

How to Work Remotely and Still Be the Best - crm416
http://www.toptal.com/freelance/how-to-work-remotely-and-still-be-the-best

======
area51org
I think these are all good suggestions, although there's actually a danger in
trying to employ too many tools (especially in an enterprise, where you're
probably more likely to encounter less-skilled technologists who may be
frightened by such an array of apps).

The biggest key, in my experience: find basic, reliable ways to communicate,
standardize on them, and use them consistently. The biggest problems in remote
work always seem to stem from people going invisible: no communication, no
signs of work being done.

One tool that the OP doesn't mention, but should be a staple among companies
of all sizes: Google Hangouts. You can make a permanent hangout using Google
Calendar (search for this and you'll find how-tos). It's like a clubhouse, and
it's really good for quick chats as well as full-on multi-person meetings.

For pairing, my team has been using a combination of Hangouts with tmux, which
is an app similar to GNU Screen, but with next-generation features. (E.g.:
when you split a window, or change to another one, everyone in the session
sees it! Simpler configuration, too.)

We've found that this simple combination of live video chat with multi-user
terminal access is actually _better_ than working together in person. Both
people can communicate easily, and no one has to move out of the way of the
keyboard. :-)

edit: wording

~~~
rpwilcox
Author here.

> One tool that the OP doesn't mention, but should be a > staple among
> companies of all sizes: Google Hangouts. You > can make a permanent hangout

It's interesting to see the potential evolution beyond just text chat for
remote teams.

I've never used a permanent video Hangout (although Hangout's new group chat
features might work well). I'm excited to try out sqwiggle.com - similar
result, but it just takes a still picture of you every few seconds: same
effect, less bandwidth/worries about leaking your music to your coworkers
1,000 miles away.

~~~
julianez
We make sure we set up daily Skype/goog calls with remote employees at the
same time every day. For me as a manager of remote the toughest problem is to
keep them motivated, not only make sure they are doing stuff. A "normal"
motivation lie cycle if you don't apply extra effort is 3 months..

~~~
bcbrown
That sounds interesting. What have you tried? What has worked? Why do remote
workers need more effort to keep motivated?

------
jroseattle
Working remotely is not an easy job to do well. It requires great
communication skills and the ability to translate and interpret words into
actionable tasks.

Having done this for a while, there's a big thing that anyone who works
remotely needs to understand: the biggest presumption those on the other end
have about you is that you're not working when you're not on a call or
communicating. It's nothing personal, it's just the nature of being remote.

There is only one real thing that addresses this presumption: output. Deliver
on promises, and deliver great work. All the tools in the world can assist you
and your teams in being productive, but the real value is when you produce.

~~~
clueless123
Jira, Skype, Github, Jenkins are a few examples of tools that help bosses
(smart ones at least) have direct visibility into your work & productivity.
With these I can see exactly when/what/who/why my team is working on better
than if they where right next to me.

------
porker
I freelance for a number of companies (both one-off and recurring clients) and
I can't find an issue/bug tracker and PM tool that works when switching
between multiple projects.

Ideally simple enough that the client can file feature requests, discussions
can happen and they can provide feedback, yet comprehensive enough that I can
prioritise items, tie VCS commits to them etc.

Basecamp isn't any good for technical projects (or structured enough); I've
trialled Planscope with a price-conscious client and it worked well (but isn't
a bug tracker as the Author says). Lighthouseapp, PivotalTracker, both good
but neither encompass the whole project lifecycle that a freelancer has to
deal with.

Because we don't need a bug tracker like an in-house development team, or a
project estimation tool like a sales team, or a client management system like
an account manager, or a project maangement system like... you get my point.
_We need them all_.

I've also decided after 10 years freelancing the tool needs a Gantt-esque
view, so clients can visually appreciate the impact of delaying the project at
a certain point by X days, or adding a new feature. It won't be an accurate
time-chart in reality, but they need to see the impact of changes to realise
it's not worth making them.

With the number of tools out there I'm convinced something must match. What am
I using? Google Spreadsheets with a large client (relatively successful, save
for the discussions... ouch); Another client insists on long email threads
(got to find something better). And I'm doing less work and managing more
overhead the whole time, with no clear system to tell me what's
Important/Urgent across all my clients.

To those of you who have solved this already: Please tell me how!

~~~
bdunn
(Guy behind Planscope here.)

I've actually been working on what I think are going to be some nice changes
that will make juggling multiple projects a LOT easier. My development
background had me working on one big project at a time, but I'm learning that
a lot of people self-juggle a lot of projects at once.

One of the perks of an all-in-one time tracking + task list tool is that I've
been silently collecting data on: how accurate are estimates? how many hours a
week does this person work? how many projects are being worked on in a given
time span?

And next on my plate will be to actually use this data to make predictions
based off of data that will help you see a lot of what you're talking about.

~~~
porker
I look forward to seeing the results! As a freelancer I'll have clients who I
work for regularly, and clients I work for once in a blue moon. A way to
archive projects (and not pay for them as GitHub makes me) is crucial -
because on my books I have 30+ clients, and can't lose the info in case they
come back in 2 years for a change to the system.

~~~
bdunn
Not sure when you last tried Planscope, but you can archive projects now (and
resurrect them whenever you'd like) :-)

~~~
porker
I'm on it now as a paying customer, with one project entered :) The client's
struggled with the UI (I haven't figured out why) so I haven't tried with any
others yet.

------
alphakappa
I find that the biggest downside for working from home is my posture. I don't
have a dedicated office setup at home (small apartment), and therefore end up
working from the bed/couch. Within an hour I'm slouching or sitting in a
terrible posture which is not really great for working for a long period of
time.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a chair (not an office chair, but
something that can otherwise be part of the home furniture) that is convenient
for sitting and using a laptop for long periods of time?

~~~
MartinCron
Even a small apartment should have a dining table, your straight-backed dining
chair will be better for your back than your bed or your couch, especially if
you get up and stretch at reasonable intervals.

~~~
alphakappa
I should have a dining table, but given how small places are out here (SF), I
had to optimize and do without :)

------
qwerta
Working remotely requires some investments: dedicated room for office, good
chair, conference set. Most people just try to code on sofa at living room,
and fail.

~~~
jeffio
You definitely need a dedicated office space. Especially when you got kids in
the house! When we were looking for a house, having a sweet office space was
one of the major factors. My office is away from the family common areas, on a
different floor, and the noise I hear is minimal if any.

~~~
ajtaylor
This issue is one big reason why my attempt at remote working failed. If I had
had a basement office, away from the rest of my family, it very well could
have worked. But I couldn't get physically enough out of sight to be also
mentally out of sight.

------
Buzaga
isn't that a weird title for praising remote working?

