8 Ways For Extroverts To Make The Most Out of Remote Work
As an extrovert, the isolation of remote work can be frustrating. But you can change things around by following a few steps to thrive as an extrovert remote worker, writes Vartika Kashyap, CMO, ProofHub.
As you read these lines, it’s highly likely that you are living in a part of the world that is witnessing a complete (literally) lockdown due to the deadly pandemic of COVID-19. Also, you likely belong to an ever-increasing community of remote workers who are trying hard to stay productive in their new role.
Now, for those of you who are introverts or ambiverts, I am pretty sure that you are not much uncomfortable with the idea of working alone and social distancing because you’ve conditioned your minds to embrace solitude sooner or later in their lives. So, the transition to remote work does not send you in panic, that’s for sure.
But what if I told you that I’m an extrovert woman who recharges her batteries via social interaction? How will I and a large number of at-home extroverts be able to cope up with the lack of communication and loneliness? The fact is that for extroverts, the challenges of remote work manifold as compared to introverts and ambiverts.
Challenges Faced By Extrovert Professionals During Remote Work
- Lack of social interaction
- Lack of face to face engagement with coworkers
- Loneliness
- Loss of zeal to perform
- Loss of productivity
- Might feel left out of the team
Even though these extroverts find remote working more taxing as compared to their introverted counterparts, the fact is that the former can be awesome remote workers too. After all, their strong effective communication skills can bail them out of this tricky situation and help them to be effective remote workers with or without a physical office space.
So, before we move on to discuss ways to thrive as an extrovert remote worker, let’s quickly have a look at some of the key traits of people who fall into this category. You can also give this test to find out if you’re an extrovert or not.
- Gain energy by interacting with other people
- Experience motivation and positive feelings from the physical environment
- Love to talk to people all the time
- Are adventurous
- Friendly and easily approachable
- May feel sluggish and lethargic without adequate social stimulation
If you’re an at-home extrovert, here are eight highly effective ways to feed your social need without compromising on the quality or productivity of your remote work.
- Adapt To The New Role
Yes, you love your office environment, your coworkers, your community, and any opportunity that allows you to physically engage with others. However, when the need of the hour is to work from the home office (like now) then it’s best to adapt to the new role as soon as possible.
This means making sure you have all the right tools and equipment to work remotely, knowing your team members, visualize task stages, analyze your progress, and celebrate your accomplishments to keep yourself motivated. Also, don’t forget to work on enhancing your skills to become more efficient in what you do.
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2. Create a Routine That Works Best For You
Working remotely is a ‘new normal’, but extroverts will find themselves struggling to work alone. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety may take over. To avoid inertia, extroverts must stick to a regular routine as closely as possible.
Consistency and stability help working professionals feel at ease. Even though you might have the flexibility to work at your own pace, it’s best to follow a routine. It means waking up at a time you usually do, exercising, taking a shower, getting dressed and ready to work, taking lunch and tea breaks at a set time, and unplugging around the same time.
3. Video Conferencing With Coworkers Daily
Since you will be missing in-person engagement with your coworkers, still there are ways you can compensate for this missing link. Schedule a video call with your team or a group of coworkers daily to stay connected. Visual connection is more effective than simple texting or phone calls.
Video calls will make you feel connected to your colleagues and build excitement. There are many tools available — Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, etc. You can build your conversation around work, to begin with, and then switch to casual talks to feel relaxed and comfortable.
4. Log In To an All-In-One Project Management Software
Assuming you’re working remotely for a company, you need to be on the same with the rest of the workforce to stay updated with regards to the latest developments in the now-virtual office. Using a top-rated, feature-rich project management software like ProofHub is a great way to connect with your coworkers for both work and casual interactions.
You can create tasks and subtasks, assign them, have instant chat with colleagues, track the project’s progress, manage schedules, and collaborate easier from one common single platform rather than juggling multiple tools, which results in a lot of wasted time.
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5. Regularly Meet Your friends Outside Working Hours (if conditions allow)
Weekends are all the more wonderful as it allows us to rejuvenate and catch up with good old pals and family. Schedule times with near and dear ones after the work, at least once or twice a week. In the current scenario, this might seem out of place but if conditions allow, go for it.
Share coffee with friends at home or cafe, play games with them, share your feelings, and you will get a human contact you strive for when you work from home. In case of a lockdown, you can still connect via phone calls or texting to feel happy.
6. Go For a Walk Every Day (if conditions allow)
Until your state guidelines suggest otherwise, going out for an early morning or evening walk daily will boost your mood and take a much-needed break from hectic work schedules. Fresh air cleanses our minds and helps us to get away from a sedentary home-office lifestyle.
Moreover, a change of environment will help you feel energized and regroup yourself. You can also visit a park nearby and do yoga or practice meditation, which will keep your mind and body in good spirits.
7. Work Away from Home
If you are one of those who work remotely regularly, you don’t always have to work in isolation even though you can work in your half pants for the entire day. Flexibility should not be at the cost of connectivity.
So, consider working from a coffee shop or a well-organized, fully-equipped shared office space with amenities (WiFi, coffee, printers, etc.) at least once or twice a week to get the social stimulation you crave for. Co-working spaces can help you interact with other workers and build a network of professionals in your field.
8. Form/Join Local Community
Spending time all by yourself, every day could negatively impact your well-being. If allowed, another great way to enjoy social interaction is to join or create a local network of professionals in your area. You can use platforms like MeetUp to connect with people based on a common interest.
There are so many professional groups that meet regularly to share their ideas, learn new skills, or simply do fun activities. Make way for new opportunities and expand your social circle, which is on the top of the list of most extroverts who are working remotely.
To Sum Up
Working from home is a challenge for extroverts. However, every problem has a solution to it. I have found that working remotely is an opportunity for extroverts to think out of the box to stay connected socially without letting their work gets affected.
I am hopeful that the aforementioned tips will help you make smart changes to your normal routine to get the social stimuli you crave while enjoying the benefits of working from home. Best of luck with your remote work!
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Are you an extrovert working on a remote team? Tell us how you stay social during the work in the comments!
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