Tips For Optimizing Your Programming Workspace for Remote Workers

Introduction

I've been a remote worker for over three years, and it has been fun. I'd get the flexibility of my working hours and save tons of money. However, there are still times when I feel like I'm fighting against the clock. Distractions are everywhere when working from home. From noises from neighbors, the number of entertainments around the house, and of course, my own bed. Not to mention the lack of tools and equipment around the house. So in this article, I'll share my productivity hacks for working remotely.

A reliable and fast Internet connection is essential.

This can mean anything from downloading your programming tools and SDKs, pushing your commits, streaming live video conference calls, etc., all of which require good connectivity. It'd be frustrating and stressful if your connection isn't stable. Your downloads will get slower, and communications get harder when video streaming becomes janky. It's one of the top priorities of a remote worker. Get an upgrade if you haven't, and if you're working while traveling, get to a place with a better internet signal.

Prevent distractions and unnecessary interruptions by letting your family or roommates know your work hours.

Letting the people around you be informed of the boundaries when you are working and requesting their understanding will lessen the stress when working from home. Distractions are the number one enemy of your flow. Letting them know early on will prevent distractions during your working hours. It will require time for them to understand the boundary as the identity of "you at work" is now the "you at home."

If you work from home, it's crucial to establish a workspace that is dedicated solely to work.

It's essential to establish a workspace that is dedicated solely to work. This can mean anything from a dedicated room to a corner of your living room or bedroom. You should be able to shut out distractions and focus on what you're doing without having other things around you getting in the way.

When you're in your bedroom, you focus on trying to sleep. When you're in your kitchen, you focus on making food, eating, or even checking the fridge. The same goes for having your own workspace. The idea is that you separate yourselves from the personal part of your life, quickly switching context to work mode when you're in your workspace.

If you have the option, choose a room with a door that can be closed during the workday to reduce noise and interruptions. You can even place a do not disturb sign outside the door. It helps to reduce the noise around the house and the distractions from others.

Keep office hours as much as possible.

Set up a schedule with your colleagues, and stick to it! When possible, make sure they know when they can expect meetings with you and how long those meetings will take before they're scheduled.

If they need something in particular from you during these times (such as some research), let them know what kind of help they should request from others who might be able to meet their needs more effectively than themselves (e.g., interns, juniors). This way, everyone knows what's expected of them without confusion about where responsibilities lie within the organization—and will respect those boundaries when necessary!

Keeping office hours can be difficult, especially when managing a family and social life. But it's important to set boundaries for yourself and your work schedule so that the time you spend at work is productive for both yourself and your employer.

Invest in a good chair, keyboard, mouse, desk, etc., especially if you plan to work from home for a more extended period.

When working from home, you will want to invest in a good chair, keyboard, mouse, and desk. A comfortable chair is essential for long hours sitting at your computer. Make sure that the height of your desk is appropriate for where you sit while working.

If you're often on platforms like Zoom, Discord, Microsoft Team, etc., upgrade your headphones to a noise-canceling one. You could zone out background noises and focus on your meetings and discussions during office hours. Remember to take it off once in a while as it can get tiring around the ear.

A good keyboard and mouse are vital if you're typing away on your computer all day long! If you're worried that these items don't suit your needs in terms of size or comfortability, then try to read online reviews before purchasing anything so that there aren't any surprises when trying out different products like new keyboards, mice, etc. It took me a few months to get my workspace just right. Now I have the comfort of an office at home.

I changed an old desk to something more spacious, with ample space to store cables, a keyboard, a mouse, and easy access to all my tools.

Use productivity tools for staying focused while working remotely.

Use a timer to keep you focused on the task at hand. Use RescueTime, TMetric, or other tracking tools to track your time on different tasks. Use Slack if you prefer to chat over email when communicating with colleagues and managers.

Personally, I use the Pomodoro technique to keep myself focused as well as take ample time of rest in between. The Pomodoro technique works by setting a task to be completed. Then, set a timer for 25 minutes (you may adjust this) and work on your task. Once the 25 minutes is up, take a 5-minute rest and restart again with 25 minutes timer on the existing task or the next one. I applied this technique by using an app called Pomo Timer. It motivates me since I can track how many tomatoes I have collected.

To keep track of my daily tasks, I list them down in Todoist. This app will store a short list for me to do during the day. For things I plan weeks/months ahead, I use Google Calendar and sync it to all my devices for reminders.

Another app that I love to use is Freedom. Freedom is a browser extension that blocks distracting sites, so they don't pop up in your face as soon as you open them (like Facebook).

With that in mind, I hope you see that it's possible to work remotely and maintain a high productivity level. To do so, you must ensure that your office space is organized and clutter-free with good lighting and comfortable seating. Thanks for reading, and subscribe to the newsletter if you like articles like this!