Postcards from a Remote Team

So, we asked our 19 strong distributed team their top tips. In no particular order, here they are:

Be available, but prefer asynchronous

Be available for chat or video calls, but prefer asynchronous communication where possible. Wiki pages and tickets are great for asynchronous communication and means there's a record of the outcomes.

Don't ignore your cat

Rob, Designer

Rest up

Take lots of mini-rests. No one can commit to focussing for 4 hours in a row.

Be social

Make time for social calls. Find a colleague who's up for it and have a coffee over webcam. Bonus is, you don't have to spend time choosing which coffee shop to go to.

Use GIFs. All the time.

Sergio, Coder

Routine is king

Force yourself to create and stick to a routine. Wake up, shower, start with email and then tackle tickets. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Just walk away...

Have a dedicated workspace that you can walk away from when you're finished for the day. It helps create some distance and balance.

...But come back

Come back after dinner to play videogames. Just remember to turn on all the neons so it looks like a different place.

Treat. Yo. Self.

Invest in your equipment. A nice chair, a standing table, comfy headphones. You're going to be in the space, using those things a lot.

Employ diffusers, candles, mood-enhancing scents, and a killer focus playlist on Spotify.

Tffany, Customer Support

#offtopicstuff

Create dedicated channels to share memes, talk about films or share recipes. It'll help imitate 'water cooler' chat and will go a long way towards you feeling less isolated.

Plan B

You will have tasks blocked by waiting for other people's contributions. Have a plan B to be working on and get comfortable switching contexts.

Stop occasionally to ask your dog "Who's a good boy?"

Kayleigh, Designer

Focussed chunks of work

If you're new to remote working, one of the hardest things are all the new distractions around you. Using something called the Pomodoro technique is a great way to combat this. Working in short, focussed sprints, to maximise productivity.

Get a coffee machine, and learn how to use it

Darren, Coder

Have a shutdown routine

Remote working can quickly creep into your personal life. As well as keeping consistent working hours, it's incredibly helpful to have a 'shutdown routine' to avoid overworking. The point at which you walk away from work and focus on yourself and others.

Self learning

Keep up to date by following blogs and listening to podcasts, and share what you're learning with your teammates.

Say it out loud

Good communication is the key to a healthy remote team. Regularly sharing what you're up to, helps keep everyone on the same page and reduce lots of back-and-forth later.

If in doubt... ...overcommunicate!

Bridget, CEO

Jump around!

Do some physical exercise. Being hunched over your computer isn't going to do your body any favors. Get up and move around. Future you will thank you for it.