PRODUCTIVITY

Work Management

⭐ Remember, always use a time zone reference to avoid confusion. We recommend adding time zones for teammates you work most closely with to your Google Calendar (instructions here). Another helpful time zone tool is **World Time Buddy.**

Spectacle is a free, open source windows resizing and arrangement tool for Macs and is amazing for productivity – particularly if you use multiple displays.

Keeping You Awake (Free & Open Source) is a macOS utility application that can prevent your Mac from entering sleep mode for a predefined duration or as long as it is activated.

Communication

⭐ Follow our Internal Communications Guidelines!

⭐ Be clear and concise, and don't underestimate the power of formatting! Take your time to save everyone time by being thoughtful in your messages. Do your best to make your message clear enough so that the recipient knows what type of action or response is needed from their side.

⭐ Use Slack status and relevant emojis to notify the team of things like when you're in meetings, calls, offline, sick, working remotely, working from another country or office than your home base.

Grammarly is a good tool for those who want to feel more comfortable drafting written communication in English. There is a free and premium version.

Routine

⭐ Forming habits is very helpful for productivity. Try to set a routine and maintain consistency!

⭐ Be purposeful about how you start your morning - put on clean clothes, brush your teeth, put on make-up or whatever else that helps kick-start the day for you!

Workspace

⭐ If possible, designate a certain area of your home as your workspace. Try to keep this area clutter-free and quiet to encourage focus.

⭐ If possible, set up good lighting so colleagues can see you clearly on video. Here are some tips on how to do this for free.

⭐ Consider separating work and personal apps / windows on your computer by using different workspaces, so personal doesn't distract you while you're working, and more importantly work doesn't distract you when you're not working! On MacOS these are called "spaces", on Windows 10 they are called desktops.


PREVENTING BURNOUT

You are not expected to be available all the time! It is perfectly fine not to respond to emails and chat mentions until your planned work hours.