Develop yourself with the 6 commandments of remote work
Here at Working Class Heroes, we have a mantra, it’s practically tattooed on our foreheads, “Don’t work with assholes”. Now picture an asshole, a person that is (we aren’t talking anatomy). Who comes to mind? Matt in charge of first aid, Rishi from finance, it could even be Boris in upper management. All worthy picks, we are sure.
Well, you’re probably overlooking the one asshole you can actually do something about, and that’s you. To paraphrase the biggest selling artist of the 1980s, you’ve got to start with the asshole in the mirror, admittedly he inspired this advice without really living by its teachings, yet pay no mind to that.
The truth of the matter is, we are being facetious. But just because you aren’t assholes, it doesn’t mean you can’t improve your remote job prospects:
- Not the Messiah, just a naughty boy
Plenty of people in the unemployment line are there because they decided to let their work do all the talking. You could be Christ reborn with an ergonomic keyboard but it really won’t matter if you can’t develop the emotional connections that keep the big money returning. This is more difficult over Zoom, so you have to work extra hard on presentation.
Now, we aren’t your parents, but it really is important to start your day looking like a genuine grown up adult. We spend a lot of our days doing interviews and meetings over video chat so make sure you look your best from at least the midriff up. Of course; trousers are optional but that’ll be our little secret.
- All that jazz
Your appearance shouldn’t be the only thing that’s taken care of. Communication has become more important than ever. Developers hate feeling observed or micro-managed. But still, reach out to coworkers and engage, don’t just dive down the rabbit hole with freeform solutions not requested by the person paying the bills. You want to improvise? Do it on your own time, there’s bound to be plenty of open mic opportunities at your local jazz joint.
- Mr Gorbachev put up that wall
Don’t let Trump read this, but not all walls are bad. Use rooms in your house to create a separation between work and play. Avoid working from bed, it ruins your productivity and your sleep. Two-for-one! Of course, we don’t all live in the mansion from Cluedo, so those lacking a spare billiard room or library have to internally build these walls. This means splitting up your day, maintaining a routine and taking time off. When your work is done, change areas, lay on the couch, whatever works for you.
- Working hard or hardly working
On the subject of sleeping, if midday siestas work for the citizens of Spain and children, why would it not give us developers the energy to make it through crunch time. Have you ever met a child? Full of energy, but luckily for developers they have neither the patience, inclination nor problem solving skills to steal our jobs. That doesn’t mean remote developers can’t steal from them.
- Join a developers community
Remote work can make programmers feel a little isolated. Splendid isolation works for some of us, but it risks absolutely obliterating your productivity levels. The next best thing from direct human contact is connecting with your peers on a virtual basis. Joining a developers group online can really help to shake the cobwebs off by teaching you new techniques and tricks.
- Everyday’s a school day
Well that’s the idea anyhow. When you aren’t spamming your chosen developers community with tips that ensure you become the belle of the digital ball, put that solitude to good use. Online courses are a great way to prove your value to potential employers as well as throwing you a proverbial lifeline when you are struck down with developer’s fatigue.
Well what more can we say? You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it programme. In other words if you’ve already mastered the technical side of your role, sticking to this guide will ensure there are no more long faces. As an extra reward, once these tips have been perfected, drop us a line and we’ll put you in touch with the right names.