At Toptal, remote work is ingrained in our DNA. Over the past four years, our team has embraced remote work across more than 30 countries. Our 100% remote, 90-person strong, venture-backed company experiences remarkable growth year after year—all while operating primarily from our laptops, phones, and tablets. We champion remote work as a highly productive and efficient approach, advocating for it with our clients while embodying its principles ourselves. By embracing remote hiring, we transcend geographical limitations, enabling us to assemble the very best team, irrespective of whether individuals are located across the Bay or scattered across the globe.

However, it appears that some brilliant minds hold a different perspective. Recently, a post by Paul Graham along with a subsequent response from Automattic’s Matt Mullenweg ignited a huge debate about remote work. I shared Matt’s post with my team because it eloquently articulates what we’ve been advocating for years: when you prioritize hiring the best global talent, irrespective of location, everyone benefits.

You’re likely already acquainted with the textbook success stories of remote teams like 37Signals, Automattic, GitHub, and many more. However, let’s consider some less obvious instances where office-based professionals engage in remote work:

• A VP of Sales on a business trip, providing updates to her team
• A software development team conducting their daily scrum meeting with a client
• A marketing professional negotiating advertising deals with a company situated across the country
• Business analysts finalizing a presentation during their commute to the office
• Software developers opting for instant messaging with colleagues seated across the room instead of engaging in face-to-face conversations

Essentially, whenever you’re physically away from the office or collaborating with someone who isn’t in your immediate vicinity, you’re engaging in remote work. The dynamics of conducting business have undergone significant transformations over the past couple of decades… yet remote work, in its simplest form, isn’t a novel concept.

With our entire workforce at Toptal working remotely, we’ve accumulated extensive firsthand knowledge on effective collaboration from a distance. Regardless of whether you identify as a remote worker, these insights might prove valuable to you.

1. Dealing with a challenging client or colleague? Opt for video chat

Your instinct might be to avoid any visual interaction with this difficult individual. However, video chat often surpasses text, voice, or even in-person meetings in effectiveness. It’s not about seeing the other person, but rather about them seeing themselves.

The strategic placement of mirrors behind bartenders serves a similar purpose: people tend to behave differently when they can observe their own reflection—even those under the influence. In most instances, they exhibit greater self-awareness, professionalism, and patient. When you perceive that someone isn’t fully engaged during a conversation (perhaps you detect typing sounds in the background or they repeatedly request information), or if their tone becomes aggressive or agitated, consider switching to video. I anticipate you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the immediate positive shift in the conversation’s dynamics.

2. Minimize scheduling back-and-forths with remote teams

Does this scenario seem familiar?

This tedious process is entirely avoidable, so liberate yourself from it.

One of the primary advantages of a shared office space is the ability to approach a colleague’s desk and inquire if they have a moment to spare. Within a minute, you’ve achieved successful collaboration. The cycle time is incredibly short, eliminating wasted minutes, hours, or even days.

Not too long ago, the remote equivalent of a quick deskside chat was nonexistent. Email responses were sluggish, and long-distance phone calls were costly. However, those days are firmly in the past. Today, numerous tools are at our disposal—from Skype to Slack to HipChat—that make instant collaboration even more seamless than a trip to the water cooler.

Even with a fully distributed team, emailing someone to schedule a call or meeting for a quick discussion is rarely necessary. Simply double check your time zones for a virtual check-in.

Or even better, skip the formality altogether and just call them. While call etiquette might not be as well-defined on platforms like Skype or GChat, leveraging their voice capabilities is essential. If someone is occupied, they’ll simply ignore your call. No harm done. They can call you back at their convenience, or you can try again later.

However, it’s always courteous to initiate contact with a thoughtful message—your colleague might be in the middle of a presentation.

3. Eliminate lengthy email threads

Here’s another scenario that might resonate with you:

At my company, we have a strict policy against such email chains. I have an aversion to lengthy emails, particularly those that are convoluted and confusing. They are breeding grounds for miscommunication and overlooked details. Trying to decipher these email labyrinths is a prime example of how unproductive time is wasted in mediocre organizations.

Crafting a well-considered email response can be time-consuming, but that’s no justification for overwhelming your colleagues with information overload. The next time you find yourself typing “See below in bold/red/underline/whatever,” hit the pause button. If you lack the time for a comprehensive written response, opt for a phone call or a virtual chat. Should you require documentation of the discussion, follow up with concise bullet points and clear action items. This practice will save you and your collaborators valuable time and minimize confusion.

4. Boost your internet speed with a VPN

Have you ever encountered this situation: your internet connection seems to be acting up—Skype calls fail to connect, or downloading a document from a colleague feels like a blast from the dial-up era—yet a speedtest indicates acceptable speeds?

Your ISP might be engaging in throttling your connection.

This is a frequent occurrence for me, particularly when attending conferences abroad. I’ve encountered carriers like T-Mobile that throttle Skype calls on their 3G networks, attempting to coerce customers into either upgrading to a pricier plan or resorting to expensive long-distance calls.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts all of your online traffic, rendering it impossible for your ISP to decipher its nature and throttle it selectively. When traveling, it’s advisable to download a VPN client like Buffered on both your phone and computer or explore the top-rated VPN services on BestVPN.com. The next time you encounter such connectivity issues, activate your VPN and witness the potential improvement in your connection speed.

As an added benefit, if you handle sensitive data, you’ll gain an extra layer of a nice boost in security.

5. Prioritize Exercise

Your health is as crucial as any of the tips mentioned above. Herman Miller highlights the “turtle” position and how effortlessly we slip into poor typing posture. A recent widely discussed TED Talk compares the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting to those of smoking. When working from the comfort of your home, a hotel room, or a beach, it’s tempting to remain stationary for extended periods.

However, maintaining a consistent exercise routine while working remotely is entirely feasible. In fact, a recent survey from ConnectSolutions revealed that 32% of remote workers report increased exercise levels compared to their previous traditional office environments. To ensure this positive trend, I recommend keeping a Thera-Band within arm’s reach of your workspace. Olympic gymnasts incorporate these into their resistance training, and with 6 inches of rubber, you can perform a full body workout virtually anywhere. During long hours spent on your computer, you need to get up and exercise often. I encourage you to make it a habit to grab it for a few moments whenever it catches your eye—whether you’ve just arrived home, finished a call, or are taking a brief pause between emails or coding sessions.

How does this contribute to enhanced collaboration? Exercise has been consistently linked to numerous benefits, from improved decreased stress and anxiety to enhanced increased happiness and creativity, and mental performance. Even a small amount of exercise can make a noticeable difference. By prioritizing your physical well-being, you become a more valuable and engaged team member.

In fact, why not take a break from reading right now and do a few push-ups?