😎 These tips are obviously biased and focused on developers.
Home Office
- Designate a room as your office. This helps keeping home and work separated. At the very least, designate a desk, even if the room isn’t empty, where everything is off-limits: notebooks, post-it notes, pens, coffee mugs, and so on. Think kids, cats, or dogs.
- Let your colleagues know when you are online, and make sure to be available via a chat app or email.
- Routine #1: Keep a routine. Force a routine. Start at the same time, have a lunch break and stop at the end of the day.
- Routine #2: Work whenever you know you are the most productive. I like to take a break around 4pm and then get back to work around 9 or 10pm. This might even help if other work colleagues are in different timezones.
- Don’t forget to log your time if you have to.
- Keep notes of everything you do. I use a spreadsheet for tasks, and I also use a Markdown file in my IDE for quick notes and bookmarks.
- Use a ticket tracker. You do use one, don’t you?
Conference Calling
- Assume every meeting is a remote meeting.
- Send meeting details well ahead of time.
- Speak English at all times if there is more than one language.
- Use a tool such as Slack, Zoom, Discord, or Google Hangouts.
- Try a chat-based meeting before a video-based one.
- Stable internet connections are important.
- Send a summary with actions to take via mail as a follow-up, or add them to your ticket tracker. You do use one, don’t you?
(Mental) Health
- Stick to a routine.
- When possible, go for a daily walk or jog to get some fresh air.
- Take breaks away from the work station once in a while.
- Set up regular catch-ups to talk on-topic or off-topic with your colleagues, or attend online meetups.
- Take sick days when you’re ill. You can always catch up on a weekend.
- Only work when you know are productive, otherwise you are just burning out.
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