Where do you live? In Germany, 30k a year is a half time job in tech.
I earn 59 working remote from Berlin for a company in Frankfurt.
Im deliberately staying at this firm even though I could earn more elsewhere because I've optimised expectations and flows
I work 40h a week but get it done in half. This is a good thing, for both me and the firm.
I have "Freiraum im kopf" (not sure how to translate that, read clear headspace) to think big thoughts that sometimes feed back into the company.
I find clear communication there is absolutely vital. Seeming lazy is the enemy.
I made it clear from the start I only answer mails twice a day at preset times (9:00 and 17:00), not because I am lazy but because I am disciplined and orderly.
My explanation for not interacting with chat / calls half the day is blocking decent time blocks for deep knowledge work. This is true, but not all of that knowledge work is directly for the firm in that moment.
I find project managers are problematic sometimes. Their core job is talking to people, so they want meetings to validate their existence. To that end, I time-block my calendar publicly.
I mark off all non work times so no meetings can be made by mistake in awkward times, and block off knowledge work times as busy. I also have recommended meeting times for non mission critical things like weekly roundups. Grouping these is important.
If you are low in the hierarchy you will be pushed around and your meetings will be scattered throughout the week.
I negotiated a day for research each week instead of a raise and do a quarterly presentation on whats new in the zoo
Sometimes its crunch time and I work a 80h week but this amounts to about 4 weeks a year max. Being flexible and open to this makes me seem like a team player.
If there is a crisis Im first on site. The image is important, and I make a concerted effort to make sure its seen.