| Lots of good advice here about establishing a healthy routine and communicating. I've only been working remotely for a few months, but here are some things I've learned so far: 1. Assuming you'll be calling in to a lot of meetings, a good pair of headphones with a microphone is invaluable. I have and am very happy with the AKG 551, but there are lots of good options out there. 2. For calling in to those meetings, I love using Google Voice from the Hangouts app. Using wifi instead of cellular service is the difference between a land-line quality connection and a noisy one that drops out far too frequently. This gives you the added bonus of being able to call in to a US number for free while travelling abroad if that is something you wish to do. 3. For a while I felt like my employer was doing me such a favor by letting me be remote, that I owed it to them to be glued to the computer in case a chat or email message came in. Taking breaks is important. Personally, I like cooking real meals for breakfast and lunch. I find the 30-40ish minutes it takes to make something tasty are the perfect amount of time to be away from the computer and on my feet. 3a. Being remote isn't a favor and it isn't special treatment. It is simply a different negotiated work arrangment. It has the potential for enormous productivity gains but it also has the potential for less team cohesion. Personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons, but it depends on the team. 4. Not being in an office environment means you can pace and think aloud without annoying anyone. When I'm not actively reading or typing something, I try to walk around as much as possible. Good luck! |