What do you not like about remote work?
Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night
Sometimes I do feel stifled and want to change my atmosphere. That's when I go to the restaurant right across the street and work from there.
I live in a country club, and there are landscapers often working on the property. The loud noise of leaf blowers can be bothersome.
Laura Coronado discusses her method for juggling her career as a communications specialist by day and her side hustle as a freelance travel writer by night.
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Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
When working remotely, you need to be active in reducing the feeling of isolation. Also, professional development or informal learning requires more effort.
I'm not sure I would say that these elements make me not like remote work. It is just part of work that is not an issue if you work in an office. However, good remote work companies, those that are fully remote, will take care of this.
My biggest learning experience was to turn off the computer. I began using a tool that will shut off the computer at a set time. That helped to establish a pattern.
Katerina fell into remote work by accident - she reveals how easy and straightforward it can be to make discipline a daily part of remote work.
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Interview with Vivek, an entrepreneur building a virtual office for remote teams
Social isolation has been the most challenging aspect of remote work. As much as I hate the dynamics of office culture, working remotely made me realize how much I missed the passive social contact that you get in an office. Human contact is critical for work fulfillment.
I work around the isolation by using Pragli to stay present with my team and replicate the impromptu conversations that happen naturally in offices. But, developing relationships outside of virtual settings has been the most important for me to prevent loneliness.
Being diligent about scheduling time to hang out with friends 2 to 3 times throughout the week has been great for my mental health.
The long San Francisco commute sent Vivek into remote work—hear about his three strategies for eliminating distractions & his must-have tools.
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Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work
That so many workers are using location flexibility as an excuse to avoid work.
I have reviewed thousands of job applications in which the candidate says they want a virtual role just because they crave the freedom to travel, want the flexibility of working less hours, or feel the entitlement of not having to report to a boss. It is these attitudes that create the perception that remote workers are lazy and untrustworthy - because the perks of the job are being valued more than the job itself.
Too many people fail to remember that remote work is still work.
No one can build a business or a career without grit.
The remote workers that prove the stigma wrong are those that capitalize on location independence to fuel productivity, spark creativity, and maintain better work-life balance (which, in turn, enhances their job performance).
Flexibility and independence aren't the substitute for hard work, they are the reward for it.
Laurel is an advocate for remote work and helps companies learn how to work remotely through her consulting and writing.
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Interview with Michael about being an entrepreneur and freelancer
There isn't much I don't like about remote work.
Sometimes I have to force myself to stop working because I can get very involved and feel like there is always something to be done. Occasionally it would be nice to work with like-minded people and have been making a much better effort to network with others.
I would say is that not everyone is cut out for a remote working job. It takes a lot of discipline and drive to make it happen. It could be easy to get lonely as you are largely isolated and might not fit everyone's lifestyle.
Michael is an online entrepreneur, author, and freelance writer who specializes in self-improvement and personal finance.
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Interview with Patric, a UX designer and usability engineer that works from home
Not having multiple colleagues around to just fool around or have a chat about random things...
Having to sit in front of the computer all the time and mostly not being able to "walk through the meeting room while drawing on a whiteboard and discussing stuff"
Not being able to gauge the actual emotional state of my colleagues / team members / employees when I talk to them or write emails back and forth.
Sometimes a 10 minute face-to-face meeting would be 10x as productive as having to set up a call, video-sharing, explaining, etc.
Patric works on his own projects while also consulting for medium sized software companies, learn how he works remotely.
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Interview with Michelle, an organizer of digital nomad experiences
It is challenging to deal with the fact that people come and go. I am quite social and mostly work in coworking spaces, but people travel, so it is hard to really get to know people.
A solo backpacking trip led to Michelle organizing co-travel experiences for digital nomads—hear how she manages working while traveling.
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Interview with Taylor, a marketing director and intentional digital nomad
It can be isolating and lonely if I'm not intentional about building my community.
In-person community takes a lot more effort than it used to because it doesn't just happen naturally.
I do not default into a community because I have to build and nurture my own. That actually makes for a more meaningful community, but it takes a lot of work. It can be exhausting.
Taylor shares how co-working spaces, digital nomadism, and work flexibility gave her the work environment she always wanted.
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Interview with Andrew, a freelance writer who works remotely
The discipline required to work remotely is far more taxing than the discipline to work at an actual location.
Without having anyone breathing over your neck, there’s considerably less anxiety, but there’s also more temptation to slack off.
If you aren’t rigorous and disciplined with yourself, you could potentially end up wasting precious time or even days, putting you behind. While a regular job has guaranteed income, all you have to do is show up, remote work comes with a heavy burden, if you don’t finish your contracts, you don’t get paid. Sometimes that can get to me.
And then of course, probably the thing I like the least is the lack of socialization. Working in an office has a lot of negatives to it, but the thing I miss the most was having people that you could work with and talk to on a daily basis. Working remote is a lonely life. But like all tradeoffs, the question comes down to does the pros outweigh the cons? And in the case of freelance work, the cons are absolutely worth it.
Andrew became a full-time freelance writer after experimenting with freelance marketplaces. After the first month, he was already earning more than his full-time job.
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Interview with Pilar, director of Virtual Not Distant
I don't like that it is getting a little bit too busy online. It's that you end up looking at a screen for too long, and all the work happens in once place, which is behind the screen, whether I am talking to someone, writing or podcasting, I seem to spend my time looking at a screen which is not great for the eyes.
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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