Reflecting On One Year of Remote Work
Tags: remote, webdev, career
Published: 2020-02-27 15:37:09

---
title: Reflecting On One Year of Remote Work
published: true
description: Working remotely is full of ups and downs. Here are some of the lessons I've learned from the past year.
tags: remote, webdev, career
---


When I was first presented with the opportunity to work remotely I was ecstatic. What could be better than no commute and working from the comfort of my own home?! And while both of those things are great perks, learning to love the remote life took some time. 

To be completely honest, there was a point where I didn't enjoy working remotely. I'm naturally an introvert but I still enjoy socializing with others. I missed having those in-person interactions that I would get in an office. But now, one year later, I'm extremely happy working remotely and I'm reflecting on what has made it easier for myself. Hopefully, these tips can help someone else who is joining the work from home movement.

## Have a dedicated office space

You may be tempted to work from your couch or even your bed when you first start to work from home but it isn't the best idea. You need to separate your workspace from your home space. I have my desk in our very underutilized guest room. I hardly ever go in this space on the weekends so I have that clear separation of work time and relaxing time.

## Stick to a schedule

As a type A personality who loves routines, sticking to a schedule has made me love the remote life more. I like to have some downtime in the mornings so I wake up a few hours before I need to start working, jump in the shower, eat breakfast and get ready for the day. I act the same way I would as when I would go into the office each day but I wear much comfier clothes now. 

I also am sure to take a lunch break away from my desk. Being at home, it's super tempting to eat at your desk and work through lunch but it's important to take that time for yourself.

## Get out of your office once in a while

Something that has really impacted my opinion on working from home is that I now try to get out of my home office at least once a week. I enjoy checking out coffee shops and working from there for the day. I usually invite any friends that also work remotely or I send a message on my local Slack group to see if anyone wants to join me. While I do miss my giant monitor at home, it's nice to change up the scenery every once in a while and get out into the "real world".

## Participate in team offsite trips

My team is highly distributed so while the majority of my team works remotely as I do, others work in various offices. My team gets together a few times a year in one location. These offsite trips are absolutely a necessity in my opinion. The difference they make is huge and I really suggest to have an offsite if you work on a remote team. 

I felt so much better after my first offsite, which happened to be one week after I joined the team. It made the people I worked with actually feel like real humans and not just a photo.

---

I'd love to hear any advice you have if you also work from home. Leave a comment below!

Be sure to follow me on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/karaluton) for lots of posts about tech, and if I'm being honest, lots of posts about dogs too.