Hello, all.
My name is Hariny, and I am a coder.
I have had the good fortune of being
to some of the best schools in the country and in the world.
I received a bachelor's in computer science
from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University,
and a master's in the same from Stanford University,
California.
My first job was with Lab126.
For those of you who haven't heard of Lab126,
it is Amazon's research base for its consumer
electronic products, notably the Kindles.
Now, this was a dream come true for me,
because Kindle is one of those few products
that I admire to the core for its simplicity,
yet its powerful impact that it's had
on the way people read today.
So after that dream stint of three years in the US,
I relocated back to India in the beginning of January, 2013.
Now 9 out of 10 people that I meet are stunned--
and not in a good way, I might add-- with the fact
that I relocated too soon.
It's a prevalent perception amongst people
here that returning from the United States, which
is the land of opportunities, is not a great decision.
It definitely features in Top 10 Stupidest Career Mistakes
You Can Make in a Lifetime.
I have received reactions ranging from the brutal--
are you out of your mind?-- to the sympathetic head tilt--
did you choose it?
Did your parents arm-twist you?
Wait.
It doesn't end there.
The cherry on the cake for me is the reaction
I get from people when I tell them that I'm a remote worker.
Yes.
You heard right.
I work from home for the Amazon Chennai office
ever since I got married, and I have been doing that for a year
now.
People's perception about working from home
is extremely interesting and extremely flawed, too.
Their gut reaction to it is that remote work,
that just does not work at all.
And it's extremely detrimental to career growth.
How do you do it?
Whatever perceptions and assumptions you
might have about working from outside an office,
I can tell you that there is definitely
a way to make it work and a way to thrive doing it.
So I figured this is the perfect opportunity
to share three simple tips that have helped me
make my remote work effective.
Tip one.
Create an office workspace for yourself at home.
Duh.
That's a simple and trivial thing to say and do.
Right?
But believe me, the little things matter.
The mind is fickle, and you often
have to play your tricks on it before it plays you.
Doing this, creating a replica of an office workspace
inside your house, infuses the idea in you constantly
that you are no different from a regular office-goer.
And it sets the tone for the day.
You get up in the morning, you walk into that space,
a sense of conviction and responsibility sets in,
and it carries through the day.
Also remember, a 9 to 5 timing, or some timing
should be set for your office hours.
Now, this kind of timing system doesn't usually
work in an IT office.
But believe me when I say this.
This is very, very important when you're working from home.
Because guess what?
The danger of procrastination and distractions
just got multiplied like a billion-fold
when you're working from home.
So stick to your timings, and instruct
to your family and friends.
Sit them down nice and easy.
Tell them to stay away during those work hours.
My husband usually goes, do not disturb.
Wolverine at work.
It has its moments.
Tip two.
Communication.
Now, this poses a little bit of a problem when you're
working, like, thousands or probably 100 miles away
from your actual office.
So it's normal for you and your team
to feel cut off from each other.
I won't lie to you, this is a steep curve
that you need to get ahead of.
But you can do it through a lot of means.
You can talk to people over phone.
You can do a video conference.
And you can travel once in a while to the office
just to have that little bit of face time with your colleagues.
What you will notice is that with due cause of time,
people start appreciating and respecting,
even, the fact that you're making the effort
to constantly solicit their opinions
and resolve issues quickly.
Believe me, they will respect you for it.
And you will get ahead of that curve.
Tip three.
This is probably the hardest of them all and the simplest, too,
at the same time.
Determination.
It is very, very normal for mental anxiety
to kick in when you learn a new task or you take up
a new challenge.
Working remotely is daunting, definitely.
But what isn't?
Nothing in life comes easy, does it?
With the right determination, you can overcome any hump.
Just take it one step at a time.
Be proud of what you do, and celebrate
what you've toiled for.
If there's anything I have learned
in the last year of my working remotely,
it is that where you are should not come
in the way of what you do best.
You just cannot let it.
End of story.