Remote work’s rapid rise has drastically changed how we work. The way we communicate while we work has transformed dramatically. Mastering the art of remote work requires adaptability at all stages. 

Remote work provides tremendous benefits, such as greater rates of productivity and lowered rates of work-induced stress, and will likely continue to rise in popularity. Therefore, it’s crucial to take the time to learn the nuances of working virtually.

Educate yourself on remote work tools

One of the most important steps when mastering the art of remote work is to educate yourself on all the work-from-home tools out there. You needn’t be perfect, but you must get a general sense of how each system works and how to use them effectively. You will naturally find tools that you enjoy and when the time comes to interview or work you will breeze through the remote setup. 

Additionally, each of these tools like Slack, Trello, or Zoom has its own unique space to design and make your own. From backgrounds to custom emojis, each and every thing about your telecommuting systems should be understood and designed to maximize your performance. 

Create work-life balance, not strict schedules

It is imperative not to bring draconian work-life balance home. Many companies still utilize and treat their employees as if they were gilded-age industrialists. Try to create a natural balance between your life and work. Do not let old ideals prevent you from making your workspace your own. 

Being able to live and work is one of the many perks of remote work. No longer must you have to sit under the watchful eye of a micromanaging dilettante as they attempt to find meaning in their lives. Instead, you can choose to work a schedule that brings the best out of you while giving you the chance to take your time back. 

Design a digital workplace

Just as the right physical space can help or hurt, your digital workplace should be designed to reflect how you work. Through apps like Asana, Microsoft Teams, and Trello, remote developers can create an entire workspace online that can be customized to fit your needs and the needs of your clients. 

Most importantly, these apps can help you schedule and plan your work ahead of time and act as a personal assistant of sorts. Moreover, many companies today use apps like these already so becoming familiar will only give you another leg up on the competition. Your workspace should reflect what your body needs and your digital workspace should reflect what your mind needs to maximize your results without dawdling away.

Ask for honest feedback

Receiving open and honest feedback from people you trust or work for is an imperative step to refining your remote work game. As remote work continues to gain in popularity more and more people are becoming comfortable using it and can tell when something is not right. 

Always be willing to show people you trust your workspaces and take in their advice on a few key things. How you interview, what your background looks like, and how you organize work boards are a few things you can receive feedback and strengthen your remote work skills. Remote work is filled with challenges that can be met handily by asking for feedback. 

Be willing to learn new things

Finally, it is imperative that remote workers be open to change on all fronts. New clients come with new projects that utilize new tools that require new expertise. 

Only adaptive and receptive remote workers will be able to roll with the punches and deliver great work each and every time.

Conclusion

While tech startups have long leveraged remote work arrangements, mass adoption of remote work at a global scale is quite new. For those who work in offices every day of their professional lives, this sudden shift to virtual work has been challenging. 

Continue to learn about remote work collaboration and communication tools. Collaborating via cloud technologies is essential to remote work environments, so you will need to know how to use many of their features. Asynchronous communication can be difficult at first but is necessary to find the right “flow” among team members. Asking for honest feedback and adapting will help further augment your digital communication skills. 

Even for remote work veterans, it is crucial to continually learn better ways to communicate virtually. Continuing to learn and improve is the key to mastering the art of remote work.