Tips for Remote Work: Being Comfortable, Being Productive

The rise of telecommuting has been a real game-changer for us here at Two Barrels, and we mean that in the best possible way. Employee diversity has skyrocketed as we’ve expanded our workforce into just about every state, and our productivity has only increased. Turns out that supporting your people and being flexible in that support drives success in ways we never could have imagined.

So we plan to keep cheering for working remotely—from home, from a coworking space, from your lakeside mobile hotspot—indefinitely. And in the meantime, here are some things we’ve learned about how to be comfortable and productive while getting work done.

Set and Setting

Human beings are creatures of habit. We all have our little rituals to help us get ready for specific activities, whether that’s a five-step bedtime routine to improve our sleep or a specific way we stage our gear to ensure we brought everything for that backpacking trip. Setting yourself up to succeed at working remotely is no different, and you can use that to your advantage.

Mindset matters

Establish a set of cues that prime your brain for “work mode.” Some folks with hybrid schedules keep the same morning rituals for work-wherever days as they do for in-office days. Others swear by their morning meditation-and-Crossfit routine, or dressing in typical office attire—from the waist up, anyway. We don’t have a dress code here at Two Barrels, so that might mean just a set of designated work shirts that you only wear while logged in. Find what works for you, and stick to it.

Then, make sure your workstation reinforces those mindset cues. Keep your environment organized in a way that works for your flow, be that Pomodoro technique timers and whiteboards, or The Office inspirational posters and sticky notes. Whatever says “work” to you, keep it here.

Comfort is king

Nobody works well when they’re physically miserable, so don’t neglect your personal comfort when you’re building your workspace. Keep a big overhead light, set up a bunch of smaller accent lights instead, or keep it au naturel with big windows and all your favorite plants. You can also think outside of the traditional desk-and-chair combo if that’s just not your style.

Some folks think better on their feet, so Two Barrels ships them a standing desk as part of their remote work comfort package. Need a second, portable screen for those days that are just too darn pretty to work indoors? We’ve got that option too—but you’ll have to bring your own beach towel.

Always remember to bring your towel!

Distractions and Interruptions

If you worked in an office, it’d be that one coworker stopping by every 10 minutes to ask for updates on your TPS reports. When you’re working remotely, it can be anything: your pets, your kids, the VPN going down, a burst pipe that floods your kitchen. The point is, distractions happen to all of us, and rollability is your key to dealing with them.

Rollability?

That’s right. Rollability. As in, your ability to roll with the punches, to encounter the unexpected, and keep on keepin’ on. We’ve heard the common advice to set yourself up so you can minimize or avoid distractions altogether, like by keeping a separate office with a closed door between you and anything that might break your focus. We aren’t knocking that if it works for you! Now and then, though, you’re sure to run up against something that does capture your attention. When that happens, it’s good to know how to adapt, improvise, and ultimately come back to your work ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in.

You can roll your own way

What rollability looks like will vary from person to person. Maybe you’re the type to start your day with a detailed bullet-point to-do list so you always know exactly where you are on a project and can jump right back in after an interruption. Or maybe you make a habit of trying to leave your next steps set up, like a breadcrumb trail, so that your future self will be able to find their way back into the work. Whatever method you’ve found that saves time when you come back from a distraction, make sure your environment is set up to support it.

Rhythm and Flow

At Two Barrels, we know the beautiful thing about working wherever is being able to honor your groove. You know the conditions you need to do your best work, so we find ways to help you make the magic happen. That includes being flexible about the where, the how, and the when.

Bring back recess

All work and no play makes for bored employees. And the clockwork predictability of 15-minute breaks every two hours has potential, but it can be disastrous if those breaks throw off your groove. On the other hand, taking even just a five-minute break to stretch your shoulders while your test runs, or 10 minutes to walk your dog when it fails, does wonders for resetting your mental state.

Got stuck in a block of back-to-back meetings all morning—or, better yet, reached a good finishing point in your deep work? Step away from your screen for a while, get some fresh air—and get out and play! Then come back with your vibes harmonized and your mind ready to find your flow.

Bring your whole self

One thing our expanding workforce has shown us is that people thrive when they get to be real. Why waste energy pretending to plug away all afternoon when you know you’re most productive between sunrise and lunch? Why stress over what to do with the weird 16 minutes between some arbitrary clock-in time and when you need to leave to drop the kids off at school? We trust our employees to follow through on their commitments, including their commitments to their teams. So while we do have midday hours (10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PT) when we’d like folks to be logged in to collab with their teammates across the U.S., we also offer maximally flexible scheduling to give our people space to be themselves. That way, they can bring their whole selves, including their best, to our work together.

Putting It All Together

Everything we’ve learned so far about working productively and comfortably while remote boils down to trusting our people. We hire creatives and engineers and folks of all stripes to do their jobs well, and they perform best when they aren’t stressed about things any reasonable person should have the power to change. So, we empower them. We give them the tools they need to work in ways that suit their preferences for where, how, and when they work. Less stress means more energy, which leads to higher productivity and greater job satisfaction—so really, it’s just good business.