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I'm coming up on 17 years of remote working (we used to call it virtual office back in the day), and most of this rings true, however there are some additional

I'm coming up on 17 years of remote working (we used to call it virtual office back in the day), and most of this rings true, however there are some additional considerations when a family is involved. I've found a couple of things to be most helpful as a family man: Set a quitting time. Don't worry about starting your work day, that will happen by itself, but you need to put a good cap on the end of the work day, so you know when to walk away from work. Have a place to work. I have a home office, but it could be a specific desk, room, or beach chair. Wherever it is, try to do your work there when family is around, that way they know you're working. Leave your work laptop at your desk. Get a second laptop, tablet, etc that doesn't have work stuff on it if you're going to use electronic stuff around the family outside work hours. And perhaps most importantly, take advantage of it! I have been able to watch my kids grow up in a way 99% of fathers can't dream of. I take them to dentist appointments, keep an eye on them once in a while when my wife needs to run an errand, and get to see the amazing lego creations they build right away - they don't have to wait till daddy gets home... My wife constantly drops comments like 'it's such a blessing that your job lets you be here for this', and it's true - I wouldn't trade it for the world.

maldinii 11y ago
I am sure that having a family will change everything about how I work and I hope it will make even more sense. Thanks for advice!
nxzero 11y ago
It's true that a lot of people working remote need a quite place to work, but there's a lot that don't. Your comment about having a second sets of personal devices for personal use reminded me of how given given I do all of my owned IT support that doing backups and having the data encrypted is really important if you're using device in public; lucky I've never had an issue, but I've know people that had a device stolen, stranger spill coffee on it, etc.; worth noting that a backup is worthless if you can't recover it.
pcglue 11y ago
What type of work do you do? Webdev, sysadmin or ? It seems remote working is only just becoming mainstream acceptable. How were you able to start doing so 17 years ago? Has it been with the same company or many companies? Are you independent consultant? Sorry for so many questions, I just haven't been able to figure out how to work remotely full-time. The best I've gotten was 1-2 days a week. Appreciate your reply.
- dba7dba 11y ago
  'sysadmin' I used to think server/sysadmin was one job where you had to be there and that remote job was only for devs. But now with AWS and cloud computing, sysadmin for remote working is just as easy. Amazing how things change.
  - phil21 11y ago
    This has always been the case for any competent sysadmin. I know of zero senior sysadmins that have worked on-premise on a regular basis over the past 20 years. You leave that for the remote hands guys who rack and stack stuff, not your senior level guys who's hours are much better spent doing harder things. We used to do this via remote serial console 20+ years ago, then we moved to IPKVM, and now ipvkm over integrated IPMI controllers. I've managed groups of sysadmins over the years, and the truly talented will outright refuse non-remote work. Since they can demand it.
    - dba7dba 11y ago
      All my previous employers required sysadmin onsite mainly because they didn't want to invest in the necessary infrastructure, like KVM with ethernet connectivity or networked powerstrips. Maybe I just haven't been blessed with working with crack team of sysadmins or a shop big enough to justify such investment. Oh, and I used to work with Windows servers...
    - toomuchtodo 11y ago
      > I've managed groups of sysadmins over the years, and the truly talented will outright refuse non-remote work. Since they can demand it. Sysadmin/Devops here. To confirm your point, I don't take any work that isn't fully remote, and I don't take any position for less than $100k/year USD (~15 years experience).
timje1 11y ago
Scott Hanselman hacked a light outside his home office to indicate his Lync (now Skype for Business) status. I always though this was a novel way of indicating to the kids whether he could be disturbed when doing remote working. http://www.hanselman.com/blog/IsDaddyOnACallABusyLightPresenceIndicatorForLyncForMyHomeOffice.aspx http://www.hanselman.com/blog/IsDaddyOnACallABusyLightPresen...
- err4nt 11y ago
  Couldn't he just use a door to indicate the same status? Door open = okay to come in. Door shut = no interruptions. He seems eager to create additional work for himself to come up with a solution when there isn't really a problem. I wonder what else in life he is going to come up with an elaborate solution for (introducing many new potential points of failure) when the obvious solution has been in front of him the whole time. Would you really want to work with a guy like that? Would you want to pay him to solve problems for you?
  - solipsism 11y ago
    I might not want to work with someone who didn't realize there is more than one purpose for a door, and that a single bit of information sometimes doesn't cut it.
  - v0x 11y ago
    Lync status updates automatically, whereas getting up to open and close a door takes work every time. Plus, it's just a fun little project. Lighten up.
Lawtonfogle 11y ago
>Leave your work laptop at your desk. Get a second laptop, tablet, etc that doesn't have work stuff on it if you're going to use electronic stuff around the family outside work hours. Even if you don't work from home, keep work devices and personal devices separate. The closest I'll mix the two is logging into a public facing email portal if one is available. Want me to have official stuff on my smart phone? Then I need to be provided with one. Want me to take work home with me? Then I need a laptop. I do not mix company and personal devices to reduce liability to myself and reduce risk to the company (I do my best to avoid getting viruses, but it would be hubris to think I'm immune to such).
daxfohl 11y ago
How old are your kids? I've got a 3 and a 0 year old at home (with a nanny) and even on a separate floor, the chaos is making me want a regular office job again after 5 years working from home.
- BatFastard 11y ago
  This is why god created day care. Also a good pair of headphones work.
  - j2bax 11y ago
    Some people, my wife being one of them, don't trust others to raise their children at this age.
    - op00to 11y ago
      We don't do day care because we don't want to get subjected to the absolute onslaught of pestilence and plague that is toddler day care.
      - j2bax 11y ago
        Another very valid reason to avoid putting your children in daycare. Sick infants and toddlers make for very lousy sleep.
- randlet 11y ago
  I worked from home with a 3-4 year old and a 0-1 year old for a year (they're in daycare now) and it wasn't a problem for me because I set clear ground rules that no one was allowed to bug me in the office unless it was an emergency. I'd just close the door to my office put my headphones on (either with or without music) and get to work. Having the kids there was never an issue for me and it was nice being able to eat lunch with the kids some days.
- dba7dba 11y ago
  As someone with small kids (slightly older), I can totally relate why it can seem so hard to work from home. Yeah, having such young kids at home will mean chaos, even with mom/nanny. My kids are slightly older and can entertain themselves for extended time but still I need to step away from desk to referee some arguments etc. But still well worth it. Don't give up on working from home. Look up coworking space near your home. Or ask around to borrow a cubicle or a desk from a firm nearby.
manyxcxi 11y ago
As a dad to a young family (2 kids under 3.5 and another due in two months) working remote (in our case all four of us that started our current company live in different cities) has been awesome. I just hit a year last week, I did it for two year about seven years ago as well (but I travelled 50%). The key for me has been that I actually have a Regus office I go to, not just a space in the house- mostly because my kids are too young to get that dad's working. My office is a 10 minute bike ride or 3 by car so I come home for lunch, take the kids to mid-day mid-week swim lessons, and basically have no problems with making appointments anymore. I run home frequently if the wife has an appointment, or sometimes just to clear my head and hang out. I never bring my laptop home and I'm home before its dark now. Usually by 16:30, if I need to have a long day I'm in the office by 04:30 or 05:00. I go to bed a little early the night before and I add the hours to the beginning of my day and make sure I get home before dinner. Most mornings I get to see the boys, help get them ready, make breakfast and hang out for a bit before I'm in the office. I also get to the gym at least 4 days a week and have lost 30 pounds in the last year while probably ACTUALLY working more hours per week. I don't think I could ever go back to working like how I used to. I would leave the house at 05:30 to commute downtown. Get to the office by 6:15ish, and no matter what I did I couldn't seem to get out of the office before 17:00- meaning I got home between 18:00 and 19:00 depending on awful Seattle traffic. I loved the people I worked with at my last company and I do miss seeing them every day, we still get lunches occasionally (I have to go to them, naturally) but I could never go back to a 'normal' office routine.
- karmelapple 11y ago
  +1 to Regus for being a digital nomad or traveling. They are available worldwide, with typically many locations in major metropolitan areas. The Internet is reliably good. Even small things like internationally-compatible AC wall plugs are a nice touch. I can't say what it's like to rent a real office there, but for a backup for hotel Internet or just a place to get a change of scenery while away from home, they're great. I have the business world gold card, and it's not too expensive, especially compared to a coworking space located in just one city. Coworking spaces local to a city are nice, but can vary wildly in cost, and sometimes require convincing the team to let you work there on short notice (walk-ins aren't particularly welcome, unless you carefully explain you have experience at coworking places). One other nice thing about the Regus locations I've been to in big cities: there's usually some really nice views out their windows. This has been true in Boston, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Tokyo - it's surprisingly inspiring! Edit: and gosh do I realize this reads like I'm a shill for them. I'm not. It just seems like $60 per month - the cost of Internet in the USA - to get an office in any major city in the world is a good deal. But that's because I'm traveling a lot right now, too, so YMMV.

maldinii 11y ago

I am sure that having a family will change everything about how I work and I hope it will make even more sense. Thanks for advice!

nxzero 11y ago

It's true that a lot of people working remote need a quite place to work, but there's a lot that don't. Your comment about having a second sets of personal devices for personal use reminded me of how given given I do all of my owned IT support that doing backups and having the data encrypted is really important if you're using device in public; lucky I've never had an issue, but I've know people that had a device stolen, stranger spill coffee on it, etc.; worth noting that a backup is worthless if you can't recover it.

pcglue 11y ago

What type of work do you do? Webdev, sysadmin or ? It seems remote working is only just becoming mainstream acceptable. How were you able to start doing so 17 years ago? Has it been with the same company or many companies? Are you independent consultant? Sorry for so many questions, I just haven't been able to figure out how to work remotely full-time. The best I've gotten was 1-2 days a week. Appreciate your reply.

dba7dba 11y ago
'sysadmin' I used to think server/sysadmin was one job where you had to be there and that remote job was only for devs. But now with AWS and cloud computing, sysadmin for remote working is just as easy. Amazing how things change.
- phil21 11y ago
  This has always been the case for any competent sysadmin. I know of zero senior sysadmins that have worked on-premise on a regular basis over the past 20 years. You leave that for the remote hands guys who rack and stack stuff, not your senior level guys who's hours are much better spent doing harder things. We used to do this via remote serial console 20+ years ago, then we moved to IPKVM, and now ipvkm over integrated IPMI controllers. I've managed groups of sysadmins over the years, and the truly talented will outright refuse non-remote work. Since they can demand it.
  - dba7dba 11y ago
    All my previous employers required sysadmin onsite mainly because they didn't want to invest in the necessary infrastructure, like KVM with ethernet connectivity or networked powerstrips. Maybe I just haven't been blessed with working with crack team of sysadmins or a shop big enough to justify such investment. Oh, and I used to work with Windows servers...
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    > I've managed groups of sysadmins over the years, and the truly talented will outright refuse non-remote work. Since they can demand it. Sysadmin/Devops here. To confirm your point, I don't take any work that isn't fully remote, and I don't take any position for less than $100k/year USD (~15 years experience).

timje1 11y ago

Scott Hanselman hacked a light outside his home office to indicate his Lync (now Skype for Business) status. I always though this was a novel way of indicating to the kids whether he could be disturbed when doing remote working. http://www.hanselman.com/blog/IsDaddyOnACallABusyLightPresenceIndicatorForLyncForMyHomeOffice.aspx http://www.hanselman.com/blog/IsDaddyOnACallABusyLightPresen...

err4nt 11y ago
Couldn't he just use a door to indicate the same status? Door open = okay to come in. Door shut = no interruptions. He seems eager to create additional work for himself to come up with a solution when there isn't really a problem. I wonder what else in life he is going to come up with an elaborate solution for (introducing many new potential points of failure) when the obvious solution has been in front of him the whole time. Would you really want to work with a guy like that? Would you want to pay him to solve problems for you?
- solipsism 11y ago
  I might not want to work with someone who didn't realize there is more than one purpose for a door, and that a single bit of information sometimes doesn't cut it.
- v0x 11y ago
  Lync status updates automatically, whereas getting up to open and close a door takes work every time. Plus, it's just a fun little project. Lighten up.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago

>Leave your work laptop at your desk. Get a second laptop, tablet, etc that doesn't have work stuff on it if you're going to use electronic stuff around the family outside work hours. Even if you don't work from home, keep work devices and personal devices separate. The closest I'll mix the two is logging into a public facing email portal if one is available. Want me to have official stuff on my smart phone? Then I need to be provided with one. Want me to take work home with me? Then I need a laptop. I do not mix company and personal devices to reduce liability to myself and reduce risk to the company (I do my best to avoid getting viruses, but it would be hubris to think I'm immune to such).

daxfohl 11y ago

How old are your kids? I've got a 3 and a 0 year old at home (with a nanny) and even on a separate floor, the chaos is making me want a regular office job again after 5 years working from home.

BatFastard 11y ago
This is why god created day care. Also a good pair of headphones work.
- j2bax 11y ago
  Some people, my wife being one of them, don't trust others to raise their children at this age.
  - op00to 11y ago
    We don't do day care because we don't want to get subjected to the absolute onslaught of pestilence and plague that is toddler day care.
    - j2bax 11y ago
      Another very valid reason to avoid putting your children in daycare. Sick infants and toddlers make for very lousy sleep.
randlet 11y ago
I worked from home with a 3-4 year old and a 0-1 year old for a year (they're in daycare now) and it wasn't a problem for me because I set clear ground rules that no one was allowed to bug me in the office unless it was an emergency. I'd just close the door to my office put my headphones on (either with or without music) and get to work. Having the kids there was never an issue for me and it was nice being able to eat lunch with the kids some days.
dba7dba 11y ago
As someone with small kids (slightly older), I can totally relate why it can seem so hard to work from home. Yeah, having such young kids at home will mean chaos, even with mom/nanny. My kids are slightly older and can entertain themselves for extended time but still I need to step away from desk to referee some arguments etc. But still well worth it. Don't give up on working from home. Look up coworking space near your home. Or ask around to borrow a cubicle or a desk from a firm nearby.

manyxcxi 11y ago

As a dad to a young family (2 kids under 3.5 and another due in two months) working remote (in our case all four of us that started our current company live in different cities) has been awesome. I just hit a year last week, I did it for two year about seven years ago as well (but I travelled 50%). The key for me has been that I actually have a Regus office I go to, not just a space in the house- mostly because my kids are too young to get that dad's working. My office is a 10 minute bike ride or 3 by car so I come home for lunch, take the kids to mid-day mid-week swim lessons, and basically have no problems with making appointments anymore. I run home frequently if the wife has an appointment, or sometimes just to clear my head and hang out. I never bring my laptop home and I'm home before its dark now. Usually by 16:30, if I need to have a long day I'm in the office by 04:30 or 05:00. I go to bed a little early the night before and I add the hours to the beginning of my day and make sure I get home before dinner. Most mornings I get to see the boys, help get them ready, make breakfast and hang out for a bit before I'm in the office. I also get to the gym at least 4 days a week and have lost 30 pounds in the last year while probably ACTUALLY working more hours per week. I don't think I could ever go back to working like how I used to. I would leave the house at 05:30 to commute downtown. Get to the office by 6:15ish, and no matter what I did I couldn't seem to get out of the office before 17:00- meaning I got home between 18:00 and 19:00 depending on awful Seattle traffic. I loved the people I worked with at my last company and I do miss seeing them every day, we still get lunches occasionally (I have to go to them, naturally) but I could never go back to a 'normal' office routine.

karmelapple 11y ago
+1 to Regus for being a digital nomad or traveling. They are available worldwide, with typically many locations in major metropolitan areas. The Internet is reliably good. Even small things like internationally-compatible AC wall plugs are a nice touch. I can't say what it's like to rent a real office there, but for a backup for hotel Internet or just a place to get a change of scenery while away from home, they're great. I have the business world gold card, and it's not too expensive, especially compared to a coworking space located in just one city. Coworking spaces local to a city are nice, but can vary wildly in cost, and sometimes require convincing the team to let you work there on short notice (walk-ins aren't particularly welcome, unless you carefully explain you have experience at coworking places). One other nice thing about the Regus locations I've been to in big cities: there's usually some really nice views out their windows. This has been true in Boston, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Tokyo - it's surprisingly inspiring! Edit: and gosh do I realize this reads like I'm a shill for them. I'm not. It just seems like $60 per month - the cost of Internet in the USA - to get an office in any major city in the world is a good deal. But that's because I'm traveling a lot right now, too, so YMMV.