Some notes on remote work (source)

I’ve been working remotely on and off for 20 years, and consistently for the last 10 years. A few suggestions:

• Choose to not make every day the same. You’re free! Once or twice a week, take a train or bus to a different place for the day, somewhere with good cell signal. Work from a national park, or a beach, a café, pub, museum, library, take a river cruise… whatever. There’s nowhere in the world that has nothing to offer. Just get into the habit of picking somewhere different than home and going there to work for a day. In your breaks and before/after working, explore, relax… Just enjoy yourself somehow.

• Be deliberate about arranging calls with coworkers, friends, family. Just hang out on a call. Go for a walk while you take these calls, or do something other than sit in a chair.

• If you don’t already have hobbies, you want to discover some that you enjoy. Do something that creates nice memories with your spare time, and that isn’t the same as your work, or just relaxing. Once you’ve got one or more hobbies, if you’re missing social interaction, find a (local/regional/national/International) group, meet up, society or some other form of community. Join it and participate. In person, online, maybe travel to go to events related to it. You’ll quickly find your people this way. There are friends and partners out there for everyone.

• if you’re not happy with where you live… move! It might not seem possible, but it is. Whatever the hurdles, you can get over them. Remote work is freedom to choose your environment. Choose it.