Do you have a dedicated space to work?

Interview with Jacob, a site reliability engineer

Most definitely yes!

I have a home office which I've gradually built out to support the various stages of my day (fiddle toys, notepads, greenery).

I also have a couple of coffee shops that I'll frequent if I have an admin-heavy day and know I'll need a bit of extra stimulation.

My home office was one of the few things that I splurged on early in my remote move.

In my previous job, I fashioned a standing desk from a couple of paper ream boxes and a coworkers unused shelf (before it was cool!). 

This was because the cheap chairs there aggravated my back and resulted in me making more trips to the physio than I would have liked.

So naturally when I went remote, I decided to spend some extra bucks to ensure that my home office was going to be comfortable and that I was going to enjoy being in there.

I ended up buying a sit-to-stand desk and a Herman Miller Embody chair, which have been worth every penny.

Jacob is a Site Reliability Engineer who believes in asynchronous communication and bullet journaling - learn how he maximizes his daily "deep work" time.

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Interview with Mark, a programmer building bespoke business applications

I've tried to work from a variety of places - coffee shop, friend's house, hammock. Ultimately, I keep coming back to my home office. It's really just a nook in our living room, but I've taken great pride & joy in carving it into a "distraction free" zone.

This has included altering the decor, sunlight levels, sound levels and even the direction the desk faces.

Through modifying my workspace, I've discovered the driving factor is distraction reduction.

A good pair of headphones helps muffle anything beyond low background noise, while an ergonomic chair - certified by my physical therapist wife - helps keep my body from aching during long periods of sitting.

Of course, working from home has its own special set of distractions: the refrigerator is only a few feet away, as is the living room (so...Netflix). Managing these other impulses is an on-going challenge and one that I've yet to master.

For Mark, avoiding distractions and sticking to regular hours are perhaps the hardest parts of being a freelancer - learn his secrets to achieving a good workflow.

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Interview with John, a full-stack web developer who works remotely

I do have a dedicated space to work, it's my room.

I have an L shaped desk so I can fit my dual monitors and Mac for when I'm working. I develop on my PC and use my Mac to test anything I need to on macOS.

I have some simple blinds so I can let some light in when I need it to feel refreshed.

Finally I have an orthopedic chair because your back is important especially when you sit for so many hours.

John works remotely while using the latest web development technologies, learn how he works by reading his interview.

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Interview with Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager reveals must-see freelance tips

Yes, I do have a dedicated workspace, which I think is very important as it gives you the right mindset that you are now working. My desk is for work, not play analogy.

I would highly recommend that you explain to family and friends that when you are working that they do not disturb you.

Finally, I ensure my workspace is both quiet and comfortable - it is difficult to give or take instructions in noise.

Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager shares the freelance lessons she has learned over the years—see her tips & exceptional entrepreneurial wisdom.

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Interview with Mike, a software engineer who works remotely at GitHub

While I've had a home of my own I've always tried to have one room as a dedicated office.

I'm not too strict about not going into my office in the evenings and I find it easier to have my perfect setup in one place where there are no distractions from the outside work.

Also: being able to use speakers instead of headphones is bliss!

Mike got started with remote work after getting an offer from his dream organisation. Learn how he works remotely while working on open source projects and publishing books.

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Interview with Adam, a UX engineer building his own consulting company

Yes, I work from home in a dedicated office space we have in our house. I also have a desk at a co-working space downtown where I hold office hours for the shared startups.

For the office hours I simply work out of the space and if any portfolio companies have short questions I help them out.

This is a great way to not only connect with the local community, but has helped me source some deals to keep my business going strong.

Learn how Adam started working remotely from a cold-email on Hacker News, to how he's using a local co-working space to grow his business.

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Interview with Nikita, an entrepreneur building a website to learn anything

When I work from home, I do have a dedicated space I work from.

It's a simple desk that only has my macbook (as I found it harder to focus with multiple monitors). And I have a small meal cup with water or tea by my side at all times.

I try to fully focus for 90 minutes and then take small breaks where I can do what I want and even check news that get unblocked for me for that time.

I always put my phone in do not disturb mode as I found ringing notifications to be the worst offender to productivity. In fact I keep my phone in DND mode throughout the most of the day as I try to practice a more proactive approach to life rather than reactive. In this way the recent features added to iOS 12 were amazing.

For working from home, the desk I use is not currently a standing desk as the ones I did find were quite expensive but in future I would love to use an adjustable standing desk and vary long periods of sitting with standing. I also found myself to be more productive when standing.

Nikita is an entrepreneur working on his startup while optimizing his productivity—learn how he organizes his life and work to maximize happiness

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Interview with Scott about working remotely for 20 years

I have a dedicated home office upstairs in our house.

When we designed it, we knew it would need to be able to be quiet, so built extra insulation into the walls and ensured it wasn’t a room you had to go through to get somewhere else.

I like that it’s relatively distraction-free, so the most important feature is that it’s quiet. I have a glass-topped desk that I love, and look out over our backyard’s garden and sauna.

I also share my space with our family pet rabbit, Snowball.

Scott is a designer and developer that's been working remotely since 1998, read his interview to learn how he's been successful

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Interview with Sarah about working remotely from an RV

I do! Our travel trailer has 3 slides and one of them is a super slide which is what our dining room table sits on and it's what I use to work from.

However, I am on the hunt for an adjustable sit/stand desk. I typically work in the RV but there have been times where we needed to be on the road during a work day, in which case, I would work from the truck.

If it's a nice day, sometimes I'll take my laptop outside and work from the picnic table at our site, and if we're visiting family, then I work wherever they have space for me! I've never felt the need to try co-working spaces or coffee shops.

Sarah is a digital marketing manager who travels the United States with her partner and two dogs while working remotely in her RV.

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Interview with Alexandra, a freelance fashion designer building her own brand

My work environment is pretty messy, but it also depends on the project I’m working on. I have a small studio where I work most of the time and I like to personalize it with favourite painting/sketches or sculptures. I like to feel in my “own bubble” when I work.

Lately I’ve been traveling a lot, so I always try to find a nice spot to work with good internet connection. I don’t really have a dedicated space to work, but I prefer quite places with big windows and nice views.

Alexandra is a freelance fashion designer who works remotely while traveling and building her own brand.

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