Life has changed enormously over the course of a few short weeks. Schools are closed, some cities have curfews, and more Americans than ever before are crawling out of bed and dialing into conference calls from their couch.
In less than a week, many companies have scrambled to create remote-work practices and help their employees set up shop in their dining rooms and living rooms and bedrooms. As someone who worked from my home office pre-COVID-19 and who is part of a league of professionals who shout about the benefits of remote work from every rooftop I can find, it’s been interesting following this shift.
While much of the news today is scary, I’ve found a silver thread of hope in this pandemic: What if this is our chance to prove remote work, well, works?
Life is stressful for us all right now, and maximizing productivity shouldn’t take precedence in a crisis situation, especially as many of us are juggling work and caretaking responsibilities. But being empowered to manage your own time, capitalize on your own peak periods of focus, and not feel stressed by commuting can be hugely valuable.
Since I made the move from full-time employment to full-time freelance almost three years ago, I’ve seen a dramatic shift in my productivity—and income. With more hours in the day to devote to building my business, I was able to pitch more outlets, finally incorporate my content agency into an LLC, and eventually hire writers for large blog-development projects for brands. For 15 months of my remote work experience, I quite literally worked from anywhere: trains to the airport in Tokyo, a bus winding through the mountains of Peru, a boat, somewhere in the middle of Mexico’s Riviera Maya region. This was made possible by a sense of adventure and also by Remote Year. Read More
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