I first went remote about six years ago when my wife and I decided to move back to Maine after our first child. Back then we landed in a small apartment where working remotely just wouldn't be practical. After a bit of googling I found a few co-working spaces in my area and signed up for membership. The space was about 3 miles from my home, and even in Maine winters I commuted daily by bicycle. If you've never done it, I can't recommend enough starting every work day with a bike ride. It sets the mood for the day. I don't know if it is the physical activity, separation from electronic devices, or just the scenery of crossing over the Casco Bay Bridge. The morning bike ride is when I solved most of the previous days problems and came up with my most brilliant ideas.
The ride home is equally amazing. When you work remotely there is a tendency to always be "on". The urge to respond to every email and notification to prove you really are working is strong. The ride home is a nice way to create space between your work life and your home life. Taking a break between finishing the work day and being on for your at home personal duties is essential. A time to unwind and take in what the day presented, processes it without thinking too hard is essential. The ride home is when most of my "Ah-ha" moments would happen.
Fast-forward to present day and my wife and I have moved out to the suburbs, with the closest co-working space 10 miles away and impossible to ride to in the snowy Maine winter. Luckily our new home provides a nice office basement where I work from every day. I've come to realize that I still need that morning commute. I need the time to myself: to transition from my family, to work, and back again. That is why every day I try to get outside, away from the house (regardless of the weather) to commute to work. It might be a quick walk around the block, or an epic bike ride in the country. This spring I've even taken to paddling the kayak in the local marsh. Regardless the mode of transport, I can't recommend enough commuting to work, even if you end up right back where you started at home.
