5 Pro Tips For Working Remote

To a lot of people this is either fiction, or over discussed. Yeah, weird right? Most people that work the way that I do have probably read “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss, are members of #nomads, and quite possibly get people asking them everyday what they do for work because, well, our offices are coffee shops, co-working spaces, and our apartments (or someone else’s). What I’m sharing with you isn’t for the pros — this is for the person who’s just getting to understand the world of remote work, and can’t quite cope with the concept yet. This is for you.

1. Create a Routine

Whether you’re abroad or you’re at home, have a routine. If you have to wake up every morning wondering what to wear, what to do, what to think — you’ve already lost a step and you have cluttered your mind without even knowing it.

Sure, dress up! But don’t waste an hour wondering what you’re going to wear, or what’s for breakfast. Have that planned out as you’re staring at the ceiling the night before. Ever wondered why tech moguls such as Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs always wore the same outfit? Trust me — it wasn’t an issue with hygiene.

Post-its! iPhone notes, Trello, whatever! Before you wake up, you should have what you want to accomplish today written down, and easy to digest. It’s the morning for pity’s sake — don’t stress yourself out before you even had a chance to wake up…

With all of this in mind- you should have a general idea what you have to do today, and what’s a priority so you can focus on where you’re going…

2. Plan Out Where You’re Working

“Where do you work?”

“Uhmm — good question! It depends.”

For me, it’s wherever I’m staying (mostly Airbnb’s), a co-working space, airports, or my favorite — a coffee shop. I’m that little “hipster” you see there all day stealing your wifi in exchange for a two-dollar coffee. Sorry, not sorry… Jokes aside, I have various places I work from depending where in the world I am, but it’s always pretty similar. All I need is my laptop, good wifi, my headphones, some coffee and I’m good to go!

How does one manage to work a full-time job from a coffee shop? Simple! First things first, it’s all about scheduling everything. If you look at any of my team’s Google calendars, you’ll notice that we block off time for EVERYTHING. It’s the only way to stay sane (or insane to the rest of you).

Here’s another tip:

When I have to meet with various people in a day, planning an agenda can be a pain in the ass. That’s why it’s super important to 1.) limit the amount of in-person meetings you take if it can be answered over a conference call, and 2.) learn to use Google Hangouts or Skype.

All day you can find me “jumping onto” calls with various clients all around the world through this beautiful thing called the internet! If your clients or co-workers are all domestic, same thing — save each other a few hours and some gas money — book time to chat online!

If you really feel you need in-person meetings, I actually have a friend who works with startups here in Los Angeles that posts up in the same location every day of the week like a mob boss. You can see all kinds of business come in to chat with him. It’s super efficient and bad ass to say the least.

3. Utilize the Two-Hour Rule

If you haven’t read the “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss. Go buy it right now. It’s hard for a lot of people to comprehend, and he’s definitely very polarized, but if you meet his thinking in the middle, and find a way to work remote — it’s a reality you can make possible.

One point he makes about the 9–5 work life, and how we just do shit we don’t want to do for the sake of doing shit don’t want to do, is about our most valuable resource as humans…time.

“Since we have 8 hours to fill, we fill 8 hours. If we had 15, we would fill 15. If we have an emergency and need to suddenly leave work in 2 hours but have pending deadlines, we miraculously complete those assignments in 2 hours.”

— Tim Ferriss, 4 Hour Work Week

So, ask yourself:

If you only had two hours to work in a day, what would you do?

That’s how you should approach every morning. Take a look at your workload, the meetings, the customers, and figure out, what are your most important tasks, and let’s get those done NOW! Think about quality of output over quantity, and structure more value into your life.

Think about it. Imagine being done with your work day in two hours. This is your opportunity to accomplish the difficult tasks first, and start pushing tasks off your plate quicker. You will soon be able to shuffle your value into more important areas of your life like learning a new skill, exercising, or building the next big thing!

4. Have Something To Look Forward To

Always be working for something and schedule breaks in your day. When you don’t have your manager peering over your shoulder, or your co-workers facedown in their keyboards, it’s really hard to stay motivated and get through the day without distractions. Always have something to aim at.

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” — Bruce Lee

Some of my friends look forward to their workout at noon, a Netflix bender once they’re off the clock at 5pm, and for me, the sacred lunch break. Whatever your vice, dangle it in front of your face while working remote.

When working in startup, or remote in general, it is also super important to give yourself days off! I can’t say that enough to my fellow hustlers!! If you don’t enjoy life, and create a holistic or well-rounded life, you are doomed to “workaholism”…yeah, I think that’s a word. And, well, you get the point.

Those who DO NOT take breaks, plan weekend trips, or take a few days off are NOT tapping into their full potential. With a great work-life balance, one can bring fresh ideas to the table, learn from the world, and frankly, just enjoy this great adventure we call life.

5. Explore How You Work Best

I have my own way of getting things done, and that’s how I work. You might have a different way of taking care of business. Whichever way that is, you should start taking notes on what works for YOU, and what doesn’t.

If you begin by creating a routine, relearning your work-life balance, and creating incentives for you to get through the day, you will be just fine at working remote.

It’s a huge learning process where you have to figure, “what works for me?” “what’s efficient?” and “how can I continue to work like this wherever in the world I am?” Once you get all of that down, it’s a walk-in the park.

Signing out.

Matt Wright

*If you want more guidance on how to work remote, reach out to me!