The team at Infinite Red has been working 100% remotely since 2015. We believe in work from home and as the rest of the world joins us.

You’ll be working from home the next few weeks; how do you stay focused?

In this article, we’ll cover: Setting boundaries, designating a workspace, and using work windows and personal windows. Tabs on tabs on tabs.

The pros, the cons and the weird stuff

Pros: You can wear whatever you want, from the shoulders down. It will take less time to get ready for work and to commute. Cha-ching; I’m hearing an extra 30 minutes of sleep! Multi-task things like laundry or running the dishwasher.

Cons: Your kids, spouse, or dog might not get that working from home still means you have to work. It helps to set clear boundaries. If you can, set up a designated work space separated by a door, and keep regular work hours. Not everyone has an extra space at home they can use. This can go both ways; take your lunch away from your desk and close your laptop when you’re not working. Working remote can lead to never stepping away.

The Weird: You now know your work spouse is a slob. Be sure to video-call with a neutral background, preferably a wall without any dinner table no-no’s in the background. Dogs barking, children playing or crying, or even typing can be distracting; the mute button is your friend. You may even want to check out one of these apps: Shush or Krisp (#notanad).

Remote Meetings

Yes, unfortunately. But here is an article on Taking the Pain Out of Video Conferences when you’re still required to attend five meetings a day that could have been emails. During those calls, you’ll probably all be muted. That can sometimes feel like talking to a wall because you don’t get any of the audible feedback and you don’t hear the people trying to jump in and interject or speak up. We created a system that alleviates this with a few hand-gestures:

I work on a creative team, though

If you’re on a team that needs to collaborate, we’ve got you covered. We’ve been doing it for 4+ years. Check out this awesome article on using Miro, a collaborative whiteboard tool for remote settings.

Remote Tools

We have a podcast on some of our fave remote tools. Give it a listen: SEASON 1 — Remote Tools

If you feel like reading on, we’ve got lots of remote work articles over here. If you have any questions, comments or just want to share, feel free to leave a comment or hit us up on social media!