What do you not like about remote work?

Interview with Jacob, a site reliability engineer

It's not quite mainstream...yet. This means that despite many companies being "remote friendly", they aren't very well equipped to support their remote teams.

I was very lucky with Envato in that a couple of the early remoters before me really advocated hard for Envato to be a remote first company, and the engineering staff wanted to drive that support.

In the last 5 years, this space has started to expand. However, many companies still aren't interested in investing in remote work support and would rather invest in getting talent to come to wherever they have a physical office space.

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 have experienced bouts of loneliness where I can't seem to reach the coworker I need via Slack and have no insight into where they are. While not overwhelming, this feeling can sometimes chill the sunny disposition that the remote work life instills.

Furthermore, when you are on a team that is failing to build rapport due to geographic distribution, the distance feels that much more multiplied. Something as simple as whiteboard collaboration becomes a much bigger chore.

Easily, the biggest trap that's easy to fall into is working past traditional hours. You've never left the office, right?

Too often, I've neglected home errands or exercise to squeeze in "just one more hour". Before you know it, one becomes four. Is this behavior exclusive to remote work? No, but remote work definitely enables it.

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

The only thing I don't like is the volatility, you can have work one day, then none the next.

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

At times I miss meeting people I work with offline.

Also, having to continually enforce “realistic expectations” with online startups.

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

Ideally I'd work in a small, quiet office a short walk from my house.

I miss having coworkers to chat to in person whenever I feel like it but between real-life friends, family and web chats there's not really any meaningful isolation.

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

I am extroverted so I definitely find the isolation to be difficult at times.

Luckily, having a dedicated office space in a co-working office helps alleviate that loneliness.

Because I have that flexibility (and membership also includes perks like free coffee), that takes care of any of the downsides I would normally have with remote work. It's actually pretty great!

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

I like working with people and solving problems together. Brainstorming on white boards and generally talking with other people about interesting things.

Remote communication lacks the human element I find.

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

Working remotely can be isolating. I’m an introvert, and even for me the silence can get to be a bit too much. It helps to have someone else in the space with you: a spouse, significant other or another co-worker.

It’s important to make connections, so I make a point to schedule coffee, hikes or other social things with friends.

Just stepping out once for a coffee midday is a really good way to counter some of that feeling of isolation.

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'll admit that remote work is not for everyone.

There is a social/psychological aspect that takes a certain amount of self-awareness to overcome (e.g. not being able to interact face-to-face with your co-workers on a daily basis).

I tend to work better independently and don't have trouble communicating my personality over an email or text. This helps stave off the loneliness/distance that some feel when they work remotely.

Some people believe that you aren't able to advance your career if you work remotely because it's harder to maintain a presence with stakeholders that would have a direct affect on your ability to get a promotion or a raise.

But I'm living proof that it IS possible! I think it depends on a number of factors like the culture at the office as it relates to remote employees, what tools are in place to maintain contact, and whether there are regularly scheduled video conferences or retreats.

I have managed to advance at my current remote job because I worked hard to stay in front of people I work with as well as the fact that I'm not the only remote employee at the organization. Leadership at my organization has embraced a hybrid team to get more done and as a result, put in place certain procedures and culture that supports everyone involved.

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

I had to learn to manage my time and to learn to be stricter with myself at the beginning but that is not an issue anymore.

At the moment, I really enjoy working remotely because it gives me enough freedom to focus on my own brand.

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

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