How I Will Master the Art of Working Remotely

Like I said before, I will begin working remotely for my startup company on December 28th. While I’m excited for the opportunity, and looking forward to developing the skills necessary to stay on task through numerous distractions, I’m sure there will be a learning curve.

Gina Trapani, former editor of Lifehacker, wrote Master the Art of Working Remotely for Harvard Business Review’s Work Smarter blog. Never mind that Harvard Business Review trusted Trapani to write about such a topic, but Lifehacker is the internet’s best source for tips and tricks to work more efficiently. I’m taking her tips pretty much as gospel.

1.”Sharpen your email skills”
Well, ok. No problems here. I keep my inbox at 15 messages or less, check and empty my Spam folder constantly and keep all my messages sorted into Labels associated with my work. Trapani says to give messages from your supervisor the highest priority and to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth, as well. We use the collaborative project management Basecamp for work, which also cuts down on unnecessary emailing and provides ample opportunity for status updates.

2. “Be “present” via instant messenger”
Again, not a challenge whatsoever. I work 10 feet from coworkers whom I have constant IM conversations with all day. Our office has employees in other cities, as well—making IM crucial for getting business done.

3. “Collaborate online with the tools that best fit your client and project.”
Yay, Basecamp again! We also use Google docs, Box and various other tools. Thank goodness that most software has been moved online and is encouraged to be used for collaborative uses. If only InDesign and Photoshop would follow suit.

4.”Set up regular voice or video chat check-ins”
This is going to be a priority for me—I’m going to ask my boss for a Skype conference call every two weeks, just to make sure that I am staying on task and keeping his priorities at the forefront. He is the owner of the company, after all. Roles in the company are constantly changing, so this will allow me to keep in contact with whomever is part of my workgroup at the time.

That said, I feel that the real difficulty will be staying on task, for 8 hours a day, while at home. I’m going to have to develop some serious concentration and motivation!