How the ABLE Team Embraces a Virtual Work Environment: Betsy

Betsy loves working from home. Today we take a look at the features of her workspace, her favorite benefit of working remotely, and her tip for remaining productive. 

 

The Benefits of Working From Home

In the spring of 2019, the ABLE team made the transition to working 100% remotely. In this blog series, we explore what our team has learned about the benefits of working remotely. We’ll examine each team members’ workspace, then look at their favorite benefit of working from home. Each installment will also offer a tip for staying productive in a remote work environment. Today you’ll hear from Betsy Havens, ABLE’s Digital Marketing & Lead Generation Strategist.

 

Betsy’s Desk Essentials

Take a look at Betsy’s home workspace, then scroll down for a description of her desktop essentials.

  1. Second Monitor – “Having a big second monitor is very helpful. You don’t realize how much time you spend switching through windows until you don’t have to do it anymore! A display with plenty of screen space is a real game changer.”
  2. Coffee – “My day always starts with coffee. The mug in the picture is my favorite—it features a picture drawn by one of my nephews.”
  3. Digital Photo Frame – “A digital photo frame is a great way to have lots of pictures without all the clutter. My family and I all add pictures from our lives to the playlists that our digital frames display. I love glancing over and seeing new pictures!”
  4. Wall Calendar – “Google’s calendar is great, and I use that for a lot. However, I also like to have a physical calendar that’s just a glance away.”
  5. Alexa – “I love listening to music and podcasts throughout my workday, so it’s nice to have a speaker nearby. It’s also helpful for making quick voice reminders.”
  6. Boomer – “Boomer probably loves that I work from home more than I do! He’s almost always nearby.”

 

Tips for Working from Home

What’s your favorite benefit of working remotely?

“For me, one of the biggest benefits of working from home is the lack of distractions. When I work in an office, I have trouble tuning out the sounds around me. I’m easily distracted by other peoples’ conversations, music, and comings and goings. I have found that I am much more productive when I have control over my work environment.”

 

What’s your favorite productivity tip for working from home?

“This is kind of a funny tip, but I’ve found it to be effective. Someone once recommended to me that music from video games is a good tool for increasing focus. It makes sense, because video game designers want to keep you engrossed in their game. The music is designed to keep you alert and focused without being obtrusive or distracting. I don’t ever play video games, but it’s easy to find soundtracks to stream.”

 

ABLE Fosters Accountability in Remote Teams

Is your firm considering allowing your team to work remotely? Or maybe you have already instituted a policy that lets your team to work from home—how’s that working out for you? Did you know that ABLE can help?

One of the pillars of ABLE is that it supports accountability within teams of accounting professionals. It does so both with teams working within an office space and with those working remotely. To find out more, schedule a free, no-obligations demo today!