I work remotely, which means my setup directly impacts my output. Here's what actually works for me after months of iteration.
Hardware
Nothing fancy. MacBook Pro, one external monitor, a decent keyboard. The monitor is non-negotiable—context switching between windows kills focus, and having docs open next to code is a game changer.
I tried the dual-monitor setup. Too much screen real estate made me distracted, not productive. One monitor forces me to be intentional about what I'm looking at.
The Terminal Is Home
I live in the terminal. VS Code is fine, but for quick edits and navigation, nothing beats muscle memory with vim keybindings and a well-configured shell.
Key tools:
- tmux for session management (never lose work to a closed tab)
- fzf for fuzzy finding everything
- ripgrep because grep is slow
- gh CLI for GitHub without leaving terminal
The pattern: minimize context switches. Every time I reach for the mouse or switch apps, I'm breaking flow.
Communication Boundaries
Remote work blurs the line between "available" and "focused." I've learned to be aggressive about protecting deep work time:
- Slack notifications off during coding blocks
- Specific hours for synchronous communication
- Async by default, sync when necessary
The best remote teams I've worked with understand that "online" doesn't mean "interruptible."
Environment Matters
Small things that help more than expected:
- Good lighting (bad lighting = headaches = shorter days)
- A door that closes (background noise kills concentration)
- Standing desk (or at least the option to stand)
I don't have a perfect setup. I work from different locations, adapt to what's available. The point isn't perfection—it's removing friction between intention and execution.
Workflow Over Tools
Tools matter less than how you use them. I've seen engineers with $3000 setups who ship nothing, and others on basic laptops who are incredibly productive.
The common thread: they have a workflow. They know how to go from "I need to do X" to "X is done" without getting lost in the middle.
My workflow:
- Pick one thing (task from the queue)
- Understand the scope (what does done look like?)
- Work until it's done or I'm genuinely blocked
- Commit, push, move on
Simple, but it works. The fancy productivity systems I've tried always collapsed under their own complexity.
What I'm Still Figuring Out
Honestly? Work-life boundaries. When your office is your home, it's easy to always be "just checking one more thing." I'm getting better at actually closing the laptop, but it's a work in progress.
Remote work is a skill. It took me time to get decent at it, and I'm still learning.