicate 25 (uninterrupted) minutes to each task. The mere act of closing my email, silencing texts, and setting my online status to \u201cbusy\u201d enables me to cut out everything other than house is on fire<\/em> type emergencies. While there are a ton of apps that can be used for this, I\u2019ve settled on simply asking Siri to set a timer for 25 minutes. <\/p>\nMaking checklists, reminders, and prioritizing tasks<\/h2>\n
Apple Reminders<\/a><\/h3>\n
Best Self Journals<\/a><\/h3>\n
Art Notebooks<\/a><\/h3>\n
From Personal Lists to Prioritization <\/h3>\n
Productivity and self-management<\/h2>\n
Pomodoro Method<\/a><\/h3>\n
Keystone Habit<\/a><\/h3>\n