New to working remotely? Here are some tips from our global fully-distributed team

Embrace asynchronous chat. It's OK not to be at your desk. It's OK not to reply immediately.
-Phil, _{Hardware Hacker}

I start my day as many teammates are ending theirs. I need to make sure the messages that I leave them are informative and give them enough context. Especially because I don’t want to get up in the middle of the night to ‘clear things up’.
-Andrew, _{Content Strategist}

Be overly communicative about what you are doing and why.
-Lucian, _{Web Developer}

Have a clearly separated working environment. Physically moving yourself into a specific location helps to train your mind that it's in ‘work mode.’
-Lucian

Calendar hygiene is important. People don't know when you're heads-down or have scheduled your break, unless you block off that time on your calendar. ...set your work hours in your calendar so that people know when they can expect you to be responsive.
-Jordan, _{Technical Sales}

Simple but essential-- setting a time at some point in the day to take a break and follow it religiously. It can be very easy to go on and on and burn out.
-Robbie, _PeopleOps

Replicate the natural breaks/interruptions of an office environment. You need cues to stand up, walk around, focus your eyes somewhere else, because it's too easy to get entranced on the screen and lose hours.
-Phil

My partner and I are both remote workers and we swear by the ‘headphone rule’-- if the headphones are on, do not bother us unless it’s something incredibly urgent!
-Andrew

If you have young children, do not use your work computer when you are not working. You need to give them clear and easy to understand signals as to when they can play with you and when you cannot be disturbed.
-Lucian

Always assume positive intent when communicating with others. In a remote environment you lose a lot of normal social cues we get when interacting with others and it can be easy to misunderstand a message.
-Lucian

Most of the time we're writing rather than speaking and not using eye contact/body language, messages can get confused. Over-confirmation is essential and you should never lose patience when someone asks just to confirm 2 or 3 times :).
-Robbie

Proactively seek help from others if you are having difficulty. In an office environment, it's easy to spot the person who is frustrated and struggling and offer help. This doesn't happen in a remote working setup, so you need to take it upon yourself to reach out to others.
-Lucian

Get a good quality camera and make sure you're in good light. The better quality the video, the more "real" the interaction feels.
-Phil

Turn your cameras on, seeing people’s faces can really help you to connect with your colleagues and communicate more effectively.
-Jasmine, _{Growth Lead}

“Meetings need to have a social, non-work part. You must recreate the cooler/coffee chat as well as the business discussion.”
-Andrew

Take care of your body. Your body isn't a meat vehicle that your mind drives around, your mind and body are one unit and if your body is unhealthy your mental state will be (this works the other way as well).
-Lucian

Don't take your phone to bed, or if you do make sure you don't look at work related apps. It's too easy to check work apps day and night. You need the mental break!
-Phil

Join a club/group that has a strong social element. Employees at remote companies can't take lunch breaks together or hang out at the bar after work. Replacing this social environment is really helpful for maintaining a healthy mental balance.
-Lucian

Access nature every day. We haven't evolved to be indoors with central heating. You don't have to walk barefoot through a pine forest hugging the trees. But taking a walk through a wood watching the trees in the wind, and listening to birds singing - it grounds us back in the real world.
-Phil

If possible, try going for a walk whilst taking calls. Fresh air and exercise have obvious benefits, but not being in front of your monitor can also really improve focus and help you concentrate on the subject in hand.
-Jasmine

Your brain needs sunlight to drive your circadian rhythms. Without it your body clock loses it's natural timing and you get sleep problems and depression. You also need sunlight to get vitamin D, which is important for physical and mental health.
-Phil