Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night

I've always had a side hustle as a freelance writer, so I've always worked remotely part-time for various publications. But two years ago, I landed a great full-time gig as a communications specialist with a WordPress website design and development agency called WebDevStudios.

So by day, I work remotely with a team of talented people. By night, I continue working from home writing articles and blog posts.

At WebDevStudios I manage the website content and blog posts for our family of companies, as well as our social media. I spend a lot of time editing blog posts that other team members write and curating and scheduling content for social media.

I also assist with marketing initiatives, and right now I'm helping with the development of a promotional offer for one of our brands. After work, I'll be working on a travel article about Las Vegas, which is where I live.

While I live in the west, I work east coast hours. So, I log into work at 7 a.m. PST, Mondays through Fridays.

First, I greet my teammates, letting them know I am around. I then log into Help Scout to answer customer inquiries for website projects and coordinate those accordingly.

I spend my day multitasking. So while I'm working with customer inquiries, I'm also monitoring our social media for engagement there, as well as our blog for comments.

I like to tackle content first, so I work on editing, coordinating, and scheduling blog posts. If there are other content needs required, such as updating or creating content for a landing page or marketing collateral, I do that, too.

During the last hours of the day, I work on our social media. Peppered in between all of that are quick meetings and chats with teammates about content.

I like to roam around for work. I usually work off my dining room table, often using a stand atop the table so I can stand while I work. Sometimes I meander off to the living room and chill on the sofa with my laptop on my lap.

When the weather is nice, I will work poolside. And if I need to get out of my place and change the scenery, there is a restaurant nearby where I can hang out and work. My family lives in Texas, so I travel there to visit and work wherever I can find some peace and quiet.

I rely heavily on customized reminders from Slack known as Slackbots to remind me to do things. I like to play music while I work, too. Sometimes I play new age ambient type of stuff to keep me calm, centered and focused.

Other times I'll play upbeat music for motivation. Coffee is also a must-have for productivity. Oh! And strawberries. Strawberries keep me happy.

Again, Slackbot reminds me of what I need to do. But WebDevStudios also relies on project management software like Trello and Basecamp to keep things organized.

I rely on Google Sheets in Google Drive to keep my content organized and insert deadlines. I use these sheets for our company editorial calendar as well as for the freelance content I publish on the side.

I love the work-life balance that remote work offers. I love not commuting, not spending money on gas, and not having to wear business attire daily.

My home is very quiet and calm. I love that I don't have to leave it in order to establish a career.

I feel I accomplish more by working from home.

Sometimes I do feel stifled and want to change my atmosphere. That's when I go to the restaurant right across the street and work from there.

I live in a country club, and there are landscapers often working on the property. The loud noise of leaf blowers can be bothersome.

My advice is to stay connected with the people you work with and develop bonds with them.

You don't have to be best friends, but when you find common ground with people you work with (or for) and when you discover and establish that you're working toward the same goal, you'll find your passion and motivation increase.

Create and encourage a team environment and you'll find joy in your work.