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Created March 13, 2020 16:12
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Machine Relevance Show and Tell - staying sane and being effective while working from home
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tips.md

Assorted tips for remote working

Sources:

(Burnout) How to Avoid Burnout in a Remote Team: https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/avoid-work-burnout/

(Lessons learned) Lessons learned from working at home for over a decade: https://blakeniemyjski.com/blog/lessons-learned-from-working-at-home-for-over-a-decade/

(Mob) Remote Mob Programming: https://www.remotemobprogramming.org/

(Playbook) Remote Working Playbook: https://remote-working.playbook.ee/

Fang Fang: https://skyspace.sharepoint.com/blogs/Apps/viewer/build/index.aspx?bid=9767&fromFeatured=true

Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonobacon/2020/03/10/how-to-switch-to-remote-working-quickly-for-both-employers-and-employees/

Body and mind (we're all human)

  • Keep Positive (Fang Fang)

  • Go outside sometimes (Fang Fang)

  • Take Short and Long Breaks (Burnout, Lessons learned)

  • Stay Healthy, Exercise your body, eyes, and mind (Lessons learned, Fang Fang)

  • Manage distractions and understand your “waves” (Forbes)

  • Distractions (Lessons learned)

  • Fool yourself a bit (Fang Fang)

  • Schedule your breaks intentionally (Fang Fang)

Having what you need

  • Make sure you and your family's basic need is filled (Fang Fang)
  • Satisfy your crave (Fang Fang)
  • Set up your office, and lock the door (Forbes)
  • Make sure you have everything you need to work (Fang Fang)

Routines, boundaries

  • Manage your weekly/daily work (Fang Fang, Lessons learned, Burnout)

  • Establish and Maintain a Routine (Burnout, Lessons learned, Forbes)

  • Create and Keep Boundaries (Burnout, Fang Fang)

    • Ideas from MR team:
      • a change of clothes, or a short walk outside helps you mentally switch mode
      • say something in team slack when you start work each day, but don't fire up Slack until you're really ready to work

  • Dine with your Family (Mob)

  • Set family expectations (Lessons learned, Fang Fang)

Staying connected to colleagues

  • Be intentional about building relationships (Forbes, Fang Fang)

    • Ideas from MR team:
      • a 'coffee machine' always on zoom channel for impromptu chats
      • background zoom or discord call

  • Team Ceremonies: Retros, Show & Tell, Engagement Sync, Cross-team Ways of Working Retro (Playbook)

  • Keep your calendar up-to-date (Lessons learned)

  • Build an open, transparent relationship with your leadership (Forbes)

  • Team Charter (Playbook)

Mob-working

  • Remote Everybody (Mob)

  • Small Team (Mob)

  • Camera Always On (Mob)

  • Same Time (Mob)

    • Ideas from MR team:
      • No great substitute for a physical whiteboard, but draw.io isn't bad
      • Remember to treat collaboration tools (e.g. draw.io) as a tool to support the conversation primarily; don't aim for detail, and aim to treat it as a place to sketch
      • Zoom's screen sharing mode supports remote control - host can enable it. Far easier when two people are working together

vs Asynchronous

  • Work asynchronously (Lessons learned)

When everything goes back to normal

  • Regular On-Site Meetings (Mob)
  • Face to face meetings (Playbook)
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