I started remote working over 5 years ago. I initially started out remote working one or two days a week which eventually became full time as the company grew its remote and flexible working policies. My current role is based in the telecommuinications industry, working on a variety of web platforms in an agile team that's distributed across the UK.

When referring to working away from the office, I much prefer the term "remote working" over "working from home" as the latter implies a fixed location and sometimes sigmatism comes along with it. Remote working is a much more encompassing term and at least for most people I know (including myself) is more accurate, working from coffee shops, co-working spaces and naturally home as well.

I've read numerous posts over the years as I find the subject interesting and thought it was time to note my experience and thoughts so far.

Setup

One of my favourtie things about being remote is having control over my working environment and technical setup. In most offices, due to the way budgets and IT departments work there's usually a one size fits all equipment setup (naturally this isn't always the case). As most will know, asking a web developer to use the same hardware setup as an administrator isn't always an ideal scenario.

Being able to pick, choose and change anything and everything fits perfects with myself and how I work. I enjoy trying out new technology and honing exactly what I want from my equipment.

Granted this doesn't work for all and not everyone has the intent to do so. I've worked with many people who are happy with a laptop at their kitchen table, working from a garden shed to those with dedicated home offices full of the latest and greatest equipment. I think theres a lot to be said for having the ability to iterated and perfect your own working environment.

At the time of writing, I'm using the following setup in my home office:

• Macbook Pro 16"
• Mac Mini M1
• iPad Pro 12.9"
• LG 34" Curved Ultrawide
• Logitch C920 HD Webcam
• Sono Play One speakers
• HHKB Pro 2 keyboard
• Logitch MX 3 mouse
• Fully Jarvis sit & stand desk
• Secret Lab Omega chair

Focus & Environment

Focus is something that can be hard to come by and in any environment. Some find open offices to be to loud while others find being at home far too distracting and unable to focus. Over the last several years, I've found it very interesting and paid a keen attention to how people both think and feel about the different places they work in.

I personally find that being remote gives me more freedom to exercise control over distractions thus being able to give me far more focus. I can choose to work in a silent room, play music loudly or perhaps listen to abiment noise in the garden and I can change that as I see fit at any given time. The result of less distractions, more control and ability to deep work for me means that I can produce better output than I believe I'd be able too in an office environment.

One particular benefit of being remote - it's not uncommon in IT to hit a brick wall, being able to get up and take the dog for walk, get some fresh air and allow your mind to wonder can have huge benefits (and ah-ha moments). Making desicions like this, to take a walk and return to the issue are far easier to do when remote than in an office.

Communication

If you're not going to be surround by your team or colleague face to face then learning how to best use the communication tools at your disposal is paramount. Learning how to vocalise yourself across verbal and written communication methods such as phone & video calls, email and instant messaging platforms is one of the key skills in remote working.

Knowing how to best use and approach these tools & methods can take time. For me personally, a lot was learning about the preference of the person I need to communicate with e.g speaking to our operations team would usually result in a phone call, speaking with someone with in my team either an instant message or video call.

Environmental Benefits

Commuting is common place, many people now work further and further away from where they live, we have a tremendous amount of vehicles on the road and roads are busier than ever and to top it all off the cost of commuting rises every year. The current pandemic has the ability for the tides of change in how we work to shift for the better. I hope that more companies will adopt the remote and hybrid approach to working off the back of it.

I believe that working remotely and companies that do are able to make a difference to the environment (although I've yet to see this marketed a perk). Being remote means I use my car far less frequently meaning one less car on the road at rush hour. I walk more and in turn spend more locally.

There's also a benefit of waste as well. Nowadays offices are much better at recycling but the ability to not be purchasing takeaway and packed food is also a benefit. Since working remotely, I've found myself to spending a lot less, purchasing better food and also buying smarter which means far less packaging and waste.

One particular perk I've also found is looking after my local environment. While not #trashTag worthy, being remote and the ability to much better manage my time means I do have time to go and pick up litter from the local green areas. This is something I might not have the time nor energy to do after several hours commuting each day.

Time

We tend to always be chasing time and usually wishing we had more it. Working remotely can afford a means to additional time, whether that's personal or family time.

Without my commute, I'm afforded around three hours of additional time per day. Yes, that's around fifteen hours per week! This time allows me to spend more time outside during the summer months and more time on computer related hobbies in the winter (be it learning or playing video games). This additional time is also very beneficial to my employer when we're close to project deadlines or issues arise late in the day; without a lengthy commute, it's far easier to stay late and as late as needed knowing the personal space and time is close.

Along with gaining additional time, routining sleep and most importantly, getting enough sleep is far easier to manage. The importance of sleep is a huge subject and maintaining enough is something that's constantly under threat. Working remotely provides the extra time I mentioned and if balanced well (depending on personal & work commitments) means you can aim to get enough. You don't have to wake up crazily early in order to beat rush hour into work, get home late due to traffic which usually results in a knock on effect on your evening and therefore going to bed later and later.

One pitfall I have stumbled across during my time remote is routine and managing your time and work time effectively. Over the years I've found it very difficult at points to simply stop working at the end of the day; sometimes because I was engrossed, enjoying whatever I was working on and wanted to continue and other times merely due to pressure. When working in an office this becomes less of an issue due to most people coming and going at the same time - giving a clearer start and finish to the day. Becoming aware of what I was doing and how it begun to negatively effect both my time and stress made taking steps to change this behaviour relatively trivial. I closely monitor my time towards the end of the day and unless something is critical, I now feel much more comfortable in calling it a day and walking away until the following day - this can be tricky as times as most IT workers can probably relate too but it's all about finding balance.

Additionally I've found taking a walk before and after work to be of huge benefit in seperating work and personal time. A short work can allow you to regain headspace, I'd put emphasis this is being even more important at the end of the day as you leave work and head into your own time.

Lifestyle

I've largely covered off a lot of the lifestyle benefits I've seen working remotely in the sections above but do have some additional take aways.

Preparing a healthy snack or lunch is a much easier task with the convience of your own kitchen. Since working remotely, I've found creating and maintaining healthier eating habits far easier.

If you're working on a screen all day then taking short breaks to give your eyes a rest is important. I like to use this time to quickly empty the dish washer, take care of a chore or perhaps hang some washing. Utilising this time wisely means I don't have to worry about these mundane tasks after work, giving you more free time.

Depending on the company you work for and their flexible working policies, which go great with remoting working can mean you can flex your working day around your personal & family life. Depending on your situation, this can of huge importance and greatly reduce stress.

As I've previously mentioned, you need to be cautious of managing your work and personal time, balance and seperation where possible are important. However if you can manage it then the benefits are clear for remote working, happier & healthier and more time rich.

Closing Thoughts

Working remotely isn't for everyone, some people enjoy the company and energy from being people, some people like a split of locations and others like being soley remote.

I think working remotely is something you have to make work for you, seize the opportuinity, time and luxury it affords while maintaining your presence & career within your company. During the period I've been with my current employer, I've worked in two different roles but remotely and aim to continue this approach for the rest of my career whenever possible.