I have been working remotely for exactly six months. Here are the lessons I have learned
Work definitely doesn't need to be confined to an office anymore
I was hired by a company six months ago to work remotely. Here are my learnings in this period.
Geographical freedom is fascinating. I have worked in more than ten cities during this period, from cafes, coworking spaces, numerous Airbnbs, Uber, airports, and even near the pool. Work definitely doesn't need to be confined to an office anymore —the company saves money on the operational costs of physical space and has the advantage of hiring people from anywhere.
Good internet is essential for a smooth workflow. The bad news is there are many not-so-good internet connections out there. The one in Tabatinga, in the Amazon, was the worst I faced, but I've also had lousy internet in metropolises like São Paulo and Buenos Aires — both in wealthy neighborhoods, in central areas.
I love working from cafes, but there are three points to consider. Going to a cafe every day can be expensive. I try to go at least once a week. The internet in cafes is not always great, which can delay uploading large files or participating in meetings. And some cafes are very noisy, which can be destructive to concentration.
Without communication between teams, remote work is impossible. You need to have as many meetings as necessary to adjust the workflow. And suddenly the flow can stop working — then you need to readjust it with more meetings. No, I don't love meetings, but having an excess of them initially is preferable for everything to run smoothly later.
Everyday communication can happen through messaging apps or emails. But slightly more complex issues are better resolved through a quick Meet or Zoom. I communicate a lot with the social media image editor. Sometimes we spend one or two uninterrupted hours on a call, sharing screens. It's much quicker and practical. Just don't do it all day because virtual fatigue will set in.
Virtual meetings also shouldn't be too long. Voices in my head indicate that meetings up to an hour are ideal, up to two hours are tolerable, and more than that is unproductive, even with a break in between.
In creative moments, when I'm not doing the mechanical parts of my job, I need a lot of concentration. For this, I sit comfortably in a quiet environment and occasionally listen to music.
In my job, I have set hours to start and finish — all teams start and finish at the same time. On one hand, it's good because everyone is working simultaneously, which facilitates some processes. On the other hand, it forces me to start at an early time, so I'm far from the best version of myself in the first two hours of work. That's because I'm a night person, I go to bed very late, and wake up very late. Obviously, I know I should sleep earlier. But I can't and won't fight against who I am. In an ideal world, I would start to work when I want to. But companies don't operate that way. And owning my own business or being a freelancer is not trivial. In life, choices have to be made. I have geographical freedom and a monthly salary, which is good, but restricted working hours, which I don't like. And that's okay.
I worked remotely for a company with over 500 employees during the pandemic. The complexity of remote work is much higher, and repeating these remote processes for a long time can be exhausting. My current company has 21 employees, so the net of people is less complex, facilitating daily contact. I'm not arguing that remote work should be exclusive to smaller companies. Just that larger companies, with more complex structures, require more planning. And often hybrid work can be a good alternative.
Six months remotely.
