Working from Wherever

WORKING FROM WHEREVERMake Work Less Stabby

WHO I AM

➤ Aaron Douglas

➤ Milwaukee, WI USA

➤ Mobile Maker for Automattic (WordPress.com)

➤ Remote full time 3+ years

➤ @astralbodies

YOU WANT TO WORK REMOTE

You’ve decided to be in this talk because you are working remote or want to.[SHOW OF HANDS] How many work remote already[SHOW OF HANDS] How many want to work remoteWhat type of remote? Maybe you want to work remote where you are? Or find a remote job?

REMOTE WHERE YOU ARE NOW

Which may or may not be possibleCompany policies, security protocols

CONVINCE THE BOSS

First step is to convince the bossShow them they get more productivity & happier employeesOne day a week like Fridays

CONVINCE YOUR COWORKERS

They need to support the ideaI never wanted to be “that guy” where everyone had to pick up my slack

DON’T BECOME SECOND CLASS

The real key is to not let yourself become second classThere’s a great quote from Jason Fried

“Feeling like a second-class worker doesn’t take much. Case in point: a roomful of local people and a shitty intercom system that makes it hard for the remote worker to hear what’s going on and even harder to participate. There’s also the annoyance of having every debate end with “John and I talked about this in the office yesterday and decided that your idea isn’t going to work.” F*** that. – from Remote by Jason Fried

REMOTE AT A NEW PLACE

Sometimes its easier to just find a new jobEven if they don’t have a remote program it can be part of a job offerBut how do you find a good remote job?

JOB BOARDS

WORD OF MOUTH

REMOTE WITH TRAVEL

REMOTE 100% DISTRIBUTED

TRUST

The key is working for a place that trusts its workers to be adults and self-directed.

WHY WORK REMOTELY?

Maybe you’re not entirely convinced remote work is for you.There are a lot of benefits

LOCATION / RELOCATION

Why get up and move your home for a job that may not work outMake the job come to you

REDUCE DISTRACTIONS

Have more control over your environment - you work how you want toRemote quote: When everyone is sitting in the same office, it’s easy to fall into the habit of bothering anyone for anything at any time, with no regard for personal productivity.

COMMUTING

1 hour each direction, 260 days out of the year, over 21 DAYS worth of commutingReduce gas, car maintenance, parking, stressMention the power of 5 minutes idea

HOME

Make your office what you want it to beSeparate room if possible try not to use the room for non work

FLEXIBILITY

Work the hours you needEffort doesn’t necessarily mean 40 hoursPTO

ABILITY

Disabilities - cluster headaches, environmental issues & sensitivities

CHALLENGES

Working remote sounds magicalThere are challenges with remote working

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Email overloadMultiple channels, too much information to process

ATTENTION

While some distractions are eliminated, you have nothing but yourself to tend toOoh shinyFacebook, Twitter, email, IM, phone calls

LONELINESS

At some point you will miss other humansBecoming a shut-in isn’t the right way to work

VISIBILITY

How to go up the ladder without being seen by coworkers

COMMUNICATION

It is the foundation of remote workingAdvances in technology and Internet speeds make this possibleSeveral types or channels of communication that have to be in place to be successful

SYNCHRONOUS

Instant message, Screen sharing, telephone callsChat - IRC, HipChat, Slack

ASYNCHRONOUS

There are times where you can’t pay attention to chatterE-mail, Forums, BlogsTicketing - GitHub, JIRA

VIRTUAL WATERCOOLER

Need to have a way to gabAnimated GIFs, cat picturesWHAT THIS ALL COMES DOWN TO is when the communication is good your brain will start forming memories about conversations with coworkers; you’ll have a hard time distinguishing the difference.

ATTENTION

KEEPING YOURSELF FOCUSED

RescueTime, Pomodoro, Turning shit off

DISORDERS

ADHD, MedicationMy story

WORKSPACE

You need to be able to control your workspace

ERGONOMICS

Be aware of ergonomics - you’re sitting on your ass all day get a good chair

EMPLOYERS SHOULD INVEST

Most good remote companies will pay for your desk, chair

LOOK AT NEW OPTIONS

Standing Desks, Treadmill DesksNobody is watching, so be active - dance at your desk!

OVER-SPEC EVERYTHING

Get the equipment you need for the future

PLAN FOR DOWNTIME

Internet goes down - MiFi, Power goes out, bad weather

BACK UP TWICE

Or MoreOffsite backup

COMBATTING LONELINESS

You will discover more about yourself than you ever expectedIt’s great to be alone for a few months then you need human input

COFFEE SHOPS

Easiest way to get out is to just work at a coffee shopBring Internet with :) - One guy works out of their RV

CO-WORKING SPACES

Work with other people remotely, not together but aroundSome coworking spaces are subject-orientedSITES

DESK RENTAL

Companies buy too much space and rent desks outSITES

LIBRARIES

Some of the best spaces to work are librariesLimited on carry-ins but great for focusSmell of books

MEETUPS

Meet people you work withGrand meetup, team meetup

HEALTH

Both physical and mental health are importantIt’s easy to sit on your assIt’s also easy to eat everything in your house.

FOOD

Buy groceries and keep healthy things in the houseBrain food - nuts, cheese, high protein, healthy snacksPeapod, other delivery services

EXERCISE

Reset your brainTrack your activity to make sure you’re regularFitBit, Nike Fuelband, Up

BURRITO FRIDAY

Have a splurgeGets you out of the house and it’s something to hold in mind

ITERATE

Keep trying new things. Move on if they don’t work.Make a record of what you’ve attempted.

QUESTIONS?

RESOURCES

There are a ton of resources out there

WEBSITES

➤Remote Jobs List - https://github.com/jessicard/remote-jobs

➤WorkFrom - Coworking Places - https://workfrom.co

➤We Work Remotely (job board) - https://weworkremotely.com

➤The Dangling Pointer (my blog) - https://astralbodi.es

This

AARON DOUGLAS@astralbodies

http://astralbodi.es