Rolling remote with Dave Harper

on

Dave works in user experience design (UX design) and product management, but he also has a wife and kids. To maintain focus and a separation of work and personal life, Dave fixed up a stand-alone building behind his home and made his own sitting and standing desk (because if you haven’t heard, sitting is the new smoking).

Having a separate workspace allows Dave to give every job his complete focus, while still making time for his family. Lunch together is a given, and the occasional dance party is a welcome distraction.

Dave working from his DIY standing desk | Submitted by Dave Harper

Quick-fire profile

How many years have you worked remotely? 7 years

Where are you based? Indiana

Where do you spend most of your remote work hours? In my home office

Coffee or tea? Neither. Water.

Dave’s home office setup and decor

What type of desk do you use?

DIY whiteboard sitting desk and standing desk

What type of chair do you use while at work?

When I sit, I use a simple swivel chair with a hard back. When I stand, I use my DIY balance board.

What features do you like most about your work space?

My office is a stand-alone 7 foot by 10 foot building off the back of my home. I finished the interior myself, built the desks, and ran the ethernet cable for a fast, hard-wired, and reliable internet connection.

It’s cozy and the windows pour in natural light even on cloudy days. When it’s dark, I’ve got a nice backlit Thunderbolt monitor that maintains a nice subtle glow for working into the night. My sitting desk is 3 1/2 feet by 6 feet with a whiteboard surface for quick sketches. My standing desk sits opposite the sitting desk and has a separate external monitor that I can move my MacBook to.

Do you share your work space with anyone? Tell us about them!

On occasion I bring my kids in my office for dance parties, or for a place to sit and enjoy some screen time.

Dave and his daughter getting in some screen time together | Submitted by Dave Harper

Remote work pros and cons: Dave’s take

What are the biggest pros and cons of remote work for you?

Pros: Schedule flexibility, travel flexibility, more focus, better work-life balance, more time from cutting your commute

Cons: Feeling isolated/less connected with colleagues, struggles with clear communication

Working from home tips and tricks

What software technologies do you use on a regular basis?

Invision, Mural.co, Sketch, Atlassian, Slack, GSuite

What habits allow you to be more productive during the day?

Get dress and groomed for work, get good sleep, and keep common office hours.
Dave’s DIY home office is complete with a Magic Mouse and Thunderbolt monitor–plus lots of books. | Submitted by Dave Harper

What are the 3 items you can’t live without while working remotely? (If you have a brand you love, please name them!)

  1. Apple Magic Mouse
  2. Cooler Master for my MacBook
  3. Apple Thunderbolt monitor

Answers have been lightly edited and links were added.

If you work remotely and want to be featured in our Rolling Remote series, fill out this 10-minute survey.