Being Productive While Working Remotely [EN] - Sergey Biryukov

WordCamp Thessaloniki 2019

In his talk at WordCamp Thessaloniki, Sergey will share tips and tricks from his experience of working remotely for 12+ years.

Key takeaway: remote work, when fostered the right way, can be an ideal setup for many modern employees.

Transcript

1. Being Productive While Working Remotely Sergey Biryukov WordCamp Thessaloniki 2019
2. Sergey Biryukov • WordPress Core Contributor at Yoast yoast.com • Co-founder of Russian WP community ru.wordpress.org • Polyglots, Support, and Meta teams Make.wordpress.org sergeybiryukov.com @SergeyBiryukov
3. Choose a Job That “Sparks Joy” • When working remotely, you need more motivation than when sitting in an office. • Go for something that you love doing and are passionate about.
4. Create a Focused Work Environment • A desk and comfortable chair will help you be more efficient. • A standing desk or a treadmill is also an option. • Invest in decent equipment: laptop, phone, noise-cancelling headphones, mobile hotspot, external hard drive, etc. • Organize your desk to avoid losing time searching for papers and tasks.
5. Create a Focused Work Environment • Create a work-friendly playlist that helps you concentrate on your work. • Allow more light into the room and open the window each day. • Make the mini-office cozy and comfortable. • Have more than one desk in that space, such as chairs or sofas to relax on when you take breaks.
6. Start Your Day Right • Make your bed the first thing in the morning. • Drink a glass of water after waking up. • Start work as early as possible.
7. Workstation Popcorn • Create a list of things to do today. − Be as specific as possible. • Break it up into 3 equal sections. • Find 3 locations to work from. − Good coffee − Space to work − Wi-Fi and power sockets • Take action. − Step 1: Go to cafe #1. − Step 2: Start working on action item group #1.
8. To-Do Lists • The paradox of choice. • Heterogeneous complexity. • Heterogeneous priority. • Lack of context. • Lack of commitment devices.
9. Calendar vs. To-Do Lists • Estimate how much time each task will consume. • Transfer it to your calendar. • When an event is consistently scheduled on your calendar, it’s much more likely to transform into a habit. • The simple act of scheduling tasks on your calendar will free your mind, reduce stress, and increase cognitive performance.
10. Getting Things Done • Capture all the things you need to “keep up” with in one place. • Clarify. Break down each task into an actionable next step. • Organize your actionable items by category and priority: − Action: Things to do next. − Waiting For: Tasks or projects you’ve delegated or are waiting on other people for. − Projects: Larger tasks that you break down into multiple next steps. − Someday/Maybe: Tasks you’re interested in but are a low priority right now. • Reflect. Set time aside to re-assess your priorities and update your lists weekly or daily. • Engage. Start working through your Action list in order.
11. Getting Things Done • The 2-minute rule: − If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now. • Finishing things is empowering. • Any progress builds momentum (and improves your mood). • Small steps turn into habits.
12. Procrastination
13. Procrastination • Why Procrastinators Procrastinate https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html • How to Beat Procrastination https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/how-to-beat-procrastination.html • The Procrastination Matrix https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html
14. Reflect Upon Your Productivity • Keep a log and make entries at the end of each day. • Track your time and write down how you spend it. − https://www.rescuetime.com • Make a schedule and write tasks down on your calendar. • Be honest with yourself and recognize if there are things you could improve — if so, write them down as well. • At the end of each week, look at your task and time tracking logs and reflect upon your level of productivity.
15. Communication • Staying connected is key. • Write quick recaps every week or two.
16. Mental Health • Take breaks! • Have a non-IT hobby. • Make time to see other people. • Recognize signs of burnout and learn to avoid it.
17. Physical Health • Take breaks! • Schedule mini-workouts throughout the day. • Go for a walk, a bike ride, etc.
18. “It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work” “The only way to get more done is to have less to do. Saying no is the only way to claw back time. Don’t shuffle 12 things so that you can do them in a different order, don’t set timers to move on from this or that. It’s not time management, it’s obligation elimination. Everything else is snake oil.” “People should be missing out! Most people should miss out on most things most of the time. JOMO! The joy of missing out.” —Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
19. @SergeyBiryukov Thanks!