Working From Home For 10 years. Here’s What I Learned

The last ten years working remotely have been a life-changing transition, especially because where I live, changes every 30 to 90 days.

For 24 years, my life consisted of commuting to an office every weekday. The initial goal was more time to travel the world while working remotely. Ten years later, work and lifestyle must be treated equally.

Here is what I learned while working from home.

More Free Time

Not having to commute to the office meant more time to exercise and have a leisurely breakfast. There is time to wake up, and being able to gather my thoughts and prepare for work drastically improved my mental health. Sunday evenings and Monday mornings used to be the worst.

The main benefit of my employers being companies in the United States was that my working day started in the afternoon, when living in Europe, or evening in Asia. During the day, I was free to spend time on my passions, like exploring and experiencing the local culture.

Work-Life Balance

You will often find this quote in my content: Working 9-to-5 in an office is archaic. Remote working is here to stay. It is time to stop counting down to Friday and create a future where work and lifestyle are treated equally.

Burnout, especially when working from home, is a real issue. Companies can take advantage of your always-connected situation.

Have a Life Outside of Work

Working 8 hours continuously daily is not productive, in my opinion. Yet companies big and small expect you to work this way. Finding fully distributed companies that understand the benefits of spreading your working hours throughout the day is not easy.

Dedicated Workspace is Important

Having a dedicated workspace helps you focus. It tells people within your household you are there to work and not to be disturbed. When you are not at your desk, you are not looking at your computer and have the temptation to check email outside of working hours.

The best scenario is to have a laptop or desktop computer stay in your workspace and have a tablet with non-work-related apps and software. There is then no temptation to check email or tools like Slack.

Set Expectations in Interviews

When being interviewed for remote jobs, set your expectations. Tell them if you do not want to work 8 hours continuously but instead split up your working day. Be honest. Until we break down the barriers around work time, changes will not happen.

Engage with Humans

If you are an introvert like myself, work in a coffee shop or co-working space once or twice a week. Engage with other people and spend time meeting friends and family. Working at home can be isolating, so you have to take extra care of your mental health and spend time with others.

While writing this, I realized that meeting others might not be possible due to the global pandemic. Instead, use Zoom and Google Meet to talk with family and friends. Attend virtual events instead of in-person networking events. Join a community for any of your passions in life and make new friends.

Build Your Network

Networking is essential to build a network of people around you who could help you land remote jobs in the future. When your working status changes, having people happy to recommend you to other companies will make life easier.

Keep in touch with colleagues and leave on good terms when you move on. Add colleagues on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks, or ask for their email addresses. Occasionally, get in touch and ask them how they are doing. Continuing to build the relationship is beneficial.

Choose the Right Place to Live.

As a Digital Nomad, choosing the right location and home is essential to ensuring you can continue to work remotely. It is nice to think of living on an island and working next to the pool or on the beach, but unfortunately, that is not the reality.

You need access to a reliable internet connection based on your needs. If you are downloading and uploading files, fast internet speeds are required. Researching internet speeds and the best internet providers before you choose a destination is a wise decision.

For accommodation, you ideally need a comfortable workspace. Ensure you have air conditioning or heating because working in a hot or cold room is not fun.

When it comes to booking accommodation, I prefer Airbnb. When contacting hosts, a list of questions is sent to them. The internet quality depends on whether it is shared or a private connection.

Have Internet Backup

Even with all of the checks mentioned above, one lesson learned over the six years is the importance of having an internet backup device. This could be an unlocked mobile phone or a MiFi dongle with a local SIM card. Should your home WiFi go down, you have a backup so work can continue.

Hopefully, based on what I’ve learned over the last six years, this guide has given you what to expect when working from home.