What advice would you give to a new remote worker?

Interview with Shivani, a remote content writer who shares lessons learned

It’s easy for the lines between working hours and personal time to get blurred, so it’s important to set boundaries and stick to them.

Everyone’s boundaries will be different — a dedicated workspace, a fixed time each day to stop work, not having work-related apps on your phone etc. — so find what works to help you disconnect and avoid burnout.

If you work from home, make sure to get out of the house! Even if you just go for a short walk or to run an errand, go out and get some fresh air. A change of scenery can do wonders for your productivity and mental health.

Shivani provides all you need to know about making remote work...work. She shares tips on finding the best remote work opportunity and thriving once you get it.

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Interview with Stefan, a founder building a location-independent startup

Know why you want remote. It can be lonely at times, so don’t forget the reason.

Do you want to travel more? Have time for your kids or family? Something else?

Stefan now has total control over his time since leaving the traditional office in early 2019. Hear how his routine is helping him build a solid remote startup.

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Interview with Molood, a CEO who shares how minimalism has improved her remote work experience

Invest in learning the mindset and skills of working remotely effectively, especially if you are in a leadership position.

Just like the skills you learned for the job itself, the skills for conducting that job remotely need to be learned.

Winging it can harm you and your company, and fixing a broken trust or communication flow can be much harder and more costly than building it correctly from the get-go.

Observe, learn, and ask questions long before you form an opinion about a person, product, team, process, company, etc.

Communicate as if you are narrating your work for someone who cannot see. Overcommunication and acknowledgment of having read/heard what other people say in remote teams is very important.

Practice empathy and inclusion. If you say “good morning” because it’s morning where you are, remember that for some people on the team, it might be afternoon, try to include them and say “good afternoon” too. Attention to seemingly simple details can really change the way people in your team perceive you.

As CEO and Founder of Remote Forever, Molood has made a career in teaching individuals and companies how to work remotely effectively. See how embracing a minimalist lifestyle has caused her to excel.

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Interview with Andrew, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads

• Develop your skills as a specialist within your field.
• Get credentialed, licensed, or certified.
• Have testimonials from your clients so that your personal platform is solid.

Andrew, co-founder, and CEO of Insured Nomads talks traveling while working, productivity tools, and the best advice he has received.

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Interview with Kirsten and Jay-Allen, remote team coaches & collaboration experts

Create a “workspace”: Whether this means that you join a coworking space or set aside a place at home, having a clear ‘space’ that equals work will help you disconnect.

Trust people: Working remotely can feel quite vulnerable, people may take longer to reply because of timezones, or their responses might feel harsher than you’re used to. It’s likely that you’ll be working with cultures that are very different from yours and so people will communicate differently to what you’re used to.

Be yourself and be clear on what your needs are: Many people feel awkward when they join remote calls, the space feels different. Our advice is that you be yourself and bring your ‘full self’ to your remote teams. Be clear on what you need, and if you’re feeling that you’re not getting something, maybe you were hoping for more fun, and you’re feeling the team space is quite cold and disconnected, ask for this.

Remote team coaches, Kirsten and Jay-Allen, offer three pieces of advice for new remote workers and reveal the one question every remote job seeker should prepare to answer.

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Interview with Marian, a nomadic social media manager and day trader

Be positive, and apply for every job you feel that you can do. Tell yourself that you can be a remote worker even if you haven't done it yet. Be friendly, know your skills, and be proud of what you can do.

Day trading & virtual assisting has allowed Marian to see the world—in this interview, she lays out her routine and priorities for those thinking of traveling while working.

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Interview with Tyler, a director of customer success models how to start a remote work career

Study GitLab, Automattic, Basecamp, Buffer, Doist, Workplaceless and others (Hubstaff, too) that have been doing this much longer than you have and share their learnings on the internet.

Subscribe to the podcasts, read the blogs, even contribute to the GitLab handbook as I did. Honestly, I became a successful remote worker just following the guidelines here: RemoteOnly.org. This guide recently got an update earlier this year and added lots of GitLab branding.

In spite of that, it’s still a fantastic compilation of resources for remote job seekers, workers, leaders, and companies.

From networking to land a remote work gig, to building out an exceptional remote work tool stack, Tyler has quickly figured out how to thrive in remote work. See his tips for starting strong.

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Interview with Pilar, director of Virtual Not Distant

It depends on the kind of remote worker they are. Remote workers could be working away from their team, working for a fully distributed company, or working for a hybrid company.

So, I think the best advice is to know what kind of setup you are letting yourself into and to make sure that you love what you are doing or want to do what you are doing.

You want to like what you do not just because it is a remote job, because there are a lot of bad remote jobs. You want it to fit you, as well as for the team and the work you are doing to suit you.

Hear about Pilar's flexible approach to managing Virtual Not Distant and the career-changing advice she received from a friend.

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Interview with Paul, a remote product designer who has found his zen

Structure and routine are vital. As are taking breaks and allowing for personal time to catch up with family, friends, and yourself.

Without the commute, coffee breaks, lunch, and impromptu chats that usually punctuate the office day, work, and home life can easily mesh into one.

Usually, work will overtake the other. This will lead to burnout!

The COVID-19 pandemic drove Paul to embrace remote work. See how he has adapted his routine to this new normal, and the one tool that keeps him organized.

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Interview with Mehmet, a nomadic digital maker and entrepreneur

Learn your unique ways to feel “connected. “ The remote work style’s biggest disadvantage is loneliness. It requires remote workers to be a little more extroverted.

You have to become more vocal (mostly with written communication) in the work environment. You can also surround yourself with other remote workers in co-working spaces or public places like coffee shops.

Whatever helps you feel like you are being social, identify those opportunities. Humans are social creatures, even if you are a super introvert.

Mehmet has embraced his remote team leadership style. Hear about his most helpful productivity trick and why he has "quiet" days for his staff.

Read full interview from Interview with Mehmet, a nomadic digital maker and entrepreneur .