Living the Remote Dream: Book Review
June 4, 2015
Whether you are a new to working remote or someone who's just curious about it, this book is a great reference manual. I have only been doing this for a year full-time, so I found Darren's years of experience to be very helpful and a good barometer to compare my own experience with.
The book is well-written with a very conversational tone, yet it still remains to be concise and to the point. Though he is definitely a fan of remote working, he also offers a balanced approach to it by highlighting the numerous pros and cons, as well as his thoughts on what type of personalities and industries remote working may best suit.
Though I agree with much of what he has to say, I also greatly appreciated the contrast between his approach to work life balance and my own. I have a more rigid schedule, as my wife and I have a houseful of kids under 6 years old. I would be interested to see how his approach changes if his family grows.
A few highlights: his example of a nonlinear workday is fascinating with the option to go for a ski run for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon and then finish up the work while watching a sporting event in the evening. I also enjoyed his take on business travel and incorporating as many extracurricular activities / bucket list items at book ends of work trips. I was able to do this on my recent trip to NYC, and it truly is a gift.
But what I enjoyed most was his refreshing experience of remote workers being on average the most dedicated, and hardest working team members that an employer can have. If you think about it, it really makes sense. If a remote worker has the opportunity to live where they want, earn a good salary and do fulfilling work, it only makes sense that they would work extremely hard to keep that job, and ultimately do stellar work.
I have seen that to be true with my current team, as well as with past employers. The best remote workers were also the most driven and reliable team players. I also enjoyed how his honest approach to companies that put so much value on FaceTime and merely showing up. He took them to task, as he points out these companies are not valuing what really matters, the results. He even went so far as to point out that ultimately these companies will not last, as they are focused on the wrong outcomes. I couldn’t agree more!
Whether you're new to remote working or just considering it from a distance, take a few hours and read Darren’s short book, and open yourself up to a whole new world.
