Work From Anywhere, Win Everywhere – Part 2
More Remote Work Hacks in less than 4 minutes
My colleague was shocked when he figured I had a six-hour drive to eat some boxed lunch with the R&D team and talk high-level about the future of our software.
It could have been an email, right?
No, it couldn’t.
Let me tell you why.
Last week I shared my tips on getting great at remote work. This week, I’m sharing the second batch of my short and actionable tips.
Let’s see what you can improve now.
✍️ Improve Your Writing
Remote worker’s #1 meta-skill is and will always be writing.
Writing is searchable, async, and effective.
But ineffective writing is only a suffocating fire.
It’s running a marathon, two strides forward, one stride backward.
Do people constantly ask to jump into a call after you message them?
Does your writing have no impact?
Make sure that you:
Know who you’re writing for: is it your team lead or another developer? Tailor your message style, tone, and content accordingly.
Strong structure: bullet points, paragraphs, and code blocks help the reader navigate your message.
Edit Ruthlessly: An unwritten line of code doesn’t need to be understood and never breaks. The same goes for unnecessary sentences.
Show, don’t tell: I’m known for getting my points across scrappy screenshots from Preview, and I love creating them. Pictures mean more than words.
Do you know what else people love to do in writing?
They’re delighted when they send you a Hi without further messages or context.
But it’s one of the worst things you can do to yourself and your colleagues.
I wrote about why this is bad and what you should do instead:
⏱️ Be punctual
You aced your writing and know how to code, but you’re still late to meetings, even if only a few minutes.
But you think it’s OK. People can wait a minute or two to discuss the weather, right?
Wrong!
Two minutes for you is 20 minutes for a team of 10 people.
But it’s not only that!
Sure, meetings can go sideways, and you talk about random stuff anyway, losing precious time, so why fuss about being two minutes late?
It comes down to commitment and discipline.
You show up because you are:
Respectful and Valued: Showing up on time tells others you value their time.
Efficient and Productive: Starting meetings on time means more gets done.
Professional and Reliable: Punctuality is a cornerstone of professionalism.
Informed and Confident: Being there from the start means better decision-making.
Good for your Career: Being known as someone punctual surely looks good on your report.
🎭 Go to Events
Now, let’s get to the real thing.
Why did I drive six hours to have a boxed launch?
To deliver a reminder.
When you work remotely, things feel different, and meeting in person is a great reminder that everyone is a breathing, living, imperfect thing—something we tend to forget when working remotely.
But besides this, show up to your company events for:
Building Connections: Face-to-face interaction strengthens relationships with colleagues.
Knowing your Company Culture: Immerse yourself in the company’s culture and values.
Networking: Expand your professional network within the company.
Inspiration: Gain new perspectives and ideas through in-person collaboration.
Career Growth: Show dedication and increase visibility within the company.
Do you work remotely?
Does your company care if you show up to company events?
What are your tips for becoming great at remote work?
📰 Weekly shoutout
How Reddit Serves 100K Metadata Requests Per Second by Saurabh Dashora
10 common ways engineering managers get stuck by Anton Zaides
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Another nice set of tips Akos
Writing is definitely one skill that has helped a lot during remote work. Earlier, it was always jumping into quick discussions since getting access to someone's time was relatively easy. With remote work, writing helps a lot to get your ideas across.
Thanks for the mention as well!