Get a routine, and get out of the house

Meet people like Camille Ruvalcaba at Work Club

What happens when you go from working in an office 70 hours a week to being fully remote? Camille made that change about a year ago, and she’s never looked back. Along the way she’s made new friends and discovered a couple tricks to stay productive.

We asked Camille to share a little about her career, her daily routine, and her Work Club experience.

Hey Camille! For people who haven’t met you yet at Work Club, what do you do for work?

I’m an Email Campaign Manager at a marketing agency called Pierry, which recently rebranded as Wunderman Thompson. A lot of our services are built on Salesforce. I was using Salesforce Marketing Cloud at my last job, so that’s why they recruited me.

How flexible is your job, and how has your mindset changed over the last year?

I have a lot of flexibility — I’m fully remote! This job has made such an improvement on my work-life balance. I generally have to be available during PST or EST business hours, but I went from spending 60 to 70 hours a week in an office to working wherever I want, whether I’m on a weekend trip to San Diego or spending a week in Mexico City.

Has it been all positive, or have you run into some remote work challenges?

Sticking to a daily routine and meeting people can be tough. I’ve had some trouble lately with developing a morning routine, and it’s caused me to get a little lazy during the day. It’s also hard meeting other remote people, because it’s not like I talk to people at the cafes where I work — everyone is just doing their own work at their own table.

Have you discovered any remote “hacks” or tips?

Yes! Like I said earlier, having a routine and sticking to it is super important. Especially simple things like getting dressed up in the morning. Working out also makes a big difference, whether it’s first thing in the morning or in the middle of the day, and even if it’s just going for a walk. I love learning how people work on their mental health while working remote, so I enjoy following companies like Outsite and Remote Year that post articles on remote work productivity.

What motivated you to join Work Club?

My friend Margaux! She found Work Club and we agreed it’d be a great way to meet others who work remotely like us, and also check out local cafes.

How does Work Club fit into your work routine?

I have three types of work days…

1: Get up, make a small breakfast and tea, work at my kitchen table, go to the gym during lunch, back home to continue working, and finish the day by watching TV or reading a book. That’s my least favorite ’cause I’m barely outside.

2: After breakfast, drive to a cafe and work all day, leave early for the gym, then home to eat dinner and relax.

3: Grab a bar and drive to a Work Club event. Maybe get lunch nearby, then home for dinner.

I really enjoy Work Club because not only do I get out of the house to a cafe, but I actually get to talk and interact with people. The only challenge is sometimes I wind up spending a lot on lunch and dinner afterwards.

For someone new to Work Club, how would you describe it?

It’s a club, open to all, that caters to remote workers who want to meet other local remote workers. You could go to a cafe by yourself and get work done OR you can go to a cafe where there’s a Work Club, get your work done, and also interact with people who want to get out of the house and make connections, like you. It’s a great solution for people who need some social interaction during the work week, but also want to stay productive.

You’ve been to a lot of Work Clubs with Margaux, who you mentioned earlier. How did you two meet?

Margaux and I are coworkers at a fully remote company. She started a week after I did and reached out, asking if I wanted to get together at a cafe and work for the day. Since May 2019 we’ve been getting together about once a week. We’re usually working with different clients, but have found our meetups useful to collaborate and bounce questions off each other.

I know you’re super passionate about remote work — where’d that come from?

I really love remote work because it gives me flexibility to get my job done and time to do things I couldn’t when I had an office job. I had to commute and look for parking in San Francisco, where it’s next to impossible. And I was working long hours. Now I can work from anywhere, which also allows me to travel. While it’s challenging to find everyday social interactions, groups like Work Club encourage me to get out of the house and interact with others.

Camille is just one of thousands of people you might meet at Work Club — so what’re you waiting for?