My time as a remote worker began in late 2010.  It’s only been with the “shelter in place” and “office closings” that I’ve gotten to understand how fortunate I am.  The key item is that I don’t “work from home” – I have been  a “remote worker” for years.  My work area has evolved over the decade and I’ve recently seen how others who usually worked from an office have tried to adapt quickly.  Various articles on becoming a remote worker or being more effective “working from home” have also highlighted some of these points.  I’d like to share 3 critical areas that I’ve found when working remote.

These blend and overlap, but I’ve found that they can’t be ignored.  They are:

• Proper Equipment
• A Dedicated Area
• Routine

Continue on to learn more!

Proper Equipment

A lesson I learned from my father early on was “the right tool is half the job.”  This is especially important as a remote worker.  Some areas to seriously think out:

• Proper bandwidth.  Mostly for virtual meetings to be sure the audio doesn’t go bad or the video doesn’t freeze.  But also helpful for online learning and downloading applications or work related files.
• A powerful enough computer.  Especially if you depend on virtual backgrounds in Zoom.
• Good sized screen or multiple screens.  You need to be able to see your MCC (Message/Chat/Collaboration) app when in meetings, especially when presenting.  It is very frustrating to try and get some pointers to a salesperson during a sales call and not have them be able to leverage that intel.  You are a less effective team member if you can’t collaborate effectively
• Bluetooth or wired noise-canceling headset can be helpful depending on your environment.  This is critical if you work in a busy city.  Street and construction noise can distract from your message coming through.  It can also cause you to not capture all of the details you are listening for.  Not to mention that reading people’s emotions and attitudes are even more important when remote.
• Lighting is another area where you want to be able to better convey emotion.  If they can’t see you, they can’t read you.  Another area that can also be distracting if you appear like you are in the witness relocation program.
• Ergonomics are more than just the keyboard tray.  I’m talking floor mat for chair as well as a good chair.  Not to mention to get your displays at a proper height.  Take care of your health.
• Climate control.  You need to be comfortable to get the most out of your time.

When the Incubator that hosted Garage City restructured they gave us the commercial work surfaces and book shelves that we were using.  Combine that with a curiosity about computer hardware and I can fire up 5 screens on my workstation when doing serious development.

Dedicated Area

A dedicated area to work from helps in multiple ways.  This covers a large number of benefits:

• It insures that you have the proper equipment within reach.
• Your laptop has power ready.  Having to jump up and rush around to find the last place you left your charger is distracting.  It breaks up the flow of thought or any meeting you are participating in.
• The background should not be distracting.  If you are going to use virtual backgrounds, don’t use one with too much motion that can be distracting.  And get a green screen.  The artifacts around your face and through your hair can interfere with other’s ability to comprehend everything.  Read more in my 6 Tips For Virtual Meetings Backgrounds article.
• Consider staging your background.  I often have several shelves of O’Reilly books visible behind me.  This was never intentional, but has spurred a lot of interesting technical discussion.  After seeing several reactions I’ve made sure to not remove them.  Balance that sharing with not being distracting.
• Your laptop will have a stable place to sit.  A bouncing camera is a distraction as you type and balance it in your lap.  You never want to distract from your message.  Same goes with your ability to comprehend messaging coming your way.

I’m fortunate enough to have a 11’x15′ free standing building as my remote office.  It is quite an asset and greatly increases my effectiveness as a Sales Engineer. The biggest benefit is that a dedicated work area helps your routine.  You start when you enter this area and should disconnect when you exit.  This of course is a good segue into the last section.

Routine

Routine helps you get into work mode, getting more done sooner.  It also allows you to better disconnect when not working.  This allows you to recharge your batteries more, which also improves health.

Have some steps you do every day when you first get into your work area.  I first go to Slack and review all of the new conversations since the prior work day.  Then email.  Then check that the calendar that the day hasn’t changed.   This is also part of my routine when I end the day.  I make sure I’m all caught up and toggle my Slack status to no longer being online.  Then check that I’m current on emails and review the next day to be sure I am 100% repaired.  This allows me to relax when I walk out the door.  No thoughts nagging me that I might have forgotten something.

Having a separate phone for work is also part of my routine.  It allows me to better control when I am disconnected.  If it is urgent, those that need have my personal mobile number.  I also make sure I’m completely awake and in a good space before turning it on.

Extra communication also needs to be part of your routine.  Send status reports, over-communicate.   You are mostly out of sight.  For that reason send a weekly report of what you’ve done for the week.  These are excellent to review before annual reviews.  And on the other side – this also serves to protect you if you cross paths with unscrupulous leaders.  As an added benefit this creates proof of what you have done.  Much simpler than having to dig through months of email and calendars to disprove an SVP’s lies to HR.

Make sure you keep this routine consistent.  Even on days without customer facing meetings I get dressed, eat a consistent breakfast, walk out to my work area and dive into my “work day” routine.  Trust me, it makes a difference!

Summary

Even if you expect to return to working in an office, the reality is right now you are a remote worker.  You owe it to yourself to make it as efficient as you can and also take care of your health.  If you have other tips to add here – let me know!