Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing our insights on the best practices and psychology of remote work. We’ve been working with partners on four continents and across time zones for years. To help curb the spread of covid-19, we’ve gone remote and so far have seen a spike in our collective productivity. 

We are asking Xische team members to share some of their tips and tricks in this department. After all, who doesn’t love a good list of the best apps and platforms to make your digital life easier? In this edition, we speak with Mary Ames, our Director of Strategy, to find out more about her digital approach to work.

Mary Ames, Director of Strategy

By Xische Editorial, March 22, 2020

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am the Director of Strategy at Xische, where I have worked for the past seven years. I moved to Dubai from Oregon just after I finished graduate school to work for an education technology consulting firm. After two year, I joined Xische. A fun fact about me is that I’ve never worked professionally in the US! Outside of Xische, I am an avid runner and aspiring equestrian. My sister lives in Dubai with her family, and I am the bad influence aunt of two nieces and a nephew.

Describe your daily workflow.

I go to bed earlier than most. As soon I wake up, I scroll through Slack and check my email to see if anything happened overnight that will need my urgent attention. Then I go for my morning run and let my mind wonder. Often, I can think through how to address a work issue on my run, which is great because I’ll end my run feeling less anxious about my day than when I started. Or, I just forget about work for a while, which is even better. 

Once I get to the office – or my desk, if it is a work-from-home day – I try to start every day with a to-do list. I like to be as exhaustive as possible, so even tasks like “follow up with so-and-so about such-and-such” makes the list. I organize my list by client but beyond that it is free-flowing. Once I get everything down on that list, I go back and make notes of what big priorities are for the day, and what order I plan to do my tasks in. Then, I get to work!

Because my role involves a lot of reviewing, editing, or instructing the work of our team members, in addition to my own workload, I often get distracted and sometimes even derailed from my plan for the day. This is where my list comes in: if I’m feeling lost, I look at my list and it becomes this crystalizing moment of “oh yes, that’s what I’m supposed to be working on right now.” 

Most days, I only get through two or three of the major tasks. One perk of adding follow-ups, phone calls and meetings to the list is that I can strike them out! It’s a great dopamine hit. And what doesn’t get on one day, makes it to the next day’s list. Eventually - I’m still telling myself - it will all get done! 

What’s the last great app you used?

This isn’t work-related but I did mention running as a part of my workflow so here goes: the Run With Hal app for marathon training has been so great for me! I still track my runs using Strava, and cross-off my runs on a printed calendar, but with Run With Hal I get daily workouts plus running tips and meditations on running from Hal Higdon. You also get a score for how closely you adhere to the workout plan, which is a great way to counter the pressure to run fast and run long, since Hal docks you points if you train too hard! 

For work-related apps, I love Slack Bots. We are on slack all day, every day, so bots that can integrate directly into the Slack workflow are great. I’m currently using the Google Docs and Google Calendar bots, the Geekbot app for daily standups (my list goes there!), and the Protocol newsletter bot.

What’s your remote working strategy?

A favourite author of mine, Nora Roberts, was once asked in an interview how she managed to publish so many books. Her response was simple: butt in chair.  That’s my remote work strategy, too. I maintain my morning routine exactly as-is: wake up, run, shower, breakfast. Then I take a mug of coffee with me into my office and get started. 

Here’s a quick quirk: I play music from my phone through a bluetooth speaker - not on my computer. It helps recreate the office environment, and keep my computer for-work-only.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone? 

Right now, Run with Hal!

I also recently downloaded the British Dressage “Test Pro” app, which has every dressage test from novice through grand prix levels. I’m not competing right now, and am only at that novice level, but it is fun to scroll through and think, “hey, I can do these movements!”

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into. 

Looking at paints on the Benjamin Moore website! I painted my bedroom and living room earlier this year, but left out the office. Now that I’m working from home and looking at white walls all day, I’m getting the itch to re-do this room. Paints and plants and maybe even new furniture!

What is the key to successful remote working?

Keeping everyone - your colleagues and clients - informed of what you are working on. People tend to assume the worst, so when we’re not meeting face-to-face, the expectation is that you aren’t working. That couldn’t be less true! But, silence is your enemy. Update, update, update.