The messiness of working remote
Musings on cognitive load across continents
Remote work is such a double-edged sword. I love the diversity of voices, but sometimes the accents, language differences, time zones, and tech glitches pile up. One of my friends recently admitted, “I just can’t deal with all the accents. It’s harder to understand, and it becomes frustrating.” I get that. The cognitive load is real.
At the same time, I keep reminding myself: Non-native speakers have been dealing with this forever. They’re translating for us, often in real time. It’s humbling when you think about it.
So, what’s the answer? My friend and I tossed around some ideas—slowing down, active listening, illustrating concepts visually, offering written follow-ups (or using an AI tool to transcribe and summarize), even acknowledging the frustration outright. It’s not about erasing the challenges. It’s about finding small ways to make things easier for everyone. Remote work tests your patience, but it also pushes you to grow.