I’ve been in the software field for 16 years, and more than 7 of those have been fully remote. In that time, I’ve had days where everything clicked and days where finishing a single task felt like climbing a hill. I’ve lived through every one of the “gears” in this post myself, and I know I’m not the only one. If you work remotely, there’s a good chance you’ve had a few of these days this week alone.
When you’re leading teams remotely, the gear you’re in has a direct impact on your team’s performance. That’s because you need to understand how much energy you’ll have at the start of the day, so you can use it wisely to lead your team and still focus on your own tasks.
So let’s talk about why remote work productivity is never a straight line, and why that’s perfectly fine. 🚗
What are the gears of remote work productivity?
Think of your productivity like a car with six gears. Not every day needs to be driven in 6th.
- 1st gear. The task in front of you feels huge. Everything takes effort. Just getting through the day feels like a win.
- 2nd gear. You’re still working hard, but things feel a little more manageable.
- 3rd gear. Your effort and your output feel nicely balanced.
- 4th gear. You’re ticking things off almost without noticing.
- 5th gear. You’re in the flow. Time disappears, and you look at the clock wondering where the day went.
- 6th gear. The rare one. The big tasks are done, tomorrow’s priorities are already under control, and somehow you still have time left.
Is a 1st-gear day an unproductive day?
Not necessarily. A slow day often has a perfectly good reason behind it:
- The work itself is harder.
- Your energy is lower.
- You’re dealing with something outside of work that nobody else can see.
When you work remotely, there’s no one around to notice any of this. That makes it easy to judge yourself against your best days and conclude you’ve fallen short.
The real mistake: expecting the same output every day
The problem isn’t having a 1st-gear day. It’s expecting 6th-gear output from yourself every single day. That expectation leads to frustration, guilt and, over time, burnout. It also blinds you to how much you actually achieved on the harder days.
How to manage your energy as a remote worker
Here’s a simpler approach:
- Recognise your gear. Take a moment at the start of the day to notice where your energy really is.
- Adjust your expectations. Plan your day around the gear you’re in, not the gear you wish you were in.
- Do the most important thing you can. Focus on the one task that matters most, with the energy you have.
- Make the most of high gears. When you’re naturally in 5th or 6th gear, use it. Tackle the big, demanding work while the momentum is there. 🚀
Remote work gives us flexibility in where and when we work. That flexibility should include how we manage our own energy, too.
In a nutshell
Remote work productivity naturally shifts through gears, and a slow 1st-gear day isn’t automatically an unproductive one, so instead of expecting the same output every day, recognise your gear, adjust your expectations, focus on the most important thing you can do, and make the most of those 5th or 6th-gear days when they arrive.
It’s also important to remember that sometimes you’ll have to backtrack on what you were doing to put things right. This is essentially you shifting into reverse gear. And guess what? That’s totally fine.
So, what gear are you in today? Share it in the comments below. And if you’re leading a remote team and want help building a culture that respects how people actually work, get in touch with RemoteWinners.
🔗 Related: Remote Team Peak Performance Hours: How to Align Your Schedule Around Them
📌 Follow Anjana Silva (LinkedIn) for remote work and tech tips for remote startups, tech organisations, and tech professionals.
