** Talk given at That Conference August 8, 2016 in Wisconsin Dells, WI. This is an updated version from the original one given in August 2014 at 360iDev. ** What happens when you love where you live but really want that perfect job that happens to be in another city or maybe even country? Move? That’s so 2002. Being a remote worker in the technology field is continuing to be a common occurrence when employers are looking for talent. Some companies like Basecamp, Buffer, Olark, Automattic (WordPress.com), and Mozilla are nearly 100% distributed and everyone works from wherever they want, whenever they want. There are challenges surrounding working for a company remotely that is a traditional business as well as working for a completely distributed organization. Not everyone can work remote and there are issues surrounding staying motivated, inspired, and feeling like you’re part of a real team. I’m going to share some of the challenges I’ve gone through as a remote worker and walk you through what I’ve had to do to cope and change as a person.

1. WORKING FROM WHEREVER
Make Work Less Stabby

4. WHO I AM
➤ Aaron Douglas
➤ Milwaukee, WI USA
➤ Mobile Maker for Automattic
(WordPress.com)
➤ Remote full time 3+ years
➤ @astralbodies

5. 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 remote
What type of remote? Maybe you want to work remote where you are? Or find a remote job?

6. REMOTE WHERE YOU ARE NOW
Which may or may not be possible
Company policies, security protocols

7. CONVINCE THE BOSS
First step is to convince the boss
Show them they get more productivity & happier employees
One day a week like Fridays

8. CONVINCE YOUR COWORKERS
They need to support the idea
I never wanted to be “that guy” where everyone had to pick up my slack

9. DON’T BECOME
SECOND CLASS
The real key is to not let yourself become second class
There’s a great quote from Jason Fried

10. “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

11. REMOTE AT A NEW PLACE
Sometimes its easier to just find a new job
Even if they don’t have a remote program it can be part of a job offer
But how do you find a good remote job?

12. JOB BOARDS

13. WORD OF MOUTH

14. REMOTE WITH TRAVEL

15. REMOTE 100% DISTRIBUTED

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

17. WHY WORK REMOTELY?
Maybe you’re not entirely convinced remote work is for you.
There are a lot of benefits

18. LOCATION / RELOCATION
Why get up and move your home for a job that may not work out
Make the job come to you

19. REDUCE DISTRACTIONS
Have more control over your environment - you work how you want to
Remote 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.

20. COMMUTING
1 hour each direction, 260 days out of the year, over 21 DAYS worth of commuting
Reduce gas, car maintenance, parking, stress
Mention the power of 5 minutes idea

21. HOME
Make your office what you want it to be
Separate room if possible try not to use the room for non work

22. FLEXIBILITY
Work the hours you need
Effort doesn’t necessarily mean 40 hours
PTO

23. ABILITY
Disabilities - cluster headaches, environmental issues & sensitivities

24. CHALLENGES
Working remote sounds magical
There are challenges with remote working

25. INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Email overload
Multiple channels, too much information to process

26. ATTENTION
While some distractions are eliminated, you have nothing but yourself to tend to
Ooh shiny
Facebook, Twitter, email, IM, phone calls

27. LONELINESS
At some point you will miss other humans
Becoming a shut-in isn’t the right way to work

28. VISIBILITY
How to go up the ladder without being seen by coworkers

29. COMMUNICATION
It is the foundation of remote working
Advances in technology and Internet speeds make this possible
Several types or channels of communication that have to be in place to be successful

30. SYNCHRONOUS
Instant message, Screen sharing, telephone calls
Chat - IRC, HipChat, Slack

31. ASYNCHRONOUS
There are times where you can’t pay attention to chatter
E-mail, Forums, Blogs
Ticketing - GitHub, JIRA

32. VIRTUAL WATERCOOLER
Need to have a way to gab
Animated GIFs, cat pictures
WHAT 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.

33. ATTENTION

34. KEEPING YOURSELF FOCUSED
RescueTime, Pomodoro, Turning shit off

35. DISORDERS
ADHD, Medication
My story

36. WORKSPACE
You need to be able to control your workspace

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

38. EMPLOYERS SHOULD INVEST
Most good remote companies will pay for your desk, chair

39. LOOK AT NEW OPTIONS
Standing Desks, Treadmill Desks
Nobody is watching, so be active - dance at your desk!

40. OVER-SPEC EVERYTHING
Get the equipment you need for the future

41. PLAN FOR DOWNTIME
Internet goes down - MiFi, Power goes out, bad weather

42. BACK UP TWICE
Or More
Offsite backup

43. COMBATTING LONELINESS
You will discover more about yourself than you ever expected
It’s great to be alone for a few months then you need human input

44. COFFEE SHOPS
Easiest way to get out is to just work at a coffee shop
Bring Internet with :) - One guy works out of their RV

45. CO-WORKING SPACES
Work with other people remotely, not together but around
Some coworking spaces are subject-oriented
SITES

46. DESK RENTAL
Companies buy too much space and rent desks out
SITES

47. LIBRARIES
Some of the best spaces to work are libraries
Limited on carry-ins but great for focus
Smell of books

48. MEETUPS
Meet people you work with
Grand meetup, team meetup

49. HEALTH
Both physical and mental health are important
It’s easy to sit on your ass
It’s also easy to eat everything in your house.

50. FOOD
Buy groceries and keep healthy things in the house
Brain food - nuts, cheese, high protein, healthy snacks
Peapod, other delivery services

51. EXERCISE
Reset your brain
Track your activity to make sure you’re regular
FitBit, Nike Fuelband, Up

52. BURRITO FRIDAY
Have a splurge
Gets you out of the house and it’s something to hold in mind

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

54. QUESTIONS?

55. RESOURCES
There are a ton of resources out there

57. 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

58. AARON DOUGLAS@astralbodies
http://astralbodi.es