What a fantastic time to be alive! Am I right? Due mostly to advances in communication technologies, availability of high-speed internet access, and a suite of great tools at our disposal, as a workforce, we are now more than ever before able to explore the realities of working remotely. The bad news, though, is that many employers who are flirting with the idea of allowing flexible work situations don’t have the foggiest idea what they are doing or where to start when it comes to making remote work, work. The good news? It’s getting better every day.

Working remotely is becoming commonplace among today's technologically saturated workforce. With giant steps forward in technology and infrastructure providing mobi-workers with free (or nearly free) high-speed internet access virtually anywhere on the planet it's now easier than ever to work away from work.

Working from home. Ahh, it’s the dream, isn’t it? Get up around eleven, have coffee, read the news, hang with the dog. Idyllic, isn’t it? But for those working apart, it’s not probably the reality. Or if it is, things may not be going all that well for you. Sorry to hear that bruh. But one thing is true—many a remote worker chooses to work from the comfort and confines of their home. And while most home-based workers—the pros anyway—tend to develop and stick to routines that keep them on track, productive, and performing at high-levels, there are many common yet unforeseen side-effects of playing it too close to home, too often.

For many companies in our now-more-than-ever digitally enabled society, for cost-savings or a myriad of other reasons, many are beginning to embrace the idea of utilizing remote workers. The prospect of using a freelancer has become pretty common, but it used to consist of hiring your friend or brother-in-law. Minimally, someone within a stone’s throw. But with advances in tech, the world has gotten smaller and good help further away all at the same time.

You’ve all heard the saying before from the French Scientist Jean-Baptiste Leroy, “but in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Said even more concisely, I believe that there is only one constant, and that is change. As we all know, change can be a force hard to reckon with. Not usually because its physically hard or strenuous—although I suppose it could be—but because it’s scary. And that fear is often the one thing getting in the way of our achieving our fullest potential. An example of this might be when an individual aspires to change careers.

Whether you are working in an office environment surrounded by a team of your peers or a digital nomad working out of your camper van overlooking some scenic vista, most will agree that there is little room for lone wolves in the workforce. While team, trusted advisors, or circles of trust come in all shapes and sizes depending on the needs of the individual, few would argue that we are flat out better off on our own. As a freelance or remote worker, you must fight off the natural tendency to go it alone. Instead, you need to focus your energy on growing your pack.