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Until how you hear me? Okay.
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Okay, um, everyone, you probably met me yesterday, and I received a lot of feedback to discuss about working remotely.
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Before I start, I want to ask you to pose a question to yourself: Why are you interested in working remotely, and what do you plan to accomplish by starting to work remotely?
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When you have a question, feel free to ask it on Twitter, so just tag me or even mention the merchants, and we will discuss it in that thread. Either I, Mike, or my colleagues will respond.
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First of all, this talk would not have happened if my colleagues had not encouraged me, especially due to Polina's story. Who is Polina? When she initially joined the merchants, she never wanted to work remotely, but she was so interested in collaborating with the team that she made a trade-off.
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It is possible that this trade-off made her face many challenges that you might encounter when starting your remote work journey. One day, she shared her struggles with us, and the first thing she mentioned was the difference in communication.
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When you start working remotely, communication changes significantly. You begin to work in parallel with your colleagues, which means you can't simply find someone in the office for a chat. You never know when your colleague will respond, so you have to adapt to sharing context differently.
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Polina discovered that if you can postpone responding to a message from a colleague, it gives you more time to research the problem. Sometimes, you might even figure out the answer on your own. Other times, this extra time can lead to discovering new requirements. Consequently, our team started writing more extensive text and providing clearer descriptions of what we planned to do.
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The next significant change Polina noted was her environment, as it became different. She found herself working longer hours at home because, previously, while working in an office, she would notice when her colleagues left for the day. At home, she struggled without a clear marker for when to stop working, leading to burnout.
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When transitioning into work mode, we must actively manage our routines, such as deciding when to eat, start working, and take breaks. Managing time efficiently is essential. All you need are two concepts: tasks and priorities. A task is simply something you track and can determine whether it's completed or not. When faced with many tasks, consider which one to prioritize before starting.
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I'll share some techniques about prioritizing tasks in the last slide. This is particularly useful in remote work, as it applies not only to tasks from JIRA but also to everyday activities like when to run errands or take your dog for a walk. Polina also noticed that while she worked from home, her health began to decline due to a lack of physical movement since she was not forced to walk to an office.
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Many of us struggle with mental challenges, especially when spending too much time alone. You face not only physical challenges but mental ones as well. Socializing becomes another task. To address physical well-being, I suggest setting a daily step challenge, for instance, aiming for fifteen thousand steps per day and incorporating rest periods.
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Addressing mental health can be a more complex topic. However, an interesting change in our company was hiring a therapist as part of our insurance. Understanding why you might procrastinate or feel unmotivated often boils down to underlying issues in your mind.
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I recommend a book that may help: 'The Power of Habit.' It includes frameworks that can be applied not only to web applications but also to your life. Additionally, consider what changes occur when you transition from working remotely to traveling. There are generally two types of travel situations: long stays and short ones.
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For long stays, remote work can be especially rewarding. You can prepare for possible problems, much like overnight business trips but with increased planning, like ensuring stable internet access or having backup devices. In contrast, for shorter stays of just two to five days, I suggest being agile, similar to extreme programming, where you tackle small tasks for the trip.
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For example, try local food, engage with local people, and use these experiences as steps toward planning a longer stay. As I conclude, keep in mind that working remotely versus in an office doesn't inherently solve any specific problems. It merely reflects how you choose to work. Some people may prefer focusing solely on tasks from JIRA, while for others, remote work can offer a deeper understanding of life and self-awareness.
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Thank you! If you have any questions, please find me on Twitter. I'll share some self-help resources, including a book recommendation that can provide framework insights for personal improvement. Additionally, I've linked to a great article that lists nine ways to prioritize your tasks. This is just a fragment of the overall talk, and I will also provide an article or wisdom on our blog. Thank you!