How to Work from Anywhere
Psst! Hey you! Yes, you, working that same ol’ desk job from the same ol’ place. We know you’d love the flexibility to be able to work from anywhere — and not just from your local coffee shop or at home with your fur babies at your feet. We’re talking anywhere in the world — like a cabana in Cabo, a ski lodge in Wyoming or a café in Paris. (Do we hear a collective “Oui! Oui!”?)
A change of scenery and routine is good for a gal, especially one who works as hard as you.
That’s one of the reasons we do what we do for a living. It’s not just that we love our job, it’s also because of how (and where) we’re able to do our job. Whether we want to visit our folks in Fargo from Friday to Tuesday or take a long overdue 10-day getaway, being able to sneak in some work is essential and (dare we say) fun at times — it is when you love what you do!
Speaking from personal experience, being able to soak in the sun and surf during the day while doing a little work in between is where it’s at, girl. (Ahem, we might be doing that as we write this blog post. We’re old pros at it by now, so how will you ever know?)
Whether you want to hit the road for a long weekend away or are just in need of a vacay, here are some tips on how to work from anywhere.
Keep Your Focus
Manage your friends’ and family’s expectations and set a schedule.
Let’s imagine a couple different scenarios. Your parents are over the moon to see you, your hubby and your kiddos, and they want to prove it by taking the whole gang out to dinner three out of the four nights you’re there and planning a get-together in your honor. Or perhaps you and your best gal pals are hitting the slopes for a week in Jackson Hole. An itinerary filled with Black Diamond runs, hot tubs, apres-ski drinks, and dinner and dancing is in the works — it’s sure to be a fun time for everyone.
Just make sure you manage your family’s and friends’ expectations before your time together. Remember that when you go on vacation, you’re bringing other people into your “work space.” You need to keep the communication lines open. What do we mean? For example, you might tell your family that you need one evening and one hour each morning to attend to work matters. Or, perhaps, you communicate to your girlfriends that you’ll be cozying up in the ski chalet during one of the five ski days to work, but that you’ll join them for lunch. Chances are they’ll understand. They’d much rather you work a little than miss out on being with you altogether.
Do your research.
Your hotel is sure to have free Wi-Fi but do they have a comfortable work area on the premises? How fast is the internet connection at your in-laws’ house? Do a quick internet search of local coffee shops and libraries (most have free Wi-Fi and a quiet space to work). It’s always nice to have an idea about where you’ll be setting up shop in advance. You don’t want to waste precious vacation time figuring these things out when you get there.
Tools to Use
Bring extras.
We speak from experience when we say bring extras. We’re talking headphones (in case you drop a pair into the pool), chargers (you can’t have too many) and hard copies of important passwords and phone numbers. (Even though you already have them stored on your phone under Contacts and in your handy-dandy password-management tool DataVault, you’ll need them in case your phone follows your headphones into the pool.)
Don’t be caught without Wi-Fi.
If you are going someplace remote with sketchy internet access, then consider adding a Wi-Fi hotspot to your phone, as long as the area you’re going to has cellular service.
Enable — and understand — the Cloud.
Hopefully you won’t need to work on any big projects during your getaway, but if you do, make sure you’re able to send big files via Dropbox and Google Drive.
Get Your Head Out of the Cloud
A vacation is a time for you to connect with your family and friends — so be present. One of our favorites quotes is by writer Anne Lamott who says, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
Use your time and tools wisely so you can work remotely. But don’t miss out on the irreplaceable moments and experiences with friends and family.
CTA: With the iMarketer Blueprint, you’re your own boss and you learn how you can work from anywhere at any time. Learn more at www.iMarketerLife.com.
