Do you have a dedicated space to work?

Interview with John, an international business writer sharing 15 years of insights

No. I travel and work from wherever I might be.

For over a decade, John has worked as an international business writer. See his insights on the state of remote work, freelancing, and attracting clients who are the right fit.

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

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.

From noise-canceling headphones to Basecamp—content marketer Sarah shares her must-have remote work tools & essential productivity tips.

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Interview with Celine, a VP of People Ops and remote team member

Yes, I believe it is important to have a :

1. Routine
2. Dedicated space to work

Having these items gives boundaries to you and your family when you work from home and enhances the work/life balance.

Celine has experienced the highs and lows of working with remote and hybrid teams—see her tips for thriving as a member of a remote team.

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Interview with Audrey, a military wife thriving as a marketing manager

My go-to workspace is my home office. It's tailored to my exact preferences, so it's really the ideal place to work.

However, if we have something loud going on at the house (for example, we're remodeling our basement, or my kids are home for a sick-day, and the babysitter comes over) I'll go to the coworking space in my neighborhood and get a day pass. However, if I don't have any meetings that day, I'll work from Starbucks.

It's fun to switch it up. Although my cozy chair and consistently-72-degree-home-office will always have my heart.

There are endless snacks, I can play the music as loud as I want, I can hop on calls without a second thought, and no one is hogging the wifi bandwidth. I also invested in a nice Nespresso machine, which I regularly visit...probably too regularly.

Marrying an active-duty army officer sent Audrey on the search for a remote work position—see how she has established her career while staying on the move.

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Interview with Tara, a remote director of research and administration

I do! When we built our house, we added a dedicated office. It has soft green walls and faces south, with a lot of natural light. I love it.

A move to be closer to a spouse's job led Tara to remote work—see her tips for staying productive and organized as a full-time remote director.

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Interview with Tammy, founder and CEO of Workplaceless

Yes! This is so important to me. Some people work well with constant changes of scenery, but I love having a routine and a dedicated workspace. We renovated our basement a few years ago, and I work from there.

Learn how this founder and CEO of a remote work resource and certification program handles the triumphs and trails of location independence.

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Interview with Alyssa, a copywriter and content strategist

Yes, I have a desk where I work most of the time...through every once in a while, I do end up staying in my PJs on the couch. Sometimes, you just have one of those days.

Alyssa has found her rhythm as a freelancer and founder of the blog, Freelancing Flow—see her tips for keeping it all running smoothly.

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Interview with Vernon, a freelance technical writer

Yes, I do. Two actually.

My first workspace is at home. Now, while I am not a fan of working from home, it can come in handy sometimes. Other times it may just be a necessity at that particular moment, for any number of reasons. My other workspace is a small office in the city.

At home, I have a small study which I use as my home office. Pretty standard as home studies go. A few bookshelves with an array of titles. Mostly novels, but a few non-fiction texts on a variety of topics.

There's a huge, black, soft leather recliner for when I need to give myself a break. I have a small desk with my desktop computer where I sit on a nice ergonomic swivel chair and do the work.

The best part about the home office is the view through my window. It's a large circular port window that faces the mountains. The view is awesome on a sunny day.

On a rainy day, it's pretty grey, but the sound of rain is always wonderful. (I used to have a TV in the office a well but that turned out to be a very-not-good idea. Note: For optimal productivity, keep distractions to a minimum.)

My second workspace is a small office where my Dad works. My father is a medical doctor and has a thriving practice in the city of Kingston, Jamaica.

He owns a small building which houses his practice as well as some additional office space. Being the supportive parent he is, he offered to help me with my business, providing me with office space to work out of.

My (I guess we'll call it) “official” office is very sparse compared to my home office. This office is comprised of a simple desk, a swivel chair, and my laptop.

There's a single window, but it's usually covered by blinds, and the interruptions and distractions are, thankfully, few and far between. It provides the space and opportunity to focus on the work at hand.

Vernon is a freelance software technical writer that uses lists to organize his hectic freelance schedule—see how he maximizes his time throughout the workday.

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Interview with Kati, a co-founder shares her tips for juggling multiple side hustles

​We moved to a smaller house about a year ago, after four of our six kids moved out. In our old farmhouse, I had an office with a window set up as my dedicated workspace.

Since we've moved, the only available area doesn't have a window. I've tried working in there, but it feels too claustrophobic for me, so now I work from my couch!

Kati has made a career at using the internet and gig economy to her advantage—see how she successfully manages multiple side hustles and a business.

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Interview with Laurent, an introverted remote worker & engineer

Ninety-nine percent of the time working, I am from home (or whatever lodging we're renting when traveling).

Some people like a clean environment, but I like noise. I always have music playing, and my desk is a mess.

I could justify this by saying that all these stimuli help me be creative and actually focus on my tasks. But I actually don’t know if there’s really some basis to that, it may be just an ad hoc hypothesis 😉.

I also have a window so I can see outside. When traveling, I make sure I can always see outside, too, when working. I like to see nature, and time goes by as the day progresses.

In this interview, this VP of engineering shares his strategies for managing family time and organizing meetings as an introvert.

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