Remote Working Tools
As the name suggests, remote desktop tools help you access your computer from anywhere using the internet.
With remote desktop tools, you will be able to see and control your remote computer as though if you were sitting in front of it.
In the remote work scenario, these tools could help you have a PC at your office and would like to access it from your location. Following are some of the remote desktop tools:
Screen Recording Tools
Screen recording tools can come in handy when you want to quickly show a problem instead of typing it to your team.
We are using Vmaker to communicate bug issues, landing page design changes, and any other corrections we want to make through screen recordings.
There are plenty of screen recording tools available out there in the market, but if you are looking for a screen recording tool that's easy to use and is free for a lifetime, you should try out Vmaker. Following is the list of some of the best screen recording tools available:
Bouns Read: Best Screen Recorders for Team Collaboration and Remote Working
Project Management Tools
A task list might be sufficient when you are working on a simple task. But when you are working on projects with multiple deliverables, a project management tool becomes very all the more necessary.
It allows you to deliver projects on time, delegate and organizes tasks, and it also helps you to track progress and manage time for successful projects. Following are some of the best project management tools:
Bouns Read: How to Collaborate Effectively as a Remote Team
Note Taking Apps
Yes, of course, you can always use a pen and paper to take notes, or if we are talking about your computer, your Notepad or Text Editor.
But with a good note-taking app, you can elevate your note-taking to a different level.
You can quickly save information from your browser directly, add various multimedia files to your notes, keep them organized, and access them from anyplace and anywhere. Here are some of the most popular note-taking apps:
Bouns Read: How to Write Minutes of Meeting while Working Remote
Time Management Tools
If you are constantly juggling deadlines, resources, and deliverables, you should consider using a time management tool. A time management tool keeps track of all your activities and time spent on them. It helps you understand how different long tasks take, enabling you to delegate time accordingly. It also provides reports that highlight inefficiencies and distractions, so you can constantly improve your process. Here are some of the best tools available in the market:
Mind Mapping Tools
A Whiteboard or mind mapping tool essentially allows you and your team to collaborate and brainstorm ideas in a single place. Well, you can use these tools to brainstorm ideas for yourself as well. Here are some of the best whiteboard and mind mapping tools:
Asynchronous Video Messaging Tools
Continuous video meetings can drain your mental energy and can cause Zoom fatigue. An asynchronous video communication tool can be the perfect alternative for that.
Asynchronous communication is a type of communication in which the participants communicate at their own pace.
They don't have to be present in real-time. Vmaker, apart from being a screen recorder, is an asynchronous communication tool as well.
It has workspaces where you can record your videos and share them with your team with ease. Here are some of the best asynchronous video communication tools in the market:
Bouns Read: How to stand out in the era of remote onboarding?
Remote Working Books
Remote: Office Not Required
By Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of Basecamp
Considering the year we are in right now, some of the tools mentioned in this book are pretty outdated, but this book is still relevant.
This book provides the roadmap to embrace the best parts of having to work from home. The authors argue against the conviction that remote work can be disadvantageous with arguments such as:
- You don't need an office for collaboration
- Your company size and industry doesn't matter
- Your pool of potential employees won't shrink — it'll grow
You can get more practical tips and trick on remote working from the books mentioned below.
Working Remotely: Secrets to Success for Employees on Distributed Teams
By Teresa Douglas, Holly Gordon, and Mike Webber
Unlike most books on remote work, which have been written with leaders and business owners in mind, this book speaks directly to employees, guiding them through their day-to-day life.
You'll learn how to ward off isolation and loneliness, work well with your peers, and how to network and grow while working remotely. Along with concrete tips, the authors include examples and anecdotes to bring their points home.
Work-From-Home Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Get Organized, Stay Productive, and Maintain a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home!
By Aja Frost
How do you avoid distractions around your home? How can you remain as productive as you are in the office?
Well, Work-From-Home-Hacks is based on answering these questions. This book comes with 500 quick and easy solutions to implement in your remote work life and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long
These days with most of us working remotely, it's easy to get distracted, and this book is around solving that problem. This book talks about how our brain works and helps us understand why things sometimes happen with us the way they do.
Deep Work (Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World)
This book focuses on the idea of concentrating on cognitively demanding work with zero distractions to produce quality results. The author puts forward some actionable ways to 1) increase concentration and focus and 2) produce more work output. He specifically talks about "shallow" low priority work and "deep" high-priority, high-payoff work and ways to identify which types of work fall into which category.
Remote Working Articles
- The 1 trait all remote workers need – here is how to cultivate it
- Why remote work leads to a stronger company culture
- How companies benefit when employees work remotely
- Martin Fowler on remote vs. co-located
- Martin Fowler on remote vs. co-located
- That remote work think piece has some glaring omissions (a rant)
- The Day They Invented Offices
- It's not just the isolation. Working from home has surprising downsides
- The benefits - and pitfalls - of working in isolation
- Being tired isn't a badge of honor
- On-Premise Tribes in Shiny Caves
- After Growing to 50 People, We're Ditching the Office Completely
- A Long Commute Could Be the Last Thing Your Marriage Needs
- Engagement around the world, charterd - HBR
- The benefits of and questions facing remote and distributed startups
- Here's why remote workers are more productive than in-house teams
- 6 ways in which offering flexible working makes you a great employer
- 5 reasons remote teams are more engaged than office workers
- The 1 trait all remote workers need – here is how to cultivate it
- Communication Debt - How and Why to Keep Your Team Out of It
- Remote Ideation: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous
- How remote businesses can attract high-quality job candidates
- Six lessons we learned while scaling a distributed startup
- How to inspire and motivate your team that works from home
- How these 5 secrets help remote workers thrive
- 10 tips for improving your remote conversations
- 450 remote workers reveal how to boost productivity when working from home
- Five mistakes that destroy the efficiency of your remote workers
- The Ultimate Guide to Remote Standups
- Managing Remote Developer Teams: How Buffer Set the Gold Standard - Interview with Katie Womersley
- Working From Home: A Beginner's Guide
- What is a concept map? Here's everything you need to know
- How to run effective meetings, and thrive
- The Ultimate Guide to Project Collaboration
- Dos and don'ts of business communication for sales: the secret sauce
- Step By Step Guide To Effective Marketing Planning Process
- Organize Your Desk with These 13 Helpful Tips
- Scaling remote collaboration for digital product teams
- Working in Pajamas: A Remote Worker's Guide to Productivity
Remote Working Influencers
Andreas Klinger has been a long-time advocate of remote work. Previously, he led all things related to tech and remote work at Product Hunt, Angel. co, and Coin list. He's a strong advocate of remote work and is an investor in a remote work-related firm. You can follow him on twitter, where he has 40K followers, and he shares interesting tips on remote work.
Ali Greene is a remote work advocate. She is a full-time digital nomad and co-founder of cohana.io. She is passionate about helping startups and teams achieve remote work success. You can follow her on LinkedIn, where she shares interesting posts and podcasts on remote working.
Debbie-Jo Dutton is a coach and mentor to freelancers, an entrepreneur, and a remote work advocate. She has founded two companies in the last 15 years. Debbi-jo is the founder of RemoteWork Hub, a comprehensive resource platform that provides tips and learning resources to establish and build a remote career. You can follow Debbie on Twitter
Nishchal Dua is an entrepreneur, marketer, speaker, and remote work advocate. He is the founder of The Remote Life, a company that brings freelancers, remote workers, and digital nomads together for work and play. He also hosts The Remote Work summit, in which more than 5000+ business leaders annually.
Rodolphe Dutel worked as a director at Buffer, a company (apart from its product) known for its remote work culture, and where he found his love for remote work. Now he a strong advocate for remote work and is currently the founder of Remotive - the world's largest community of remote workers, connecting 25,000+ people. He puts out amazing content on remote work.
Liam Mclvor is a remote work advocate who builds tools and helps people and companies go remote. Liam is the co-founder of both Staff.com and Time Doctor and co-organizer of the remote conference "Running Remote".
Kate Smith is a remote work expert and a remote career coach. She runs TheRemoteNomad that helps professionals land remote jobs. She posts interesting articles on remote work and living life as a digital nomad.
Follow Kate on Twitter
Wayne Turmel is passionate about companies and individuals working remotely. Wayne is the co-founder and Product Line Manager at The Remote Leadership Institute. He shares interesting content on remote work and communicating remotely.
Sophie Wade is a remote work advocate, a speaker, and a founder and Workforce Innovation Specialist at Flexcel Network. Follow Sophie's blog for more on remote work and the future of work.