The Secret Enemy of Remote Work.

Remote work is a work model that has been progressively implemented in companies, bringing significant benefits to employees. However, there are some challenges that can be overcome through self-discipline. Pedro Alves, Outsystems Developer, explains what these are and how you can combat them in "The secret enemy of remote work. Do you know what it is?" – an opinion article published in Human Resources Portugal, which can be accessed below.

It's not that there is only one, there are certainly many. But I won't list them all, as it wouldn't be a simple task; I will only mention the one that I find quite relevant.

I'm talking about the lack of self-discipline, that insidious enemy that takes over us when we have a defined plan and silently end up sabotaging it, diverting time and attention to something else. I'm talking about that difficulty in following that voice inside us that says: "it's time, turn it off" or "answer that email tomorrow morning, after all, who's going to read it at 11 PM?".

It may not be so evident that much of the success in adapting to the reality of remote work can be achieved by being self-disciplined, but I believe this is one of those cases where something seemingly small can make all the difference.

Let's look at some situations where self-discipline can make a difference:

1. Ability to disconnect from work-related topics
2. Dealing with others in the virtual world
3. Maintaining productivity with a high level of efficiency
4. Maintaining mental/emotional balance

Ability to disconnect from work-related topics – Yes, it's just a matter of self-discipline. It's a kind of mental hygiene. It starts with small habits like having a personal phone and another for work and turning off the work phone outside of working hours. Or not having Teams or Outlook on your personal phone unless it's extremely necessary. Not reading work emails outside of hours. Keeping the routine of starting and ending at specific times, and note that being flexible with schedules when necessary is very different from not having an established rule for when to start and stop. Fixing bugs during a 3 AM insomnia might be a funny story to tell, but when it becomes a habit, it can easily lead to burnout and exhaustion.

Dealing with others in the virtual world – In dealing with others, whether in-person or virtual, some principles remain the same. Our ego continues to be the main culprit in creating chaos and dragging us into difficult situations. This is particularly noticeable when we are interacting with photos or initials of names on the screen and only have the other person's voice to guide us in the interaction. In the virtual world, we lose access to the other person's non-verbal communication; we don't know where they are looking, if they are smiling, or on the verge of an emotional breakdown. In these circumstances, it becomes very tempting to fill the information void with our own emotional patterns. For example, a somewhat insecure person will find more criticism where there may be none. In this sense, being self-disciplined in how we react to situations can prevent us from drawing hasty and potentially wrong conclusions. Many conflicts can be avoided simply by taking a step back and calmly analyzing what happened. There is always more than one perspective on the same situation.

Maintaining productivity with a high level of efficiency – If being efficient means producing as much as possible with the least amount of effort necessary, then I would say having a very strong critical sense regarding what we do is crucial for being efficient. Brutal honesty with ourselves is necessary when analyzing our day-to-day work and looking at each task, each use of time, and understanding if we are really producing something of value or just fooling ourselves. Self-discipline is once again the key. Each thing at its time, and respecting work time is equally respecting rest time. Being productive and achieving expected goals with minimal effort means less wear and tear and more free time.

Maintaining mental/emotional balance – Let's say this point is partly a result of the previous points. It's not exactly something we work on directly, but it arises as a consequence of maintaining a certain mental and emotional hygiene in our lives. Being "fully present" in what we do means being focused and attentive. It means being aware of each of our actions and the feedback we constantly receive from the world "out there." It means putting more quality into what we do because each act is intentional. Just keep in mind that most of the time, a software bug is the creation of someone who was inattentive, but it can consume too many hours to fix. Maintaining mental and emotional balance is a constant exercise; it involves self-discipline and sustained effort to train the mind to stay focused and remain concentrated on the task at hand, always keeping in mind the goals we want to achieve. Being lost is not about not knowing where you are; it's about not knowing where you want to go.

If nothing is solely good or bad, then remote work "is just what it is." Just as the "old" work (the one we had before it became "remote") was far from being just good. We all know people who didn't adapt to remote work or who are simply eager to return to the office, but surely you can also remember a colleague who was constantly complaining about everything and everyone, always dissatisfied with whatever happened. What we had before wasn't perfect, and what we have now isn't either, but these are new times and new challenges, and if you are a remote work enthusiast like me, then this is just another opportunity to continue growing and developing new skills, and surely self-discipline is one of them. It not only never harmed anyone but is also said to be one of the magic ingredients for success.

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