Remote Work Roundup

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Or, what your friendly neighborhood Remote Blogger has been doing in her copious free time.

Happy Thursday everyone! The snow from last week is gone, and we’re back to our usual soggy winter. This post is more of a ‘Where’s Waldo’ remote work roundup of the things I’ve been up to in the last two weeks. My current work/life balance resembles a kid who just learned to ride a bike–as long as I keep moving, everything’s fine.

Somebody Said They Liked the Book

Book Authority named ‘Working Remotely’ as one of ‘11 Best New Remote Working Books to Read in 2020.‘ I am beyond chuffed. I tried to play it cool when I first found out, but I was definitely more Sally Field at the Oscars than Will Smith in MIB.

I Was On The Radio

Four times in 11 days. Business Lunch is a numbers-driven live radio program that broadcasts out of Chicago. My analyst heart loved the excuse to let my nerd flag fly. I really appreciated the way Ji Suk Yi kept things flowing. That’s a real art. Last Thursday I did a double header. First I talked with Alyssa Carpenter of Humanize Your Workplace. That episode will air in the future, but if you like quality programming, check her out. She has a lot of interesting guests. An hour after that I was on live radio with the Frankie Boyer show. Once I get a link to that interview I’ll share it here.

For those of you who are counting, that’s three episodes. There’s a fourth one, but the conversation was wide ranging and we’re still figuring out what the end product might look like. I’ll talk about that one more once we know what it’s going to be.

As an aside, it’s been interesting seeing the differences between pre-recorded podcasts and live radio. I’m not sure which I like better. Podcasts give you a chance to really dig into a topic–and if the host thinks you go on too long, they can edit you down. There are no do-overs on live radio. When your time is up, you’re done. It’s a little stressful, but it’s also a grand opportunity to be succinct.

I Wrote a Manifesto

Porchlight Books asked me to write a manifesto about getting along with your boss and others in the remote work space. I didn’t know until that moment that writing a manifesto was a life goal. Part of me wants to take the article and nail it to a door or something. The part of me that is older than age of three voted that down. Sometimes I’m really no fun.

I Shared a Book Excerpt

Forge, a publication on Medium, just published an excerpt from my book ‘Working Remotely,’ and they gave it the best title ever: Questions to Ask Yourself Before Marking Your Request Urgent. I’m beginning to wonder if everybody but me can write great titles. Thank you, Forge editors!

…and I Talked about Gender Equity in Remote Work

Naomi Cahn writes about women and gender issues on her Forbes column. We traded some emails back and forth about how remote work can both help and harm gender equity. That resulted in an article she published Wednesday called Getting the Most out of Telework.

If this sounds like I have a lot going on, I do. And I need to give a special shout out to my publicist Valerie, who knows how to find thoughtful places for me to talk about remote work. You’re awesome Valerie! I wouldn’t be this happily busy without you.

What’s On the Go Now

I just wrote a draft of another article that’s due at the end of this month. Once that’s done I have two other articles to write in February. Other than that, I’m trying to take brain breaks by practicing my guitar and knitting socks. And running. I restarted my couch to 5k nearly three weeks ago, and it was the best decision ever. I run because it’s hard and I play guitar because I don’t have to be good at it. It works for me.

Have a great week everyone!

Public Speaking Fed My Creativity

Writing is my go-to solution for presenting information, but the instant feedback that comes from a live audience can jump start all sorts of things.

North Carolina on my mind

Hands hold a tray. Three sprouts in three small pots sit on the tray.
Photo by Daniel Hjalmarsson on Unsplash

I came back Sunday from my latest (and last) work-ish trip for the summer. I say ‘work-ish’ because while I was definitely at the MBA@UNC alumni weekend in a professional capacity to speak about remote work, I also got to enjoy the event as an alum of the program.

My first talk was ‘How to Survive and Thrive as a Remote Manager,’ and I already know that I need to turn this into a blog post, or a YouTube video or something. Maybe several somethings. I had people come up to me throughout the weekend to ask follow up questions and share their experiences managing remote employees. My talk—both my talks—tapped into a need.

Public Speaking is Scary and Awesome

Have I mentioned that I enjoy public speaking? I get nervous, but back when I sang in my college choir I learned how to harness the nerves and use it to energize my performance. I had one moment right at the beginning of the first talk where I had to stop and take a deep breath, but just like singing, after that the rhythm of the words I put together stepped in and carried me through to the end.

With writing, you assemble your argument, polish your prose, and then send it out into the air. Hopefully it lands well. Talking (or singing) in front of an audience forces me to know my material well enough to change it on the fly if I’m losing them.

Public Speaking is Performance

I deliberately use the term ‘performance’ to describe these talks. Anytime you’re delivering something in front of a group, it’s a performance. And if you think of it that way, you’re more likely to be an engaging speaker.

Each live performance is a conversation between me and whoever is in that room. I scripted out my talk, then changed it as I spoke it out loud. I revised it again when I found the slides I wanted to pair with my performance. It morphed a third time when I converted my script into an outline. The actual talk bore a strong resemblance to my final outline, but it wasn’t exact. I kept a few different jokes in my back pocket, and left room to incorporate the audience into my delivery.

Departures as Compost

Writing is my go-to solution for presenting information, but I love the instant feedback that comes from a live audience. And it’s been a long time since I’ve performed something in front of a collocated group. I’ve forgotten how it can jump start all sorts of things.

In his book ‘Creative Quest,’ Questlove describes these sorts of artistic departures as powerful fertilizers. This rings true. I feel like this weekend fed that part of me that makes things. I don’t know quite what will come out of it, but I have the seeds of several ideas, and I can feel them trying to sprout.