What tools do you use to stay productive?
Interview with Kristi, a CEO and remote team leader
Our team uses Google Suite, Trello, and Buffer, but we also embrace whatever our clients prefer, which includes various content management systems and other project management tools like Asana.
Kristi is a CEO, remote work author, and speaker. In this interview, she shares the impact of new motherhood and remote team leadership on her work.
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Interview with Vaishali, a content marketer and a productivity tool expert
Time Doctor: I used to freelance before joining Time Doctor. However, I never used any productivity tools then. I was reluctant to use Time Doctor when I joined this company. Eventually, I found out that I was wasting so much time even on a short coffee break. So Time Doctor has proved to be a great productivity and time management tool for me.
Slack: Many believe that Slack is a productivity killer, but for me, it is an app that makes me work faster. I can set reminders, share docs with my co-workers, and take surveys and easy polls.
I also use various online collaboration tools like Google Docs, Skype and a few others to work efficiently. On the marketing tech side, I use apps like Buzzstream, Ahrefs, LinkedIn and Quuu which enable me to be productive.
Vaishali persevered until she found the right remote work job for her lifestyle—check out how she uses productivity tools and time management strategies to stay productive.
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Interview with Henry, a consultant who found remote work by saying No
These are the ten tools I use every day, specifically because we are a fully remote team. We also use Xero (accounting software), Gmail (email), and other basic tools—I just wouldn't consider those remote-specific.
Check out the Build Remote Remote Tools site for a full list of tools that people in my network use.
Sometimes a "no" can lead to an exceptional opportunity. For Henry, that answer led to an ideal remote work career. In this interview, Henry shares his remote work tool stack, and essential tip for remote employees and managers.
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Interview with Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams
I wouldn’t say these tools help me stay productive, per se, but they do help me stay organized which in turn has an enormous impact on productivity. For me, it’s Trello and checklists (most of the time within Trello cards).
Gino realized how important remote work could be to finding the best talent—see his strategies for building remote teams.
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Interview with Marian, a nomadic social media manager and day trader
I don’t use any paid tools; I use popular ones, like Google Calendar, and Google Drive, which includes the sheet and document features. They are very useful, and I recommend it for new digital nomads/remote workers.
Day trading & virtual assisting has allowed Marian to see the world—in this interview, she lays out her routine and priorities for those thinking of traveling while working.
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Interview with Saibu, an HR content writer for a remote company
Personally, I don’t use tools like timers, reminders, or webpage filters. But when it comes to working at Remote Team Inc, we use a lot of tools – from Slack and Zoom to Google Docs and Desktime.
I actually answered this question recently on Quora about the tools we use to stay productive.
Hear how Saibu, a thriving HR content writer, navigates the complexities—and perks—of working with a remote team from Ghana.
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Interview with Kay, an independent software consultant who found freedom in remote work
Email is the main tool, I think. I do "zero inbox" for 10 years now and it works like a nice todo list. I get a mail, look what I can do with it and when I did it, I simply archive the mail. Sometimes this is simply "answer the mail" sometimes it's more.
Next is Slack/WhatsApp, for fast small messages. German companies seem to prefer WhatsApp groups, non-German companies prefer Slack.
Personally I really hate synchronous communication.
It has its place, but some people using it as a way of supervision. "He's not online in Slack, so he's not working!" etc. Really bad.
Then there is GitHub Issues or JIRA for the day to day development work.
Also Google Hangouts/Skype, for some explanatory or exploratory meetings. If someone doesn't understand whats happening or the team doesn't know what to do next, this really speeds things up. Also, some people are unbearable on text media, so you have to do phone calls to keep them in line, haha.
Learn how Kay made the jump from full-time employee to full-time remote consultant
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Interview with Steven Wade, a software engineer working on a remote team
At Help Scout we are 100% remote. We have 2 offices, one in Boston and one in Boulder, that a few folks go in to from time to time, but we're 80 people spread across the world. So Slack is very important to stay in the know and on top of what you need to work on.
While Slack is a great communication tool, it can easily become a distraction. As someone who can't stand to leave notifications unchecked, I use a combination of muted channels and "do not disturb" time to make sure I spend time away from Slack.
We use Trello to track projects and tasks. It's an easy interface and flow to keep track of what you're working on.
Daily stand-ups to our platform standup channel also helps you see what your teammates are working on and if you can be of assistance (and vice versa).
I check email, it doesn't notify me. I turned off all email notifications on my computer and phone, so now it's something I have to think about opening to check.
I've recently started using the Mac app Tyme to track what I'm working on at work. Whether it be code reviews, programming, meetings, pair programming, anything, I track it. I have also set up categories to track lunch and "remote work travel" to ensure I don't get carried away in my "remote remote work".
Learn more about how Steven works remotely, including his work routine, habits and how he found his remote job
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Interview with Michael about being an entrepreneur and freelancer
As far as tools for remote work nothing crazy; laptop, desktop, video conference Zoom or Skype.
I use Asana and Trello with clients but I track everything on my end with Google Docs and Google Calendar.
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
I use Gmail and Skype or Hangouts for communication.
My projects and tasks are in Trello where I try to document every activity I do (Why?)
I had days where I could not remember what I actually got done in the last hours so for my own sanity I "log" almost everything...
Lately I started to use Dropbox Paper to structure my thoughts on projects. I really came to like it if you keep the documents as short as possible. I also had a good experience collaborating in Paper on the launch for Indie Ignitor - where I worked together with a partner for the first time.
I tried RescueTime - but it is not really useful if your days task vary and you cant compare them.
I had good experience blocking Facebook, Twitter and the likes to avoid "waking up in a social feed" from time to time.
Patric works on his own projects while also consulting for medium sized software companies, learn how he works remotely.
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