I am a true blue remote worker. I love my solitude, working behind the scenes: invisible, subtle, quiet. So much so that this could well be my first formal blog piece ever – quite fittingly, on why remote is the only way I’d rather work.
It is tremendously liberating
In a world obsessed with looking perfect, doing perfect and making the perfect impression, remote working is a breath of fresh air. Consider this. A client connects with you on call for a new biz. You send your creds, costs, and bag the job. Job loved, payment done, matter closed. How you look, dress, walk, talk, where you come from or live, how far you are (countries apart maybe) – nothing matters. No ideas, no judgements, no weird beliefs. Your work is your only voice. You can’t hide substandard work under a fancy presentation. You can’t dress up questionable quality with sweet words. On the other hand, if your work is excellent, you won’t need another word to swing it for you. I believe that’s a massively liberating thing. And very levelling.
It’s self-discipline at its highest
This may seem like stating the obvious. Yet it is so crucial that it must be stated again. A ton of distractions are bound to occur when you work out of home, a café or even a co-work. And it’s ok to give in – but it’s also vital to find the discipline to come back to the work, with the same vigour and rigour. The client or your boss is not going to be on your head, tracking your every move, asking you to be more efficient and so on. You are own yardstick of how much you can accomplish in a day, and how fast. To me, that’s empowering.
It’s a brutally honest way to work
Often when I see daily commuters swelling up, I can only remember the office swipe machine beeping ominously at 09:34:59. If you sweep a second later, it’s a half day gone. Thank God for remote working. You can start and end work at will. But… this awesome power also packs in a big responsibility – honesty. You may not need to clock the hours, but if you don’t clock in the quality, you know it even before the client does. And to admit that to yourself takes a lot of integrity from within.
It’s a matter of trust
In my experience, remote working has helped build a thicker, tightly-knitted and longer-lasting group of peers and partners. There’s something magical about working remotely that instils deeper trust. As you work better and more harmoniously with each other, you discover chemistry. It’s easy to sit someone down next to you, handhold them and have them do what you want in front of you. But to have someone understand your idea and implement it for you for years, when you’ve not met them even once – that is pure joy.
It lets me be me
Truth be told, years ago I wasn’t anything you would expect a typical creative person to be – bold, loud, go-getter. I was a loner, shy and unconfident. A traditional office culture would’ve stifled me. Stepping away from peer pressure, challenging atmospheres, heavy expectations, gave me tons of space. It helped me bloom at my pace and in my own space. It helped me chart out my career path, the way I wanted – the kind of clients I liked, the brands I loved. And it’s helped me get where I am.
A ton of features about remote working go seamlessly with who I am. Seems it does make sense to find what kind of work aligns with who you are – and live that.
About the author:
Gunjan Pai
Having spent 17 years as a copywriter, Gunjan is now bringing up her three babies full time – her 4 YO boutique copywriting studio, Copylove, her 8 YO son and her 2 YO dog. She also pens Hindi and Urdu poetry on the side.
