The New Corner Office
How the Most Successful People Work from Home
Book Edition Details
Summary
In the cozy nook where your laptop meets leisure, Laura Vanderkam redefines the remote work landscape with insights that break the confines of traditional office walls. Her book, "The New Corner Office," distills nearly two decades of remote work mastery into a transformative guide for the modern professional. Vanderkam unveils the art of thriving outside the cubicle with strategies that blend productivity with creativity, and focus with freedom. Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, an introvert or extrovert, her practical tips—like task-based management and rhythm-centric planning—empower you to orchestrate your workday with purpose. Embrace the freedom to nurture relationships and expand your network beyond physical spaces, and discover how the comfort of home can fuel your career ambitions like never before.
Introduction
The world transformed overnight when millions of workers suddenly found themselves managing projects from kitchen tables, leading teams through video calls, and building empires from spare bedrooms. What began as a crisis response has revealed something profound: the most successful professionals aren't just surviving remote work, they're thriving in ways that would have seemed impossible in traditional office settings. The corner office hasn't disappeared—it's evolved. Your new corner office might overlook a garden instead of a city skyline, but it can be just as powerful a launching pad for extraordinary achievement. The question isn't whether remote work is here to stay, but whether you'll master it before your competition does. This revolution demands new skills, fresh strategies, and a complete reimagining of what professional success looks like when the commute disappears and possibility expands.
Manage by Task, Not Time
The secret to remote work mastery lies in a fundamental shift from watching the clock to achieving outcomes. When Meredith Monday Schwartz transitioned her California wedding venue company to fully remote operations, she discovered that her North Star question became "What is the result we're looking for here?" rather than "Are people working eight hours?" This transformation from time-based to task-based management unlocked productivity levels that seemed impossible in traditional office settings. Schwartz's revelation came during a challenging period when the wedding industry faced massive cancellations. Instead of having her team make rote sales calls for eight hours daily, she focused them on building genuine relationships with venue partners during their lowest moments. Employees reported daily on meaningful connections made and specific relationship-building tasks completed. The result wasn't just survival during crisis, but a company culture with virtually zero turnover and employees who genuinely cared about their impact rather than just logging hours. The magic happens when you replace "Am I sitting at my desk because it's 4 PM?" with "What meaningful progress can I make toward our goals right now?" This shift requires creating short, contract-like daily task lists of three to five meaningful items rather than overwhelming wish lists. When your workday ends upon completing these carefully chosen tasks rather than when the clock strikes five, you discover the profound satisfaction that comes from genuine accomplishment. Start by designating Friday afternoons for weekly planning sessions where you identify your top priorities across career, relationships, and personal growth. Each evening, refine tomorrow's short task list, ensuring every item moves you meaningfully forward. Transform meetings from time-filling exercises into results-focused gatherings with clear agendas and defined outcomes. Remember, managing by task rather than time isn't about working less—it's about making every moment of work count toward something that truly matters.
Build Powerful Professional Relationships
The myth that remote work kills collaboration crumbles when you witness the depth of relationships that thoughtful virtual professionals create. Consider how podcast co-hosts can build thriving enterprises despite meeting in person only a handful of times, or how distributed teams develop trust and camaraderie that surpasses many traditional office environments. The secret lies not in proximity, but in intentionality. Amy Laski's Toronto-based PR firm Felicity operates entirely virtually, yet her team maintains what she calls a "just call commitment"—designated hours when anyone can make unscheduled calls to colleagues. This simple practice transforms what might take several email exchanges into two-minute phone conversations that solve problems instantly while building genuine connections. Meanwhile, her annual Urban Retreats bring the team together for carefully planned activities like cooking school adventures or ropes courses, creating face-to-face memories that fuel collaboration throughout the year. The transformation happens when you realize that remote work expands rather than limits your relationship-building opportunities. Without the constraint of a daily commute consuming two hours, you can schedule weekly "curiosity conversations" with fascinating people over virtual coffee, attend industry events with fresh energy, and maintain connections across vast geographic distances. Your network becomes global rather than limited to whoever happens to work in your building. Begin by scheduling at least one relationship-building activity each week—whether it's a virtual lunch with a colleague, a coffee meeting with someone in your extended network, or a quick check-in call with a former teammate. Make video calls your default for important conversations, and don't skip the first few minutes of social connection that builds trust. Create rituals that replicate positive office interactions: virtual office tours, online book clubs, or shared experiences like wine tastings where you send bottles to team members. The goal isn't to recreate the office, but to build something better—relationships chosen with intention rather than left to chance encounters by the water cooler.
Think Big and Advance Your Career
Remote work doesn't limit career ambitions—it amplifies them for those bold enough to seize the opportunity. The most successful remote professionals understand that when you're not competing for face time or playing office politics, your ideas and results speak even louder. This shift from presence to performance creates unprecedented opportunities for those ready to think beyond traditional career paths. The transformation begins with creating what career coaches call a "List of 100 Dreams"—a comprehensive inventory of everything you might want to accomplish professionally and personally. This isn't mere daydreaming; it's strategic planning disguised as possibility thinking. When you push beyond the obvious first twenty items, you discover specific aspirations that reveal your authentic ambitions: launching that mentoring program, becoming known as the go-to expert in your field, or building the kind of flexible lifestyle that lets you work from anywhere while making meaningful impact. Remote work provides the perfect laboratory for experimenting with these bigger visions. Without the constraints of office hours and visible supervision, you can dedicate early morning hours to writing articles that establish your thought leadership, use lunch breaks for strategic relationship building, or spend late evenings on speculative projects that might become tomorrow's breakthrough opportunities. The key is creating systems that support ambitious goals rather than leaving them to chance. Start by designing your "realistic ideal week"—mapping out exactly how you'd spend your time if you had complete control over your schedule. Identify what unique value you bring that others find difficult to replicate, then begin sharing that expertise through writing, speaking, or creating content that showcases your distinctive perspective. Build an email list, even if you start with just twenty people, because having a direct line to people who value your insights becomes invaluable career insurance. Most importantly, say yes to opportunities that excite you even when you're not sure how you'll manage them—your ability to figure things out remotely often exceeds what's possible within traditional office constraints.
Optimize Well-Being for Peak Performance
The most strategic advantage of remote work isn't convenience—it's the ability to optimize your physical and mental state for sustained high performance. Research consistently shows that remote workers report higher happiness scores and engage in healthier behaviors, particularly around exercise and nutrition. This isn't coincidental; it's the natural result of having complete control over your environment and schedule. The transformation becomes visible when you realize that the two hours previously spent commuting can become one hour of exercise and one hour of additional sleep, both of which compound into significantly higher energy levels throughout the day. Consider the remote professional who keeps resistance bands visible in their office for two-minute strength training sessions between calls, or the one who schedules walking meetings for phone calls that don't require screen sharing. These small optimizations accumulate into meaningful health advantages. Smart remote workers understand that comfort isn't luxury—it's productivity infrastructure. This means investing in ergonomic furniture that supports long work sessions, creating workspace ambiance with proper lighting and temperature control, and surrounding yourself with tools that make work genuinely enjoyable. When you love your pens, appreciate your view, and feel physically comfortable in your space, you naturally want to spend more time creating excellent work. Begin by auditing your current setup for comfort and functionality—upgrade anything that causes physical discomfort or mental irritation. Build movement into your day by keeping simple exercise equipment visible and scheduling physical breaks before your energy dips rather than after you're already tired. Plan daily micro-adventures that break routine and create memorable moments, whether that's trying a new walking route, having breakfast outdoors, or video-chatting with a friend while cooking the same recipe. Remember that work-life integration, rather than separation, often creates the most sustainable and satisfying approach to remote success. When your environment supports your well-being, your well-being supports your biggest professional ambitions.
Summary
The remote work revolution has revealed a fundamental truth: success isn't about where you sit, but about how intentionally you approach your work and life. As this transformation demonstrates, "In the new corner office, results matter more than where and when work happens." The most successful remote professionals don't simply replicate their office routines from home—they innovate entirely new approaches to productivity, relationships, career advancement, and personal well-being. They manage by outcomes rather than hours, build relationships through purposeful connection rather than proximity, and optimize their entire life system to support sustained excellence. Your new corner office, whether it's a spare bedroom or a kitchen table, can become the launching pad for achievements that would have been impossible within traditional office constraints. The key is approaching this opportunity with the strategic thinking it deserves rather than treating it as a temporary adjustment. Start tomorrow by choosing just one strategy from this guide and implementing it with full commitment—your future self will thank you for seizing this moment when the world of work cracked open and you chose to step boldly through.
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By Laura Vanderkam
