Interview with Deborah Woznicki

Deborah Woznicki is a Director of Marketing freelance and you can find her on Twitter, Linkedin, or visit her Website.

1. How did you started working remotely? How did you make the switch?:

While studying business informatics I started working as a freelance copywriter for AUDI. In the beginning, I did still go to the office but since space was low I switched to working from home and just going to the office to meet once a week for a stand-up. I always really enjoyed working from home, in silence without people distracting me so naturally, I was always looking for a full-time remote position. In 2017 I finally made the switch and went full remote and oh boy, I never wanted to go back to the office again.

2. What do you think are the main advantages of remote work?:

Well, for me it is utter silence and peace – nobody bothering or distracting me. I’ve also started putting in more work hours and in general, my productivity increased. In general, I feel like having more time than before which is a huge benefit.

3. Do you think there are disadvantages or that you’re missing something by working remotely?:

Personally, I do not need a lot of human interaction, I’ve always been the strange loner who always loved being by herself. If I had to pin down something I’d say sometimes it might be annoying not being able to reach someone if you need to react instantly – so you start spam calling everyone.

4. From what cities or countries have you worked since you have become remote? What are your favorite ones?:

So far I’ve worked from France, Poland, and Germany. I own a dog so for me working remotely is not about traveling but more about being able to structure the day however I think fits best. I really loved Paris though, so many possibilities to enjoy a good coffee and a snack.

5. From what type of places do you prefer to work? Home, coworking spaces, coffee shops or others? Do you have any specific place?:

I love working from home. I’ve put a lot of effort into my home office and I really blossom in my small safe working place.

6. What places would you like to travel to while working remotely?:

I did visit the Maldives some time ago and I could see myself on the beach with a nice cocktail enjoying the sun.

7. What advice would you give to overcome the main challenges of working remotely? Share your remote productivity, communication, management, etc. tips based on your experience!:

I believe being self-employed helps most when it comes to productivity since you instantly see the results if you put in the extra hours. Or find yourself a company you really share values with and that understands your needs so you’re able to grow mentally, emotionally and continue developing new skills. My holy grail is discipline, I have a very structured day and this helps me not to procrastinate. Once you got his figured out, the rest is easy.

8. What tools do you use and are your favorites to work remotely?:

I absolutely love Google and all its tool. Besides I really like working with Slacks or Discord.

9. How do you manage your business and taxes as a remote working professional?:

I early invested time into finding a good tax consultant so I have more time to focus on the important things or at least the more fun ones to me. Receipt scanner apps are the bomb!

10. What advice would you give to people looking to work remotely and companies making the remote switch?:

For people wanting to shake things up, I’d say to maybe start working remotely in the free time instead of instantly switching. Give it time, get adjusted to being accountable for yourself, and actually working instead of sleeping through the whole day. And for companies: get rid of the controlling thinking and you’ll see how better your employees will be performing and how much more inventive they will get! You do not need to control your employees if you can just measure goals. And yes, start wording goals to actually measure performance. It is now important how much time anyone works as long as goals and KPIs are reached.