What's your typical work routine?
Interview with Gregory, a Senior Software Developer
My current company is based on the West Coast, but I live on the East Coast. There is a 3-hour time difference between us, so I generally have about 3-4 hours of uninterrupted time before the rest of the company really comes online every morning.
So, my days tend to get split up into a few different parts.
First, I start by reviewing PRs or code checked in from the day before. This helps me get up to speed with what is different or what is being worked on, and lets me kind of get back in the programming mindset.
Pretty soon after that, I start the main "programming" part of the day, where I generally have a single focus, one problem, or one part of the code that I need to work on.
Because of the time difference, both of these parts almost always fall during the time when I don't need to worry about interruptions from the rest of my team.
I'm free to really focus on the problem in front of me. Sometimes I'll purposely take myself offline, if I really need to avoid distractions.
The next chunk is normally the "meetings" part of my day, where I spend time talking with coworkers, having meetings, discussing problems and solutions, talking about timelines, and overall just communicating with others at the company.
The last part of my day is normally spent finishing up work from the morning and writing documentation, tests, small scripts, or fixing more trivial bugs.
This also doubles as my "wind down" from the day, so I pick easier or less "intense" things to work on, and try to pick things that can be easily interrupted and restarted.
I will also often set up the problem or task I'll be working on the next day, so that after I'm done doing PR review, I can jump right into it.
Gregory is a senior software developer working from home - learn how he finds the balance between lack of focus and hyperfocus.
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Interview with Digital Nomad Sage, an entrepreneur and UX consultant
My typical work routine is not typical. When I have big UX projects, I’ll work as long as it takes to reach my deadlines. There are many times when I’ll work longer than eight hours a day.
When I don’t have big UX projects, I’m usually watching Youtube videos and studying courses on Udemy to improve my skill sets. I’ll set aside about two hours a day for these and then use at least six hours to work on projects like Digital Nomad Sage.
I’m still striving to achieve the 4-hour workweek, but that won’t be possible until my project matures and I make enough discretionary income to outsource. I’m really hands-on and pretty much just trust myself to do things properly but that will change in the future.
From e-books to blogging, Digital Nomad Sage has become an expert on making money online—see his advice for developing an online business.
Read full interview from Interview with Digital Nomad Sage, an entrepreneur and UX consultant.
Interview with Betsy, a head of content and remote work routine expert
I am a very structured person when it comes to my routine. When I first started working remotely, I didn't have much of a method and I often felt flustered.
I've come to realize that I really thrive with structure and a daily routine.
I typically start working at 6 am and usually do some editing work from 6-7 am. After that, I usually teach a few classes from 7-10 am or so.
Next, I work on a content related project for an hour or two and then break for lunch. Lunch is usually an hour, and I try to take a short walk for some exercise and to get out of the house.
In the afternoon, I make a second cup of coffee, and I continue with my content work (podcast editing, writing blog posts, articles, or newsletters). I usually reserve the late afternoon for less strenuous work like meetings, calls, email, and so forth.
To stay on schedule, I use a paper planner, and I schedule out each hour of my day the day before. That way, when I sit down at 6 am, I know exactly what to work on. I also try to keep my phone on airplane mode for 80 percent of the day, and I only check email 1-2 times a day, which has allowed me to be so much more productive!
Betsy Ramser is a content manager, blogger, and teacher who helps other remote workers thrive while creating a daily routine that works.
Read full interview from Interview with Betsy, a head of content and remote work routine expert.
Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate
Lately, I’ve been traveling all over the world and crossing several time zones (another benefit of working remote – travel flexibility!).
It’s important to have an established work routine when everything else is constantly changing.
I typically work from a cafe for a few hours out of the day and then take any calls or meetings I have back at my accommodation where I know the internet will be stable and it will be quiet enough.
Liz is a traveling UI/UX designer—see her strategy for thriving as a digital nomad and her efforts to promote coworking.
Read full interview from Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate.
Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
My typical work routine depends. If I have to write, I normally block a couple of hours, the same goes for data analysis. All of my teachings are done in the evening.
Generally, I like to structure my day in 2 to 3 hours of work as I need time to focus on a task. At the same time I also need to switch tasks to stay sharp.
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.
Read full interview from Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline.
Interview with Ayush, a CEO and avid remote team builder
We have teams all around the globe. So, I start by clearing off my inbox and then taking up some strategy meetings.
First, I work in areas where there may be a roadblock. It usually takes half of the day. The other half goes to my tasks involving new client engagements, revenues, etc.
Ayush is a CEO that is committed to helping companies build successful remote teams—see his process and tips for developing location independent teams that thrive.
Read full interview from Interview with Ayush, a CEO and avid remote team builder.
Interview with Alexandra Cote, a remote digital marketer and freelancer
Email. Slack. Lots of article writing which I prefer to do in the morning when I just have too many ideas and need to get them all on paper ASAP.
I'm not a big fan of digital tools because they just take so much of my time. So I stick to the basic Google Docs, email, SEO stuff, and Canva [for images].
Besides my regular day, it really depends on what I work on. For articles, I just research and write until I can't write anymore. 😅 But that's good because it means I have a full grasp of the subject, so the ideas just keep flowing.
For my YouTube videos, I tend to get straight to filming. I mainly review design tools and techniques, so I don't really need a script since I've used most of them before regularly, so I'm already familiar with them.
Course creation takes up most of my time. This includes creating scripts, presentations, video editing, audio tweaks, all those fun parts that need to be covered in order for me to provide the best possible insights to my students.
I don't have a work routine. Instead, I have a life routine.
I know when I need my breaks, I know I need to take time to cook something delicious, work out, go for a walk, or just talk to people.
To mix work and life a bit, I've made a habit out of talking to people. So my LinkedIn networking game has never been stronger.
As a rule, I connect with 10-20/people a day on social media or just via email.
Of course, not everyone has time for a chat, but those who do always have meaningful things to talk about.
Feel free to connect with me. I love questions!
Alexandra juggles freelancing, a full-time remote job, YouTube, and Skillshare instructing. How does she manage it all? Find out in her interview.
Read full interview from Interview with Alexandra Cote, a remote digital marketer and freelancer.
Interview with Cameron, a designer who works remotely at a WordPress agency
I start my workday at 9:00 AM and sometimes attend a pre-work call with some colleagues where we discuss the topic of Growth both in our personal lives as well as professional.
My actual to-do list for any given day is pretty dynamic; one day I may be heads-down in Sketch designing website components for projects or interviewing clients and the next day partnering with our Sales and Marketing teams to create graphics or marketing initiatives for our company. I also help fill-in as a Frontend Engineer on projects as needed.
All of this helps keep things fresh for me and prevents me from getting burned out filling like I'm stuck in a single routine.
Learn how Cameron started full-time remote work after trying freelancing and starting a digital agency.
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Interview with Harry, an IT Architect who works from home
My wife and I have 3 school aged kids, so my routine mainly revolves around their schedules of going to and from school (although it's a bit more relaxed now for the summer).
Typically I'm up at 5:30 to make coffee for my wife and wake everyone else up. After making breakfast, we'll drop the kids off at school and start my day around 7:30. I'll work until noon, then after eating lunch try and sneak in a 30 minute bicycle ride. I'm back to work afterwards until it's time to start making dinner around 5:00, which my wife and I will alternate throughout the week. After doing the dishes and getting the kids to bed I'll spend a few more hours finishing up my day, typically until around 9:00.
My weekends follow the same general time schedule. Saturday I try and reserve for getting things done around the house. I'll use a few hours on Sunday to catch up on anything I may be behind on, or get a jump start on my new week.
Harry has worked remotely for almost 10 years as a senior mobile, web and desktop developer—learn how he balances work with family.
Read full interview from Interview with Harry, an IT Architect who works from home.
Interview with Patryk, a Front-end Developer & UI Designer
I usually get up in the morning and head off to a coworking space near my apartment, where I can fully focus on delivering great code.
If it's windy, I set up a temporary office in a cafeteria on the beach. From there, I can go kitesurfing when I need a break.
Our team at PRNCPL is distributed across USA and Europe, so sometimes I need to be online in the afternoon to discuss back-end or design, or to have a status call.
There are also days when I'm running errands in the morning and catch up with work in the evening, but I prefer to push code during the day.
Patryk has learned that there is no reason to wait for the flow - once you start working, it will happen naturally.
Read full interview from Interview with Patryk, a Front-end Developer & UI Designer.