Working Across Borders: Lessons from Remote Digital Projects

Before relocating to the UK, most of my work was already remote — not by choice, but by necessity. During COVID and the early days of war, I managed projects with dispersed teams, limited infrastructure, and a lot of uncertainty. Those years taught me more than any training ever could.

What I learned is that remote digital work isn’t just about tools or time zones. It’s about how people communicate, build trust, and stay aligned when they’re not in the same room.

Here’s what helped most:

• Clear Asynchronous Communication — Not everything needs a meeting. Writing good briefs, updates, and documentation helped teams move faster, even across time zones. Being able to work without waiting for a reply made a huge difference.

• Shared Tools and Structure — Having one shared digital home (a project tracker, document hub, etc.) cut down on confusion. Everyone could find what they needed when they needed it. We didn’t waste time chasing links or clarifying what version was correct.

• Time-Zone Friendly Planning — I always planned with people’s actual working hours in mind. That small consideration builds trust and respect, and it makes it easier to get things done without endless delays.

• Over-communication Beats Silence — When things are uncertain, people need regular updates — even if the update is "nothing new yet." Silence creates stress. Clear updates build confidence.

These lessons apply whether you’re working across countries or just across departments. Remote digital work needs more than flexibility — it needs intention, structure, and mutual respect.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that remote teams are less connected. In my experience, clear roles, shared documentation, and small rituals (like weekly summaries or regular check-ins) can actually improve how people collaborate. Many of the teams I worked with had never met in person, but we still built things that worked and lasted.

And yes, things will still go wrong sometimes. People miss calls. Tech breaks. Plans change. But if you have the right foundation in place, those hiccups don’t derail the whole project.

For anyone leading or joining a distributed team, my advice is this:

• Don’t wait for the "perfect" platform. Use what you have, and use it well.

• Write things down. A shared doc beats a forgotten chat.

• Give people room to work. Micromanaging from a distance never helps.

• Be human. A little empathy goes a long way.

Remote digital work is here to stay. And done right, it opens up incredible opportunities — for collaboration, creativity, and flexibility. You don’t have to be in the same place to build something meaningful together.

That’s the biggest lesson of all.