Remote work can feel like someone is always working—and if you're not careful, you can feel like you should be too. Healthy remote teams set clear expectations about when people are available and when they're not.
Define Your Overlap (and Your Boundaries)
- Many teams agree on a "core" window (e.g. 2–4 hours) when everyone is online for meetings and quick syncs.
- Outside that, work async: write in docs, record short updates, use threads in Slack. Not everything needs a live call.
- Block your calendar for focus time and for "off" hours. If you're in PST and your team is in GMT, make it clear when your day ends.
Use Async First
- Default to written updates. "Here's what I did, what I'm doing, what I need." Others can read when they're online.
- Record short Loom or video updates for complex context. Saves meetings and lets people watch in their own time.
- Document decisions. When time zones make live discussion hard, a shared doc or RFC keeps everyone aligned.
Protect Your Sleep and Your Day
- Turn off notifications (or mute channels) outside work hours. If something is urgent, they can call.
- If you need to join a meeting outside your normal hours once in a while, take time back the same day or week. Don't make it the norm.
- Say no to meetings that don't need you. Decline or suggest async. Your time is part of the team's resource.
When You're the Odd One Out
- If you're the only person in your time zone, advocate for at least one solid overlap block. If the team can't accommodate, ask for flexibility (e.g. starting later or earlier) so you're not always working alone.
Respect goes both ways: you protect your time, and you respect others'. That's how remote scales.