2017 - Working Remotely and Internationally
In 2017, I had an experience of working remotely and internationally for startups in the US state through Toptal, a marketplace of the top 1% remote software developers worldwide.
In this post, I'll talk about my experience working remotely, the good part but also the bad part of it.
Clear communication
One of the things I really like about working remotely is that it forces you when it comes to communication.
You need to communicate well in order to succeed, even more than an in-person team. Given that you know you won't be able to talk to your pairs at any time, you force yourself to make sure you understood everything needed and have said everything you wanted.
No interruptions
Communication tools like Slack helped me a lot to avoid distractions. I was used to working in an office, and it is very easy for people to ask for your attention all the time.
It is common to get almost nothing done in a day, especially if you are a leader. That is why working remotely and using communication tools like Slack makes a lot of sense.
Using such tools, you can avoid having to switch context several times a day. You can schedule your breaks to answers all the messages at once, and you can also mute or unmute each channel or person as needed.
Global talent
Not only the global talent but the different cultures as well.
It is very rich to talk and work with people from around the world. You get to know how people work and think differently than you.
Sharing knowledge, getting to know about other ecosystems, how the technology bubbles are in each country or city. It was a fascinating experience.
Work at any time
By far one of the things I liked the most while working remotely.
I'm a morning person, so with that flexibility, I would be able to focus most of my morning doing all my activities, and work during my afternoons and early in the evening.
Ensuring that I had solved any personal problem in the morning made me be able to really focus on my work, and I got productive levels I haven't had frequently.
Lonely work
I will start with the worst part of working remotely. It is lonely.
It is very easy to stop seeing people and interactions socially very often. Especially if you are working from home, just like I did.
At this times, it was important to me to make sure I was going out at least for a walk every day, and I got connect with my family and friends even more.
I became the person who would be calling friends and trying to come up with plans, parties, and travels.
Working too much
Another bad aspect, especially if you are working from home.
If you don't have a strict agenda to know when you should be working, and when you should not, you can get yourself working all the time.
It was important to me to have a separate space so I would go there to work and avoid working in other places of the house. I also used to get dressed to work, even if at home. That helped to trick my brain into getting to work and stop working.
Wrapping up
My experience working remotely, and internationally was just amazing.
I got the opportunity to understand how technology was perceived by different people and cultures, how internationally teams get to work well together, how to be more assertive in communication, estimating and so many other aspects white working remotely.
Regards,
Renan de Azevedo
Updated at 2020/06/26 12:54.