Some of us are not naturally born to work remotely on our own. Let’s just say we don’t have remote work built in our DNA. I worked remotely for several years both when I lived in Singapore and when I moved back to Boston. I developed a few habits that especially salespeople might find useful, although they are probably useful for everyone.

Some of these tips may work for you perfectly and others may not. Please share any ideas you might have in the comments or email me at brian@agilesalesmethod.com.

Remote work: tips and tools

  • Get up early: Just because you don’t have to commute, it doesn’t mean you should wake up 5 minutes before your first call.  We all do it sometimes, but there is a huge difference in how you show up when you create some space (and time) between when you get up and when you start working.
  • Take a shower: Not just out of respect for those you live with, but also to help you create a mindset of “I am going to work. I am ready for work.”
  • Find a physical workspace: This won’t be easy for everyone but try to create a separate space between where you work and where you live. There are a few ways to accomplish this:
    1. Try to avoid working out of your bedroom. It is hard to switch on and off.
    2. If you can, have a door that locks or come up with a way to let people know you are busy working and it isn’t playtime.
  • Clear morning voice: If you get on an early call or have morning stand-ups, clear that “I just woke up voice.” Whether that means talking to yourself for a minute or singing in the shower, get rid of “horse mouth.”
  • Video as default: Try to do as many calls as possible via video. It isn’t the same as having human contact, but it is more human than just voice. One sales leader told me recently he refuses to do voice-only calls any more with his team. All calls are now via Zoom or Facetime. Here’s what I learned works best for conference calls:
    1. Don’t let people see your messy bed in the background. If working with the bed as a background is really your only option, then make your bed. You can also get a green screen and literally make anything you want as the image behind you.
    2. Zoom makes it very easy to use a background photo with a green screen.
    3. Microsoft Teams allows you to blur the background quite nicely.
    4. Get dressed—don’t wear your pajamas to video calls.
    5. When on large conference calls, default to mute unless you are talking.
    6. Put a light in front of you. If your light source is coming behind you, you show up as a shadow like a creepy guy in a B movie. If you use a lamp, diffuse the light with a shade or bounce the light off the wall.

remote work

  • Structure your day: No matter where you work, this discipline is going to help you through remote work. I break the main part of my day into quarters: each quarter has a 90-minute sprint, a break and time to regroup and plan. That also gives me time for lunch—sometimes working and sometimes social.  In these times I work beyond the normal 9-5, but that is a separate issue.
  • Set goals: You should always have daily, weekly and monthly goals. However, in these times I set shorter sprint goals.
  • Plan tomorrow: As the last activity of each day, go through your calendar for tomorrow and plan and prepare your to-do list.
  • Be accountable: Have someone to check in with. That can be a friend, your manager or a colleague. Just make sure you are holding yourself accountable. I don’t do it every quarter of the day but if I was a sales rep I would.
  • Take breaks:
    1. Go for a walk or take a hike.
    2. Find some way to stay social.
    3. Have a video lunch with a friend or co-worker. One company I work with has a Zoom or Google Hangout open from noon to 1 PM every day. People can drop in and out during this time like they would drop in and out of a lunchroom. I have found I engage with more members from other teams than I did before, which I see as a benefit.
    4. Reach out randomly, be at the virtual water cooler and have those break room conversations you would normally have.
  • Stand-ups: If you don’t already practice them now is a great time to start. Do a morning huddle with the whole team and report on yesterday’s to-dos, set priorities for today and clear any roadblocks. During the day, use Slack or a chat app to connect with co-workers for questions and personal connections.
  • Find the silver lining: 5 years from now, what will you miss about these times? Enjoy that lunch with your spouse, walking your dog at break times or the comradery of “we shall get through this together.” Try to enjoy that now.

 

Do you have some tips about remote work for me?

Please share them with me at brian@agilesalesmethod.com.