Hey there, This week started with a holiday weekend in the USA. I'll be back with a new Q&A next week, but today, I wanted to share a personal story about how the benefits of remote work have changed for me over the last 10 years. Here are the most recent Q&As in case you missed them:

1. ​How do I celebrate wins with a distributed team?​
2. ​How do I stop procrastinating when working from home?​
3. ​How do I break the ice at a team offsite?​
4. ​What's a great alternative to the daily standup?​

We often hear about how the benefits are great for digital nomads, but this represents such a small demographic of who remote work is really serving.

Personally, my first experience with remote work came at the age of 17. Google had a program where they paid college students for early product feedback. Then, at 20, my university tech support position allowed me to get extra hours if I replied to support tickets at night from home.

But it wasn't until I was 21 that I experienced full-time remote work. I'm now approaching ten years since going fully remote. Recently, I reflected on this journey and realized the main benefits of this style of work changed every year (and there was definitely more to it than just travel).

Here are the reasons I was grateful for remote work at every age:

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20 - Being able to make some extra money on the side while juggling university

21 - When it allowed me to leave a toxic workplace. Thought I needed to leave the tech industry, but turned out I just needed WFH.

22 - When I used the flexibility to travel and meet people around the world

23 - Getting to level up my career fast because no one knew my age. Solely judged on my work quality instead.

24 - Made my dream wedding/honeymoon possible and allowed me to start a business on the side

25 - Allowed me to buy my dream home away from a tech hub city because I didn't need to be close to an office

26 - Able to continue making a living even as the world shut down. Also, got to run for and be elected to local office.

27 - Getting to go on entrepreneurial leave to try out going full-time on my business (never ended up going back)

28 - Able to expand my thriving business and work with people I admire from around the world

29 - Allowed me to deal with a difficult pregnancy from the comfort of my home instead of having to choose between work and motherhood

30 - Currently, grateful to continue breastfeeding my baby girl and see all her first milestones. Couldn't imagine being away from her all day at this age.

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Looking back over the last ten years, it's interesting to see how the key benefits have changed and grown with me over time. While office work tends to be great for one type of person in one kind of life, the secret power of remote work is that its value adapts with you. It's just as valuable to someone living with a disability as it is to someone who wants to live away from a big city. I'm thankful every day for the life remote work has allowed me to live 🙌

Would love to hear your reasons! Reply to this email and let me know why you're grateful for remote work this year.

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Quote of the Week

- Charles Darwin

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In Other News

​You 2.0: Taking Control of Your Time​
"Many of us live busy lives. We rush to work, check our email, ferry kids around. We feel our time is stretched thin and we fantasize about the day when we can finally do nothing. When that day comes, however, we often find ourselves confronting the opposite problem. We are bored, hungry for meaning and purpose. Being too idle, like being too busy, seems to make us unhappy."

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Adam Grant @AdamMGrant It’s possible to shorten the work week without losing productivity. 4-day week pilot for 15 months w/full pay: -Performance improved or sustained on 22/24 measures -Motivation & mental health climbed -Turnover dropped by 39% It's better to have 4 focused days than 5 distracted. 8:21 AM • Aug 26, 2024 507 Retweets 2273 Likes Read 54 replies

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In Case You Missed It

​What's a great alternative to the daily standup?​
​Last week, I shared alternatives to the dreaded daily standup. Read it here if you missed it.

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Marissa Goldberg @mar15sa This. I’ve worked with so many people who don’t have the skills to not overwork because they didn’t take the time early on to build healthy work habits. It becomes a crutch for them and they end up endlessly going through the burnout cycle. https://twitter.com/ash_lmb/status/1820444680439447878 Ash Lamb @ash_lmb This response from @jasonfried has made me question so many things about how I approach work. 11:39 AM • Aug 6, 2024 0 Retweets 5 Likes

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Marissa Goldberg @mar15sa My goal isn’t to try to convince people of the value of remote work. Demand far exceeds supply. If you don’t see the value, go work a traditional office job. I don’t care. My work is for those that see the value, but don’t know how to make best use of it. That I can help with 6:31 AM • Aug 23, 2024 2 Retweets 12 Likes Read 1 replies

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​ Work Forward Society Updates *The links in this section are only available if you’re a Work Forward Society member. Their support makes this work possible. If you're interested, join the waiting list to be notified when the community membership reopens.* 1. Virtual comms lessons coming soon! Currently working on the next course on effective virtual communications. If you want me to address anything specific, DM me on Circle. 3. In case you missed it, I shared a recent podcast episode recommendation. Leave a comment with any episodes you've recently enjoyed!

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What did you think of this issue? What do you hope you'll see in the next one? Feel free to reply to this message or DM me on Twitter @mar15sa. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this. Hope you have a lovely day! Marissa ​Founder, Remote Work Prep​ P.S. Struggling with a remote work problem? Book a coaching call. If you liked this, consider supporting this free newsletter by sharing this issue. ​

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