Remote Work: The Complete Guide - Introduction

Cut through the usual fluff. This series goes practical: separate fact from fiction, share smart tools and advice, and address real remote-work challenges in depth.

Article Series

• Introduction: you are here (no tips yet-just the roadmap).
• Chapter I: You were already working remotely without realizing it.
• Chapter II: After the diagnosis comes change. Which communication channel fits which need?
• Chapter III: Hours, routine, discipline.
• Chapter IV-1: Team organization.
• Bonus: The Coffee Machine.
• Chapter IV-2: Team organization - Communication.
• More chapters depending on your feedback.

Remote Work for Everyone. Finally!

At last-you get to work from home. You dreamed about it: no commute, freedom to work from anywhere (well, mostly your apartment right now). The benefits seem endless:

• No more hours stuck in traffic or cramped metro rides twice a day.
• Work in whatever you like-even pajamas.
• Shape your schedule around your peak energy.
• Fewer interruptions from Regis in accounting or Clarence in R&D chasing you about that task you'd happily avoid.
• Meetings are all on video-fun, and nobody notices you multitasking... right?
• Stream your favorite show during lunch. Maybe one more episode before getting back to it.

You get the idea. That list is long. But so are the challenges. :)

If you manage a team, your list probably looks more like:

• They'll never get anything done.
• Productivity will nosedive; hours will plummet.
• How do I track the work? This will be a nightmare.
• How do I assign tasks now? Before, the team self-organized. Now I need visibility into every detail.
• How will we communicate? This is going to be a mess.
• If they don't answer instantly-phone, email, chat-they must be slacking!

If you're a parent juggling kids at home, I apologize in advance. Skip to the Let's Be Clear section near the end.

Remote Work... or Remote Chaos?

I had already planned this series after replying to a LinkedIn post back in February. I kept thinking: if everyone who can work remotely actually does it, society benefits-ecologically (gut feeling, not a scientific study), economically, for wellbeing, and more.

Then-boom (boom)-everyone is confined. Suddenly remote work goes from optional to mandatory, even though few people know how to do it and most companies dragged their feet implementing it.

Since Tuesday, March 17, 2020, I've watched the same mistakes play out:

• Teams turning on notifications for everything, everywhere.
• People recreating office habits at home-open-floor distractions included.
• Managers requiring constant status updates, draining everyone's focus.
• Teams adopting five tools at once, duplicating work and losing track of the source of truth.
• Meetings piling up because no one knows how to make decisions asynchronously.

Meanwhile the news cycles through generic advice: "Work at the kitchen table," "Remember to stretch," "Take breaks." Sure, but real remote work demands more than ergonomic tips.

This series aims to give you concrete methods that go beyond simple hacks.

Who Am I to Talk?

Like many of you, I started remote work because I disliked my job-and got fired for lack of engagement. A few months later I founded my startup... which failed for poor management and planning. (You'll quickly see a pattern: I learned most of this the hard way.)

In the process I expanded my freelance work internationally. The time I gained by avoiding commutes let me focus on what mattered: building better products, improving collaboration, becoming more effective.

After 18 months working solo from home, I craved a different environment. I joined a company with three decades of remote-first culture. When the 2020 lockdown hit, I was ready.

I have not worked in a traditional office since November 2016, even though, like you, I spend 8-10 hours a day at my desk. I would do anything not to go back.

But make no mistake: I'd take a conventional office job over a badly executed remote job any day.

That's why I am writing this series-to help you avoid the traps of remote work.

Trust me, I've fallen into plenty of them.

Let's Be Clear

Lesson one for effective remote work: honesty.

Write it down: honesty.

Without it, brace yourself-the confinement will be rough. We'll revisit this theme throughout the series because it affects everything else. In the meantime, in the spirit of leading by example, here's what I can honestly promise:

• I won't tell you how to juggle kids at home. I don't have any. I won't pretend to know your reality. But I hope the principles here still help.
• Yes, I'll borrow heavily from Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. It's a goldmine, though written for pre-pandemic contexts. The authors also hosted a two-hour Q&A on Twitch:

JF

Jason Fried@jasonfried

View on X

Read the tweet

• I'll use their insights, but remember: their team is extraordinary-rare, by definition. I'll adapt their ideas to a typical French team. Think of this as advice for regular people like you and me. That said, read the book; it's excellent.
• Remote work exposes every team issue. So yes, we'll talk about the tough stuff: what counts as work, taking ownership, why teams succeed or fail, procrastination, you name it. And these lessons will matter well beyond COVID-19, whether you stay remote or return to the office.
• My wife is discovering remote work after years of witnessing mine (we'll cover that dynamic too). She'll keep me honest with plenty of coffee-break questions.
• No, I'm not a seasoned writer. Medium still intimidates me. This series is a challenge. Please share feedback so I can make it easier to read.
• I don't have a strict publishing plan-just a list of must-cover topics. If you want certain themes tackled first, let me know in the comments or on social media.

Now You Know What You're Getting Into

Next up: we dive into the first practical concept-how everyone was already doing remote work without realizing it, and how that mindset helps your transition.

See you soon. :)