The Foundation: Your Workspace
Dedicated workspace matters. Don’t work from bed. Get an external monitor, ergonomic chair, proper lighting. Cost: $500-1000. Worth it.
Communication: The Make-or-Break Skill
Remote work has 3 channels:
- Synchronous: Video calls, pair programming
- Asynchronous: Slack, email, code reviews, Loom videos
- Deep Work: Blocked focus time
Write good async messages: Include context, your thinking, specific questions, and relevant links. Don’t make teammates hunt for information.
Over-communicate: Daily standups and weekly summaries take 5 minutes but save hours of status meetings.
Meeting Hygiene
Default to async. Ask: Could this be a Slack message? A doc? A Loom video?
Meet for: Complex decisions, brainstorming, team bonding, sensitive conversations, live debugging.
Make meetings not suck:
- Send agenda in advance
- Have a note-taker
- End with action items
- Share notes afterward
Time Management
Use 50-minute work + 10-minute break blocks (not 25/5). After 4 rounds, take 30 minutes off. Tools: Be Focused (Mac), Pomofocus (web).
During breaks: Walk, stretch, look away from screen. NOT: Slack, email, Twitter.
Tools That Actually Help
Communication: Slack, Loom (async video), Discord
Project Management: Linear, Notion, GitHub Projects
Development: VS Code + Live Share, Tuple (pairing), GitHub Copilot
Focus: Freedom (block sites), Focus@Will (music), noise-canceling headphones
Boundaries: Protecting Your Sanity
Set work hours and stick to them. End-of-day ritual:
- Close all work apps
- Write tomorrow’s todo list
- Shut down laptop
- Leave workspace
Say no to “quick syncs” outside hours. Your time off matters.
Staying Connected
- Virtual coffee breaks (15 min, no agenda)
- Slack channels for hobbies (#pets, #gaming)
- Team games (Skribbl.io, Among Us)
Recognize burnout early: Can’t stop thinking about work? Dreading opening laptop? Take a day off, talk to manager, reduce meetings.
Dealing with Time Zones
Find core overlap hours and schedule critical meetings there. Record everything. Respect off-hours. Document everything in a wiki so people who missed the meeting can catch up.
Productivity Killers (And How to Fix Them)
Context switching: Close Slack, email, notifications. Block focus time.
Meetings all day: “No meeting Wednesdays,” morning deep work blocks, 25-minute meetings.
Always feeling “on”: Set status: “Away after 5 PM, will respond tomorrow.” Auto-pause notifications after work.
Quick Tips
- Plan tomorrow before you stop today
- Biggest task first thing in morning
- 2-hour deep work minimum daily
- Keep a “brag doc” of accomplishments
- Move every hour
- Lunch away from screen
Remote work requires discipline and communication skills. But done right? Better focus, flexibility, and work-life balance than office work ever provided.
Be intentional. Design a system that works for you. Make remote work work for you.