Create another local user account on your computer for being at work. Change the desktop background to big work logos. Don't configure your personal instant messenger accounts and whatnot. Set up the email client to only check the "work" account so you don't fall down personal email item rabbit holes. Configure the WasteNoTime Safari extension appropriately (more strictly than your personal account's config, with sites like reddit, facebook, HN, etc on unconditional block).<p>Added benefits:<p>* easy default correct ssh key use (~/.ssh/id_rsa in work account is not my personal key)<p>* different browser cookie jar<p>* different dropbox/gdrive login<p>* different bookmarks<p>* different shell history<p>* faster homedir backups (my personal account has ~300GB of aperture in its homedir, my work account is <10GB)<p>* privilege separation (both my personal and work accounts are unprivileged, so unless there's local priv escalation being used, rogue user-priv software in one can't steal keys/data from the other)<p>Then, finally, disable fast user switching. (You should do this anyway, as having it turned on enables a Firewire/Thunderbolt DMA memory-dumping attack that can steal your FileVault2 keys while your screen is locked.) This means that you have to consciously choose to "leave work" by logging out and then logging in to your personal account you use to browse reddit/HN/etc.<p>This is the single biggest productivity gain I found for enforcing the "I am at work now" discipline. (Being able to use a non-personal dropbox account for work stuff is almost worth the price of admission itself.)
ENVIRONMENT<p>He touched on this, but I want to let you know, after 4 years working from home, how important this is.<p>The environment gives you unconscious cues on how to behave. If you goof off (surf the web, stream, eat, play, etc) where you work, you are "poisoning" that environment, & make it very hard to focus on work next time there.<p>After "poisoning" several places in my house, I've setup a workbench in the garage, & ONLY work there. Meaning, if I'm working there & need a break, I LEAVE that environment, so as to keep it clean. Then, when I return to the environment, it's easier to focus & get things done.
I used to be on the other end of the remote working, meaning I was often the guy that had to go to make sure projector/phone was working etc. Since I was IT, it was part of my job. But it get pretty annoying. I can't imagine how annoying it would be for non-IT guy who keeps getting called in to do it.<p>So if you are a remote worker and you end up using someone else's body often for remote meeting set up, please don't forget to send a little thank you gift, like $10 amazon card every once in a while. Don't forget, everyone else is already jealous/upset that YOU get to work from home and enjoy all the benefits while someone else is stuck in office and on top of that has to act as your virtual hands/feet.
since i spend a lot of time in the console i have a few very simple aliases, for the following and some other time zones i use frequently.<p><pre><code> cst='TZ=CST6CDT date'
est='TZ=EST date'
berlin='TZ=''Europe/Berlin'' date'
</code></pre>
then i can just convert times and needed.<p><pre><code> berlin -d '4:00pm EST'</code></pre>
Remote worker here, I agree with most things he said.<p>I work with an on-site team, and I'm the only remote worker in that group. We use a permanent Hangout that I can keep opened in the background, in order to hear what's going on at the office. With the press of a button I can 'upgrade' it to a full two way video chat. I'm using an old battered laptop sitting on a stand, along with a good quality microphone and a webcam I can pan remotely (pretty fun). Here's a picture: <a href="http://imgur.com/OD4V9Z4" rel="nofollow">http://imgur.com/OD4V9Z4</a><p>When it's open it feels a lot like if I'm sitting there. I can take part of informal conversations, etc. It's pretty great... although it does sound creepy when I describe it.<p>Still my coworkers are totally OK with that, and honestly once you get used to it it's fine. I'd see and hear the same things if I was physically there. And since I'm in a different timezone, I still get to work all morning mostly uninterrupted.<p>Also, we have similar setups in a few conference rooms, so it's always extra easy go gather people for quick talks.<p>I'm curious to know if other people are using something similar.
"If your office has a phone system that uses short extensions internally, have your IT department set one up to redirect to your cell phone. That way you can tell your coworkers to dial “5555”, instead of your whole number."<p>Fantastic tip! Super simple but I really think this idea will make you feel more available to your co-workers.
Thank you for the kind comments about floobits, seeing comments like that really means a lot to us. All of us work remotely too, so your blog has some good tips. We use IRC for chat and Shush, a Mac OS X push to talk app has also been very good for communicating. Let me know if you do run into any trouble or have questions.
This is all super valuable advice. The biggest thing that I've learned from working 100% remote for the last six months (which is also in the article) is to have a space that is <i>just</i> for work.<p>Another thing that I've learned is to be crystal clear on when your normal working hours are, especially if the bulk of your team is in a different time zone. Don't be inflexible, of course, but establish normal working hours and stick to them.
<p><pre><code> The single best advice I got when I went remote
was from Matt Waite, >who said, “Put on pants,”
by which I’m pretty sure he meant, “Act like
you’re going to work.”
</code></pre>
Remote worker here, for about 2 years running. Yes, this is great advice and probably the single biggest factor that will help you stick to work.<p>Some days I roll out of bed and work in my pajamas, and without a doubt those are the days I'm least productive in contrast with the days I go balls out with shower, shave, breakfast, fully clothed ZZ-Top-sharp-dressed-man style.
Instead of a headphone switch, you can enable and disable "Auto-mute" automatically, at least in linux:<p><pre><code> amixer sset 'Auto-Mute Mode' Disabled
</code></pre>
This lets you switch between headphone and speaker mode with a keyboard shortcut or from the command-line. If even that is too much effort, I use my webcam to detect my headphone presence automatically: <a href="http://stevenjewel.com/2013/11/detecting-headphone-use/" rel="nofollow">http://stevenjewel.com/2013/11/detecting-headphone-use/</a>
For the ones who require some extra motivation to remain disciplined, you can use a tool like SelfControl (<a href="http://selfcontrolapp.com/" rel="nofollow">http://selfcontrolapp.com/</a>) to keep you away from casual browsing.<p>Also, FWIW, I find Pomodoro's time slicing technique pretty productive (there are many apps that support it - I'm using PomodoroApp on Mac (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pomodoroapp/id705103149?mt=12)" rel="nofollow">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pomodoroapp/id705103149?mt=1...</a>). I usually go with 25min + 5min cycles. (If only all meetings fit in that 25 mins I'd be the happiest man on Earth).
Thank you for the nice article. Especially for the documents camera tip. I use phone cam, but this one is better.
For remote work timekeeping per project is indispensable. I recommend Freckle. But pen'n paper with timespending cards is also ok.
Any remote-working developer who's <i>pair-programming</i>? I'd love to hear about your experiences?<p>I know there's been a few attempts at creating remote pair-programming tools but I'm not familiar with any particularly successful one.
One of those rare "making x work" articles that was actually filled with awesome, actionable tips. I really enjoyed this and will be passing it around at work, thanks.
I've been doing remote work for going on 8 years now. All solid advice, but I think the general theme I've gone by is to always be open to trying new ideas.<p>I've come full-circle on a number of things: I started with 4 clocks on my wall (laziness/batteries), tried to write my own desktop widget (client turned them off), then websites (too many tabs), and now an old iTouch (setup today).
Would be great to include the opinion and feedback from your coworkers who actually go to the office. This seems like good feedback for people who maybe does not feel comfortable with their home setup and a few practices. But I still feel the team's productivity is certainly increased if the team is working together.
A bit OT, but personally I've never found the need for a multi-zone clock or clocks. It's just a few offset quantities to remember, and the math is fairly instantaneous. Although it does get a bit hinky when shifts to and from daylight savings time don't align across differing regions.
For pair programming or other remote collaboration stuff, I've been really happy with Screenhero (screenhero.com).<p>[Disclaimer: I've invested in them -- but I legitimately do also use it regularly for this sort of thing.]
Good article, and commentators below have some good suggestions. I'm curious what tools the HN community uses to make their lives easier?<p>Project Management? Chat/IM? Task & Calendars? etc.
I make sure to shave and put on a work shirt. Video conferencing happens, and this is part of the reason, but just going through the ritual puts me in the right frame of mind.
For my company of two i use free Teambox and Skype, i run my company server on a Raspberry pi and i feel liberated whenever i travel around the world with all my stuff.