What do you not like about remote work?

Interview with John, a web developer who works from home

I love pretty much everything about working remotely, but there definitely are a few challenges.

When you work with a team 8 hours a day for months or even years, they become your friends as well as co-workers. Not having the option to end the day with an impromptu group going out for a meal is a bummer. For me, having a meal with my team would require a lot of planning and travel.

When I was running a business, I was really terrible at setting boundaries. It became very easy to be at my desk every waking moment. This lead to some terrible burnout.

I'm much better about it now, but I have to stay on top of it so that I don't fall back into old habits.

John is a web developer running a mini-agency inside a larger WordPress agency - learn how calendar management and establishing boundaries have helped him boost his productivity.

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Interview with Haley, a VP of Operations shares her stellar remote work strategies

I occasionally miss office snacks, although it’s probably net positive for my health.

We get together as a leadership team a few times a year, and that in-person time to connect and brainstorm is always energizing. I’m hopeful that we can do more of that with the team in years to come.

Haley has figured out the way she works best as a VP of Operations. See her principles of remote work and the unique advice a former boss gave her about breaks.

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Interview with Ascencia, a content marketer, and avid gig economy professional

I really love remote work, and I’m grateful for the chance to experience it all. But if you asked me what I don’t like about it, these are some things I had in mind:

I work mostly at home with my family (my mom, dad, and sister). My parents work mostly from home too, and we eat out a lot, or just randomly decide to watch a movie on weekdays. So that’s one thing I have to balance with my work constantly.

As much as I do not like office drama, I miss the camaraderie from working with colleagues on-site. You can’t replace that with conference calls and icebreaker questions.

A forgotten two-year-old Upwork account allowed Ascencia to become a content marketer—see how the gig economy has offered her an alternative path to success.

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Interview with Harry, an IT Architect who works from home

It's difficult when your home is also your office, so I've always struggled with drawing the line between work time and home time.

I feel as though I've improved over the years, although the challenge increases if I'm approaching a deadline on a project.

Harry has worked remotely for almost 10 years as a senior mobile, web and desktop developer—learn how he balances work with family.

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Interview with Meryl, a digital marketer and master of home office organization

Nothing. Love it. The challenge is to maintain enough business to pay the bills and keep going strong.

Meryl K. Evans is skilled at creating a home office that leads to remote work flexibility. See her advice for creating a successful workspace, and hear about her journey into freelancing.

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Interview with Artur, an engineer who found purpose as an Intrapreneur

Loneliness has to be at the top of the list. As I mentioned earlier, my fiancee also works remotely in the same company. That, of course, has a whole suite of advantages, benefits, and dreadful pitfalls.

I am not alone, but we find ourselves in a bit of social vacuum. People over thirty generally have more trouble making friends than before.

Most of my friends are in the office. So, I have to make a deliberate effort to see another human being besides my fiancee (but she is a deity, so she does not count). This is one of the reasons we rent a coworking space.

The other thing is that flexibility has its price. When you take a break from work to do the laundry, the other errands start to pour in. So, strict work and life separation have its benefits. For example, after a stressful day, the commute back home is a nice bookend, and a chance to reflect and relax.

Working from home means that you bring your stress, annoyance, and irritation straight into your living room and to your family.

Artur realized entrepreneurship wasn't for him—see how he carves out his creativity and purpose as a remote Intrapreneur at Automattic.

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Interview with Ben, a web developer who freelances from home

Not getting to meet my clients face to face often or at all, especially when I've built up a good working relationship with them, or even made friends.

The perception from many companies that remote workers are lazy, or that you have to be in an office to work this job, or to be effective.

Strong communication is so important to being effective, but also, you don't have to have eyes on me to know I'm working.

Interruptions from family and friends. This is hard one sometimes, because some people don't listen to this, and try to interrupt you because "you're home, so you're not doing anything important."

Learn the tips and tricks Ben uses to stay productive while working remotely on a hybrid team

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Interview with Maggie, a senior product manager at HubSpot

When I worked fully remote, in my previous role, I found it difficult to see how my career could advance where I wanted it to go. Now that I go to the office two days per week, I feel that I have a better balance.

Remote work allows Maggie to live in a small town and excel in her career. Hear about how she stays professionally connected, and her essential career advice for remote workers.

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Interview with Jenna, a freelance writer who works remotely to help manage her health

I guess it can be a bit lonely at times, since interacting with coworkers face-to-face is no longer a huge part of my day.

I lean towards that being more of a good thing than a bad thing, though, because I’m so introverted, and I can always see friends when I need to.

Also, working remotely forces me to be self-motivating and hold myself accountable, and that can be a challenge at times, especially when dealing with depression.

As a freelancer in particular, I have to get used to putting myself out there, and dealing with a lot of rejection, which can be really emotionally difficult.

I knew that going in though, so I prepared myself, but there are certain days where it still gets me down.

Jenna started working remotely after realizing her office job was causing health problems—now she works as a freelance writer and writes about self-improvement

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Interview with Nathan and Connor, owners of Freeeup

I think anyone that works remote will say this...sometimes it gets lonely. There are days that we wish we lived closer so that we could get together, brainstorm, and spend the day working together. It’s a different dynamic when together in person rather than on a phone or video call.

Thinking of creating your own remote startup? See how Nathan and Connor built a successful and effective remote team from scratch.

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