Tackling remote loneliness with 150+ years of combined experience 🚀‍
Snir shared an amazing post on Remote Clan on what social isolation means and how you can tackle it as an individual. We have spoken numerous times on this topic and strongly subscribe to the fact that this is the single biggest challenge with long-term remote work.
This week again I want to broach the same discussion but take a backseat in terms of sharing my thoughts. Instead, I want to share opinions of all the seasoned remote workers we have spoken to over the past year.
I know you must have read multiple posts on the web sharing tips & pointers on how to tackle loneliness. But this one's special, since it combines tons of remote working experience, 150.5 years to be precise, and brings out personal anecdotes & tips.
So fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride! And if you have your own experience to share, we are so keen to hear that - just drop in a comment on this thread.
Rhys Jones, Photographer, Graphic Designer & Frontend Dev
Remote Work Experience: 16 years
The first few months of working remotely were incredibly jarring and freeing in equal amounts. I found the lack of human interaction isolating, but managed to counter the isolation with walks during lunch or having a coffee with my wife at her place of work. This isolation was heavily outweighed, however, by the freedom I gained around "how I worked" and "when I worked".
...The primary challenge with remote work still continues to be the isolation. While it’s great being away from the distraction and noise of an office space, it can also take a huge toll on your mental and physical health.
I’m still working on ways to combat this and it’ll be different for everyone. For me a few things I’ve found that work are; renting a hot desk at a coworking space, going to a local cafe for a few hours, meeting up with friends during the day or going out for a run for an hour. Just getting out and getting some fresh air can help immensely.
Read Rhys's full story here.
Alda Lima, Freelance Translator & Interpreter
Remote Work Experience: 11 years
Also if you’re an introvert like I can be sometimes, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being home for days working and not interacting with anyone in person. This is something I still struggle a lot with.
Sometimes I feel I am always working and not taking enough time for recreation (or just feeling ok with not doing anything). I have been trying to structure my day into blocks and even scheduling time for daily entertainment (instead of leaving the fun only to when I travel).
Read Alda’s full story here.
Himanshu Vaishnav, Freelance UX and Product Designer
Remote Work Experience: 2 years
Worst part about remote work: Isolation – We are biologically social creatures and offices provide us with a great way to socialize while working and making a living.
I fought the severe feeling of isolation in my first few months of going remote. Moving back to a town where I had a social circle was one of the steps I took towards fighting isolation.
It’s a very real problem that a lot of people miss/underestimate when going remote. But just like any other problem in life, this too can be handled by making it a priority. For me, being outdoors and prioritising my mental health and family while including socialising into routine did the trick.
Read Himanshu’s full story here.
Teresa Douglas, People & Operations Manager
Remote Work Experience: 10 years
Probably the worst thing about remote work is that people can’t always organically notice when you’re struggling. This is especially true if everyone is distracted because they are going through a tough time, like the situation we’re in due to coronavirus.
Many years ago, I had a boss that wasn’t terribly supportive. It took me a long time to find a way to get help with my particular situation because I worked alone and hadn’t developed a trusting network of people I felt safe talking to. I would handle that situation differently today than I did at that time.
Read Teresa’s full story here.
Jacqueline Zeller, CMO at Workplaceless
Remote Work Experience: 5 years
The part I don't like (about remote work) is loneliness. I love being physically around people and there are days that go by where I only see my kids in person. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily routine of the work, and I now need to be more intentional about committing to opportunities to physically connect, knowing that these are energizing to me.
My advice to others - Set boundaries for yourself and communicate those to your team. I block my days based on my working hours as well as based on chunks of time where I aim to accomplish deep work, when I’m focused on everyday tasks that can tolerate interruption, and when I’m available for meetings.
Read Jacqueline’s full story here.
Gabriel Bujold, Digital & Growth Marketer
Remote Work Experience: 1.5 years
I would say that, on my end, the worst aspect of remote work is the lack of work relationships. I love to talk to my colleagues and share about our weekends and I don’t find this aspect with remote work.
You can still have like virtual coffee breaks, team meetings, 1 on 1 chats, but it’s not the same thing as drinking a beer with your work friends on Friday before leaving for the weekend.
Read Gabriel’s full story here.
Boris Borisov, Founder of RemoteMore
Remote Work Experience: 4 years
What I don't like so much is that for me, I need to be proactive when it comes to socializing – both at work and outside of work. I’ve learned that only when I keep this in mind and socialize intentionally, everything functions the way it should.
Read Boris’ full story here.
Irma Mesa, Remote Product Manager & Founder, Cafecito
Remote Work Experience: 3 years
(I don't like the) Isolation and the non-closeness you feel towards co-workers being so far and distributed from each other. I try and solve isolation by getting out of the house, which has worked pretty well for me so far but I definitely miss in the in-office, whiteboard collaboration.
Read Irma’s full story here.
Melissa Smith, Virtual Assistant Matchmaker
Remote Work Experience: 3 years
The biggest problem with remote work is the loneliness. I’m not an extrovert but I do love people and miss interactions. This primarily drove my decision to travel the world with a group of other remote workers.
Read Melissa’s full story here.
Chanell Alexander, Freelance Writer & Remote Work Evangelist
Remote Work Experience: 5 years
I would say the bad part about working remotely is the isolation. It has been an adjustment to not have someone in a cubicle next to me to speak with. While I do enjoy the solitude, it can be draining. As a result, I have had to force myself to get out there and meet others. Now, I regularly meet with the "Atlanta Ladies Who Work Remote" group, and I try to meet with a friend at least once a week.
Read Chanell’s full story here.
Alexandra Cote, Remote Digital Marketer & Content Writer
Remote Work Experience: 3 years
For me, there are no negative aspects to working remotely. Maybe just the fact that when I’m too busy I can go days without leaving the house. Simply getting some fresh air and sunlight after that makes you enjoy all the little things. When I was first getting started with remote work I had this need of showing all the amazing things I could achieve. Like we all probably do.
Read Alexandra’s full story here.
Calvin Rosser, Growth Marketer & Ex-banker
Remote Work Experience: 4 years
One area where I’ve struggled is creating separation from work. When you go in and out of an office, there’s a natural separation between home life and work life. With the flexibility of remote work, I can open up my laptop and work at any point in the day. So while I can enjoy an afternoon nap or workout without anyone shaming me, I also find myself working at ten or eleven at night from my couch. I still haven’t found a good way to shut off entirely.
Read Calvin’s full story here.
Silvestar Bistrovic, Freelance Web Developer
Remote Work Experience: 3 years
My advice for every remote worker:
- Find yourself an office/ co-working space,
- Spend some time to make a work schedule, and
- Limit working from home to a minimum
Read Silvestar’s full story here.
Laura Cunha, Product Designer at InVision
Remote Work Experience: 5 years
Without a strong support network, not having that default social life from the office can make it quite lonely, especially in a new place where you don’t know anyone.
Read Laura’s full story here.
Alondo Brewington, Freelance iOS Dev, Entrepreneur & Podcast Host
Remote Work Experience: 10 years
While working remotely work has been largely positive, it can be very isolating and lonely. If you are not mindful of its effects, you can develop some bad habits that could negatively impact your well being.
Physical and mental health are incredibly important. I would encourage everyone to make time for fostering community and self-care while working remotely.
Read Alondo’s full story here.
Al Chen, Solutions Architect at Coda
Remote Work Experience: 10 years
The worst aspect for many, I presume, is loneliness. I get this question asked all the time by my friends but also my colleagues as well. I don’t feel lonely since I have been proactive about meeting others in my co-working space, attending meetups, and joining online communities that have similar professional interests as me.
Read Al’s full story here.
Emilie Schario, Remote Data Engineer
Remote Work Experience: 5 years
I’ve been working remotely for so long now that I don’t remember my initial reactions. I do remember, though, how I struggled with isolation. I remember one day walking to my mailbox and thinking to myself that I hadn’t left the house for a couple of days. We had just moved to a new city, I didn’t know anyone, and I felt SO lonely. I had my job, but making friends as an adult in a new city is incredibly difficult, and I struggled.
At that point, I realized that if the remote work thing was going to work, I needed to be intentional about getting out of the house. Lots of people have worked to solve that problem for themselves in a myriad of ways. I chose to join a gym, and now working out is a part of my life 4-5 times per week. I get out of the house, get social interaction, and get self-care in one part of my day. When I start my day with a workout, I start the day by feeling accomplished, and I think it translates into better quality work.
Read Emilie’s full story here.
Andriy Haydash, Freelance wordpress dev
Remote Work Experience: 3 years
The first month was a bit weird for me as it was tricky to get used to working alone and not having anyone to talk to. But as time has passed, I’ve become accustomed to it and now I love it.
...
Not having someone to talk to: I sometimes miss having the ability to chat with a colleague, share a joke or to talk about something that is a common interest. Those things aren’t productive, but they help to keep you in a good mood and relieve stress.
Read Andriy’s full story here.
Scott Dawson, Web Developer & Author
Remote Work Experience: 10 years
Drawbacks exist, of course. Loneliness and isolation can be real problems, and they have been for me at times. I find that during times when my family is not around, I have to be far more intentional about making plans with others, and practicing self-care.
Read Scott’s full story here.
Jennifer Aldrich, Design Community Partnerships at InVision
Remote Work Experience: 10 years
The only negative (about remote work) I can think of is that as an introvert it’s easy for me to slip into hermit mode if I don’t actively force myself to get out and about. With Amazon and other online retailers shipping everything to the door, Instacart doing my grocery shopping, and Grub Hub delivering my food, it’s really easy to fall into an anti social slump, so I have to push myself in that regard.
Read Jennifer’s full story here.
Ryan Wilcox, Freelance Software Architect & Developer
Remote Work Experience: 15 years
Before COVID-19 I would try to get out of the house at least three times a week (even if just to grab lunch or coffee!), and work from somewhere else at least one afternoon a week. Just to see people, see something that wasn’t the inside of my house, deal with the isolation, you know.
Read Ryan’s full story here.
Ben Breckler, Product Designer at Doist
Remote Work Experience: 8 years
I’m an introvert, so I enjoy time by myself and introspection. Remote work can easily push you down a lonely self isolation path if you’re not careful. I had to learn what my body and mind needed in order to stay productive while working remotely. I had to adjust to actively choose to be social, schedule events, and movement or exercise to stay healthy.
Read Ben’s full story here.
Siddhant Goel, Software Developer & Entrepreneur
Remote Work Experience: 4 years
Take good care of yourself. To some extent, remote work can be isolatory, so make arrangements accordingly.
For example, plan enough “out-of-home” activities so you’re not stuck at home all the time. This is especially important if you’re the kind of person who needs regular contact with people.
Read Siddhant’s full story here.