Day in the Life of a Remote Worker: Matt Mitchell
This spotlight illustrates how each remote worker finds freedom and productivity in their everyday life, in their unique way. Get inspired and see how you can improve your workspace, workflow, and work/life balance.
Name: Matt Mitchell
Pronouns: he/him/his
Current Job: Partnerships Director at X-Team
Current Location: Charlottesville, VA
Current Computer: 15in MacBook Pro
Current mobile devices: iPhone 11
What led you to choose remote work?
I was working in Outside Sales for a few years and wanted to find a more optimized way of working while being able to incorporate more travel into my life. I started tracking the time I spent commuting to and from work to see my clients and overnight travel throughout my sales territory and found that I had very little time to spend actually working. Most of my time was used up in transit, so I started looking for a remote job. Once I joined the remote workforce, I never looked back. Working remotely has truly changed my life.
What does your typical workday look like?
7 am: Dog licks my face before my alarm can go off (we have 4 large breed dogs 🐕)
7:15 - 8 am: Coffee (2 cups), feeding the pups, trying to stay off of my phone, reading, waking up, etc.
8 - 9 am: Either on my first call (I primarily work with clients in EU to start my day and then North and South American clients afterward) or checking emails, Slack, and Trello.
9 - 10 am: Working through Slack and Trello while connecting with coworkers and developers based on the workload for the day.
10 - 10:30 am: Breakfast time. Usually a simple vegetarian burrito or avocado toast.
10:30 am - 2 pm: Client calls and building project proposals. Answering emails and slack.
2 - 2:30 pm: Lunch. I go back and forth between a veggie burger if I have time, or a Huel meal if I’m busy.
2:30 - 5 pm: Prospecting for new clients/partners, setting up meetings for the next day, closing out tasks and shutting down for the day.
5 - 6 pm: Working on side project tasks. I’m currently growing a campervan rental business and spend time working on the van, website, contractor updates, and new renter reservations.
7 pm: Dinner (quinoa bowls, veggie stir fry, etc)
8 - 10 pm: TV/Movie or seeing close friends. In bed by 10:30 pm to get at least 8 hours.
7:15 - 8 am: Coffee (2 cups), feeding the pups, trying to stay off of my phone, reading, waking up, etc.
8 - 9 am: Either on my first call (I primarily work with clients in EU to start my day and then North and South American clients afterward) or checking emails, Slack, and Trello.
9 - 10 am: Working through Slack and Trello while connecting with coworkers and developers based on the workload for the day.
10 - 10:30 am: Breakfast time. Usually a simple vegetarian burrito or avocado toast.
10:30 am - 2 pm: Client calls and building project proposals. Answering emails and slack.
2 - 2:30 pm: Lunch. I go back and forth between a veggie burger if I have time, or a Huel meal if I’m busy.
2:30 - 5 pm: Prospecting for new clients/partners, setting up meetings for the next day, closing out tasks and shutting down for the day.
5 - 6 pm: Working on side project tasks. I’m currently growing a campervan rental business and spend time working on the van, website, contractor updates, and new renter reservations.
7 pm: Dinner (quinoa bowls, veggie stir fry, etc)
8 - 10 pm: TV/Movie or seeing close friends. In bed by 10:30 pm to get at least 8 hours.
Describe your workspace setup:
I do all of my work from a 15in MacBook Pro and an iPhone 11. I’ve tried using multiple screens and an iMac set up in the past, but I love having the option to get up and go whenever I want. Mobility while working remotely is very important to me. My fiancé and I recently purchased our first home (aside from our van) so I get the pleasure of working from an 850 sqft log cabin with 60 acres of room to roam outside during my breaks. It’s an amazing base camp for all of our adventures.
I primarily use email and Slack for communication, Zoom and Hangouts for client and team calls, Trello for project management, and Pipedrive for my CRM. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn networking, prospecting and connecting, as well as the mobile app versions of all the tools previously mentioned while I’m on the go. I have a sit/stand desk that I love and a high back computer chair for longer days. No matter where I am working, I always have a window next to me to remind me to take a break, get outside, and recharge. On sunny days and if our vans aren’t rented, I’ll work from the van with the door open and music blasting for an energy boost.
I primarily use email and Slack for communication, Zoom and Hangouts for client and team calls, Trello for project management, and Pipedrive for my CRM. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn networking, prospecting and connecting, as well as the mobile app versions of all the tools previously mentioned while I’m on the go. I have a sit/stand desk that I love and a high back computer chair for longer days. No matter where I am working, I always have a window next to me to remind me to take a break, get outside, and recharge. On sunny days and if our vans aren’t rented, I’ll work from the van with the door open and music blasting for an energy boost.
What do you listen to while you work?
For my heads down days, I prefer to listen to the Low Fi Hip-Hop playlist on Spotify. Melodic instrumentals with little to no lyrics really help me to stay focused during my flow work. If I’m not heads down, my music can range from bluegrass/folk music to early 2000s pop, punk and hip-hop.
Biggest challenge you’ve faced in working remotely:
My biggest challenge when just starting out was my structure and self-discipline. It took me a solid 2-3 months to really lay a solid foundation for daily scheduling and holding myself accountable to get the work done. Lately, my biggest challenge has been my headspace during the pandemic. I’ve struggled with motivation and keeping a positive mood at times with the isolation and current status of the world. After living and traveling full time from our van in 2019, 2020 has been tough in many ways and not having travel as my outlet has been a challenge. I’m lucky to say that I have connected with a therapist and begun weekly sessions to process my thoughts and feelings productively rather than push past them as I’ve been doing for the last few months.
Aside from your phone and computer, name a gadget you can’t live without in your workspace:
I tend to keep my work kit pretty minimal, but I recently splurged on a pair of Bose noise-canceling headphones (PB700), and they are awesome. For heads down flow days, they block out everything and really allow me to get ingrained in my work. They are great for calls too if I’m in a crowded space or moving around during the day.
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Connect with Matt: