7 months ago, my world got rocked. The startup I worked for closed their Austin, TX, office where I was based. I was given a choice: move to NYC and continue with them, or work remotely in ATX for a brief period until I found something new. I live with my girlfriend and her 6 year old son, and relocating them to New York for a company that was clearly on shaky ground didn’t feel right. I went with my gut and opted to work 1 month remotely while hunting for something new.
1 month was the plan, and then I’d be back in an Austin office culture with an Austin social life living my mid-20s Austin dream. Then a few companies didn’t get back to me, a couple more left me with rejections, and I was getting that classic sinking feeling we’re all very familiar with. I was in trouble.
Then one day out of the blue I got an email from a VPN company saying that they had found some of my old college newspaper articles, thought they were funny, and wanted to discuss a job with me. My snap reaction was, “bullshit, I know those aren’t that funny.” It turns out, though, that they were serious. NetProtect gave me a great offer: multiple brands to work on, all needing new, distinct voices, and with a salary and benefits that I was very excited about. Just one caveat, though: the position is entirely remote.
“Okay,” I thought, “I don’t want to do that at all, but this is way too good of an opportunity to pass up.” So I made the call to just suck it up and work remotely.
I’d like to clarify that I’m quite fond of my job. I learn a ton about tech, the team is fantastic to work with, I get to do a variety of writing and marketing for multiple brands, and we’re even starting to touch some areas that I’m personally passionate about. The issue has never been with the job, but I’m the kind of person who struggles with isolation.
I like office culture. I like cheesy team building. I like awkward coffee conversations, catching up in the morning, making dad jokes to my deskmates, and unplanned lunch excursions. To me, being alone all day with nothing but Slack and Google Docs is not the dream, but it is reality, one that I’ve started to find my footing with over the last 7 months. It may be your reality too, which is why I decided to write this up, so you can figure out how to deal with working remotely as well.
Step 1: Leave
Leaving is the single most key component of my day. If I don’t get out of my apartment, I’ve lost.
Personally, I find it crucial to go to the gym in the morning. Not because it’s healthy, not because it’s necessary, and not because I like it. I go to the gym in the morning for exactly 2 reasons: to force myself out of bed and to drive somewhere. The days I don’t do this, I lag getting up until the last second, and there’s no separation between my awakening phase and my transition into work. They bleed together into a groggy mess, and it takes me significantly longer to get focused. When I go to the gym, I’m forced to get up to beat the Austin traffic, and then I have the drive to let my mind fire up before my day really starts.
I’m online by 8:45, ready to roll with a clear head that is in work mode. Sometimes I stay at the gym and work there, sometimes I migrate to a coffee shop or other comparable spot. I’m usually home by lunch, but that separation from home makes all the difference in staying productive.
Step 2: Open the windows, dude.
Like I said, I do leave, but I generally return around lunch to grab some grub. From there, I’m at my home desk for the rest of the day. This was the piece of my day I struggled with the longest. It’s super melancholy just sitting at your own desk in your own apartment working, and I couldn’t stand the low lighting and the quiet. Until one day I realized that windows and blinds open. It was a real “wow, I’m dumb” moment, but seriously I can’t overstate how much more tolerable opening up the window made my day. Sunlight is a wonderful thing, which leads to the second piece of this section: opening up the door.
Staying inside all day is maddening. At least in my old office, we’d leave regularly for coffee, meetings, lunches, or just walks around the block. So, playing on that, I started adding brief walks into my daily work-from-home routine. It’s incredible what a little lap can do for you. I just really can’t overstate how great sunlight is.
Step 3: Substitute social interaction
The biggest hit when switching to remote work is losing the face-to-face interaction with your coworkers. For some, that’s the selling point, but for others it annihilates their social life. I am of the latter group. I moved to Austin and started my last job. While I do have hometown friends in Austin, the majority of my social life was centered around work outings and things my coworkers invited me to, so having that job crumble was a big hit. There are few things more difficult and awkward than organically making friends as an adult, so I was not stoked about having to do this.
My recommendation for this is a simple one: join the local Facebook group for your hobby and go from there. I’m in the Austin rock climbing, fighting game, and X-Wing FaceBook groups, and the beauty of groups like this is that people post events in them. There are meet-ups. You can discuss a topic that the other members are knowledgeable about and invested in. While it may be a weird departure from normal friendmaking for some, getting involved in the local scene for whatever you care about makes life significantly easier socially, and Facebook groups make getting involved accessible and easy.
If you don’t have a social hobby, poke around. They’re easy to stumble into if you start looking for things to do. I found fighting games through watching Twitch streams, I found X-Wing by checking out a local tabletop and board game bar, and I found rock climbing by just exploring local gym options. Dump your comfort zone briefly, and you’ll be on your way to expanding it.
Bonus Tip: Talk about it
Isolation, self discipline, and big changes aren’t easy things to manage on your own. If you’re new or seasoned in remote work and you aren’t feeling yourself, talk to someone. Talk to your boss or coworkers and ask for tips. Talk to your family, significant other, and friends. Feel free to talk to me, because as we’ve already covered I like interaction.
The shift is manageable, and the reality of remote work is that the benefit of flexibility largely outweighs most of the negatives.
Anyways, I hope all this was helpful. Good luck on staying sane!