Ask HN: How to make remote work a success? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to make remote work a success?

When starting to work remotely for a company where you were previously a local team member, what are the things to look out for?

I'm mainly thinking along the lines of how one can ensure proper motivation and discipline, but also adequate communication and still having the feeling to be part of something.

What are your experiences ? What worked and what didn't ?

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I've worked remotely twice.

The most important thing is communications, definitely.

The best results I had were on a fully remote team, using Slack heavily.

I'm currently on a half U.S. based / half remote team, and it's harder, as much of the stuff communicated on the U.S. side doesn't reach us. We do have weekly meetings over GoToMeeting.

Some very good articles on the subject are Scott Hanselman´s, and Jeff Atwood's and Stack Overflow:

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/BeingARemoteWorkerSucksLongLiv...

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/30TipsForSuccessfulCommunicati...

https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2013/02/why-we-still-believe-...

http://engineering.datadoghq.com/9-ways-to-make-working-remo...

Thanks for the good references.

I have made this transition in stages with the same company (office-based --> home-based but working closely with regional clients and teammates --> home-based and don't see anyone else much). Motivation and discipline are still occasional issues. I am definitely inspired by working physically next to a colleague. For me, I find a morning routine is a critical component of a successful day (consistent wake-up time, consistent set of activities before working, etc.). To feel like I am "part of something", I try to focus clearly on the business needs my work resolves. I work to maintain a perspective that shipping a batch of work will definitely lead to a particular experience for colleagues or users.

I am planning my transition to be similar, there will be a trial period to get a feel for how well this works for us. And I plan to have a separate office in the house or garden so that there is a more clear separation between work and home life. No working on the couch for me.

Develop your own rituals. You have to replace the 'going to the office' structure and routine with something that works for you. That you can slip into and easily get into work mode.

For some people, that means getting dressed up. Keeping a dedicated home office. Strict time routines, etc. The what doesn't matter so much, as long it provides you with familiar structure.

The key in the beginning is to over-emphasize discipline (and communication) until you find a good balance.

(I've been working remotely for 10+ years)

As mentioned in another comment, I plan to have a dedicated office space and "go to work" up the stairs or down in the garden. I am making the assumption that lack of proper structure and set up will make maintaining discipline harder, so I'm trying to avoid that trap.

Any suggestions with regards to what works when communicating ?

Most local teams that I've worked in have mostly been centered around a tool like Slack anyway. I've sat next to people but talked to them more on slack then in person. It really depends on culture. Do most people use a tool like Slack or HipChat?

For working remote, what I found that was the best was making a place in your house or apartment that is the office. Try to do everything in that part and only do work there. It will help you get into a work mode at home.

That Mitchell and Webb Look - Working from home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co_DNpTMKXk

I have found that having a good video chat system is super important. At first, my company used Google Hangouts, but we weren't happy with the video quality. A few systems later, we ended up with Zoom, which has been pretty good. They also integrate nicely with Slack, so that you can set it up such that the command "/zoom" in slack will start a new video chat room that people can click to join. A seamless video chatting experience is crucial for remote workers.

In addition to what's below there's no reason you can't pop-in on the team with bagels, or attend a group lunch. If that's generally not geographically feasible then make an extra effort to do it when you are able. I have been in sales a long time, as long as you are not intruding or interrupting, people will appreciate that fact you were thinking of them and you made the effort. This is important in maintaining any relationship and important for the morale of a team.

There is a similar thread here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12788080

For convenience, here is my post to that thread:

First, discipline is critical to what you mentioned. Figuring out how to develop habits that avoid procrastination or other problems with your productivity are wildly different for each individual. Some people work well with a TV on, while others are completely distracted by it, and up paying attention to the TV instead of being productive. Some people take 15-20 minute naps and wake up ready to rock. Others, fall asleep for long periods of time, don't reboot and waste a day. You have to know which one you are and tailor your routine around you. Having a routine is important.

Additionally, here are a couple of things that you might consider hacks that have worked for me:

1) Front-load your day - I start my day at 4am and I start work immediately. This has a couple of benefits. For me I know I am most productive the first half of my day. Starting early eliminates a long list of distractions and interruptions simply because no one else is up to bother me. Plus, if I find myself dragging between 4pm and 6pm I don't feel guilty about cutting out because I have already put in a pretty solid day overall. This is something I read not to long ago that validated what I was already doing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12346307

2) Walk - Any time I am feeling distracted or stressed I take a walk outside. It reboots my mind and I come back refreshed. If something was eluding me before the walk it typically reveals itself quickly after returning from the walk.

3) Diet - This is from my response to this post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12684180): "In order of volume and priority...Coffee, leafy greens(in all forms, especially cabbage - all types, kale, napa, green, etc.) and protein in all forms, diversity is important, animal and vegetable sources. I mix in other fruits and vegetables for flavoring and variety. Also, I eliminated salt and that relieved my stress in a significant, noticeable way. I start my day at 4am, if I eat heavier, carb-based items, I notice a crash somewhere around 3 or 4 pm and the last few hours of my day are a struggle. If I stick to what I listed above, I power through the afternoon and feel more balanced when I end my day."

"I start my day at 4am"

What time do you go to sleep at to make starting work a 4am feasible?

No later than 9pm.

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