It’s officially 2016! In 2015, I took on the role as a full time college student, part time graphic designer, and part time corporate intern. Put this on top of all of my duties to friends and family, and you get one busy year. With that being said, it was the first year I learned how to efficiently manage my workload. I was able to create a good remote workspace, and get everything done that was needed. Here are 5 big remote working tips that I picked up on, and I hope will help in the upcoming years:

1. Drink less caffeine, and replace it with water. Although I’ve never been addicted to coffee as I notice most people are in the work place, I did drink a whole lot of tea every morning, and soda every afternoon. I decided to switch my daily beverages water, and I noticed a huge difference in my work ethic. I felt more prepared to work a full day, and less dehydrated when I woke up.
2. Make to-do lists. This one seems easy, but people often forget that to-do lists are the fastest way to end forgetfulness when it comes to work and school tasks. If you’re able to create a weekly list and check off things as you’ve finished, you’ll never forget an important assignment again.
3. Use do not disturb mode during work hours. Phones are addicting. Their useful most of the time, but when you’re in a time crunch for work they can be down right distracting. Tell your colleagues to IM or email you for urgent work matters, and switch your phone to do not disturb for the day until you finish your tasks.
4. Use an agenda. Using a daily planner is probably the single best way to get organized this year. It makes keeping track of events so much easier than trying to remember dates and times. I prefer handwriting my plans out, and having a physical copy to look at, but many people enjoy synching Outlook or other planning apps between their computers and phones.
5. Take breaks when you need them, but do something productive. Don’t just go straight to texting when you’re frustrated with work and need a break. Instead, try reading a book or doodling for a few minutes. These things will relax you and get your creative juices flowing, rather than stress you out by notifying you of the million texts you missed while working.