Remote Work Tips: Stay Productive Working from Home

Remote work has become the new normal for many developers. But honestly, working from home isn’t as easy as it sounds. On one hand, we get flexibility, but on the other hand, there are unique challenges to staying productive.

I’ve been working remotely for several years, and in this article, I want to share tips that have proven to work for me and many other developers.

Set Up a Proper Workspace

This is the most important foundation. Don’t work from your bed or couch—trust me, your productivity will plummet.

What you need:

Ergonomic desk and chair — An investment in your spinal health
External monitor — Dual monitors are even better if possible
Adequate lighting — Natural light is the best
Quality headset — Important for meetings and focus time
Dedicated space — Separate your work area from your relaxation area

It doesn’t have to be expensive, what matters is that it’s dedicated and comfortable. Your brain needs the association: when you sit in that spot, it means it’s time to work.

Consistent Morning Routine

One of the traps of remote work is waking up 5 minutes before standup. Don’t.

Recommended routine:

Wake up at the same time every day
Shower and change clothes (yes, don’t stay in pajamas)
Have a proper breakfast, not just coffee
Light exercise or 10-15 minutes of stretching
Review your task list before starting work

This ritual signals to your brain that “work mode is activated.” You’ll notice the difference within a week.

Time Management: Pomodoro and Time Blocking

In the office, there’s a natural structure that enforces focus. At home? You have to create it yourself.

Pomodoro Technique

25 minutes of focused work
5 minute break
After 4 cycles, take a 15-30 minute break

Simple but effective. Many developers find this method works well for coding sessions.

Time Blocking

This approach is better if you have many different tasks:

09:00 - 11:00: Deep work (coding, no meetings)
11:00 - 12:00: Code review & PR
13:00 - 14:00: Meetings
14:00 - 17:00: Deep work again
17:00 - 18:00: Documentation & planning tomorrow

The key: protect your deep work time. Don’t let meetings slip into your productive hours.

Communication: Async vs Sync

Remote work is mostly async communication. And this is a skill that needs to be learned.

Async Communication Best Practices

Over-communicate — Write complete context in Slack/messages
Use threads — Don’t spam the channel with long conversations
Document everything — Important decisions need written records
Set expectations — Let people know when you’ll respond

When to Use Sync (Meeting/Call)?

Brainstorming sessions
Sensitive discussions
Onboarding new people
When async has gone back and forth more than 3 times

Pro tip: Before scheduling a meeting, first ask “Can this be resolved via async?”

Dealing with Distractions

Home is full of distractions: family, TV, refrigerator, social media, cats. Here’s how to handle them:

Techniques that work:

Website blocker — Use extensions like Cold Turkey or Freedom
Phone in another room — Or at least silent and face down
Communicate with household members — Let them know your work hours
Headphones as a signal — When wearing headphones = don’t disturb
Limit news/social media — Just twice a day: morning and evening

Most importantly: acknowledge that distraction is normal. Don’t be too harsh on yourself.

Work-Life Boundaries

This is the trickiest part. When your workspace = living space, how do you “go home” from work?

Set Hard Boundaries

Fixed end time — At 6 PM laptop closes, no exceptions
Separate devices — If possible, work laptop and personal laptop are separate
No Slack on phone — Or at least turn off notifications after work hours
Physical ritual — Walk outside for 10 minutes as a “commute”

Communicate Boundaries

Let your team know:

What hours you’re available
When you won’t respond
How to reach you if urgent

Boundaries without communication will create friction.

Mental Health and Burnout Prevention

Remote work can be isolating. And burnout in remote settings is real.

Warning signs:

Constantly tired despite enough sleep
Cynical about work
Significant drop in productivity
Difficulty concentrating
Physical symptoms (headache, muscle tension)

Prevention:

Social interaction — Schedule virtual coffee with coworkers
Regular breaks — Step away from the screen
Hobbies outside of coding — Very important
Exercise — At least 30 minutes per day
Vacation days — Use them, even if it’s just a staycation

Don’t wait until burnout to take action. Prevention is easier than recovery.

Tools Recommendation

Here are the tools I use for remote work:

Communication

Slack/Discord — Daily communication
Zoom/Google Meet — Video calls
Loom — Async video messages

Productivity

Notion — Notes and documentation
Todoist/Things — Task management
Toggl — Time tracking
Forest — Focus timer

Development

VS Code Live Share — Pair programming
GitHub/GitLab — Version control and code review
Linear/Jira — Project management

Wellbeing

f.lux — Blue light filter
Stretchly — Break reminder
Headspace/Calm — Meditation

Tips for Timezone Differences

When working with a distributed team, timezone becomes an additional challenge.

Best Practices

Know your overlap hours — When everyone is online together
Respect others’ time — Don’t expect replies during others’ sleep hours
Use world clock — Pin coworkers’ timezones in your menu bar
Rotate meeting times — Don’t always make the same person sacrifice
Record important meetings — For those who can’t attend live

Async-First Mindset

When timezones are very different, async communication becomes even more important:

Decision-making through written discussion
Detailed PR descriptions
Good documentation practices
Video walkthroughs for complex topics

Conclusion

Remote work is a skill that needs to be developed. It won’t be perfect on day one, and that’s okay.

Key takeaways:

Set up a dedicated and comfortable workspace
Build a consistent morning routine
Master time management with Pomodoro or time blocking
Prioritize async communication but know when to sync
Manage distractions with intentional boundaries
Protect work-life balance with hard limits
Take care of mental health—don’t ignore warning signs
Leverage the right tools for your workflow
Timezone differences require extra communication effort

Start with 1-2 tips first, don’t do everything at once. Gradually build sustainable habits.

Remote work is a privilege, but also a responsibility. With the right approach, you can enjoy its flexibility while still delivering quality work.

Good luck, and may these tips help! 🚀