How to Work Alone Effectively

If you have been working remotely, you may have noticed there are pros and cons of working alone. It’s great to work in pajama pants, but that can lead to sluggishness as the days go on. And who doesn’t love the easy access to their pantry? But that can lead to lots of unconscious snacking. How you approach your day when working alone, including your morning getting ready routine, can impact your motivation. Learning how to work productively alone, regardless of your location, is a useful skill to keep your work time meaningful and positive.

Do You Work Well Alone?

Before determining the steps you want to take to make your time working alone more productive, it’s important to understand the aspects of being alone that help you thrive or hold you back.

Why Do I Work Better Alone?

You may work better alone if you associate these attributes with how you stay positive and productive:

• Professional Independence—Those who are easily self-motivated are often successful when working alone.
• Less Conflict—Working alone allows you to focus on the task at hand and avoid interference and unwanted opinions from others.
• Set Your Own Pace—The flexibility of setting your own work patterns is a large draw of working alone.

Disadvantages of Working by Yourself

While some thrive on the solitude of working alone, others find it leaves them bored and unmotivated. These are common disadvantages that many solo professionals fall victim to:

• Staying Motivated—Without the peer pressure of being surrounded by others hard at work in an office, motivating yourself all day can be tricky for many who work alone.
• Lack of Creativity—Not having anyone to bounce ideas off can lead many solo workers to professional creative slumps.
• Less Support—If you work for yourself, there’s an added layer of having all the responsibility for your job’s success placed on your shoulders. If you find yourself struggling with this, hiring a few professionals who can support your endeavors may help.
• Isolation—In an office setting, you often get to catch up with coworkers and beat midday boredom with a quick chat at the water cooler. However, when working alone, there is often no social interaction to keep you alert and motivated.

How to Work by Yourself

Working alone doesn’t have to mean you are a team of one. This also includes workers who are part of a larger organization but work remotely and even people working in a hybrid situation where they alter between remote and in-person work. That’s why so many people can benefit from these tips for working alone!

5 Tips for Working Alone

1. Create Rituals—Having a pattern to how you treat your work day, especially if you work alone from home, is a helpful way to put you in the mindset of treating workdays differently than your days off. Your ritual could be anything from laying out a work outfit the night before to breaking up the afternoon with a midday walk. Sticking to rituals that work for you will keep you in a workday mindset and help you stay on track.
2. Designate a Workspace—A dedicated space just for work is ideal, but not always possible. To maintain a dividing line between your personal and professional lives at home, try having a lamp that is on only during work time or a special pen that’s put away at the end of the work day. Having a slightly different setup for work time and downtime will help you physically prepare to focus on work.
3. Eat Nourishing Meals—Rather than grazing in your pantry all day, set aside time during your workday to eat full meals and healthy snacks. This will help you stay nourished and avoid losing focus out of hunger and boredom eating.
4. Set and Prioritize Tasks—Writing a list of the work you want to accomplish each day will help you stay on track and keep a record of what you still need to complete. Add a few quick tasks to your list that you can accomplish at the start of each day to help you ease into more challenging projects with momentum.
5. Connect with Others In Your Field—Connecting with other like-minded professionals is a great way to see what others are working on and get motivated to complete your own goals when you fall into a rut.

Is it Better to Work Alone or in a Group?

Find out for yourself! Everyone requires a different environment to focus and work productively. If you work alone and want a more collaborative workspace, there are options.

Avoid the disadvantages of working alone and surround yourself with hardworking professionals at an Office Evolution! At Office Evolution, you can connect and collaborate with others. If you’re looking for a quiet space away from home during the workday, try one of our private offices. Or grab a desk in one of our shared workspaces to feed off the positive energy and productivity of other risk-takers throughout your day.

Schedule a tour at an Office Evolution near you to learn more about our workspace options.