On Working Remote

When I broke the news to my company last year that Bob and I wanted to move north and try living in a small town for a year, it went over OK. I was confident I had proven my value to the company over my five years of tenure and hoped that they would be flexible. Honestly, our hearts were set on this move, job or not. The fact that my company was willing to be flexible and keep me on was a total bonus. So, off I went with my laptop, monitor, a new cell phone and the phone numbers of the two IT guys, just in case.

Two months later, I am happy to say that working remote is working out pretty darn well. I've made two trips back to Southern California for project meetings, but otherwise, it's day-to-day work and has been fairly seamless.

Here is a little tour of my little workspace and desk:


Desk in sunny addition to the guest room. Lots of light and sun.



Old mug from the college days and my favorite vintage flip calendar.

My reminder to keep my mouth shut every now and then, along with an Emily Martin valentine to remind me I am magic.



Lovely calendar from paper cut artist Nikki McClure.



 Nothing like some Bowie, Moby or Nortec Collective to keep me in the groove.



My assistant, who just wants to hog the lamp for heat and drop his fur all over my to-do lists.



Chill out chair, right outside my office. Perfect for short breaks and reviewing documents in the sun.



The main reason I think it is working out so well is that I still "go to work", like I used to. It's just that my commute went from 15 minutes to about 10 seconds. I kept my pre-work routine, just like I was going into the office: get up, shower, get dressed, have breakfast, etc. Also, having a separate work space makes it really easy to separate work from non-work. When I am in my office, I am there to work.

Before I left, my colleagues at the office joked that I would be working my pyjamas and fuzzy slippers. I have not worn PJs yet, but these are my "work" slippers:

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.