- Published on
Tools to make remote working a little easier
- Authors
- Name
- Aidan Laycock
- @aidanlaycockdev
As a developer within a remote first development team, it can sometimes be difficult to interact with colleagues in the same way that you would in an office environment.
Here is a list of a few tools that I find useful to help me be the most productive I can be during remote work.
Communication tools
- Slack: Need I say more about this one? Huddles are the most useful feature for quick, let's get this fixed calls, and it generally has an integration for any tool you're using. The only downside I see with slack is that the free tier isn't too great anymore, when I ran my own business we migrated to Discord (Which is the best alternative!), I've seen a few communities I interact with do the same now.
Development specific tools
- ERD Diagrams: For creating Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD), I use dbdiagram, which is great as a keyboard first dev. And it also has an amazing free tier!
- Sketching out diagrams: When you need to get a point across to the rest of the team, and a naff hand drawn diagram isn't going to cut it, I use Excalidraw to draw out diagrams like process maps or high level software architect diagrams.
- Passwords and 2FA: We need security, so 2 Factor authentication is a must, I use Duo mobile along with bitwarden (Which is free!) for securing passwords. (Want to check how great your passwords are - https://www.security.org/how-secure-is-my-password/)
Hardware
So this isn't a list of you should have a macbook, it's just a few things that I think every remote worker would benefit from.
- Wireless headphones: So that you're not chained to your desk (There is nothing worse, especially if you're like me and can't really sit still!). They're a massive benefit for the occasional large meeting where you can have your camera off, as you can walk around and get the odd household chore done!
- Smart watch: Or any form of pedometer. As it is way too easy to stay sat still throughout the day, so get up and count your steps and go for a walk. Try walking meetings if you can as well, they are a game changer.