What does your workday routine look like?
Interview with Paul, a remote product designer who has found his zen
I have blocked out my workdays to start at 9 am and finish at 5.30 pm. In between, I have blocked out time for focus work, collaborative work, and breaks (coffee, lunch).
At either end of the day is personal time. In the morning, I mock the commute by getting out for a walk or exercise during the time I would usually have been commuting. I make time in the evening to have dinner and spend time with my family before the boys go to bed.
Here’s an example of a typical day:
07.15–09.00 — Mock The Commute & Gratitude Log I have replaced my usual commuting time with mocking the commute, having breakfast, writing my gratitude log, and starting my to-do list. I also have extra time to spend with my son by getting him dressed and preparing his breakfast.
9 am — Laser Focus Block Time to start work and prepare for the day and week ahead.
10.30–10.45/11.00: Coffee Time! First break — Time for coffee!
10.45–12.30: Open Work Time Back to work, but this block of time is open, so I am available and ready to take or schedule calls if required. I usually have my 1:1 with my line manager during this time.
12.30–13.30: Lunch — Bonus Family Time I need to eat to remain energised. It’s also an opportunity to spend some time with my wife and boys and, on fine days, have lunch al fresco in the garden —both bonuses I am grateful for during these strange times.
13.30–16.00: Open Work Block It’s back to work and another open block. We usually have our team huddle during this time to update one another on our focus areas for the week ahead.
16.00 — Break Time for an afternoon break. Right now, we have a virtual team hangout to connect with teammates on a more personal level, so I will aim to join this as often as possible.
16.30–17.30: Open Work Block The last hour is about wrapping up tasks and activities for the day and responding back to any outstanding emails. It’s open for any additional meetings that need to happen.
17.30–20.00: Family Time This is sacred family time. We have dinner together, then I get to play with the kids before it’s their bedtime. Bedtime consists of three stories, and it’s a wonderful moment of connection between parent and child. I’ve become a huge admirer of the work of Julia Donaldson!
20.00: Personal Time This is flexible personal time — I can take it for myself to draw, listen to music, go for a run, watch a TV show, spend time with my wife, connect with friends and family.
My personal blocks remain the same every day.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Paul, a remote product designer who has found his zen .
Interview with Deborah, a remote entrepreneur changing perceptions about remote work
The truth is, it varies. When I'm at home, it always starts with fresh coffee and responding to the most urgent emails. I find I get started almost as soon as I wake up, and then I get around to showering and getting dressed at around 10.30, and then continuing with work.
If I'm going to be at home all day and can afford a bit of distraction, then I'll go for a walk or a swim on Hampstead Heath at lunchtime, or go to a cafe for lunch and to work for a couple of hours.
There's a dog pond on Hampstead Heath close to where I live, so sometimes I go there to dog stalk.
It's amazing what a cuddle with a furry friend can do for your day!
Otherwise, I go stir crazy and bounce off the walls (one of the most prevalent challenges for remote / home workers). If I'm traveling and in a different time zone, then it does depend more on my clients' needs. I NEVER have the TV on when I work, but I often listen to music or a podcast.
Deborah has traveled the world sharing her research about the pros of remote work. See how she is helping companies and clients understand the importance of location independence.
Read full interview from Interview with Deborah, a remote entrepreneur changing perceptions about remote work.
Interview with Pola, a Paris-based content writer
I check in with the team in the morning, make coffee, and then get on with my projects!
I make sure to take a real lunch break (luckily, France is good for that) to recharge and avoid the afternoon crash.
I also like to take a walk in the evening, because too much time in front of the computer can take a toll on the body. Not having a commute means I can get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, which makes a big difference in terms of productivity and mood.
A job ad in an online group led Pola to find her ideal career as a content writer—see her remote work & job seeking takeaways.
Read full interview from Interview with Pola, a Paris-based content writer.
Interview with Mehmet, a nomadic digital maker and entrepreneur
I’m an early(ish) riser. I have two 2-year-old kids. They wake up at 6 am sharp. So I stop using alarms. Generally, a short time spent with them follows with dropping them off to daycare then I sit on my desk between 8-8:30 am.
That gives me roughly half an hour before my team stand-up (half of our team is in Europe). We don’t do stand-ups on Fridays, so Fridays are generally very quiet on our communication channels.
I personally work longer hours on Mon-Thu and try to keep Friday as my “thinking” day, where I try to stay away from attending to work-related stuff. I experiment and play with things a lot on Fridays.
As a team, we try to keep Mondays for a planning and week kick-off day, so there are generally few meetings between team members to discuss stuff for the week.
We have a rule not to have any team-wide meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We call it “quiet” days. People can completely disappear the whole day after stand-up if they want.
Most people are offline these days, and the expected reply time is about 1-2 hours.
Thursdays are generally our big day, where we close a week cycle sprint and plan the next one. So we have sub-team based meetings (separate engineer and design team recap and have meetings to plan the next sprint).
This allows Fridays to be more standalone (everybody can personally digest what’s coming in that sprint and do research, and experimental work). By Monday morning, everybody knows the plan, and we generally have a light kick-off meeting repeating what’s planned for that sprint.
Mehmet has embraced his remote team leadership style. Hear about his most helpful productivity trick and why he has "quiet" days for his staff.
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Interview with Lauren, a content marketing team lead and hybrid remote worker
Funnily enough, I wake up around the same time as I would for a day commuting into the office. I normally walk my dog on WFH days in the morning and then get to work.
I always check my emails and Slack first to see if anything important came up, then I check Asana to see what deadlines I have that day. Throughout the day, I check Slack to ensure I haven’t missed anything.
I check Slack more frequently when I’m WFH than when I’m in the office. When I work in the office, people can come to my desk if they have an important question. Slack, in a way, is my office when I’m WFH. So I make an effort to be more active when I’m remote.
For Lauren, remote work was a non-negotiable arrangement—see how she manages a hybrid remote work situation and her tips for those on the remote job search.
Read full interview from Interview with Lauren, a content marketing team lead and hybrid remote worker.
Interview with Mike, a business developer with a one task a day remote work routine
My workday actually begins while I’m still in bed by checking my emails. After a short breakfast, I reply to emails that require attention and plan activities for the day. At 10 AM each morning, I have a stand-up call with my team, where we share and discuss our daily plans.
Each of us has one task that we focus on each day, as well as a set of smaller tasks. These smaller tasks help us remain productive when we face roadblocks with the main task or when the main task is complete.
Mike had a lackluster experience with remote work 12 years ago. Today, he has embraced location-independence. Hear about his "one task a day" routine & vital tip for job seekers.
Read full interview from Interview with Mike, a business developer with a one task a day remote work routine.