What tools do you use to stay productive?
Interview with Emma, a freelance marketing consultant
I probably go a bit overboard here. I have a separate notebook for each client, a master to-do list, a few Trello boards, a couple of LucidChart maps, oh, a whiteboard, a sketch pad, and the notes function on my iPhone.
It sort of depends on the type of work I’m doing too. But I’d say it’s my good old to-do list and pen and paper that keeps me most productive.
The act of writing things down is still the best tool to both help with creativity and make that commitment to do something.
Emma is thriving as a freelance marketing consultant—see her tips on managing client demands & making yourself marketable as a freelancer.
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Interview with John, an international business writer sharing 15 years of insights
My laptop of course is essential. But I also use Microsoft Office Suite, PayPal, online banking and a variety of services related to travel. I also use Skype, Google Docs, earphones, and a smartphone. Whatever supports remote work—I’m always interested in learning more about it.
For over a decade, John has worked as an international business writer. See his insights on the state of remote work, freelancing, and attracting clients who are the right fit.
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Interview with Leon, a journalist teaching the world to play chess
Staying productive is, of course, the big challenge when working remotely. However, communicating effectively with people when you are not in the same room is also a challenge.
We use pivotaltracker.com as a tool to keep track of what everyone is doing and how much progress they are making.
Trello is also very useful, and like everyone, we use Slack for everything as well as to keep ourselves sane.
Chessable has grown a lot in the year since I joined. We now have workers in South Africa, the Netherlands, and the US. I'm in London and the boss is in Swindon. So, keeping in touch is essential.
Luckily for us, we all have a common interest in chess which is also the basis of our work so we talk about that a lot.
For me to stay productive, I can't work without copious amounts of coffee and a steady supply of biscuits. The temperature also plays a part. In the winter, a heater is essential in my little box room, and in the summer I plan to work outside in the garden.
I also like to do a bit of daily exercise to get the blood pumping. I may participate in a 30-minute run or a bit of yoga. I think there's a danger of getting a touch of cabin-fever if you work at home and don't see the outside world enough. So, a bit of fresh air in the middle of the day helps keep you human and productive.
Leon James Watson is a former journalist who has found the intrinsic value of remote work while teaching the masses to play chess.
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Interview with Audrey, a military wife thriving as a marketing manager
Right now, I'm really digging Todoist to keep all my tasks and deadlines organized. I'm also a huge fan of CoSchedule, a marketer's dream calendar.
Since our entire team at Boldly is remote, using Slack and the Google suite helps keep life easy. Honestly, I'd be lost without those two tools.
But the glory of remote work, in my opinion, is that you don't have to use online tools to keep you productive.
Sometimes the answer to productivity is the old-fashioned one: Get out and take a walk outside when you're feeling tired or distracted and reset.
No human can sit at a desk for eight straight hours completely focused and highly-productive. The more companies can accept and embrace this truth, the happier and more productive their teams will become.
Marrying an active-duty army officer sent Audrey on the search for a remote work position—see how she has established her career while staying on the move.
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Interview with Tammy, founder and CEO of Workplaceless
Google Drive, Slack, Asana, Evernote, and a standing desk.
Learn how this founder and CEO of a remote work resource and certification program handles the triumphs and trails of location independence.
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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 Lauren, a content marketing team lead and hybrid remote worker
Slack and Asana. Slack keeps me connected to my team during my WFH days and keeps me accountable to the rest of my coworkers. It bridges that feeling of disconnection when you’re away from the office. Asana is our project management tool and that keeps me focused on the actual work that needs to be done. Between those two things, it’s pretty easy to keep on track.
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.
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Interview with Tara, a remote director of research and administration
We use Deskflow, a product of Workflow International. It helps us organize our projects, including everything from scheduling, contact management, and invoicing. It’s fabulous. We also make good use of LinkedIn.
A move to be closer to a spouse's job led Tara to remote work—see her tips for staying productive and organized as a full-time remote director.
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Interview with Alyssa, a copywriter and content strategist
My favorite tools are AND.co for admin, Trello for project management and Zapier for automation.
Alyssa has found her rhythm as a freelancer and founder of the blog, Freelancing Flow—see her tips for keeping it all running smoothly.
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Interview with Vernon, a freelance technical writer
As a technical writer, most of my time is spent either testing, researching or writing. As such, the tools that I use support those functions.
Specifically, I am a software technical writer; that's my specialty. So "testing" involves using the software that I'm working with. I use a Windows 10 laptop, but if I'm writing documentation for a Mac app such as Focus, then I'll use a Mac Airbook that I have access to.
I am, however, looking into running a virtual Mac on my Windows laptop, for convenience, using VirtualBox or some other suitable virtualization software. This program will also come in handy should I require testing apps within a Linux environment.
Some applications are online, be it an applet on a website or a full-blown SaaS platform. For these, a good web browser that supports the underlying architecture is necessary. As such, while I usually use Google Chrome, I might have to use another browser such as Windows Explorer or Windows Edge should there be any issues.
Most of my research happens online, so a good web browser is key. As I said before, I like to use Chrome. It's fast, reliable, highly customizable and extendable given the applets and extensions in the Google Web Store. It rarely crashes and most websites support it.
The actual act of writing can be complex. Most of my writing used to be done in Microsoft Word, but I've recently had to look for frugal alternatives. I've been using the OpenOffice suite of programs, specifically OpenOffice Writer.
It's not as polished or feature-rich as Microsoft Word, but it definitely gets the job done. I may return to using Microsoft Word, but so far I'm good with what OpenOffice has to offer.
Now, Writer and Word are great for starting, making notes and preparing drafts, but the final product may require something more specialized. For those clients who require PDF documents, depending on what they're asking for, I could simply render the .pdf file using Word or open the file in Adobe Acrobat.
If the client requires Help Files to be written for their program then I would use RoboHelp. RoboHelp allows me to write software documentation and export it to a number of file formats such as Adobe AIR and Microsoft WinHelp.
For clients who require, or already have structured documentation or require their documentation to be done in an XML or SGML formats then I would use Adobe FrameMaker.
So far in my short career, these last two options have not been requested. They are standards within the industry though, so I know that it's only a matter of time before I acquire clients who will make such requests. Having said that, I'm learning how best to use them.
Apart from these tools, I've had to use other online tools used by the client such as Freshdesk and Confluence for documentation, DropBox and Google Drive for file sharing, JIRA and Trello for task scheduling and teleconferencing apps such as Zoom, Skype and GoToMeeting.
The last set of tools I use are for time tracking. For those clients who pay me on an hourly basis, and so far they are all on Upwork, I use Upwork's Time Tracker app. It records my work session when activated so that my clients can review the work I've done, ensuring them that I am doing what they pay me to and that their money is well spent.
Vernon is a freelance software technical writer that uses lists to organize his hectic freelance schedule—see how he maximizes his time throughout the workday.
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