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How to Successfully Navigate The Opportunities & Challenges of Working Remotely
- Charlotte Tweed
- Mar 6
- 7 min read
What comes to your mind when you read "working remotely" or “working from home”? Do you think of it as saying, "I have the freedom to work the hours I please"?? Or does a hobby come to mind, a passion, or a personal interest someone has tried to monetize to escape the drudgery of cubicle land? In today's economy, if someone wants to pay you for working from your kitchen table and saying adios to the soul- crushing morning commute, why not?
THE ORIGIN OF WORKING REMOTELY
It costs a lot of money to run a business with employees. In addition to wages, costs include payroll taxes, paid leave, training costs, and health care.
From a worker's standpoint, the cost of living has never been higher. Inflation has sent people into a tailspin. The popularity of a working remotely economy where people contract work and one is not an employee but an independent contractor, and therefore exempt from the expenditures above, is attractive to employers and employees.
THE RISE OF WORKING REMOTELY
FlexJobs conducted a Work Insights Survey from May 3, 2023, to May 21, 2023. (Howington, 2023) Responses were gathered from over 5,600 working professionals. The survey inquired about the impact of recent workforce changes on mental health and explored attitudes toward working remotely helping to identify shared challenges and professionals’ outlooks on their careers.
Working professionals shared their perspectives on how different work and commute arrangements affected their mental health. Many benefits were experienced through remote work. The biggest takeaway: 56 percent said working remotely has improved or would “definitely” improve their mental health.
While numerous employers have been vocal about their desire to bring workers back into the office, working remotely continues to rise, according to a recent report from Deel. (deel., 2023) United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia are the top countries hiring remote workers, according to the report, which gathers data from its over 300,000+ contracts and over 20,000+ customers across more than 160 countries as well as over 500,000 data points from third-party sources.
From the above top countries hiring, the most popular job groups include:
United States: Software Engineer, Sales, Content
United Kingdom: Teaching, Consulting, Customer Support
Canada: Marketing, AI, Finance
Germany: Accountant, Data, Operations
Australia: Finance, Recruiting, Customer Support
BALANCE IS KEY
We've all heard, "Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Who doesn’t want to grow this kind of life by working remotely? Of course, planting and tending a garden also comes with weeds. Aches and pains. Dirty hands. Burnout. Less time doing the other things you love. The potential strain on family and friendships. All are real risks due to time constraints and juggling the balance by working remotely. It is not a lifestyle cut out for everyone.
There is a correlation between weekly hours of work and poor mental health, anxiety, and depression. Mental health and physical health have an undeniable interconnectivity. Tread carefully. It's a red flag if you must convince yourself working remotely is enjoyable.
During your downtime, consider doing something that will not present you with the opportunity to make money. Yes, working remotely is about income streams… I'm getting there… Your health comes first, or you will be six feet under instead of six figures up.
There are plenty of mental and physical benefits to getting out in nature, spending more time with the people you have positive relationships with, and substituting screen time for me time. Try learning a new instrument, listening to music, taking a painting class, or something new to boost your daily outlook.
I go for a 45-minute walk in the mornings to clear my mind and relax. Because I don't have a car, I often total 10,000 to 15,000 steps getting groceries or running errands.
I now play pickleball every Wednesday morning for an hour with friends. I've been playing for over a year, and enjoy it, especially the time laughing with friends and loving life.
You cannot create more time. You can only hope to borrow it. Make sure you spend your time wisely.
Exercise improves health and longevity and keeps your mind sharp. Support brain function with a healthy diet and supplements. Pray. Learn breathing exercises. Deep breathing helps lower blood pressure. These are some of the best things you can do for cardiac health.
Head to your local health food store and consider adding adaptogens (natural medicines including herbs and roots) to your health regimen. Note: This article is not medical advice. Please research and consult trusted physicians when you want to change your lifestyle. Consider the appropriateness of the information for your situation in consultation with a professional advisor of your choosing.
LAUNCH TIME
If your goal is to work remotely, here are a few tips to help you along:
Time block a specific portion of the day to your remote work. Don't go overtime, or you risk burnout. Remember the weeds.
Invest in technology and services from others to do tasks you don't know how to do. Figuring everything out yourself is a timewaster and kills momentum.
If you are stressed, put your work down for a rest and walk away until the flame lights up again.
Don't prioritize your remote work ahead of your family and friends. If something fun comes up in your time block, do it. Don't stop living life while trying to build the life you want to be living.
WORK SMARTER NOT LONGER
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour. – Proverbs 12:24
Hard work never hurt anyone. Overworking has. Where you put your effort is what counts. To solidify the notion of hard work and rest, some studies support that long working hours impair cognitive function. (Brendan Rolfe, 2023) In addition, don't turn into someone your 16-year-old self would not want to be when you grew up. The purpose of working remotely is not to become boring.
HOW TO TURN WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW INTO AN INCOME STREAM
What are you good at? Take inventory. I have this skill. I have this knowledge. How can I help other people who are struggling in this area? What am I better at than other people? What hurdles and challenges have I overcome in my own life? What have people asked me for help with? What do I know that nobody knows I know? What do I take for granted? Go through every year of your life and reflect on what you have done. Perhaps some of the careers mentioned above from the Deel report would suit your skills.
REMOTE WORK TO CONSIDER
If you are not already employed in remote work and want to go out on your own rather than working for a company, here are some avenues to consider:
Coaching: In coaching, the client holds the power, and it is the coach's duty to pull information and acknowledgment from within the client and provide insight, guidance, support, and ideas for them to form their own decisions and realizations. Coaches help clients find the answers from within. I turned my passion for travel and relocation into a coaching business to educate people and help them relocate to unique liberty destinations.
Consultant: If you have expertise, consider offering consultant services. You could make $50+ an hour for a gig. Search for consulting jobs in your field on LinkedIn to see where you can offer your services . You can also list your services as a consultant on your profile.
Photographer: If you love taking pictures, consider selling your photos online. You can set up a beautiful website and market your photos. You can also sell your photos on stock photo sites, but beware, this takes a ton of time, and they hardly pay anything. Thousands of pictures need to be loaded to make it worthwhile, plus, all those photos must be approved by the company, and reasons for rejection can be frustrating. I've tried this route and was approved by many stock photo agencies. Sales came in, but the process was too painful and time-consuming. It was little reward for a lot of effort. Patience is a virtue. Give it a try. Just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours.
Website Designer: Look for websites with good domain rankings and acquire them. Find one needing love and build a human connection. Niching down and specializing is going to be successful in any industry. Personalization will help you stand out. Bigger is not better.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU QUIT YOUR REMOTE JOB?
Many people talk about how to get a remote job, but it is not common to discuss what to do when you no longer have that stable, coveted remote job.
I worked remotely for an American company while living in numerous countries. The digital nomad lifestyle allowed immersion in unfamiliar cultures while testing the waters of relocation. After three years with the company, I decided to launch a relocation travel coaching business. The challenge of how to mentally break from my previous employer and begin my new endeavour was unexpected. Normally when you quit a job, you say your goodbyes and walk out the door, likely to never return. There is
closure. However, the day after I quit, I was still in the same environment, with the same computer, the same walls, the same windows with a view of the garden, and the same table to work at. Proper closure was elusive, and the paradigm shift needed to launch my coaching business was challenging. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself.
How did I escape the funk? By turning to my go-to for transformation—travel. A trip back to my home country while enjoying a much-needed change in scenery and spending time with family, was the right prescription to return to work with a refreshed mind to hit the ground running.
Finding remote work is one challenge, being successful in it is another, and keeping motivated takes drive. With clear and realistic intentions, you will be able to navigate the complexities of remote work and thrive. The flexibility and advantages far outweigh the difficulties.
References
Brendan Rolfe, B. D. (2023). Put a little muscle behind that [side] hustle! Alive, 98.
deel. (2023). State of Global Hiring Report 2023. Deel.
Howington, J. (2023, June 14). Exploring the Impact of Remote Work on Mental Health and the Workplace. Retrieved from flexjobs: https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/exploring-the-impact-
of-remote-work-on-mental-health-and-the-workplace
Meet the expert:
Charlotte is a relocation travel coach with a goal to take you on a journey where you don't just visit—you live it. Graduating with a Travel and Tourism Honors diploma and travel coaching certification, Charlotte helps people find a freedom lifestyle potentially within self-sufficient communities. Charlotte has been working remotely for seven years and is a published author with the desire to transform your life with culturally immersive travel.
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