Payne on How to be a Happy And Successful Remote Worker

The “Future of Work” is often touted as a gig economy, and for many jobs, a remote gig economy.  Almost any work that centers on the Internet can be done anywhere. Growing legions of remote workers prove that this is not only feasible, but very productive [1].   And many workers prefer to “phone it in” via the Internet.

(Remote working is not necessarily freelancing or gig working.  Many conventional employers allow some workers to work from home, and there are many geographically distributed collaborations.  On the other hand, many gig workers are expected to provide their own infrastructure and workplace, so they may well work from home.  So, remote working is a very important aspect for most gig workers.)

(I’ll also note that remote working and distant collaboration has been happening since we invented the Internet.  It’s kind of the whole point of the Internet.  So much of this is not really new or unprecedented, except it has become ubiquitous.)

By now it is clear that remote working has its challenges.  Indeed, the isolation of remote working is the key problem that coworking is designed to solve.  Besides finding a coworking community, what should remote workers try to do?

This month, Kevin Payne suggests “7 tips for being a happy and successful remote worker” [3].  He is writing for the Freelancers Union, but the “tips” apply to workers no matter what their contractual arrangements.

What are his tips?

1) Set boundaries
2) Designate a dedicated working area
3) Change things up
4) Make a schedule (and stick to it)
5) Know your priorities
6) Invest in the right tools
7) Don’t forget yourself

The first tip is actually the crux of the matter.  When you work at home, there is no physical separation between “work” and “not work”, and more importantly, between “work” and “home/family/everything else”.  Whatever may be wrong with conventional workplaces—and there are plenty of things to complain about—they definitely are psychologically and physically separated from “home”.

The other tips are mainly about how to set and keep these boundaries.  An important part of this is psychological, hence “know your priorities”.  This also involves at least two sets of priorities—work and not-work—and also two distinct sets of activities.  Hence “a dedicated work area”, a schedule, and the right tools.

These are good tips, for any worker, remote or not.  And there is no one right way to do it, so find your own way.

But even if you have a great gig and a great home office and manage to balance your life with work, you still are working alone.  People are not meant to be alone all the time, and sooner or later most people are unhappy without colleagues and human contact.

This is, of course, one of the big reasons why people join a coworking community.  Coworking is a “respite from our isolation” (a la Klaas, 2014 [2]).  Indeed, Payne suggests joining a coworking space.

“Some remote workers and freelancers work in coffee shops, while others sign up for coworking spaces.”

I will go farther, to point out that the coworking space actually solves many of these other problems.  There is a boundary, it is a dedicated space, it has the right tools—including like-minded workers to actually talk to.

In short, a coworking space is just the thing for remote workers.

So, Bob’s top “tip” for remote working is “find a local coworking community”.  You’ll be happier, healthier, and probably successful.

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1. Scott Berkun, The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 2013.
2. Zachary R. Klaas, Coworking & Connectivity in Berlin. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. https://www.academia.edu/11486279/Coworking_Connectivity
3. Kevin Payne, 7 tips for being a happy and successful remote worker, in Coworkers Union Blog, January 17, 2020. https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2020/01/17/7-tips-for-being-a-happy-and-successful-remote-worker/