What tools do you use to stay productive?
Interview with Celine, a VP of People Ops and remote team member
I am a strong no-paper activist.
As a result, we have implemented a wide variety of tools (direct communication, video communication, asynchronous communication, documentation, absence management, recruitment management ...).
Being available, staying in touch, and sharing ideas and experiences is key when you work remotely.
Celine has experienced the highs and lows of working with remote and hybrid teams—see her tips for thriving as a member of a remote team.
Read full interview from Interview with Celine, a VP of People Ops and remote team member.
Interview with Sarah Archer, a content marketing manager & remote work techie
To me, routine is everything. Exercising and eating balanced meals is essential to staying productive.
Understanding what I need to accomplish in small chunks helps me stay productive.
I also use various online tools to keep me productive including: Slack, Zoom, Gmail, Basecamp and BuzzStream.
From noise-canceling headphones to Basecamp—content marketer Sarah shares her must-have remote work tools & essential productivity tips.
Read full interview from Interview with Sarah Archer, a content marketing manager & remote work techie.
Interview with Kati, a co-founder shares her tips for juggling multiple side hustles
I use any free tool available! Slack, text, Skype, FaceTime, email, G Suite, MS Office, coffee, Zoom, HubSpot....
We use Google Docs quite a bit to internally create, edit, and share documents such as client information, needs assessments, and to collaborate on social media posts and marketing.
Also, within G Suite, we are creating forms for clients to fill out.
Skype and FaceTime are valuable if we need to communicate “face to face” or if a text isn’t getting a creative idea across.
Sometimes tone and facial expressions are better when they can actually be heard and seen.
We use Slack if a client uses it to collaborate and share files and ideas. So far, not many clients use Slack, but we like to be set up for whatever they are used to using for communication.
Kati has made a career at using the internet and gig economy to her advantage—see how she successfully manages multiple side hustles and a business.
Read full interview from Interview with Kati, a co-founder shares her tips for juggling multiple side hustles.
Interview with Laurent, an introverted remote worker & engineer
Our current software stack is :
- Whereby: For video calls & meetings.
- Twist: For text messages. All the discussions about product development need to be there in public channels.
- GSuite: For email and documents.
- Trello: Product & engineering management.
- GitLab: Our git repo and CI/CD pipeline.
- Fellow: For meeting agenda sharing.
On the hardware side, I've got a MacBook Pro, a Newsoul USB C Portable Monitor, Macally solar-powered keyboard, and a Jelly Comb wireless mouse.
In this interview, this VP of engineering shares his strategies for managing family time and organizing meetings as an introvert.
Read full interview from Interview with Laurent, an introverted remote worker & engineer.
Interview with Danielle, an author who found the benefits of coworking
I love Trello, Slack, and Calendly. They help me tremendously with productivity.
Calendly is such a great hands-off scheduler. It stays in my email signature, so if someone wants to meet or schedule a call, I can direct them to the link so they can schedule it according to a time that works best for them. It’s one less back-and-forth thing that needs to be done.
Trello is used for my overall and book publishing to-do list and also for my social media editorial calendar. The use of labels and add-on calendar functionality enable me to see a high-level view of what I have running and scheduled for each social platform. It’s great to have it all in one place with my to-dos.
Slack keeps me connected. I am plugged into a few different workspaces (5), and they keep me well-informed about people, culture, jobs, and professional skills (+ more). It’s like a virtual networking session 24/7, which is huge when you’re remote or independent of traditional co-workers.
Danielle's remote work journey led her to become an author—see how coworking with other remote workers and digital tools have helped her to fulfill her passion.
Read full interview from Interview with Danielle, an author who found the benefits of coworking.
Interview with Phil Strazzulla, an entrepreneur enjoying the health benefits of remote work
Zoom, FocusMate, Ahrefs, iMessage, and plain old Gmail are my weapons of choice.
A curiosity for remote work led Phil to make it a primary work arrangement. Hear how it has helped to improve his health and impacted his approach to rest.
Read full interview from Interview with Phil Strazzulla, an entrepreneur enjoying the health benefits of remote work.
Interview with Mike, a business developer with a one task a day remote work routine
As a team, we rely on G Suite for email, calendar, and video calls. We also use Trello and Slack. I don’t use any special productivity tools.
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.
Interview with Mindi, a content manager and social media strategist
I'm a nerd when it comes to productivity tools. Some of my favorites include:
- Asana, for managing projects with my team
- Slack, for instant communication with my team and clients
- Mailplane, best email application I've found that integrates with OmniFocus (and allows me to create hyperlinks to emails, so I can reference them later!)
- OmniFocus, my personal project management system
- Toggl, time tracker for myself and my team
- Calendly, for making it easy to share calendars and schedule calls
- Zoom, my go-to application for all my video or audio calls with clients
A ten-dollar per hour social media gig got Mindi hooked onto remote work—see how she meets her client and business goals and manages time zone differences.
Read full interview from Interview with Mindi, a content manager and social media strategist .
Interview with Josephine, an integrated content producer traveling the world
Slack, Zoom, Trello, Airtable, G Suite, WhatsApp and Hubspot are my go-tos. Use each every day.
I also use the Adobe Creative Cloud for my production and post-production needs. And Sketch. Holy crap, I use quite a fair bit of tools!
Josephine got a dream gig of traveling while engaging in her passion for digital storytelling. Hear about the work she is doing to bring awareness to remote work.
Read full interview from Interview with Josephine, an integrated content producer traveling the world.
Interview with Grainne, a professional writer and content marketing manager who works remotely
I use Buckets.co every day for managing my tasks, brainstorming with other peeps, and collaborating on projects.
It's my main work hub, and I can't imagine organizing my work via any other medium now. I also use Slack on a daily basis to communicate with the team I'm working with.
Grainne's freelance work led to her landing a remote work job—see how she manages distractions and balances her work with Buckets.co and her clients.
Read full interview from Interview with Grainne, a professional writer and content marketing manager who works remotely.