You're working remotely in Algorithms. How do you stay focused?

It's really hard to get focus for some people. It's not like all of us get our own room to work or a silence place to focus on work. So make use of what you got. How? It's also like you solving problem, understand yourself (like your energy level, eating, preferences...) Then know your goal (deadline) and make plan for it. Having a clear schedule or a set of rules will help you focus and keep track of it.

Like I said, it's really hard and case by case. But let focus on what thing you can control? Get a noise cancelling headphones (Sony WH-1000XM5 is good), if not repeating listening to a track will help. Get all things you need around you. And one thing I need to remind: light (get enough of it please) and get some sun exposure to start a day.

Again, get the best out of what you got and can control. We have some rules to conduct a meeting or not, chose the method that best for this case (you can search for it, it's all over linkedin nowadays) so you don't get consume by it. And don't hesitate to ask for help when you are out of idea. It's okay to being blocked in a task

Communicate regularly and consistently, get feedback. Use appropriate communication tools such as messaging, emailing, zoom meeting, even picking up a phone sometimes.

In my experience, clear communication is even more important than it is in an office setting. Although working remotely can allow more focus by having less distractions, the reduced bandwidth makes it much easier to spend longer being blocked, going down the wrong path or solving the wrong problem, so it is worth having checks to prevent that outside of meetings (like a "here's the details of what I'm working on") email. Some people like to have something like a Slack channel open, but without some protocol for how that's used, I find that more of a distraction than in-office interruptions would be.

I remember to attend a workshop when my boss talk about celebrate small wins. It's about accept and work yourself out of your normal way. Rewarding yourself can help you stay focused, positive, and proud of your work.

Remote work is all about self-discipline - you are responsible for your own motivation, setting your own structure, and ensuring you're as productive as you can be without having that office environment. That is true for not just an Algorithms role, but pretty much any kind of IT role with similar characteristics. As long as you're in good control of your work-life harmony, you will be able to succeed working remotely.

The most important thing here is not remote, it is asynchronous. If you elaborate algorithms, you have to act like the best developers. Meaning you need to decompose the big task (epics) in smaller chunks, have a test plan for each of them, ensure persistance of information (to build on it) and good communication (clear drawings, no jargon, straight to the point without unnecessary details) for your team mates.