Remote Q&A: Brad Jasper of RemoteHabits

Published in

Ripple

5 min readMar 26, 2020

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Brad Jasper of Remote Habits, a group we admire and follow from afar.

RemoteHabits is a website all about working remotely, teaching people how to get a remote job and healthy remote work routines.

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Q: Given the current social distancing practices, what do you see as the main challenges of working from home?

A: This is a challenging time, especially for those who are new to remote work. There are a variety of difficulties associated with working remotely, and they can be hard to prepare for if you suddenly find yourself working from home. Many of the challenges our interviewees face are related to 1) isolation and 2) streamlined communication with colleagues.

It can be hard to make up for the fact that you can’t just pop over to your co-worker’s desk to ask a question or request access to a Google Doc. Working remotely means there has to be some intentionality regarding how you and your team collaborate, communicate, and receive what you need from one another.

Nevertheless, those are things that teams can eventually come together to master. Ultimately, the hardest part will likely be the feelings of loneliness.

During these times where our health and safety depend on distancing from others, virtual meetings and phone calls are going to be essential. The goal should be to stay connected.

Q: With no end in sight to social distancing, could you offer a few productivity tips for those new to remote work?

A: We have three tips that can get everyone started on a productive remote work journey:

1) Establish a routine

For the sake or productivity as well as to solidify some normalcy in these uncertain times, be sure to have a routine. This was the key to Mark’s success as a remote programmer:

When I began my current remote job, the prospect of having to wake up consistently at 8 am again terrified me. I quickly realized that I would need to establish a lot of habits to get myself into a decent routine.
The first habit I began was doing some activity immediately after waking like exercising, cooking, or even mowing the lawn.
I found starting my day with a small accomplishment goes a long way in making it a productive day.

2) Set priorities

Everything cannot be urgent at the same time. So, set aside some time during the end of the day to set priorities and to-dos for the next day. This tactic allows you to jump right in and feel confident that you will be at your most productive. Art Director, Elizabeth, has made this a regular and helpful habit:

“The last thing I do before I give up for the day is to organise myself for the next day. I think about what projects moved to final during the day, what needs immediate attention and then portion out the rest of the coming day.
Sometimes my next-day list is a bit aspirational, but it’s a good starting point for the next morning. I keep this list in my notebook on my desk and always within my line of sight.”

3) Create a home office space that feel comfortable

You are going to be spending a lot of time in the space you choose to work — especially now.

As a result, you need to make sure it is inviting and comfortable, while also allowing you to be effective. For example, do you have an ergonomic chair? Do you need natural light? Do you have a door that you can close to separate yourself from others? Answer these questions as you are preparing your new home office. Laurel, a remote work consultant, discusses why this tactic is crucial:

“I appreciate that remote work empowers workers to choose an environment that inspires them best. Early in my career, I was an interior designer, so I have a deep appreciation for the psychological impact that our surroundings have on our behavior.
The ability to choose and control our environment can have a profound impact on our productivity and creativity, which in turn can propel our careers and businesses forward at an unprecedented rate.”

There are a lot of remote work tips out there, and we definitely suggest reading about them and implementing them when you can. However, if you need a quick guideline for getting started, the tips above can help you hit the ground running.

Q: In your opinion, what’s the most underrated work-from-home strategy?

A: We would definitely mention the importance of work-life balance and sleep. At times, it is easy to just talk about having the right tools, developing a sound remote work policy, and effective meeting practices. Nevertheless, those things cannot happen if workers are burned out and feel that they have to be “on” at all times.

Companies and entrepreneurs need to realize that remote work isn’t an excuse to require workers to work more time than necessary.

Remote work (right now) isn’t an excuse to require workers to work more time than necessary.

Because remote workers never truly “leave” their workspaces, there has to be an emphasis on “turning it all off” at some point during the day. COVID-19 now has husbands, wives, and children all working under one roof. As a result, individuals as well as their teams, have to develop strategies to ensure everyone has the time they need to rest and recharge. Tammy, founder of Workplaceless, commented on this struggle during her interview:

“The hardest part of working remotely for me is setting clear boundaries between “work time” and everything else.
It’s way too easy to fit in work in the evening or on the weekends, even when I know some things can wait until the following workweek. However, this is not an insurmountable challenge — every week, I get better about setting boundaries.”

Q: Which remote habits will become increasingly important for successful remote work in the future (5, 10, 15 years down the road?)

A: In the near future, the act of being able to pivot from in-office environments to remote work arrangements (much like what is happening right now with the social distancing measures) are going to be crucial.

Once this is over, all companies are going to have to re-evaluate their approach to remote work and put policies and safeguards in place to make a swift move to remote work much more straightforward.

Further down the line, we will need to combat stigmas that may still be surrounding remote work. Much of these have to do with increased productivity, strengthening cybersecurity, and fostering trust and socialization.

Many employers are finding out if this arrangement can actually work at this very moment. Once they understand that it can, they will have to work alongside employees to address the three stigmas that are still keeping some companies from jumping in.