We're the makers of Daycast—a planning and time-tracking tool for makers. This is where we write about the cultures of distributed teams, working remotely, maximizing the value of our creative process, and how we navigate common challenges that arise on the road from nothing to something.
The rock: It can’t possibly matter if I do [annoying task] today. Aren’t we temporary? Brief ripples on the river of time? Why bother? The hard place: I feel bad about myself when I fail to do simple, if dreaded tasks. There is a path between these two, and an app called Finch helps me find it.
Read MoreWhen projects appear as straightforward and simple as doing laundry, it’s easy to mistake them for tasks. But doing so makes any project harder and less fun to do. If that seems untrue or trivial to you, you might be assigning projects, but not executing them. Someone’s feeling drudgery, it’s just not you.
Read MoreMonitoring your hardware with the Raspberry Pi and a temperature sensor is more straightforward than you might think. This guide shows you how to leverage open-source tools and technologies to create a simple, cost-effective solution to monitor the environment in any server closet.
Read MoreYou’re a knowledge worker. You’re burned out. You want to find a way of working that’s more sustainable, a way that feels better, but you don’t know how because of reporting, because of the time clock, because of micromanaging bosses. From limitations come innovation. Time to get creative.
Read MoreHere in the U.S., productivity is a national obsession. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s enough already. No more optimizing. No more maximizing. What do most of us average folks have to show for it, after all? Other than serious cases of burnout, I mean. I propose instead: sustainability.
Read MoreIf you have a harder time getting things done at home than you do in an office because you feel less accountable working from home, this post is for you. Short version: accountability has nothing to do with where you get your work done, and it’s more discipline—not more accountability—that can help.
Read MoreIt’s easy to become dependent on real-time conversations in a colocated office. But when you transition to remote, if you don’t deliberately choose and continuously practice asynchronous working, an excess of meetings is the result, along with the ding to productivity that excess engenders.
Read MoreAre you using a password manager? Do it; it’ll make your life easier and your passwords more secure. We recommend KeePass—it’s free and open source. And by syncing your KeePass database with the cloud service of your choice, you’ll have no excuse for not regularly updating your passwords.
Read MoreThere’s a default way of thinking about the isolation and sense of disconnection that is a common byproduct of working remotely: It’s a problem, and only socializing can solve it. But look—what if there are benefits to the isolation? And what if there’s a better way to connect with your coworkers?
Read MoreIn a productivity-obsessed environment (hi, USA), it’s easy—it’s even applauded by the rank and file of hustle culture—to put your own self-care dead last. But if gold standard productivity is your goal, you’d do better to give yourself your best, not your leftovers. Reader, heed my cautionary tale.
Read MoreYou want to focus, but you can’t. You’ve tried all the tips and strategies and a number of apps. Nothing is working. What if the most effective focus strategy isn't about focusing at all? What if the best way to improve your focus is to identify and ameliorate the pain of being fully present?
Read MoreWatching The Social Dilemma I saw a bottomless hunger for user-attention in the web-based software industry, and it dawned on me that because our goal with Daycast is the opposite—reduce user engagement—the most accessible resources for building and marketing Daycast are probably not worth our time.
Read MoreHow can asynchronous-by-default remote teams use real-time interaction in ways that bear the particular fruit that’s harder to grow asynchronously? These two best practices comprise the secret sauce that transforms remote team congregation from a guarantee of burnout to a value-creating process.
Read MoreA work-from-home “commute” is a surprisingly effective way to create a boundary between home and work—a boundary that, for some remote workers, is easily mowed down by their jobs. But Microsoft’s upcoming virtual commute feature in Teams isn’t likely to help fortify that boundary on its own.
Read MoreFrankly, remote teams that rely on real-time interaction to collaborate are doing it wrong. Leverage the digital world! Make work visible! These best practices are game changers for remote work because they reduce the noise and erosion of focus that are the byproducts of frequent interruptions.
Read MoreWhen there’s no hub to report to, only single workstations dispersed over any number of miles, the rules of workplace engagement are necessarily different. The firms that will succeed at working remotely are willing to change the way they work together, starting with how they communicate.
Read MoreHumans have been tracking and measuring time for millennia. Time tracking software, on the other hand, is a relatively recent development. Here we cover common types of time tracking software, their uses, common features, and how this modern way of timekeeping can benefit you.
Read MoreLike the shutdown ritual, the workday startup ritual is meant to help you get higher value and greater fulfillment from the time you spend working. Inspired in part by decision research and borrowing from the culinary arts, the workday startup ritual is part of how you can more fully own your day.
Read MoreWhen we started using FreshBooks, our whole invoicing process got easier. Now we spend less time billing clients and more time serving them. Here’s our full review, including a breakdown of how we use FreshBooks for client billing and what you can expect if you give it a try.
Read MoreMonitoring software is useful in things like aircraft electronic bays and activity trackers. In remote employees’ devices, though, it’s worthless. If it’s employee productivity you’re after, here are actionable suggestions distilled from over two decades of managing successful remote teams.
Read MoreThe Open Door Teams blog explores topics related to remote teams—especially teams of makers—and their management. We are the creators of Daycast, the day planner and time tracker for remote makers.
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Reach the article from Porch here.
