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You’re Still Doing Remote Work All Wrong

One year later, an army of remote workers are still making rookie mistakes that lead to burnout

Will Leitch
Index
Published in
6 min readMar 17, 2021

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On March 18, 2005, I cleaned out my desk at Registered Rep. magazine, the financial publication I was (I can admit it now) a rather terrible business reporter for, and left a job I’d held for two years. I didn’t leave on bad terms. I liked all my co-workers and there were no sour feelings, but I also didn’t have another job set up. I just knew I wasn’t a very good business reporter, my boss agreed with me, and thus we went our separate ways. I turned in my key card, filled out some paperwork with HR, and hit the Irish pub across the street for a round of goodbye beers. I wasn’t sure what I’d do next. Maybe try freelancing for a while?

And that, friends, was the last day I worked in an office. Six months later, I founded the sports website Deadspin out of my apartment, and I’ve been working at home as a writer ever since. It has been so long since I worked in an office that my non-office work life is now old enough to drive. Considering every story I’ve read about in-person office life in the last 16 years has been about all the terrible things you’re doing to each other in cubicle-land, it does not seem that I am missing out on much.

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Will Leitch
Index
Writer for

Author seven books, including “How Lucky” "The Time Has Come" and "Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride." NYMag/MLB. Founder Deadspin. https://williamfleitch.substack.com