This issue is one of the biggest problems people run into when working remotely.

It causes stress, decision fatigue, and burnout - But it's never talked about!

Let's expose the issue and give you the tools to fix it ⬇️
We’ve spent a long time having our job choose our life — where we live, who we spend our time with, and how we work.

Switching to remote work can be exciting at first because, suddenly, we have tons of freedom.

But then the overwhelm kicks in.
You now have endless decisions up to you:

What is "enough" work?
How do you take breaks?
What do you work on next?
Where should you live now?
When do you start/end work?
Where should you work from?

And so on. Overwhelm from new freedom is real.

Here are 3 tips to combat this:
Tip 1: Make the choice before you’re in the moment

In the moment, you are short on time, heavily influenced by emotion, and your focus is pulled in many directions.

Set a framework prior to create an environment where you can make choices intentionally and quickly.
Example 1: Define a meeting framework for calls you will accept.

By establishing that you will only accept x meetings per day, during y hours, and only after determining if it is in the best format, you make the decision before the random invite has even hit your inbox.
Example 2: Define when it is acceptable to quit (before you begin)

More here:

Since seeing the value of decision frameworks, I’ve created them for almost every area from where I spend my day working to whether I say yes to an opportunity.
Tip 2: Trial your options

You've worked one way for a long time. You probably don't know what all of your options are and definitely don't know whether they are right for you.

Talk to others about how they are working differently.

Also, read this: marissagoldberg.medium.com/10-questions-t…
Experiment with different working hours or places to work.

Don't write anything off just because you've never tried it before. It might be exactly what you need.

Keep track of what works and what doesn't. This will be valuable info when creating new decision frameworks later.
Tip 3: Put less pressure on your decision

A decision today doesn't mean forever.

You no longer have to go through another awful job search when you want to move to a new area or be around new people.

You can stay in your current position while changing things around you.
Also, keep in mind that every decision doesn't need to be made overnight.

You have a lot of opportunities now to design the lifestyle you want, but these changes don't need to happen immediately.

Pause. Learn about yourself and take one intentional step a day.
Don't fall into the trap of making decisions because that's the way everyone else is doing it (*cough* like moving to Miami *cough*) or because that's the way you've always done it before.

Use these tips to kick aside the overwhelm, and embrace the excitement!
If you liked this, follow me here and subscribe to my newsletter, Remotely Interesting, to revolutionize how you live by changing how you work:

subscribe.marissagoldberg.com

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More from @mar15sa

Dec 28, 2021
I've completed 4/4 of my 2021 New Year's resolutions.

People like to hate on resolutions, but the real problem is they're choosing the wrong goals.

Here are 5 common mistakes people make when setting their goals for the New Year:
1. Choosing other people's version of success

Instead of defining success for yourself, you choose goals based on what society or other people say is successful.

Failure: You're never going to have the internal drive to achieve someone else's dream
2. Liking the idea, not the reality

You need to think through and say yes to the whole package.

Ex. Saying yes to both the good parts of having a 6-pack and also the lifestyle required

Failure: You're not ready to accept the sacrifice required to make the goal happen
Read 7 tweets
Dec 2, 2021
The top 5 things every remote worker should have (but most don't) ⬇
1. Virtual Boundaries

Virtual boundaries are even more important than physical boundaries in remote work.

You likely have a virtual boundary issue if you feel constantly distracted, unorganized, and feel a big overlap in your work and personal life.

remoteworkprep.com/blog/3-simple-…
2. Multiple Work Zones

Don't replicate the office. Working from one desk was a measure to save the company money, not to do your best work.

Instead, use your environment to inject inspiration and maximize utility to allow your work to be effortless.

Read 7 tweets
Nov 4, 2021
"Set up one specific, separate place to do your work at home"

This is typically the first piece of remote work advice we get, yet it's all wrong.

Here's why following this popular advice may be making your work worse ⬇ Different people working from different home workspaces
The one workspace advice is another example of us attempting to replicate in-office work at home.

Offices weren't created to be the most effective place to work, but to fit as many workers into a space.

Why bring that home?

Working from one desk works against us for 2 reasons:
1. It's not optimized for different types of work

Most knowledge workers have multiple modes of work like:
• Deep work
• Brainstorming
• Syncing
• Tasks

A work environment made for one of these modes directly works against you if you're in another mode.
Read 16 tweets
Jun 28, 2021
Hybrid work isn't new.

Big companies, like Yahoo, have tried it and failed at this pre-pandemic.

Instead of using history as a lesson, I haven't seen a single company going hybrid address what they're going to do differently.

Here are 3 big areas where hybrid fails:
1. Decision maker for the distributed team isn't remote

Too often, the hybrid company requires the person making remote work decisions to work in person.

If they aren't remote, they aren't experiencing the virtual environment and can't tell what's working and what's not.
2. Not giving agency to the individual

Remote work is about giving the individual agency over when/where/how they work.

Hybrid breaks this by forcing people into an office certain days.

The whiplash from bouncing between 2 extremes is a frustrating struggle for the individual.
Read 5 tweets
Jun 18, 2021
What if I told you there's a work approach that allows you to:

• Have fewer meetings
• Solve your time zone issues
• Get more done uninterrupted

This is the magic of asynchronous work.

Let's break down what it is and explain how to use it 🔽
What Is Synchronous Work?

Synchronous happens in real-time. Requiring team members to be present and working on the same thing at the same moment in the same place.

Ex:
• In-person meetings
• Video/voice calls
• Messaging where you expect an immediate response
Synchronous Work Benefits:

The 2 key benefits are speed and connection.

When synchronous work is used for relationship-building or for moments where you need a quick answer, then it’s being used appropriately.
Read 12 tweets
Jun 15, 2021
Last week I went to put in my notice at my full-time job and came out with an "entrepreneurial leave".

I'm honestly still stunned. Here's what happened:
I love my FT job. Working in product is an amazing fit for me. I've worked on this specific team for 3+ years and the people are amazing.

I've spoken about why I haven't quit yet in the past (despite my own company doing well here):
However, I'm also passionate about creating positive remote work experiences for as many people as possible.

While I've successfully juggled both for years, I'm launching a live course on how to lead effective remote teams soon and I needed more time.
Read 7 tweets

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