A Day in the Life of
a Remote Developer
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
meet.js Summit 2019
Katowice
Hi! 👋🏻
I'm Patryk, a:
- Full-stack JavaScript Developer
- Product Designer
- Remote Work Advocate
I also:
- work remotely for 6+ years
- (sometimes) stutter (🇵🇱 jąkam się)
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
What is remote working?
remote working
noun
a situation in which an employee works mainly from home and communicates with the company by email and telephone
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
What is remote working?
remote working
noun
a situation in which a person works from wherever they want and communicates with the company or client mostly through online communicators (eg. Slack, zoom)
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
What is remote working?
🏝
workation
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
🏠
home office
👨🏼💻
remote work
🗺
digital nomadism
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
✋🏻
Who works remotely?
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
12%
of software developers
work remotely
Why remote work is great? 👨🏼💻
🌎
global opportunities
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
💰
higher salary *
🤸🏼♂️
flexible schedule
🚇
no commute
🕦
saved time
🐣
freedom
Why remote work is great? 👨🏼💻
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
40%
of software developers
would like to work remotely
Why remote work is great? 🏢
🌎
global talent pool
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
💰
lower costs
🤸🏼♂️
flexible workforce
🎯
goal-oriented work
🧘🏼♂️
internally motivated team
🐣
being an early adopter
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
Corporations are
remote teams in denial
Qualities of distributed teams
Trust
over control
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
Asynchronous
over synchronous
Transparency
over politics
Work
over meetings
Self-starters
over managers
Getting stuff done
over hours in the office
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
The average worker
is only productive for
2 hours and 53 minutes.
How to find remote work?
1. Freelance Platforms
Freelancer, Upwork, etc.
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
👌🏻 Pros:
- 🤔 none?
👎🏻 Cons:
- low rates
- big competition
How to find remote work?
2. Vetted Freelance Platforms
Toptal, Arc.dev, Pilot.co, X-Team, Moonlight, Braintrust, etc.
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
👌🏻 Pros:
- freedom
- high-quality clients
- good rates
- finding client & handling payments isn't your problem
👎🏻 Cons:
- (usually) long vetting process
- no employment guarantee
- being platform-dependant
How to find remote work?
3. Remote-first Companies
GitHub, Stripe, Automattic, Dribbble, Buffer, Basecamp, Sketch, Nozbe, iRonin, etc.
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
👌🏻 Pros:
- no middleman
- remote-first approach
- perks & benefits of being an employee
👎🏻 Cons:
- huge competition
How to find remote work?
npm install ...
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
Common problems
Isolation & Loneliness
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
✅ Meet with friends.
✅ Go to meet-ups.
✅ Work from a co-working space.
✅ Find a social hobby.
✅ Hang-out with coworkers on audio/video call.
Common problems
Poor Work-Life Balance
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
✅ Have rituals to transition between work and life.
✅ Don't listen to work-life blending coaches.
✅ Embrace work-life-sleep balance.
✅ Find a computer-free hobby.
✅ Set your working hours.
Common problems
Distractions
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
✅ Set you working hours & communicate them to others.
✅ Try Pomodoro Technique.
✅ Use Post-it notes.
✅ Turn on Airplane / Do Not Disturb mode.
✅ Have a dedicated space to work from.
Common problems
Poor Communication
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
✅ Use emojis & gifs.
✅ Embrace asynchronous style of communication.
✅ Use other means of communication if needed.
eg. video call, screen sharing, pair programming
Myths vs Reality
Patryk Pawłowski
patryk.me
Thanks 🙏🏻
Patryk Pawłowski
Developer, product designer & remote work advocate.