8 Ways to Excel at a Remote Job
Last year — 2015 — my New Year’s resolution was to get hired by a tech company. And just like that (seriously) I was put into contact with David Litwak at Mozio, and a few weeks later I had started my first job at a Silicon Valley startup. Apparently, “putting the intention out in the universe” really works!
The perks are obvious for most: working mostly from home, the chance to network with colleagues from all around the globe, being involved in a fast-paced project where growth is an everyday occurrence, not wearing pants everyday…
But there’s also the drawback from not having an actual office environment: having to rely on yourself to GST (get shit done) and also keep motivated and organized. No small feat.
After a year working remotely, here are my tips to keep your head above water and deliver results week in and week out. *Disclaimer: These tips are mostly aimed at sales employees, BDRs and related positions, I’m not sure they’d be as helpful for engineers — but who knows. \_(ツ)_/
“Calendarize” your life.
Seriously, I cannot understate the importance of blocking off time on the calendar for your different tasks. I find that most startup jobs require wearing many hats — so in order to keep up a daily output for all your projects, you’re going to want to assign specific blocks of time to complete each of them. Remote positions are all about being very organized and self-motivated, since there are no “physical” managers peering over your shoulder at the office to see if you’re doing your work.
Most of my planning is done on Google Calendar, you can use any form of calendar you prefer but try to stick to your schedule everyday. Use notifications to know when to start your next activity. Also, remember to schedule time for lunch breaks and stretching your legs. Trust me, you’ll need them.
*since I’m an organizational freak, I enjoy making my schedules pretty and color coding everything. It’s easier to follow and is even a little soothing to look at. Whatever helps, right?
Warning: the first week will be the toughest, and you’ll probably figure out that the 1 hour block you assigned to answering emails turns into 3, or a call you had scheduled for 40 minutes drags on for an hour and a half. Don’t fret, and try again the following week. Like any habit, it’ll take a little messing up till it becomes easy to follow. Don’t quit!
Have somewhere quiet and private you can work at
This is one of the most important things to secure. Ideally, find somewhere you can leave your laptop, your pencils and paper, your Post-Its and your coffee cup so you waste no time setting up each morning. Recreate an “office space” as best you can, and if possible, don’t set it up in your bedroom. Remote life can easily mess up work, rest and leisure time in your week, and you need all three to keep functioning.
Also, try not to work from your couch or bed, however tempting it sounds. It’s the fastest way to a back hernia (seriously).
Don’t fall into the 24/7 black hole.
When working remotely, the first pitfall is being constantly online, on the clock and on the grind, from Monday to Monday. This does not work, and will burn you out incredibly fast. While remote jobs usually mean work hours are “flexible” (as in you can start and stop your day whenever you choose), don’t make them flexible with yourself. Work out a daily schedule — depending on what your job requires — and keep to it. Don’t fall into the temptation of waking up whenever your body feels like it and going to sleep at 2 am. It’s important to figure out your work and leisure hours from the start, and commit to them as best you can to avoid feeling like you’re always working. I can guarantee your body, mind and boss will thank you for it.
Put on pants
I know, I know. One of the best parts about working from home is arguably not having to put on any pants and performing business calls and meetings from the comfort of your sweats or less (guilty of all of the above). But this is only a perk until it starts pulling you down emotionally. Make yourself put on nice clothes (maybe not a suit, but something that wouldn’t embarrass you to be caught on the street in), do your hair, pretend like you’re meeting someone in person. This will go a long way towards keeping your morale up. And when in fact you do treat yourself to working in something super comfy, it feels like a treat and not the rule.
Trello/Asana/Wunderlist
Break down your assignments into the smallest tasks you can and list them in order of priority. This can be done on any platform you prefer — I’ve tried Trello, Asana, Wunderlist and just plain paper. Out of the former I think my favorite is Asana, since it allows a better “hierarchy” system for organizing tasks and subtasks. You can also assign specific activities to other team members, upload files, and set deadlines on the calendar. However, every tool will only be as useful as you make it. The same principle applies here as mentioned for calendarizing: you have to remember to stick to it.
Participate
Remote jobs can often be a little lonely. Whenever possible, jump in the team conversations on Slack (or whatever messaging platform your company is on), raise your hand, suggest a new activity or topic. It will help keep your spirits up, and also let your colleagues know who they work with and what your personality is like. Digital communication is fast, but also very impersonal. Use memes, share pics, learn how to use markdown language (if allowed on the team platform) to give your comments a little color and personality. There are great friendships and relationships waiting to happen, it will just take a little more effort.
Ask for feedback
The perk of not having anyone peering over your shoulder while you work can also backfire when your job results aren’t up to your manager’s expectations. Be proactive about this and ask for feedback as often as possible. One of my previous managers at Mozio — Emre Mangir — made it a priority to have a standing one-on-one Hangout with me every other week and it went a very long way towards keeping both our expectations aligned with respect to my responsibilities. If your manager’s schedule allows some individual time, make use of it — even if you think you have nothing to say. Something will always come up and it’s a good way to reassure your superiors that you’re on your game.
Keep a progress report and send weekly recaps
Most remote jobs will require a regular report from you to your manager. A useful way to keep track of my progress is a simple Excel spreadsheet that I keep open on my desktop with two columns: weekly assignments/goals and results. This way, when Friday comes around I don’t have to dig through my sent emails and call logs to figure out how much work I have accomplished — I just copy my Results column and send it in.
Best of luck!
