Working remotely is on the rise. More and more people want to work from a location of their choice. At home, wearing pajamas, on a flexible schedule. On a beach, next to a pinna colada.

Internet innovation drives remote work. Bundles of tech solutions. Long commutes in regular jobs incentivize it even further. Besides, research shows remote workers are more productive. They do more with less, which leads to work intensification.

To be fair, the reverse is nearly as likely. People that do remote work have to be productive to make the cut. The vast majority of people, however, have issues with getting motivated. Everything is so distracting. There are far too many sources for interruptions. From getting the wrong order in a coffee shop to a noisy scanner in a co-working space. While at work, you at least have a productivity benchmark. And teams to boost your morale. At home, you might get stuck in between the fridge and the couch while binging on Netflix.

So, let’s take it back to working remotely. You have a lot of stuff to do, lists upon lists. And you also need to manage your work. Find contracts or clients or communicate with the team. But your motivation is soaring. You feel bored and tired and there is simply no presence that can whip you back into action. What to do? Here are some tips to boost motivation when working remotely, tried and tested.

The perfect time and space for working remotely

It’s important to realize that human beings cannot, by construction, work non-stop. We are creatures of habit, sure, and we can learn. And we can adhere to work routines. In fact, we love work routines. But it is healthy routines that you need to focus on. Especially while working remotely.

Wake up ridiculously early

There are merits to waking up before the buses start running. By all means, that is a very quiet hour to wake up and it helps with focus.

Besides, from 04:00 to 08:30 you can punch in nearly 3 productive hours. Add breakfast, stretching, and a shower. By the time most people wake up, you are already half a workday ahead.

Plenty people have tried the 04:30 AM challenge. The consensus is that it’s tough but worth it. It is tough to do and maintain, but it offers a whole list of secondary, spiritual-like advantages.

The trick is, stick to it for more than 2 weeks, much unlike this reporter. It takes at least 2 weeks to get used to a new habit.

You don’t have to work at 04:30 AM. The average adult takes about 30 minutes in sleep inertia. Meaning that they are still not fully awake. But you could hit the gym, stretch, cook, do your regular morning routine. You could fill your mornings with “me-time.” If that rings a bell, it’s because you might be missing it.

Set special times for working remotely

One danger with working remotely is boundaries. Unless you set a clear delimitation between work and life, you will break down.

Very soon you will be semi-working and semi-slacking all the time. And semi-work is not work. It’s that thing you do when you procrastinate, task at hand. But you are not enjoying a break either.

Instead, create a schedule. Make room for smart breaks, power naps. Take small vacations. Go out as much as possible. You are working remotely, so enjoy it. Hit a park. Try a café or a library, occasionally. Get on a cheap train and ride all day to somewhere and back.

Set up a clear differentiation between working time and life time. Even though you are working remotely, you still need a good life and work balance. At least to cut down on work pressure.

Use dedicated spaces

Space makes a world of difference. So much so, in fact, that it affects your performance and productivity. This is particularly true when working remotely.

Obviously, dedicated spaces help you avoid distractions and overcome interruptions. Make it a house rule. If you’re sitting at the working desk, you are not to be bothered. Moreover, there are other advantages. Both practical and cognitive boosters.

Picture these situations. You sit down for work. You take a break for a while and leave. When you are back, everything is the way you left it. You can carry on precisely where you left off.

Brains associate all sorts of things. Context and task. The bed is for something else other than working. So is the shower. The place you eat at is something other than a workspace.

A dedicated space for doing work is something you can declutter. It’s a space that warrants focus. Finally, it’s a space that means you mean business.

Make smart tech your ally

Most freelancers today use a whole suit of apps to do remote work. But remote work is not limited to freelancers.

Markedly, having everything going on one platform cam simplify things. Imagine all your work communications in one place. Chats, video and voice, file sharing, everything. All archived and indexed intelligently, right at your fingertips.

But there is something special about this concept. Suppose you do remote work but you are not a freelancer. You are working from home, or wherever suits you. Your work is 100% dedicated to one client, i.e. your employer. In fact, you might very well be part of a group of people. One that shares the same goals and resources.

You could be part of a team. That’s what Hubgets offers, essentially. Being part of a team, no matter where you are. Sure, there are tons of top-tier and AI-enhanced features.

But what’s truly incredible is being part of your team, no matter the project. Or the location. Everywhere you are, anywhere your travels take you, you are as close to your team as possible.

You can stay up to date to the team chatter. Be in the loop about whichever topics are important or relevant. Keep track of what work’s been about recently. Whatever it is you do, you’re covered.