Interview with Sarah Archer, a content marketing manager & remote work techie

The company that I work for, Siege Media, has always supported employees who want to work from home at least once per week, but I took it a step further and pitched my CEO on transitioning to working remotely full time.

We worked together to come up with a plan that would benefit the company and keep me productive, and now I’ve been working remotely for over a year.

I’m currently working on content and PR efforts for Your Best Digs, a subsidiary of Siege Media. This requires me to constantly brainstorm new ideas, build relationships with publishers, edit, write and more.

I start my day at 7 a.m. to get a work out in. When I worked from an office, I became accustomed to going to CorePower yoga sculpt classes at a local studio in California.

Now that I travel while working remotely, I use the CorePower On Demand app and workout wherever is most convenient — most frequently in the living room of my accommodation or coliving space.

That’s followed by a yogurt and coffee, and then I start my work day.

When working remotely, establishing a routine that works for you is crucial.

I typically spend the beginning of my week focused on my inbox, connecting with publishers, editing, and assigning work. Towards the end of the week, I’m heads-down writing new content. That’s where my sound-proof headphones are put to good use.

I try to go outside during lunch every day if the weather is nice. The fresh air gives me the energy boost I need to be productive throughout the afternoon.

I travel while working remotely, so my workspace changes frequently, but you can usually find me at a coffee shop, coworking space, or my accommodation.

Although my workspace changes, my physical setup remains the same. I find that keeping a consistent setup puts me in a productive mindset, even if I’m in an unfamiliar place. These are my must-haves:

• MacBook Pro: Once I started using Apple computers, there was no turning back. I find that they’re the most reliable option out there.

• Logitech Keys-to-Go Ultra-Portable Keyboard: I tried a few portable keyboards before finding this one, and now it’s a staple in my set up. It’s extremely lightweight and turns on with a switch (I found that buttons allowed for the keyboards to accidentally turn on in my bag).

• Magic Mouse My favorite part of this mouse is that it’s rechargeable with the same charger as my iPhone, so I don’t need to worry about carrying around extra batteries.

• Roost laptop stand: This laptop stand is extremely portable, which is so important for me. I use it on a daily basis to avoid neck pain.

• Sony noise-canceling headphones: These are essential to drowning out the noise in a loud coffee shop or coworking space.

To me, routine is everything. Exercising and eating balanced meals is essential to staying productive.

Understanding what I need to accomplish in small chunks helps me stay productive.

I also use various online tools to keep me productive including: Slack, Zoom, Gmail, Basecamp and BuzzStream.

I create weekly goals at the beginning of the week and circulate them with the team. That keeps me accountable for what I need to accomplish on a weekly basis.

Then, I personally break down what I’m going to tackle each day.

Once I’m in the right mindset, I set goals on a daily basis so I don’t feel overwhelmed by the amount of tasks I need to complete by the end of the week.

I love the flexibility to create an efficient routine where I know I’ll be the most productive.

Avoiding a commute gives me more time to accomplish more before and after work. And of course, I love that it supports my passion to travel and meet new people all over the world.

It’s easy to feel isolated when working remotely, and as a social person, that’s something I don’t like about working on my own.

I combat that by staying at coliving spaces while traveling, where I meet like-minded people whom I can grab coffee or lunch with during the day.