admin

Remote professionals do not have the privilege of face to face interactions with their colleagues or experts in the companies for discussions on issues, solutions, or about any undergoing projects and programs.

Interactions about different facets of the domain or technology of their expertise are also absent since they do not operate physically from office premises. But we all know, collaborations or discussions with similar or higher-skilled people are needed to further enhance your knowledge, create your future career plan and even resolve your functional or technical related problems in your assignments. Hence it is essential to engage with various remote work communities to facilitate your work as well as build up your social and professional network.

You can find quite a lot of effective remote work communities through Reddit, Slack, and Facebook, assisting managers and team members alike in discussing questions and searching remote working jobs for you. In this article, we will be discussing each of them in detail for you to decide and join your preferred remote work communities.

Best Remote Work Subreddits

Reddit is a very prominent collaboration tool in the modern world, promoting the concept of remote work communities for nurturing ideas and generating strong bonding among remote teams. There are about 10 best remote work subreddits where you can share your ideas, thoughts, and questions and even participate in existing communication threads. The subreddits have their own rules and regulations which you must carefully read and follow before engaging in the discussions.

1. r/digitalnomad

Digital Nomads prefer a unique style of working wherein they stay at a particular place that quenches their travelling desire as well as allows them to carry on their remote job. This particular subreddit is specially designed for them to ask for tips and recommendations on travel planning and settling down at unknown destinations. It is one of the best remote work communities to assist digital nomads on the do’s and dont’s of balancing their professional career and nomadic way of living.

Read: Remote Meeting 101: How to have better remote meetings?

2. r/remotework

This particular subreddit is beneficial for remote professionals in finding out various job opportunities available in the market. They can engage with their peers and other freelancers and remote workers for suggestions and recommendations on remote working. Working remotely has its set of challenges, which you need to overcome effectively to function efficiently. These remote work communities will guide you in the smooth execution of your work while collaborating smartly with your remote team and customers.

3. r/telecommuting

Remote professionals are constantly on the need for fast and latest video and audio conferencing tools and applications for conducting remote meetings and conferences. Managers often require efficient project management tools for monitoring tasks and activities. This particular subreddit provides all the information required for telecommuting.

Suggested read: Best Remote Working Tools That Make Life Easy

4. r/workonline

It is one of the prominent remote work communities wherein you can find online jobs and even post requirements for hiring remote workers. You can also seek advice and guidance on freelance jobs and online work opportunities from experts or fellow professionals.

5. r/managers

Managers who work with remote teams are sometimes in a dilemma on how to boost up the morale of their employees. They are worried about how to guide and mentor every individual in the remote team. This particular subreddit provides substantial information and guidance on how to encourage and motivate your team by working remotely

Read: Managing Remote Teams: 13 tips that will come handy

6. r/technology

If you are looking for answers to various technical issues and doubts, this subreddit is one of the best remote communities to rely on. You can enhance your knowledge of the current technology trends and latest developments. You can even gain assistance on technology deployments and usage.

7. r/skipthedrive

It enables remote professionals and freelancers in seeking new job opportunities. You can access different forums for discussions and go through several articles for better functioning in a remote work environment

Also read: Virtual Water Cooler For Remote Teams | Remote Working Made Fun

8. r/remoteJobr

This particular subreddit is a repository of various remote job posts on various general and niche skills like engineering, design, programming, customer service, and many more. Each job has a description and details of the requirements. You can go through them and apply if found suitable.

9. r/business

Getting acquainted with news and events from the business is essential to keep track of what is going in the outside world especially the digital world. This subreddit contains interesting articles elaborating on business trends and applications. It also publishes the latest business news in its feed.

Read: Remote work policy – What it is & how you can create one easily!

10. r/todayilearned

Managers often encourage remote workers to indulge in different topics other than regular office work. This subreddit provides ample opportunities to dig into various interesting topics and learn about the intricacies of each of them. The remote team members can then discuss and deliberate on those topics during remote team meetings and collaborations. 

Best Work-From-Home Facebook Groups

Facebook, one of the most popular social media platform, is filled with numerous groups offering advice or opportunities to work from home. These remote work communities assist people in finding out the right jobs for themselves. Let us discuss some of the reliable and secure work from home Facebook groups:

1. Virtual Workers Of America

It is one of the popular work from home groups on Facebook with many followers and members. The main aim of the group is to share details on various remote or work from home job opportunities. The members are allowed to discuss the compensation details, the application processing time, the work schedule, and the basic rules and regulations. However, you are not permitted to self promote your credentials for a particular job opportunity.

Read: 8 Simple ways you can combat remote work loneliness

2. Work at Home Heroes

Caitlin Pyle created this awesome group to provide helpful suggestions and recommendations for work from home remote professionals. The group has received an overwhelming response from many individuals and is considered one of the effective and helpful work from home online groups. The members are not permitted to self promote themselves, the basic objective is to provide guidance and help.

3. Real Work From Home Jobs

Controlled by a group of super efficient and proactive admins, it is one of the reliable work from home groups where you can receive updates on active job opportunities. You can also mention your problems and issues while working from home and gain good suggestions and advice from experts and even the admins. You need to follow the rules and regulations set by the group admins to continue your membership in the group.

Suggested read: How To Build And Sustain Trust In Remote Teams

4. Remote Jobs

This particular group on Facebook allows members to post about work from home or remote job opportunities. Others can check and apply as deemed applicable. Various jobs on different skills like programming, robotics, design, engineering, sales, customer services can be checked from the group’s posts.

5. Earning At Home

It is one of the most popular and effective work from home online groups, offering expert guidance and tips on achieving your work from home goals and objectives. The owner of this group is named Angie who has strict rules on self promotion. She makes a point to inspire work from home professionals in conducting their remote work and fulfilling the companies objectives. The group allows posting of job opportunities for you to search and apply as per your skill set, experience, and suitability.

Further read: Remote writing jobs – A beginners guide to finding & acing writing jobs

Best Slack Remote Communities

Slack is one of the best platforms for connecting with many remote communities for real time collaboration and communication. It offers several work from home public groups where freelancers, remote workers, and digital nomads can connect, sharing common interests or work. Let us now discuss some of the best slack communities to interact for resolving problems, generating new ideas, search for reliable remote jobs, and even talk to experts for guidance and help. 

1. Digital Nomads

If you want to connect with digital nomads from your region or city, then you can join this particular Slack community. You can create a group with fellow nomads and explore various places in your region, while remotely working for your company. It helps maintain social interaction and interpersonal relations with other nomads in your area.

2. Remote Work

If you are looking for remote work opportunities and eager to network with other like-minded and similar skilled remote professionals, then this is one of the best remote work communities of Slack. You can receive feedback and reviews on the different remote job opportunities before applying for the same.

Suggested read: 14 Best Remote Job Sites: Start your job hunt at the right place!

3. Digital Freelancer

Freelancers and remote workers proficiently in digital skills are suggested to join this particular Slack community. They can browse through the various digital job opportunities, read reviews and feedbacks and apply depending on individual preferences and experience.

4. Nomads Talk

Similar to Digital Nomads, this Slack community enables you to connect with nomads in regions near to you. You can collaborate, communicate, and interact with them often to sync with their nomadic lifestyles and interests. The community offers real time chat opportunities and a hiring channel for you to search for remote job postings. You can receive substantial information on transport and guides on trips and travel plans.

5. Remotely One

It is one of the popular and preferred remote work communities for nomads, remote professionals, and telecommuters located in different parts of the world. It enables virtual interactions and relationships, promoting discussions on work challenges and mitigations, the latest trends in products and services and even places to visit during vacations. Video Conferencing, Chats, Audio calls are offered to the members to strengthen real time interpersonal relationships with fellow workers.

Further read: 8 Best free Video Conferencing Software

6. Freelance Lead

One of the best slack communities for freelance jobs lead categories and topics, namely 3D technology, Adobe, Engineering, Animation, Programming, Application and Software Development, Graphic Design, eCommerce, Web Development, Writing and Content management and many more. You can access any of the groups and forums for collecting the necessary information and feedback. 

7. Work From

Looking to connect with remote workers located near to your place? Need help with your project or program? Well, this particular Slack community has answers to all your questions. So join it and reap the advantages and benefits of the group.

Let us know focus on Slack communities or work from home public groups especially dedicated to women.

8. Women in Technology

It is a safe and reliable group for women who specialize in different technology skills. They can interact and chat with each other to seek help on problems and issues faced in their respective jobs. The group does not encourage sales pitch but loves to know about a person’s interests and job details.

Read: How to work from home successfully?

9. Women in Sales

This community is specially created to connect women involved in sales related jobs. They can be present in any region across the world and work in any industry in a sales role. The objective of the community is to support fellow ladies and learn from each other’s experiences.

10. HashtagFemaleFounders

The noble objective and goal of the Slack community are to assist women entrepreneurs in creating and establishing a start-up company. You can share your ideas, ask for suggestions, and learn from each other. The community consists of numerous skilled and talented women, willing to collaborate and communicate for successfully running a business.

Slack also host communities that especially guide and assist Designers, Developers, Digital Marketers, Entrepreneurs, and People dealing with products. The key ones among them:

11. Designer Hangout

The Slack community offers excellent opportunities for Ux designers and research analysts to collaborate and interact with others. You can join the group only through invitations. It helps extensively in building and progressing your career in the field of design. You can also create a strong network, eventually assisting and guiding you on various job suggestions as well as your assignments.

Suggested read: Remote Graphic Design Jobs | A Beginner’s Guide

12. Animation At Work

UI and web animations are considered creative skills in the world of the digital era. If you are a person specializing in the skill of animations, then you can join the community to connect and interact with fellow creative professionals. There are forums to discuss problems and solutions as well as feedback and reviews on various job opportunities.

13. DevChat

The Slack community is for developers, assisting and helping each other in learning and resolving problems and challenges. The members can share interesting documents and article links and resources for propagating ideas and knowledge. The group welcomes and guides members irrespective of their years of experience, timezone, programming languages, gender, and age.

Read: Best Home Office Set Up For Remote Work

14. eCommTalk

The community offers expert suggestions and advice to thousands of Shopify merchants, retailers, and partners. You can build a strong network with the other Shopify enthusiasts and even search for new jobs. There are numerous blog posts and tutorials to guide you in your venture.

16. Creative Tribes

The tagline of the community spells out its motive and purpose, “Building Tribes Together”. Yes, indeed it brings in entrepreneurs, writers, marketers, strategists, and other remote professionals into a single place. The group focuses on building and growing tribes across different domains of excellence. Experiences are shared, strategies are discussed and resources elaborated in this particular Slack community.

17. Online Geniuses

It is one of the largest Slack communities when it comes to connecting with marketers. They can connect with different industry experts and increase their professional and social networks. Eminent personnel from different niche areas in the digital marketing ecosystem participate in the platform, conducting webinars and training sessions to guide marketers. Several Question and Answer sessions are conducted by the community where you can ask your doubts and seek clarifications from prominent marketers of the world.

Also read: Working from home with kids – Parent’s guide to remote working

18. Product Tribes

You can join this community only via invitation and be a part of an elite group of project managers, developers, and designers. Guidance on how to select the right career path with a product company is discussed in different forums in the community. You can meet the product teams from various world-famous organizations like PWC, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Paypal, etc. You can collaborate in real-time with product experts for knowledge enhancement and future careers.

19. Buffer Community

If you are looking for building your brand then Buffer Community is the perfect place for you. You can interact with experts in marketing, social media, and experience in growing brands. These experts are part of almost 100 countries across the world, assisting many in providing skills on how to connect with customers, the Do’s and Dont’s of brand growth and promotion. There are several resources, articles, and tutorials available on their website to understand the latest marketing trends and news. You can even share your innovative ideas and engage in discussions with experts and peers.

Further read: 8 Simple ways to organize your life

We have discussed many remote work communities in this article which can eventually guide you to join them based on your requirements and potential. But before joining any community, you must check their niche and specialization areas. You must read the rules and regulations of each community with due attention and follow them strictly. Defaulters are strictly monitored and may lead to permanent elimination from the communities. Leverage the benefits of the communities and you are sure to gain substantially.

A resume is the first impression of you to the eyes of a recruiter. This could make you feel a lot of pressure before you apply for a job. But, you do not have to worry! Even if you are not an experienced designer, you can simply make use of an online resume software to create a resume of your choice. Resumes can be in the form of infographics, videos, interaction, or simple well-formatted text. Whatever be the kind of resume, we have compiled a list of the best resume software for you to use.

Criteria for selection of the best resume software

1. Simple tools for designing 
2. User-friendly interface 
3. Inclusion of a free trial 
4. Focused on self-service

Best Resume Software

Infographics resume

To create a great infographics resume, these are the finest resume building tools –

1. Canva – A great resume builder for the creation of a free custom-designed resume

Canva has the most number of options for customizing your resume. You can choose from many resume templates, make adjustments in fonts and colors, and select elements of design from an expansive library of photos, icons, and illustrations that have been created by professional designers.

• Price – Canva is a free resume builder if you use the built-in design elements. If you wish to add premium graphics, the price starts from $1 per graphic.
• Sharing options – You can download your resume from Canva and share it wherever you like – print, email, social media, websites, or job portals.

Read: 14 Best Remote Job Sites: Start your job hunt at the right place!

2. Visme – The best resume building software for quickly finding the ideal design assets

Although Visme has few templates for resumes and elements of design, it is one of the resume building tools that is very easily accessible to new users of design programs. All of the illustrations, icons, and images are clearly sorted into easily comprehendible categories and subcategories.

• Price – This resume building software is free for a basic plan that includes limited templates and downloading as JPG or PNG files. The Standard plan gets billed annually at $10 per month with premium templates and downloading as PDF files.
• Sharing – You can download your resume from Visme and share it wherever you like – print, email, social media, websites, or job portals

3. Vizualize.me – The best software to make resume that is visually interactive

To create an interactive infographic resume, Vizualize.me can be used, provided you have a LinkedIn profile. It utilizes data from your LinkedIn profile to create a web-based infographic. Your experience, education, skills, recommendations, and other important details will be highlighted. Being the best software to make resume that is interactive, Vizualize.me provides a visual overview of your experience along with elaborate descriptions. This software has around six color palates, six templates, and just about a dozen fonts. More designs are sure to be added over time.

• Price –  Vizualize.me is free if you share your resume online. You will have to pay $19 per month for the Business plan that lets you download and print your resume.
• Sharing – You can share a link to your resume on social media and through email. You can even embed a Vizualize.me icon or button on your website to give access to your resume.

Read: 18 Best remote companies to work for in 2020

Video resumes

Some of the best resume programs that build great videos resumes are –

1. Biteable – The best software to make resume in the form of a video with a professional touch

Biteable does not allow you to film a video resume. However, it is the best resume software that helps you add a professional touch to a video resume that is already filmed using other software. You can add music, titles, text, and end screens to your video resume. If you purchase the premium plan, you can even add clips of other videos that you created.

• Price – Biteable is the best free resume builder to edit, share, and embed a video resume that has a branded watermark. To download the video resume and remove the watermark, you will have to purchase the Premium plan at $8.25 per month.
• Sharing – The free version lets you share your video resume as a direct link that is hosted on a Biteable URL or even add an embed code to your website. The Premium plan lets you download your video resume and share it wherever you like.

Suggested read: Contemplating Career Change? Here’s all you need to know

2. CV One – The best free resume builder for creating resumes with both, video and text

CV One has a scrolling teleprompter that can be used to create a script for your video resume. You can record your video within the app. You can simply type in what you want to say and make adjustments to the font size and scrolling speed to match your speaking speed to create your video. You can shoot and re-shoot as many times as you like within the app. 

• Price – This is one of the resume programs that is free of cost.
• Sharing – Your video and text resume can be published to a CV One webpage. It can be shared through a CV One URL.

3. EasyPrompter + YouTube – The best resume software for building a DIY video resume

If you want to make use of a teleprompter but do not wish to let your video resume stay only on the software’s URL, you can use EasyPrompter and YouTube. EasyPrompter is a great teleprompting tool where you can make a script, make additions of visual indicators for places which require a pause, and adjust the scrolling speed. The computer window having EasyPrompter can be placed near your webcam and then, you can record your video resume. Next, you can upload the view to YouTube and set the privacy as “Unlisted”. This will allow you to share your video resume with recruiters and you can even embed it on your website.

• Price – EasyPrompter is free for basic features. To run it offline and save unlimited scripts, the Pro plan can be purchased at $9.99 per month.
• Sharing – The video resume can be shared with a direct link.

Read: How to earn money during COVID-19 quarantine?

Professional resume documents

To create professional resume documents, use these resume building tools –

1. CakeResume – Great for creation of a custom resume template

Cakeresume provides a lot of flexibility to design a resume. By using the drag-and-drop option of this tool, you can choose a style of your choice for every individual section of your resume. You can add images and links, or you can keep your resume as plain text only.

• Price – This tool is free for a single resume that has the CakeResume branding. By getting the Advanced plan at $3.95 per month, you can create unlimited resumes, remove the branding, and gain access to premium designs.
• Sharing –  You can download your resume from CakeResume and share it wherever you like – print, email, social media, websites, or job portals.

2. Uptowork – A great tool that provides guidance on what to include in a resume

Uptowork takes you through every section that can appear in a resume and provides tips on what to include in them. If you are creating a resume for the first time or require guidance regarding the importance of the sections, this is a great tool to use. Uptowork adapts all the information that you provide to fit into its template, thereby proving to be time-saving and easy to use. You can make edits to some details of designs such as line spacing, font, and colors.

• Price – You can create your resume for free and share it on an Uptowork URL. By purchasing a Start plan at $4.99 per month, you can use four resume templates and download it as a TXT or PDF file.
• Sharing – The free plan lets you share your resume as an Uptowork URL. The Start plan lets you download your resume and share it however you like.

Read: Guide to conducting & attending Remote Interviews

3. VisualCV – Ideal for formatting and styling an already existing resume

This tool lets you upload an already existing resume. It parses the text and adds its findings to its resume template. VisualCV provides you with a polished resume in a quick process.

• Price – This tool is free to use for three templates and branded PDF downloads. The Pro plan with a three-month commitment can be purchased at $12 per month to use all templates and download a PDF file without branding.
• Sharing –  You can download your resume from VisualCV and share it wherever you like – print, email, social media, websites, or job portals.

Interactive, online resumes

To create the best interactive, online resumes, these are the programs you can use – 

1. Adobe Spark – The best for creating an interactive resume for those with no development experience 

With Adobe Spark, you can choose from 13 pre-built themes to create a single-page interactive resume. You can even control your page style and make additions of photos, videos, text, and links. The drawback of Adobe Spark is that you will have to start with a blank page, with no resume template to use. 

• Price – This tool is free along with branding. The Premium plan at $9.99 per month lets you create your own template and remove the branding. 
• Sharing – You can get a link that is hosted on an Adobe Spark URL or copy the embed code to your website. 

2. WordPress – This is a fine program to create your own professional website 

WordPress lets you build your own branded website. You need hosting and a domain name. You might even need to invest in a prebuilt theme so that you need not code from scratch. Taking the time to understand how WordPress works is definitely worth it. Amidst WordPress plugins and themes, the options for your resume website are unlimited. 

• Price – WordPress is free for self-hosting. It is also free for an account with basic features. The Personal plan at $48 per year is for a custom domain, 6GB storage, and free themes. 
• Sharing – Search engine results will help people find your website domain and thereby access your resume.

Read: Video conferencing etiquette: Best practices for video conferencing

3. Wix – The best for the creation of a professional website without a learning curve 

If the learning required for WordPress is overwhelming and you do not have any website development experience, Wix is a great platform. It handles aspects like the finding of a domain, theme, and hosting service. As it uses a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, you can simply click on a section that requires change and make edits in a sidebar. Though the website you create is not as customizable as a WordPress site, Wix saves a lot of time and effort. 

• Price – This platform is free for building a website that has a Wix URL and ads. With the Connect Domain plan at $5 per month, you can use your own domain name. The Combo plan at $11 per month removes Wix ads. 
• Sharing – The free plan gives a link to your website that is hosted on a Wix URL. The premium plans let you host your Wix website on your own domain.

You can carefully consider the most appropriate format for your industry or you can build multiple resumes in varied formats to see which one of the them gives the most interviews.  

With the best resume software, you can now design your best first impression with ease!

Working from home remotely along with its immense advantages brings in few challenges too. The challenges are far more difficult and complicated when are working from home with kids. Yes, you can spend a lot more extra time with your kids as compared to others who need to commute and travel to the office. Yet there are certain norms you need to follow or you can say inculcate a few key habits to operate successfully and efficiently from your home in the presence of your kids.

Content Index

1. Create a weekly schedule
2. Time adjustment with your partner
3. Set expectations with your kid
4. Importance of breaks
5. Arrange for babycare at home
6. Meditate for a healthy mental state
7. List online tutorials and useful videos
8. Snooze or disable notifications
9. Communicate about the presence of kids at home
10. Set rules and guidelines
11. Special apps for babies

In this article, we will discuss the essential tips for working from home with kids. It will assist you in creating a sustainable balance between your professional life and parental life. You can earn recognition at your workplace as well as spend a comfortable life with your kids.

Tips for working from home with kids

1. Create a Weekly Schedule

While working from home with kids, it is important to create a weekly schedule that includes your office work as well as your kid’s school and other activities. A planner helps you to tune your mind and body as per the tasks ahead. You know when to switch to a parental mode and when to keep your professional hat on. 

The schedule or the planner must include the time allotted for all the tasks that are listed. The duration of the activities related to your professional work is comparatively easier to predict and note down. But the time you need for your kids may vary as you cannot always predict their behavioral pattern. You have to consider some buffer and move on.

Time Blocking: All you need to know about this powerful technique

Important Tips – You must revisit your planner twice a month to adjust any changes in your schedule, activities or the time durations. Consider it as one of the basic criteria to achieve proper time management and discipline for work from home parents.

2. Time Adjustment with your Partner

The spouses or partners of parents working from home with kids, may either be a remote professional or working from an office premise. If both are working remotely, then it is convenient and easier to share the responsibilities of the kids. The time management and adjustment are not very tough, easing the burden on both.

For couples where one works remotely and one works at a predefined office location, the time to be spent with kids needs a good amount of planning. The professional work schedule will be different along with the interaction percentage with the kids. But if both the partners balance it among themselves intelligently and with a positive mindset then both the parents and the kids are happy. The professional life of the parents is also smooth and they can adequately and appropriately take care of their kids.

How to achieve & maintain Work-life balance

Fact to remember – Never engage in a competition mode while discussing and finalizing the division of responsibilities and the time to be devoted to kids. You should always respect each other’s profession and personal time.

3. Set expectations with your Kid

It is very important to talk and communicate with your kids on your mode of working as a remote professional. In plain and simple mode, you need to explain to them the importance of your work schedule and how they need to behave during that entire duration.

Work from home parents will have kids of different ages with varying maturity levels. So the way you convince them to be quiet and obedient during your meetings and work hours will vary. For kindergarten kids, you need to keep them engaged in different online activities or playthings which keep them busy. For kids at the primary school level, you can either provide them home assignments or engage them in online quizzes and tutorials. For kids higher up in age, it is a bit easy as they tend to understand the importance of work. They have their world to remain busy with, be it their hobbies or studies or watching interesting online videos.  

Fact to remember – While explaining your kids the importance of your work, you need to consider two very important factors. One is their brains are not matured to understand the complexities of professional life. Second is they would ask multiple questions and you must keep patience to answer them. Eventually, you are balancing your work and home life, hence the more you control the situation with maturity the more you will be benefitted.

8 Remote Work Habits Of Every Productive Employee

4. Importance for Breaks

Taking breaks in between your work schedule is very important especially when you are working from home with kids. It is not unnatural that your kids will demand some amount of attention from you even if you are working from home. They may want to show some of their creations or speak with you on some interesting topics. Their chitchats also refresh your mind and relax your brains.

If your kids are off from school on a particular day, then enjoy your lunch with them. You can keep them happy and additionally ease out your mental stress. You can even practice yoga or exercise with them. If you have a café or some food outlet nearby, walk down with your kids for fresh air and some entertainment. It helps to rejuvenate yourself and return to work with more zeal and enthusiasm. Hence one of the important tips for working from home with kids is to allow occasional breaks for attending them and providing them company.

Important Tips – While taking a break, ensure to communicate the same to your team and your manager. If you are outside with your kids, it is good to inform all that there may be a disturbance in attending calls.

Best Pomodoro App | All About Pomodoro technique & how to use it

5. Arrange for baby care at home

If your work schedule is hectic and requires minimal disturbance, then it is difficult to work remotely at home with kids. Also, you must be wondering how to work from home with a baby who is in a toddler stage and demands constant attention? It is an understandable concern as you may find it difficult to concentrate on both and damage the balance between your professional life and life with kids.

As part of a remote working parent guide, it is advisable to hire a babysitter to take care of your kids. You can monitor the babysitter yourself while attending your office work. Your worries about attending the needs of your baby will be resolved to a greater degree. You can focus on your work comfortably. Fix the hours of work and days for the babysitter, before finalizing the compensation and the activities.

Important Tips – While hiring a babysitter for your kids, ensure you go for a proper background check about the authenticity of the person. This check is important for the safety and security of your baby. There may be situations wherein you may need to step out of the house for a few minutes without your child. The babysitter must not misuse those situations and harm your child.

Best Home Office Set Up For Remote Work

6. Meditate for a healthy mental state

Work pressure often tends to deprive us of maintaining a healthy mental state. While you are working from home with kids, you can seldom afford such a situation. It will eventually harm your relation with your kids as well as your professional life. Stable mental health is very important for both the parents and the kids. Kids do not feel comfortable and may resort to hyper actions if they find their parents behaving erratically. They may start losing their confidence and trust in you.

As part of a remote working parent guide, it is recommended to relax your mind before starting your day or in between your work schedule. And how can you achieve that? The answer is Meditation. Meditation is a powerful medicine for stress relief and refreshing your mind and brain with renewed energy. You can stay focused while increasing your concentration level. Your mental balance stays stable thus allowing you to maintain both your professional life and time with your kids. Meditation has a magical effect on both your mental and physical wealth and wellbeing. You can even practice with your kids once they reach a particular age.

Tips – There are several online videos and classes which educate and teach about the rules of meditation. You can subscribe to them and follow religiously at a particular fixed time. Else you also join meditation classes near your home.

Inbox Zero: How to boost your email management!

7. List online tutorials and useful videos

A very convenient and effective way to keep your kids engaged is to list down the online tutorials and videos that are useful for enhancing their knowledge level. Whenever you are engaged in important meetings or priority work that necessitates zero disturbance, you can keep your kids busy with some productive learnings.

You can divide the online activities among all the days of the week. Many of these online tutorials and videos provide assignments and question answer sessions. Arouse interest within your kids to attend and solve them. Once they are engrossed in those videos, they will not bother or disturb you in the middle of your work. Your kids will be benefitted a lot through self-learning by enhancing their analysis power and thinking ability. It is one of the best and convenient methods that can be applied while working from home with kids. Several academic institutions and online learning programs are available nowadays which have brought in positive improvements in many kids worldwide. You can select from them and leverage for the betterment of your kids’ academic and knowledge level. 

Important Tips  – It is recommended that you must personally scan through the videos and online tutorials before finalizing and enlisting them for your kids. Read through reviews on the internet and judge the suitability as per your kids’ age and grasping level. Do not burden them with too many videos.

Decision Fatigue: What it is & How you can beat it.

8. Snooze or Disable Notifications

You need to mindful while dealing with the different applications and tools you use in your laptops, desktops or mobile devices. While it is important to enabling notifications on the tools and software used for remote meetings, they are a source of distraction when spending time with kids. If you are working from home with kids of ages below 2 to 3 years, their sleep mustn’t be disturbed by notification sounds from your devices. They do need your company while sleeping, hence you need to be careful. As a parent, you will never desire disturbed sleep for your kids. 

Hence it is advised to snooze or disable the notifications from various apps and software installed in your devices while remote working with kids, especially when they need your attention. Your kids feel comfortable and enjoy the time with you. Your mind is also relaxed and cut off from the tensions and worries of professional activities. 

Fact to remember – Almost all the apps and software provide options to snooze or disable notifications. They provide helpful guides and chat facilities too for assistance and support.

Remote Meeting 101: How to have better remote meeting?

9. Communicate about the presence of Kids at home

Do not hide any facts from your manager or team while remote working with kids. During the hiring process you must inform the company about the presence of kids at home and what are your commitments towards them. That helps to set the expectations upfront before starting the activities. Yes, of course, the company leadership will enquire about how you will be balancing both. You need to plan that out before the interview and express accordingly. You may even want to discuss a few expectations from the company while managing your kids at home in conjunction with your office work.

Though you would be setting up a planner to set time apart for your kids in between your work schedule, yet exceptions may happen. In the event of such a situation, ensure to communicate before in remote meetings or video conference calls about minor disturbances or distractions due to the presence of kids near you. Your team and manager are not taken by surprise by sudden interruptions or background noises. Exceptions are pardoned and people understand sudden liabilities or commitments. 

Important Tips – It is recommended not to attend or schedule highly confidential or important meetings during an exceptional situation. That may eventually hamper your work and future assignments. You need to maintain a calm environment as you would be dealing with a kid or kids in between your meetings.

Video conferencing etiquette: Best practices for video conferencing

10. Set rules and guidelines

Your family needs to be acquainted with your remote work style. Though it is your responsibility to take care of your kids in parallel to your work, yet boundaries need to be maintained between the two. You need to inform your family members about the segregation of time between your work schedule and time with your kids. They must not expect you to be always available for the kids and attend to them. 

It is advisable to define certain rules and guidelines within the house to maintain a proper balance between work life and life with kids. If you along with your family members agree and abide by them, then it is easier to manage the kids and the work activities. Your work also needs respect even though you are at home. You cannot afford always be distracted between important and crucial business meetings. Sometimes you need to attend training sessions too, which involves active involvement and focused attention. Such situations demand a peaceful scenario for concentration as well as to maintain professionalism. 

Important Tips – Do not be too rigid and adamant while creating rules and guidelines. Arrive at a consensus with your spouse and the rest of the family members. This will enable a healthy personal as well as professional life. Your kids will feel secure and pleased.

Best Remote Working Tools That Make Life Easy

11. Special Apps for babies

With small babies at home, sometimes you cannot predict their sleeping time. For a few days, they may follow a routine, but then they may start a different behavioral pattern. It is not unusual since their body and mind are in a developing stage and their brain is constantly evolving. It may disturb your normal work schedule and especially you may be in a loss if you have to attend important meetings.

Several apps are nowadays available to soothe or relax your babies to sleep. If you are wondering how to work from home with a baby or a small kid, then you can try out those apps. Search for them in the play store or Apple store of your mobile devices and install them. These apps play soothing songs and tunes, coaxing your baby to sleep. Ultimately, you will be relieved and can attend your meetings and conversations with ease. 

Important Tips – Do consult other parents or your baby’s paediatrician before selecting the apps for your child. Read the reviews before installing them on your devices. Test for a few days whether it is working for your baby.

Managing Remote Teams: 13 tips that will come handy 

So hopefully by now, you must be aware of the various tips for working from home with kids. You can safely adopt the strategies mentioned for a healthy synchronization between your work life and life with your kids. These methods will eventually create a good relationship with your kids while effectively functioning in a remote working environment.

You can only focus on working or learning for so long before your mind starts to wander. Taking regular breaks helps, but it is all too easy to sit and work for hours on end if you do not clearly arrange the time for relaxing.

The Pomodoro technique helps you prevent this issue by breaking up your day into concentration sessions of 25 minutes, followed by breaks of 5 minutes. And while you might be able to use an egg timer or the clock on your phone to plan breaks, a Pomodoro app might be a better option. Pomodoro apps are timers specifically developed for the Pomodoro technique, making it simple to split up the day into concentration sessions and breaks. In this article, you will come across everything that you need to know about the Pomodoro technique, best Pomodoro app and its uses.

How to cultivate self directed learning? | Definition, Strategies, Models

What is Pomodoro Technique? 

The first question you might have in mind would be this – what is Pomodoro technique? We have the answer for you. 

In college, the final season of exams prompts a two-week cram session. Each week has its own share of night-long tales of training, dropping of unhealthy amounts of caffeine, and rubbing of eyes with lecture notes. But after a while, you will realize that it does not really help to be studying extra in that manner; you are reading the same chapters, but your brain is so zapped that you are unable to remember anything. This was discovered by Francesco Cirillo during his first college year.

Best note taking apps in 2020 | Note taking made easier

After realizing that he was facing distractions and was unable to use his study time in an efficient manner, he took a kitchen timer that was shaped like a tomato, set it for a period of 10 minutes, and attempted to work diligently without doing anything else for those 10 minutes. And it ended up working — forcing himself to concentrate and rewarding himself with a break after each concentration session helped him get more accomplished.

14 Best Productivity Tips to Achieve More At Work & Life

With further experimentation and refining, Cirillo decided on a formal method which he called the Pomodoro Technique (in reference to his initial kitchen timer, named after the Italian word for “tomato”). The final strategy is just as simple as his original idea: you use a timer to split your work into concentrated blocks of time (usually 25 minutes) separated by a small, typically five-minute interval. You take a longer break after four consecutive blocks of work time, about 20 or 30 minutes. Every 25-minute work block is called a “Pomodoro.” If during a focus period you feel the desire to do something other than work, take note of that. Over time, during each Pomodoro, you will be teaching yourself to be more successful. 

The advantages of the Pomodoro technique come from the regular breaks that help keep the mind healthy. Also, the centred time blocks require you to stick to set limits, so you will be motivated to complete a task quicker or spread it over several Pomodoros in the case of a large task.

How to achieve & maintain Work-life balance

The amount of time you work and take breaks can vary depending on what you prefer but here is the basic process: 

• Begin a timer set for 25 minutes. 
• Function until the timer rings. 
• Take a quick 5-minute break. 
• Then, take a longer break every four Pomodoros (focus periods), normally 20-30 minutes. 

Since the whole strategy focuses on pacing your concentration periods and breaks, it helps to rely on a Pomodoro timer app to keep you on track and focused all day long.

What constitutes Pomodoro timer windows?

If you are wondering what is included in Pomodoro timer windows, we have all the information for you! It is easy to get confused when you are searching for a Pomodoro app. There are several decisions to make.

To compile a list of the best Pomodoro apps, we used the following parameters to narrow down our recommendations:

1. Extra features

Basic Pomodoro timers exist in abundance, and since their sole work is to count down the time until your next Pomodoro, it is difficult to tell what makes one better than another. Instead, we concentrate on devices that do more than just count down time — devices that have functionality that go beyond just timing up your Pomodoros.

Time Blocking: All you need to know about this powerful technique

2. Professional use

These additional features provided by our suggested apps are targeted at people who would like to use the Pomodoro technique at work. They allow you to combine Pomodoro with your to – do list, making it easy to monitor the amount of time you spend doing Pomodoros. They also help you do Pomodoros with your team, or provide some other professional use -oriented feature. 

3. Free or free trial

The easiest way to find the right app for you is to try out a few solutions and choose the one that you are most fond of. That is hard to do if you have to pay upfront for the device without having a chance to check it first. The apps mentioned in the article are all either free, have a free plan or give a free trial so you can test the app before investing in a paid version of it.

4. Intuitive

For using a Pomodoro timer app, you should not have to waste days reading through an instruction manual or online support documents. The apps that we have picked are all intuitive and easy to use, so that from day one you can get up and running with your new device.

If the Pomodoro method sounds like something you would want to try — or if you are just sick of using a kitchen timer to handle your routines —we have for you the best Pomodoro apps to consider.

7 Easy brainstorming techniques for higher creativity

List of Best Pomodoro Apps

1. Focus Booster (Windows, Web, iOS, macOS, Android): For freelancers who accomplish tasks with many clients. 
2. PomoDoneApp (Windows, Web, iOS, MacOS, Linux, Android): To make use of Pomodoro with a third-party task management app.  
3. KanbanFlow (Web): Used to combine Kanban with Pomodoro. 
4. Pomotodo (Web, Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, Android): For the combination of GTD ® and Pomodoro. 
5. Marinara Timer (Web): For teams looking to accomplish the Pomodoros together. 
6. Be Focused (macOS, iOS): Used in Apple devices for easy task handling and Pomodoro time management. 
7. Tomatoes (Web): To inspire you to finish Pomodoros. 
8. Engross (Android): For trying to find out when you are the most centred.
9. Pomodoro.cc (Web): For people new to the Pomodoro method. 
10. Timerdoro (Web): For people who require multiple timers. 

Let us now delve into the details of each of these Pomodoro apps!

20 Best low stress jobs | High paying low stress jobs (With median pay)

1. Focus Booster (Windows, Web, iOS, macOS, Android) 

This is the best Pomodoro app for freelancers who work with several clients. Focus Booster provides everything you would expect from a basic Pomodoro timer — and then a few more features:

• It helps you to change your concentration lengths and break sessions. 
• The timer changes from focus to break-time automatically. 
• Your data is synchronized through cloud, mobile, and desktop devices with Focus Booster. 

But what makes Focus Booster one of the finest Pomodoro technique apps is its Professional plan and its features that allow you to use the device both as a Pomodoro timer and as a time tracking application. It is best for Pomodoro time management. Add/select a task and client before beginning a focus session to assign the time. Upon completion of the session, Focus Booster logs the time, assignment and client to your timesheet. Then, a snapshot of your timesheet and revenue for selected dates is displayed on your Reports dashboard. For easier invoicing, you can also access comprehensive CSV reports.

Decision Fatigue: What it is & How you can beat it.

Another helpful feature: If you are interrupted and need to stop monitoring your time, you can pause your timer at any time. Restart the timer to record the time from the unfinished session to your timeline when you are ready to refocus, and start fresh with a new focus session.

Price: Focus Booster is among the free Pomodoro apps in the Starter package, which includes up to 20 Pomodoros per month; $2.99 per month for the Individual plan, which includes up to 200 Pomodoros per month; $4.99 per month for the Advanced plan, which includes unlimited Pomodoros, customer monitoring and data export.

2. PomoDoneApp (Windows, Web, iOS, MacOS, Linux, Android)

The PomoDoneApp is one of the most efficient Pomodoro technique apps. Try it if you already have a similar task management program but want to use Pomodoro to increase your productivity. Native integrations with common task management tools are supported by PomoDoneApp. These tools include: Trello, Asana, Todoist, Wunderlist, Basecamp, and more. The app imports existing tasks from any linked program, and it also allows you to move tasks generated directly in PomoDoneApp back to your task management tool. 

Suppose you are not already using a task management tool, add your tasks directly to the PomoDoneApp — or use your own Pomodoro timer. The timer has all the functions you need: session length configuration options, automatic switching from focus to break timer, and a simplified version that will display the remaining time in your menu bar if you are using the Mac desktop app. Also, PomoDoneApp has powerful reporting features that allow you to filter your data and share your logs with others. And with its Chrome extension, during your concentration-time, you can blacklist websites — a perfect choice if you are inclined to wander away to check email, browse social media, or visit news sites when you are supposed to be focused.

Inbox Zero: How to boost your email management! – Productivity hack

Price: PomoDoneApp is one of the free Pomodoro apps in the Starter package, which provides two native integrations and one month of reporting data; $2.33/month for standard plans, which allows more native integrations and longer reporting access times.

3. KanbanFlow (Web)

PomoDoneApp is ideal if you are already making use of a Kanban tool like Trello or MeisterTask. In case you are not doing so, it would not make any sense to handle two different systems to obtain the combination of the features of Kanban and Pomodoro. Instead, test out KanbanFlow, one of the best app of the technique of Pomodoro for productivity. 

KanbanFlow is a Kanban board with a built-in Pomodoro timer. It provides all the features that you would expect from a Kanban app: swimlanes, work-in-progress restrictions, shared boards, and reporting options. But what makes KanbanFlow special is its time tracking feature, which enables you to activate Pomodoros directly from on-board tasks. As one of the most efficient apps of Pomodoro for productivity, KanbanFlow provides you with all the required information, in addition to taking advantage of the Pomodoro technique and monitoring your time against tasks. When you pause a timer it asks you what caused the interruption to occur. Use these reports to track your own productivity over time, and find out what interruptions can most frequently keep you from staying focused.

Remote Meeting 101: How to have better remote meeting?

Price: Free for the Free plan, which includes unlimited tasks and forums, the Pomodoro timer and efficiency reports; $5/user / month for the Premium plan, which covers file attachments, priority support and third-party integrations. 

4. Pomotodo (Windows, Web, iOS, macOS, Chrome, Android)

An app that has the best Pomodoro method for remote workers is Pomotodo. It lets you combine two separate strategies for productivity: Pomodoro and Getting Things Done ® (GTD ®). Utilize it to gather all of your to-dos, prioritize them, categorize them, and then use the Pomodoro technique to execute your most important tasks. Pomotodo’s tutorial will direct you on how to use the program after you build an account — and why each step is significant. After the tutorial is complete, start adding to-dos to your list.

Pin the to-dos that you are intending to work on that day, add tags to categorize to-dos and/or drag and drop all tasks to priority. When you are done with your first Pomodoro, press “Start Pomo.” Add Pomodoros to to-do items to chart how much time you spend on tasks, and tick tasks off your list to mark them as complete. When you are focused on increasing your productivity, you can also set targets for a number of Pomodoros to complete every day, week, or month. 

Price: Free for the simple plan with a to-do list and Pomodoro timer; $3.90/month for the Pro plan, which includes daily to-dos, goals, and personalized timer durations.

8 Best free Video Conferencing Software

5. Marinara Timer (Web)

Marinara Timer does not even need you to sign in. It provides three timer options: Pomodoro, Custom, and Kitchen:

• The Pomodoro timer allows you to start with the default 25/5-minute timers right away.
• Custom mode lets you tweak things to your taste if you want to change the timer lengths.
• Kitchen mode is the one-time timer where you set a time limit and it makes a countdown to zero.

Marinara’s distinctive feature is that it provides you with a unique URL for each timer, so that you can share it with others. You may be working for a team and want to make sure everyone is willing to take their breaks together, or perhaps you would like to hold yourself accountable by sharing a timer with a colleague.

Price: Marinara Timer is one of the free Pomodoro apps.

Cybersecurity During Work from home | A Security Checklist

6. Be Focused (macOS, iOS)

Be Focused helps you to incorporate a to-do list with the Pomodoro method for remote workers, and it offers reports that show precisely where you have spent your focus time every day, week, month, and year. To start your Pomodoro timer, simply open your task list, add the items you need to do, and then click the clock next to your highest priority task. As time runs out, the time that you have spent on that task is entered into your files, allowing you to see precisely how much time you have spent on your timeline for each task. You can also print such reports for your records or for invoicing as CSV files.

Price: Free on iOS for the Focus Timer app that includes all features but cross-device synchronization; $0.99 for the Be Focused Pro iOS app that synchronizes with the premium macOS app; $2.99 for the Be Focused Pro macOS app that synchronizes with the premium iOS app (note that Be Focused is not free for the macOS version).

Best Remote Working Tools That Make Life Easy

7. Tomatoes (Web)

If you are struggling to stick to the Pomodoro strategy and need some extra encouragement, Tomatoes provides a solution: competitive encouragement. Tomatoes has a really common timer. To start a 25-minute timer simply click the “Start” button on its homepage. That is pretty much the extent of this app. What makes Tomatoes special, however, is that it records the amount of Pomodoros that has been completed by each of its logged-in users, generating leader boards for every day, week, month and year. Tomatoes may be just what you need to stay focused and complete your Pomodoros, if you are inspired by competition and bragging rights.

Price: It is one of the free Pomodoro apps. 

8. Engross (Android) 

Engross is the best Pomodoro app Android that helps you find out which times of the day you tend to be your most successful self. This app helps you to create a to – do list, like many other apps on the list, so you can combine your work and time management strategies in one app. You can then use the Pomodoro timer (with editable length of the timer) to time your Pomodoros and breaks. But what makes Engross the best Pomodoro app Android is its distraction-tracking functionality. You tap the screen each time you get distracted when attempting to concentrate during a Pomodoro. Engross monitors how frequently you press the diversion button, collecting reports that show you which times of the day you can concentrate and which times of the day you tend to get distracted. 

Price: Free along with ads; $1.99 for the Pro upgrade (which you can purchase in the app’s free version) that offers functionality that is ad-free.

9 Best screen sharing software

9. Pomodoro.cc (Web) 

If you are unfamiliar with the Pomodoro technique and are not sure if it will work for you yet, use Pomodoro.cc to check the technique out without creating an account. Pomodoro.cc, like some of the other apps on this list, provides both a timer and to – do list, but you are not required to build an account to use either feature. This allows you to try out the technique before upgrading to a more feature-rich device, and see if you like it. The timer in Pomodoro.cc is very easy to handle. Pomodoros are set to intervals of 25-, 5-, and 15 minutes which are not adjustable.

Price: It is a free Pomodoro app. 

10. Timerdoro (Web) 

Often, more than just Pomodoros, you need timers. In that case, Timerdoro has a solution for you. It helps you to build as many timers as you need to get through each day. Perhaps you might wish to vary the length of your Pomodoro per mission. If so, build one that will cover the various lengths you need. Maybe, you might have to recall doing several things during the workday: drinking a glass of water, getting some exercise, and reducing the eye strain by turning away from your screen. Timerdoro lets you set up all the requisite reminders.

9 Best screen sharing software

Price: It is a free Pomodoro app. 

Now, you have all the information required to understand the Pomodoro technique, best Pomodoro app and its uses.