This is Part 22 of a weekly series on my growth and development at a software startup in Austin Texas. Click here to view the full series or start at Level 1.

Fully Remote

Level Twenty Two Stats

Weapons gained:

  • Connections – 2: A big meeting fell through this week which was unfortunate as it would have been a huge step in the connection world. Working on getting it back but without that meeting, my connections this week were at a minimum.
  • Ability + 10: I’ve worked remotely for a couple of days at a time, but this is by far the longest and most productive time I have had away from the office. I actually quite enjoy going into the office each day and it in some ways helps me to focus. Working remotely has had it’s challenges, but I felt by the end of the week I was really mastering the ability to focus and work remotely. As soon as I learned the ins and outs of how communication needed to work with my team while being remote, I think I actually became more productive than I am at the office.
  • Knowledge + 4: Had several hard calls with clients this week who were very frustrated by various things we had done. Things that they felt like our platform was failing in. I hated to hear it and hear that we weren’t creating value for them, but it helped increase my knowledge both of our platform and of our customer needs They were much-needed conversations.
  • Discipline + 6: Feel like just compared to last week this was night and day above. Still getting back into the swing of things while being away from my normal routine, but it was way better this week.
  • Organization + 2: I had to organize my schedule while being home so that I could focus on work. It’s been hard. I want to hang out with friends and do activities all the time but I had to continue to focus on my work. It was a big test in my organizational abilities and I think I passed fairly well…now for week two of it.
  • Strength – 2: Still going backward here compared to what I need to be, but it’s to be expected while out of the routine. I had a slight knee injury at a tournament I played last weekend, and once I get this back working again, I really am planning to deep dive into a more intense workout schedule.

Kills: Honestly, just catching up. I felt like I was buried by a mountain coming back to work Monday, and I was able to complete my work Friday feeling, not caught up, but not like I needed to work through the weekend to feel good about myself.

Deaths: While my remote work by the end of the week was really thriving, I’ll admit it struggled a bit at the beginning rying to get into the flow and schedule of things. It hindered my first couple of days this week for sure.

Outside the Game

It’s been a very relaxing week outside of work. Getting together with some friends, but mostly just spending time with family. Restful and a solid time.

Final Takeaways

This was a catch-up week for me. After being gone from work all last week, I had a heck of a time trying to get back caught up on emails, let alone the rest of my work. I have a feeling the next week may be a little more of the same. Just getting back to ground zero. From there, once I get back into the office, I think I can really take off and start knocking out goals.

Excited for one more week working remotely, but I’m genuinely excited about getting back to the office and being with the team again.