The remote work problem no productivity app can fix

I’m an enthusiastic advocate of working from home, having done so for most of my career. However, new research shows that those of us who work from home might need the same advantage office workers benefit from: community.

By now, a wealth of research shows that working from home has measurable benefits; in one study of 3,500 workers, productivity increased by 10.5 percent. In a second, a Stanford researcher found that working from home contributed positively to productivity and career growth.

For me, it’s simple. Instead of commuting two hours into my San Francisco office, I can accomplish the same or more at home, surrounded by the equipment I need and the workspace that allows me to accomplish the most in a given amount of time. I tend to plow some of that commute time into thoughtful work that can extend beyond the bounds of the workday, rather than needing to rush home to make sure my family is taken care of.

But the key word here is “family.” Some of the measurable benefits I attach to working from home aren’t shared by everyone: the ability to kiss and hug my wife, joke around with my two boys, pet a cat (who just wandered in). A study published in Science earlier this month looks at the downside, especially for those who live alone: social isolation, which leads to poorer mental health, depression, and so on.

Even you don’t struggle with chronic depression, you’ve undoubtedly hit the blues — the death of a pet, or a loved one. This meta study, which drew on five surveys for a whopping total of more than 588,000 respondents, found that remote workers living alone spent an increasing number of days not talking to anyone. No neighbors, baggers at the grocery store, barbers, no one. Remote, solo workers even cut down on after-hours social occasions. That’s not just a lack of productivity, that’s a lack of life.

Mark Hachman / Foundry

Still, Smithsonian Magazine noted correctly that the Science study looked backwards, not forwards, without offering any solutions.

First, there’s a simple answer: let workers choose. I hate a noisy office environment; I enjoy seeing and collaborating with my coworkers. I hate my extensive commute, but I enjoy covering press conferences or team lunches. Employers who give workers the autonomy to decide when and where they can work tacitly encourage healthy, happy employees. But that’s not always the case.

So if you are a solo, remote worker, how do you keep getting up and putting the hours in? Here’s what I did, back when I was a remote worker living alone:

At work:

Chat: Simply signing on for a group call a minute or two early and checking in can foster personal connections, or at least give you a sense that you’re part of a team. I work with people literally all over the world, and just a few random details of their day is immensely interesting. Finding a coworker who can help out with problems or simply commiserate with is rewarding, as are topical chat rooms on everything from the World Cup to the latest movie.

Network: I’m not encouraging the use of Facebook, Bluesky or X during work. But finding groups like Reddit’s WorkFromHome, made up of like-minded people like you, can help you feel like part of a group. (Reddit didn’t exist when I lived alone, but IRC or AIM did!)

Outside of work:

Friends: That’s an obvious one. Maintaining a lively friends network will keep you going in the best of times. But for those without a lot of friends and family, what then?

Gym: A hobby or club is ideal, especially if it includes some physical activity to get the blood pumping, endorphins flowing, and personal interactions, even with strangers. The problem there is those usually take place at regular times, and sometimes life gets in the way. A gym serves as that “third space” that society lacks. (Ironically, I don’t have nearly as much time to go to the gym as I once did.)

Volunteer: Honestly, volunteer work is the huge life hack that most people don’t think about. Gyms require a membership, and they can be intimidating. Volunteer work doesn’t require anything more from you than showing up. My grandfather walked rescue dogs. I’ve worked at food pantries and served food to the homeless. My father-in-law is a drug counselor. Service can be exceptionally rewarding, and a quiet reminder that you are in fact luckier than you think.

In the news:

It’s Prime Week, so much of my time has been spent trying to help people like you find some great deals on tech products in the productivity space. You probably know that I’ve reviewed laptop docking stations for years, and so one of my roundups has focused on the best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and more. And speaking of working from home — here’s what I came up with for the best deals on how to upgrade your home office with Prime Day deals. Amazon now has a powerful new Prime Day pricing tool, but use it with caution.

(I was right in the middle of a similar story on what deals I could find on gear to take with you on a business trip, but this newsletter got in the way. Oh well!)

Other than that, Microsoft’s return to a cheaper Surface with 8GB of memory might end up being a topic of a future newsletter, or perhaps further testing. Older laptops with 8GB of RAM kind of stunk, though 4GB was worse. What are the hard limits on an 8GB system? It might be worth exploring.

Microsoft is also forcing consumers to upgrade to Windows 11 25H2, rather than letting them stay on 24H2. I know, some of you will be outraged at this, especially if the upgrade arrives at an inopportune time. Honestly, there’s not that much difference between 24H2 and 25H2.

Windows also continues to roll out new incremental feature upgrades, one of which could be pretty useful. This month includes Screen Tint, which allows you to apply a tint to your screen. Why should you care? Because my wife swears by her green-tinted glasses, which does wonders for mitigating migraines.

Productivity tip of the week:

This one comes by way of James Clear, citing legendary investor Warren Buffett’s “two list” strategy: write down twenty goals, then pick five. Isolate those and prioritize them. The tip is to totally ignore then others, until the top five have been completed.

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