Why remote work has improved my productivity: 3 reasons

Four months ago, I moved to Asia, and during that time, Ed and I, my co-founder, created Product Friends , JournoRequests.com , updated Hey Press and achieved our goal of making $ 1,000 a month.

Remote work has become completely new and different from other experiences, and despite the fact that, in my feeling, I now work less hours every day, the productivity of these hours has increased.
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Here are the reasons that could explain such a change:

1. Effective interaction

Communication is vital for any startup, and its importance increases with remote work. In this case, not only is it more difficult to exchange ideas (the virtual equivalent of "what do you think about it" becomes the launch of Skype and waiting for the answer to the call), but you also have to take into account the time difference between time zones.

This means that before phoning you need to think thoroughly about the topics of discussion to reduce the risk of having to wait again for the moment when you will have the opportunity to talk about it again.

Before my daily Skype conversations with Ed, I wrote down everything I needed to discuss in Trello (and Ed did the same thing), and we worked through every point in the course of our conversation. We assigned tasks to the task list for execution in the Trello (to-do list) in order to know what should be done before the next call. And therefore, we both know that we achieve short-term goals, and progress does not stand still, even if one of us is sleeping at this time.

2. Fight against routine

Living in a new place means that I need to find new places where I could eat, work and relax. One simple fact that I no longer travel by the same tram, do not work in the same coffee shop and do not buy lunch in the same places, gives me energy, makes me more attentive and productive.

I think that a new workplace, a new office or the use of a special table for standing can have a similar effect - even small changes in the daily routine can play a big role.

3. Change of scenery

Working in Asia means that I have the luxury of exploring many places and countries, which would be very costly and time consuming if I had to travel from London. Of course, I cannot get to Bali at EasyJet prices (British low-cost airline - translator comment), but 5 hours of flight certainly looks much more optimistic than 14 hours.

For the same reasons that leave is necessary in order not to get exhausted at work, combining travel and work gives me the opportunity to focus on tasks that are important in the long term, without feeling the need for rest in order to have a clear mind.

An additional bonus is the fact that in Asia compared to Europe it is much cheaper to travel. And I can see a lot of things that I would never have been able to see at another scenario, not to mention the possibility of trying rather exotic (but not always tasty) products.


Enjoying the milk neck from durian.

Here are my main reasons for the increase in productivity during remote work. And what reasons can you share?