Ask HN: Tips for working remotely? - giffarage
======
chrisbennet
I've done this for many years. This is what works for me:

\- Turn off interruptions in the AM. _Focus, focus, focus._ You have the most
mental energy in AM and it is gradually depleted as the day goes by.

\- Keep a log so you know what you worked on. Doesn't have to be wordy, just
enough so you can tell what you did.

\- Put something in the log at end of day so you know what the next thing you
are working on is. Example: "Working on error in timestamp()." You don't want
to expend energy trying to remember what you were working on, you can just
jump right in.

------
andymoe
I’m going to take this as tips for working effectively with others remotely
because that’s the main problem that needs overcome. So...

Buys real over/on ear headset. No one wants to hear your bad audio through
some AirPods.

Use zoom and get a (silly and cheap) team domain and everyone forward their
name as a sub domain to their slack meeting room so you can get in a video
chat with zero friction.

If one person is remote then all team activities are remote even if everyone
else is in the office (remote first team). That means everyone needs a real
headset at their desk.

------
arthurcolle
Tools of the trade:

\- Logitech BRIO

\- Spend a lot of money on a good monitor (whatever you think is the limit,
double it)

\- Spend even more money on an awesome desk chair (Herman Miller Aereon for
me)

\- If you don't already have one, get a big big desk. Simple, no drawers, but
one that you can have a little bit of clutter without it becoming impossible
to work on. A simple $50 ikea desk will do.

\- Decent over-ear headphones (I'm rocking some Audio Technica whatever
whatevers)

Audio recording is good through the Brio, visual quality is great. Decent
over-ears means you aren't disturbing people around you (if they exist).
Overall I would recommend developing the mental discipline to work out of your
own place. Its just so much better than awkwardly sitting at some random
coffee shop with some horrible little seat that hurts after 45 minutes.

Social/behavior:

\- Always be online/available during your hours of work, i.e. don't fuck
around. Seriously. Don't necessarily always be online on chat things (Slack,
Rocket.Chat, whatever...) but actually be doing work most of the time when
you're either working from home/working remotely.

\- Early on, develop a reputation for being very quick at 1) building new
stuff, 2) debugging problems, and 3) iterating on existing code. Usually
people have some kind of niche, and unusually people are good at all 3. Be
that unusual person that is good at everything, if possible.

\- Raise concerns early on, don't feel shy because you're behind a monitor.
This will earn you respect of your higher-ups that kind of expect to be
informed of whats going on.

Just for fun: Here's 2 pics that show my setup. Works for me, might not work
for you: [https://imgur.com/a/vD8Toge](https://imgur.com/a/vD8Toge)

Anyways have fun & get work done! :)

------
redwoolf
Work outside the house. Go to coffee shops or co-working spaces. Shower daily.
Self-care slips easily when you don't have to leave the house every day.

