Imagine you’ve landed your dream remote job — congratulations! Everyone is excited and proud of you.

But so is the uncertainty of what comes next. You have so many questions to ask before starting a remote job. You’re not alone.

Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned remote worker, this guide will equip you with the tools and strategies to succeed. We’ll discuss the essential steps to get you started and thriving in remote work. The good news, you don’t have to do it all at once.

How to Get Started with Remote Work

It’s easy to get caught up in landing a remote job, that you may forget about the practicalities of actually doing the work. In some job descriptions (JD), you’ll find the tools you need at work.

Some companies also provide setup budgets, but many don’t. So, how do you prepare to start your remote job, assuming the requirements were not stated in the JD, or even mentioned during the interviews? (you’re allowed to ask)

Here are 3 tips to consider when closing in on a remote job offer.

Set up your workspace or home office

Just like an in-person job, you need an office or a simple workspace to do your job daily. If you have enough rooms in your house, you could convert one into a home office. If not, you can create a space in your room or anywhere else in your house. Dedicate that as a workspace. Alternatively, you can decide to work from coworking spaces or cafes in your area.

This is needed to create a clear boundary between work and personal life and provide a conducive environment for work — to maintain focus and reduce distractions.

Should you decide to work from home, you’ll need to consider:

• Ergonomics: Invest in a chair, desk, and proper lighting to prevent physical strain.
• Atmosphere: Surround yourself with elements that motivate and uplift you. These could be plants, inspiring quotes, or personal items. This is very optional.

Pro tip: Don’t hesitate to ask your colleagues or anyone in your network for recommendations about the ergonomics. Some chairs are more comfortable than others. You’d also want to compare prices, etc.

⚠️ If you’re currently not in the financial state to get your workspace set up, that’s okay. You don’t have to put all your savings into this since you’re just starting. You can use what you currently have at home and get something more comfortable as you move up.

Get essential remote work tools and software

The key tools you’ll need include a personal computer (laptop or desktop), reliable internet connection, headset, or earbuds. If your company has specific tool requirements, they’ll mention them during onboarding. But these three are non-negotiables, especially the PC and internet connection. No hot-spotting from your phone!

The software you need to get acquainted with will also depend on your company. Some companies solely use Microsoft 365 for internal communications. Others use a combination of Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, or Microsoft 365.

For industry-specific software, check the JD. For instance, if you’re applying for a product manager role, you may need to learn how to use Jira. For marketing roles, some of the tools required include HubSpot, Google Analytics, and SEO tools — depending on the field of marketing.

Establish a routine

Not everyone likes routines. It can get monotonous. But it’s needed because it helps with separating work from personal life. It helps you achieve your work goals, while also having time for other things that matter to you outside of work.

If you were going to work in person, you’d have the time you need to leave your house and report to work. A time you go for lunch break, and a time you close and return home. Do the same when you start working remotely. With this, however, you get to set your own schedules. Make your own routine.

You can create a daily routine that somehow mimics traditional office hours, including breaks (it doesn’t have to be a 9–5). This helps maintain productivity, discipline, and a healthy work-life balance.

Timeboxing is great for automating this once you know what you want to be doing and when. All you need to do is create time blocks in your calendar and add specific tasks.

3 Tips to Help You Stay Productive

Manage distractions

Working from home means distractions are bound to happen, especially if you do not live alone. Distractions could include family members budging in, and noise from the TV or neighbourhood.

Here’s how to manage and minimise distractions, even though some things may be out of your control:

• Have a dedicated workspace for a clear separation between work and personal life.
• Use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs to block out unwanted noise, especially when you’re in deep work or a meeting.

Track your time to ensure work-life balance

To be productive, you need to set clear boundaries between your work and personal life, which we’ve already discussed. But it’s one thing to create a schedule and it’s another thing to stick to it. To do the latter, it’s great to track your time and know what exactly you’re spending your time on. Toggl can help.

Another thing to ensure productivity is to incorporate breaks within your time blocks to eat, rest, and recharge. Eat when you have to, take short breaks, walk around, and unplug when your working hours are over.

Figure out ways to stay motivated

Some people need other people present to keep them motivated to work. Others are just motivated by the work they have to do and they get it done.

If you fall in the first bracket, you should learn how to get motivated to work because the work will not get done by itself. Here’s what works for some remote workers that could work for you too:

• Break down larger projects into smaller, achievable goals.
• Celebrate milestones with small rewards to maintain motivation.
• If possible, work from different locations to prevent boredom and stimulate creativity. For instance, you can go to a coworking space or work with a friend or family member who works remotely. This can get you in the working mood.

Learn How to Communicate and Connect

This may sound so easy. But communication in a remote setting can be a bit different, and even harder. You’ll mostly be dealing with chats, emails, audio, and video calls.

Audio and video calls are synchronous forms of communication, whereas chats and emails usually occur asynchronously. You’ll likely hear terms like sync and async when you start working remotely.

Communicating async can be a bit challenging because all stakeholders may not be present at the same time. Your colleagues and managers may miss your messages or they may not reply on time. So you need to learn how to prioritise, follow up, communicate clearly, and make it easier for the people you work with to give you the answers you need.

Wes Kao has insightful and actionable newsletters about communicating in the workplace. Like ways to get better feedback from your manager and how to be more concise.

👍🏼 Rule of thumb: It’s always better to overcommunicate than under communicate.

Build your network

Building your network is good regardless of your mode of working, but it’s very crucial in a remote setting.

One reason is that you may not get all the help you need to succeed in your work from within your company, especially if you’re working with a small team. Secondly, you’ll be in one place with like-minded people who’ll cheer you on, give you good advice, and bring opportunities your way.

So it’s good to make expanding your professional network a priority when you start working remotely. It is also essential for career growth. We’ll get into this shortly.

Some places to network include joining online communities related to your role; attending virtual events like webinars, conferences, and workshops; and engaging industry professionals on LinkedIn and X.

Invest in Your Professional Growth & Development

The thing about working remotely, especially in the tech space is that the industry is always changing. Company priorities evolve, layoffs happen, etc. So you need to constantly update your skillset.

Yesterday’s skills are not today’s skills. — Priscilla Alagbe

Another reason you need to take continuous learning and your professional growth seriously is so you can move up the career ladder, stay relevant, and increase your earnings in your current role or at a new job.

It’s worth noting that some companies have a learning and development (L&D) budget for their employees. Find out if there’s one in your current company or the one you’re applying to and take advantage of it.

Let’s discuss how you can develop yourself professionally.

Set personal and career goals

Your company will have goals they’d want you to achieve, but you also need to have your own goals. What skills do you seek to achieve after one year of working with the company?

You don’t need to know all the tiny details yet. Just high-level SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals to ensure you’re gaining from the company as much as they’re gaining from you. When you have goals, it makes it easier to request to collaborate on projects that can lead you closer to those goals.

This can come in handy during your performance reviews.

Note: Not every company has a system in place for performance reviews. So you have to take the initiative and be proactive about this. Ask for feedback about your performance.

Remember to document your goals. Use tools like your Notes app, journal, or Notion to track your career goals and monitor your progress month over month.

Find opportunities to learn

Learning opportunities can be within your company, through learning on the job or online courses, certifications, formal education, bootcamps, and webinars. Here’s a guide on upskilling to show you how to go about this.

When you identify learning opportunities and start implementing them, actively, seek feedback from colleagues and mentors to identify areas for improvement.

Be abreast with industry changes

To stay relevant in your industry, you need to stay up to date with changes and trends. Is there a new skill required for professionals in your field? How do you plan to get such news? What are your sources of industry news?

4 few tips to consider:

• Follow industry leaders, companies, and publications on social media to stay informed.
• Subscribe to relevant newsletters, journals, and podcasts to expand your knowledge base.
• Join online communities and forums and participate in discussion groups to share insights and learn from others. Here’s a database of online communities for NoCode Techies.
• Consider starting a blog or contributing to industry publications to establish yourself as an expert.

The Bottomline

Transitioning to remote work takes time, effort, and adjustment. Be patient with yourself as you find your groove. Experiment with different strategies, tools, and routines to discover what works best for you.