Remote: Office Not Required

A useful book, to the point that I will order a copy myself after reading a chunk of a borrowed one. However, my main gripe with the tools presented is the inclusion of messenger apps such as Jabber. These, from my own numerous experiences, are a major source of the "interruption factory" old-school culture that prevents people from working effectively and deeply in a modern office. They are equivalent to people walking up to your desk, shouting across the office or having a conversation next to you, and a primary source of interruption for anyone who thinks for a living. Messenger apps have their place, but they are just a text version of the telephone, and equally distracting. Great if you talk for a living, abysmal if you think for your salary. This major criticism aside (and it's a big one as I generally respect Fried's work), this is a useful book for those considering taking the leap or improving their current remote working.

Many of us have been forced into home working as a result of the covid 19 pandemic without much thought of planning. This book provides the roadmap to embrace the best parts of having to work fromHome so it can continue in the future. Some of the tools are a bit outdated now (no mention of zoom for example) but other that this book is entirely relevant for now.

The book does a good job at selling remote working to someone who isn't already.I was looking for something with more focus on how to help / improve for existing remote teams and workers.

I don't normally write reviews, but this was really, really bad. There are no original ideas in the book. For example, one of chapters is about proving that "you can't work from the office when you have a plumber coming". They actually thought it would be important and interesting to learn that. Don't waste you time.

I think the best advice regarding remote work these days can come from someone who is already doing it. And the authors of this book certainly fit that description. This book is mainly intended for those considering remote work, or those in the early stages (like me) looking for a broader perspective. It's a very light read with short and concise chapters and simple language. It is clearly in favour of remote work so one would have to look at a different book or one's own experience for the downsides of remote work depending on how different one's situation is from that described in the book.