Personal Experience: Staying human while working remotely

Everyone seems to be used to remote work. Nevertheless, in our experience, candidates are still often interested in this format, and the issue of work-rest balance remains relevant for many employees.

At Belov Digital Agency, our team works remotely, scattered all over the world. We understand how difficult it can be to immerse yourself in work when you are remote. For example, moving to a new country without social ties can imperceptibly disrupt this balance, which will lead to the risk of becoming a workaholic.

We conducted a comprehensive survey among our employees, asking them to share their remote work experience. Many of the ideas outlined in this article result from numerous trials and errors, making them even more valuable. We share unconventional recommendations and highlight less obvious aspects of remote work - how to stay human, not just a talking head in Slack.

Non-traditional methods of increasing efficiency

It is almost impossible to avoid numerous meetings when working remotely. However, understanding how the brain works allows you to better distribute the load throughout the day.

Nick

Developers have a unique feature: they work by suppressing their psyche. For example, when we chat or run, we activate our psyche. Developers, on the other hand, work on recessions: they need to slow down their psyche to focus. Why are they so annoyed when they are dragged to meetings? This is because the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which suppresses the psyche, is neutralized by dopamine, which accelerates it. You bring a developer to a meeting, he produces dopamine, he gets excited, and can't calm down for two hours - he just starts burning dopamine to produce acetylcholine and starts slowing down again. It takes a long time, so the developers get annoyed at this point. But only then will they be able to re-enter the stream and start programming.

Remote work requires high self-discipline. But sometimes there is a problem, and even classic methods like the Pomodoro timer don't work. That's when an unconventional approach comes in handy, especially if you need to write something, such as a presentation, a technical assignment, or a task.

Alex

If you work, sleep, live, and do everything in one room, after a while it starts to depress you. It is necessary to physically separate the workspace from the recreation area: do not work where you are resting. If you do not make this division, you will have an association: bed = workplace. You will no longer get positive emotions from your vacation.

Tasks and planning

The ability to organize yourself remotely is an extremely important skill for an IT specialist. Nowadays, you need to be able to calculate your strength and adapt to circumstances - from changes in family composition to emigration or long trips. If you can organize your day and complete the many tasks you face, no problems should arise.

Julia

I write down everything I need to do, any minor tasks. I have two to-do lists. In the first one, I write down all the little things that I need to do. The second to-do list is much shorter: there are the most important projects and tasks. When the first list reaches one hundred items, I delete it and start a new one. It's a pretty crude way to separate the important from the unimportant, but when we're doing a million things at once, you have to admit that you can't do everything. The only thing you can do as a person and an employee is to separate what needs to be done from what can be left unfinished. The key point of the method is to perform the first filtering and determine where to write the task.

Nick

You need to set aside some time for unforeseen situations. You can't schedule your working hours to the limit, with no empty seats. Often you need to do something that you didn't take into account when planning. You need to spend extra time on this. This way, tasks will accumulate that you will never complete. If nothing happens, great, you can do something unplanned, like what you planned to do tomorrow. But it's better to set aside time for this right away.

Notifications also cause stress if you don't know how to work with them. If messengers and other programs constantly poke at you and highlight you, they distract you from the flow of thoughts and significantly reduce productivity. If you turn them off, periodically allocate some time to view them - for example, once an hour - this will be your advantage.

Sonya

When I just sit at home in one place and don't communicate with anyone, it greatly affects my perception of the world. To maintain my mood and efficiency, I try to move as much as possible and walk more. I noticed a strong correlation: a couple of weeks after you stop walking, your mood drops significantly.

Julia

When a person is engaged in one thing, his emotional background subsides. For example, doctors also advise knitting or drawing so that there are two peaks of activity. But this practice applies to everyone, not just doctors. You need to be involved in at least two different areas. If you sit down to work on a work assignment on the weekend, everything will come together. You need some boundaries. The work is over, you have the right to think about something else, do something else, or switch.

Some tips for those who can't stay at home

Remote workers don't have to worry about office comfort and travel time, but time zones and team synchronicity are becoming key issues.

Nick

Firstly, my wife and I try not to jump from place to place every week. We try to live in one place, not only in one country but also directly in one dwelling, for at least three weeks, a month. The permanent residence provides support, justifies you, and reduces the effect of uncertainty. Secondly, we rent housing with working spaces. That is, there should be a table and chairs. My wife and I work together, so these places must be also separated. Thirdly, we try to move outside of business hours. For example, we left on Friday evening or Saturday moved somewhere, and settled there. We try to move in a way that doesn't affect work.

Technical support in case of computer or Internet problems is also important when traveling frequently. Solving these issues on a trip requires time, effort, and nerves, and it is better to protect yourself in advance.

Nick

In case of problems with the Internet (no one is immune from them) or if the router is located far from the desktop, we have a repeater - a device to amplify the Internet signal and expand its coverage area. Traveling also does not interfere with some little things or whole rituals that create a feeling of home.

Moving to other countries and the desire not to be tied to one place only contribute to an increase in the number of people who want to work outside the office. Remote employees have more opportunities: to play sports, devote time to themselves, and live a full life. Despite the desire of IT giants to move away from the remote format and return subordinates to offices, IT workers are not ready to voluntarily give up remote work.

Yes, this mode is not suitable for everyone, not everyone can organize themselves. Effective remote work does not arise from scratch. It needs to be built: test methods, apply tools, enter a schedule, and change locations. It is critically important to take care of yourself and maintain a work-life balance - not just be a talking head in Slack, but remain human.

Our experience suggests that you can set up the perfect work configuration for yourself only by trying a different way. Yes, everything is individual, but you can see some points from the experienced ones. So, if you organized your remote work coolly or unconventionally, share it in the comments.