Many remote companies, for all their differences, agree that working asynchronously is the most sustainable way for global teams to move forward. Taking time to think and respond to discussions, not interrupting deep work, and documenting decisions keeps you organized and reduces stress.

It's clear async has a lot of fans. But what will take your async practices to the next level? For those true power users who want to get the most out of the async methodology, we've put together a short guide for how to adapt async best practices for your home and family life.

🍳Making breakfast

Cracking eggs, making toast, talking to your kids, all at 7 in the morning? What if you're not ready? Put on a red hat, sip your coffee, and ignore everyone until you are properly settled in. Then put on a green hat and declare yourself online and ready to cook. Even better, leave instructions by the toaster and fridge so that your kids can acquire the skills and knowledge to make their own breakfasts.

🛒Doing the shopping

Set pre-approved spending limits per day for groceries and household supplies. If you want to go over the limit, you will need approval from your partner, in writing. This makes impulse shopping a lot harder, since the approver might not be online at the moment of purchase.

📚Going to school

We all know lessons can be taught via pre-recorded video and written exercises. Show your children how to learn on their own time and then tell them to go to school only for "free snacks" and "onsite socializing." Their teachers will love this.

🍼Welcoming a new family member (onboarding)

Congrats on the bundle of joy! Start your baby's first days off with a Kanban of tasks, and then assign them a buddy who can show them the ropes of things like feeding and waste management.

🧹Dividing up the chores

A chore chart is the original domestic database. Invite the whole fam to your knowledge base and start delgating duties, tagging family members, and updating the status of chores such as doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, making beds and putting toys away.

📲Communicating your whereabouts

Say goodbye to the days of answering your loved ones' calls and texts immediately — just tell them you're going async!

🌴Planning a vacation

Another great opportunity to lead by writing. In fact, if you're a Type A person, you may already do this! Create docs with itineraries and potential activities, spreadsheets with accomodations and costs, and photo drives to cherish your memories. Then, invite your travel companions as editors (or read-only participants if you want to protect your hard work!)

😴Bedtime routines

Everyone in your household on a different "sleep timezone"? No problem! Post your sleeping hours on a piece of paper outside your bedroom door so your family knows when you are in Do-not-disturb mode.

🤝Making new friends

Make a cheatsheet, user guide, or intro doc to help new acquaintances get to know you before they even meet you! This way you can skip the small talk and get to the good stuff, like, "Why do you have so many Pokémon cards?" And, "Could you please stop talking about rock climbing?"

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As you can see, async can totally be applied beyond the (home) office.