100% Remote Working - Better Than You Dared to Dream

You've seen seen people talking about it, even had friends doing it, but is remote working really as good as they say it is?

In August 2018 I took the plunge and discovered developer nirvana, a re-invigorated soul, and a desire to never work in open-plan offices ever again.

In this talk I'll share my experiences working 100% remotely for a company in a different time zone. I'll cover the techniques and the tech I use (both hardware and software), the challenges I face, and the peace I have found.

This talk is for introverts who struggle in their current work situation, for developers desperate to get work done, and for people wanting to level-up at communicating.

Transcript

2. I want you to use your imagination for a few moments. Imagine right now, as I'm talking to you: • The person sitting next to you answers a phone call while you're trying to listen • People behind begin having conversation about • a problem they can't solve but you can • Perhaps a TV show or sporting contest you like to watch • The people on the other side of the room from where you are sitting • Start playing music • laughing and chatting loudly • generally having a good time • People are • walking around you and past you • Some of them are saying hello or trying to engage in conversation How effectively do you think you can focus on what I'm saying under these conditions? 2
3. Modern workplaces have trended towards using open plan work environments to facilitate collaboration. They think it makes people work more effectively … with the side benefit of not spending money building walls and partitions, and moving them as teams come and go. To them it's a no brainer, it's win-win with no down sides. Everyone should be doing this! What workplace planners fail to account for is that only about half the human population respond positively to these conditions. 3
4. In the 1920's, psychologist Carl Yung popularised the categorisation of people's personality as a continuum between two extremes: Introversion and extroversion. The nuances of this theory have proved too complex to be absorbed by common knowledge. As a result, popular culture has distilled this theory down to three generalisations: • Extroverts are energetic, outgoing, and social • Introverts are shy, reserved, and solitary • People are either one or the other, all of the time These interpretations are as damaging as they are useful. While they give us a basic understanding of what these traits are … they ignore the properties of the continuum … that personalities exist along an infinite spectrum between the extremes of introversion and extroversion … and that one person can move around a general area on that spectrum over time By misinterpreting the theory in this way, we draw poor conclusions about how 4
5. people will respond to certain situations, conditions and stimuli. 4
6. Up to 40% of the population identify as introverts, a list of some of the common behaviours of introverts are shown here. Because the personality trait continuum is a spectrum, even extroverts may identify with some of these, some of the time. As an introvert, I identify with almost all of these, most of the time. I want to single this one out this one in particular: “Too much stimulation leaves you feeling distracted and unfocused". … and quote directly from the article these signs came from. It sums up the most important difference between introverts and extroverts perfectly: " Unlike extroverts who gain energy from social interaction, introverts […] expend energy in social situations. After […] spending time in a large group of people, introverts often feel a need to "recharge" by spending a period of time alone. " 5
7. I personally vouch for the negative effects of being an introvert in an open plan work environment. Years of working in such an environment affected me mentally and physically. Yet like a slow-boiling frog, I didn’t realise it for many years. I could only feel the symptoms growing as the years went by: • I was exhausted almost constantly • I was stressed, and easily irritated beyond my breaking point • I couldn't perform my work duties to the standard I knew I was capable of I had come to loathe going to work every day. Practicing mindfulness helped reduce these feeling, but the effects were increasingly fleeting. For the first time in my life, I needed medication to cope with anxiety. It made me feel like a failure seeing others thrive while I was struggling to survive 6
8. It is irresponsible for employers to not provide adequate working conditions for all their employees. Yet I met resistance when proposing changes to the “perfect” open-plan model and the perceived benefits it brings. I found myself unable to convince my employer to change the environment, … and I was unable to continue working under the conditions my employer provided. I took the difficult decision to find a new job before things really got out of hand, leaving behind • almost ten years of great achievements • a reputation for succeeding in the face of extreme adversity • and more friendship than any other time in my life 7
9. ### Big breath in and out ### Decision made, I began defining what I wanted from a future employer. I focused on what would make me happiest at work … and reflected on the workplaces I had been happiest in the past. For me this meant working at: • A small company • making software that helps lots of people • where I could use all my skills and experience • where colleagues openly cared and respected each other and their customers • where people didn't drag others down for favour or reward in the company 8
10. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long. Thanks to a great StackOverflow reputation … and by registering on StackOverflow jobs … my ideal employer actually found me. My current job is all the things I was looking for, with the benefit of being 100% remote I currently work at Drawboard … a Melbourne-based mature startup … already achieving success and heading for a bright future 9
11. ### small pause ### Now, landing a remote job is fantastic, but being effective and successful in it is not guaranteed. After hearing stories from conferences and friends, I had a good idea of challenges I would face. I'm a proactive preparer, and I came up with a simple action plan: • Make my environment work for me • Configure my tools to work for me • Establish a strong digital presence to overcome my lack of a physical one After a year at Drawboard so far, I'm happy to say this approach is working great. • I easily transitioned to remote working. • I'm succeeding at exceeding the expectations of the people I work with • My personal happiness is back to obscenely high levels. Here's how I execute the plan. 10
12. As a remote worker you have total control of your workspace. Put in the effort to make it work for you. Constantly evaluate what works and what doesn’t. For me this means: • A large desk with everything I need within reach • A comfortable office chair • Lots of natural light • A lot of open space • Don't lock yourself in an office if you can help it • My study is a nook off the main living area. • Most days I have it all to myself • I feel I can breathe • Great sound quality with noise dampening • Even when it's quiet there's still noise. • Don't let sound echo. Dampen all hard surfaces. • Exposed brick has amazing sound dampening qualities. 11
13. Maintaining a presence isn't easy when you're never physically at the office. Take time to learn your company's collaboration tools effectively Understand what the benefits of tool are, and how to get the best out of them. At Drawboard we use: • Clubhouse for Work planning, tracking, and showing work progress • Slack for text based chat both work and social collaboration • Zoom and Microsoft Teams for video chat for efficient face to face communication using body language • Confluence for documentation, dashboards, and bringing all the knowledge together I've taken time to ensure I can effortlessly get the best from these tools I use them every day to ensure people see that I'm working and the progress I'm making. 12
14. Acquire tech the right tech. Maximise the effectiveness of every digital activity you do. Of course, you’ll need an adequate, stable internet connection: • I have Telstra NBN 50 plan • I consistent get ~47Mbps down and 17Mbps up • It’s more than enough For doing work you’ll need: • A great quality computer that won't choke under load • As many screens as you feel comfortable with • A good quality keyboard • If you have a portable computer like me, get a dock • Connect and disconnect all the peripherals I need with one plug • Flexibly stay at your desk or get up and go • My Surface Pro 5 handles everything I can throw at it (i5, 8Gb RAM, 256Gb) • Surface keyboards are great, but nothing beats a proper keyboard 13
15. • I chose a gaming keyboard with backlit keys so I can see them easily • 2 large 2K Monitors, on a stand at the right height For collaborating with video and audio chat you’ll need: • A HD Camera • Good quality directional Microphone • Noise cancelling headphones • Inbuilt microphones suck. They aren’t good enough. • External Blue Snowball Ice • Headphones give the best chat experience; • they eliminate feedback from your speakers back into the microphone • It’s not always quiet when you’re trying to work 13
16. Work hard, and work smart My favourite productivity practice; use virtual desktops to eliminate all digital distractions I use 3 virtual desktops: work, communications, and personal • Put all email, messaging, and other notification generators on a single virtual desktop • Put work and personal on two others • Configure your snooze settings (e.g. Slack) • Disable • email notifications • Mobile notifications This allows you to stay distraction free and do deep work Be involved in as many Slack conversations as you need, but also as many as you can stand • Not just work, social too This maximises your chance to be visible to everybody in your company 14
17. • Ensure people know how you are feeling as much as possible • Update your status daily at least • This lets your colleagues can spot trends on how you feel even when you don't • It allows them to look out for you, and strengthens your relationship with them • Shout out • when people do great things or help you • when you do great things • when things aren't going well or aren't right • This promotes a great culture • Record and post videos of the stuff you are doing • nothing represents your good work like video • Show your fun side and personality: unleash the power of the internet! • Emojis • Memes • Gifs • YouTube Video • Bring all of yourself to your communication; • be respectful • never hold feelings back • Rest away from the screen because, finally, you can • Lie down on your bed and give yourself a proper, refreshing break • Make sure you only work during work hours • Don't be tempted to go back to your desk and just do one quick thing • Use your documentation tools to create knowledge bombs you can point people to • this lets you keep moving at pace • covers your company for the "bus factor" 14
18. No “perception” problems: • In a classic work environments, it's human nature for people to think: "If you're not at your desk, you're not working!" • Even with an occasional work from home option, there is a perception that • you're not really working; you're doing other things • You're not even wearing any pants! • When you are 100% remote this issue doesn't occur • When people realise they will never see you at a desk at work, they have to trust you are working because they know they can't see you to verify it! • Of course, you have to back it up by showing you’re progress and your achievements Also, you no longer worry that you don't "look busy“ at work when you’re deep in thought. • Without worrying about that perception, you become “worry free” and able to focus on doing deep work. 15
19. I am very grateful • to myself for • recognising how much pain and sorrow I was in • Having the courage to do something about it • My employer for • finding me • Being open to remote working • Giving me the opportunity to be the most effective employee I can be ### PUT DOWN CONTROLLER – then CLICK ### 16
20. I now have control over the areas of my working life that caused me such pain in the past …and am free to work to without distraction and enjoy getting things done I have rediscovered joy and happiness in my work …and regained balance and peace in my life. ### slight pause ### I hope you’ve learned something from this talk you can apply in your own life. Enjoy the rest of the conference …Namaste. 17