Why does remote work require discipline?
Interview with Hannah, a freelance writer that travels the world
If you want to work remotely, you need to develop the discipline for it. While you likely have chats with team members, there isn’t the same pressure as a boss physically staring at you in an office.
You need to be able to motivate yourself to do all your work or else it won’t get done.
If work isn’t getting done, you won’t have clients who enable you to work remotely much longer.
Something that helps me is really making sure to prioritize my most important tasks. Being busy and being productive are not always the same.
I look at my checklist for the day and ask, “What needs to get done today no matter what?” and “What big projects need to be chipped away at?”
Both are important questions and ignoring either can leave you in trouble. Once those questions are answered, it’s a lot easier to plan a general idea for my day.
Hannah is a freelancer writer and social media manager that travels the world while working remotely. Read her interview to learn how she works.
Read full interview from Interview with Hannah, a freelance writer that travels the world.
Interview with John, a web developer who works from home
When you work from home, distractions are everywhere. You walk by that big TV and couch that look so alluring as you head to your office. Xbox? Playstation? I can hear those calling, too. But it's not even those distractions that are the worst. If you work from home, you need to set boundaries with your family, too.
When head-down coding, an interruption from a family member isn't just a 1-minute answering of a question. It can take 15-30 minutes to gain back the focus of where you were.
Maybe you have a door on your office that you keep shut when it's Do Not Disturb time, but open during times where an interruption won't derail your work.
John is a web developer running a mini-agency inside a larger WordPress agency - learn how calendar management and establishing boundaries have helped him boost his productivity.
Read full interview from Interview with John, a web developer who works from home.
Interview with Ben, a web developer who freelances from home
You're at home, surrounded by your books and toys and there's nobody to tell you not to play video games or go to the beach because it's super hot.
Except, if you do any of that, you don't make money.
That's the biggest challenge that makes working remotely hard. You could do anything, because you're not at work surrounded by people. It's just you, your willpower, and your bills. To work this way, you have to have or quickly learn self discipline, and be your own boss in a very real sense.
Learn the tips and tricks Ben uses to stay productive while working remotely on a hybrid team
Read full interview from Interview with Ben, a web developer who freelances from home.
Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work
In a corporate environment, managers provide more than just project supervision. They offer professional development advice, track accomplishments, and collaborate to set goals for the members of their team.
When we work independently, all of those responsibilities are now up to us.
If we only manage our professional lives with calendars and to do lists, we're neglecting the leadership that our careers need, which can lead to isolation, wage gaps, and imposter syndrome.
It is crucial that remote workers get equipped with the tools and strategies that are needed to effectively manage themselves not only logistically, but also professionally, emotionally, and mentally.
Laurel is an advocate for remote work and helps companies learn how to work remotely through her consulting and writing.
Read full interview from Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work.
Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams
I think the perception of remote work means you can stroll online at whatever, do whatever you feel like working on that day, and move from coffee shop to happy hour all while getting work done. That isn’t necessarily the case, especially when a team is depending on you.
Working on a remote team requires someplace that can be quite for meetings. Many remote teams use an instant messenger program to see who’s online and expect to be able to talk to the rest of the team during set core hours. In those ways, working on a remote team isn’t so different than being in an office.
Successful remote teams have extra characteristics that let them excel. They are made up of self-starters, good communicators, and dependable co-workers.
These characteristics, while important for any team, are essential for remote teams since the boss can’t walk over to a teammate’s cubicle and enforce some of these behaviors.
People who work on remote teams have to want to work. They have to be excited and motivated by what they’re doing. There is no sitting around pretending to be online unlike when you can sit in the office and seem to work. With a remote team, much of the work is deliverable based.
Lily has almost a decade of remote work experience, now she's building the team collaboration tool of the future with Virtual Reality
Read full interview from Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams.
Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
When working remotely, no one sees you working. This fact means that as a remote worker you need to work, even though nobody can see you do the work.
At the same time, you need to stop being online and available constantly, because this is also not healthy.
Good managers realize this and do not judge the input of employees but their output.
Discipline is also required to stay healthy and make an effort to get out of the house. Planned activities (or kids) are great for that.
As a remote worker, I think it is important to get fully dressed when working from home. It helps to create a mindset.
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.