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5 Tips For Working On The Go

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People

5 Tips For Working On The Go

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One of the biggest trends in business in recent years is that more people can work remotely. This flexibility allows people to get a great job regardless of where they live, and it also allows people to travel without having to use their vacation time.

Many people work full-time jobs while basically living on an indefinite road trip. Here are some tips for working anywhere without sacrificing resources or productivity.

1. Ditch the Desk Phone

The first thing to keep in mind with remote work is you need to be reachable. However, it's important to keep work and personal life separate, so avoid giving your personal cellphone number to clients. It's easy for clients to violate healthy professional boundaries by texting you at odd hours if they know they have access to your personal line.

If you get a business phone number for your cellphone, you don't have to stress about whether you're missing any important calls when you're away from your desk phone. Some companies will require management to carry a work phone with them so they are reachable at all times, which means many people are walking around trying to manage two phones. Ninja number is an app that can help keep your professional and personal lives separate without needing multiple phones.

2. Maintain a Reliable Laptop and Phone

Find a good laptop to suit your remote needs. It has to be reliable — if you constantly experience issues, either get your laptop fixed or upgrade altogether.

Since most remote work is done online, having computer issues can lead to the inability to work at all, which means a good computer is a form of job security.

Make sure your laptop's battery can last your whole working day, or at least a good majority of it. Your screen should not have any large cracks or dead spots, and you shouldn't have any sticky buttons. Never let a problem persist on your computer — if you have a problem, get it resolved as soon as possible. When working remotely, your laptop and phone are your most valuable tools.

For your phone, reliability also means your service. Some people can't even get service in their own basements, and that's not going to cut it. Don't expect to have service everywhere all of the time, but if you are consistently struggling with cell service, you need to change your phone or maybe even your provider.

3. Ensure Internet Access

Plot out in advance where you're going to work to ensure you will have reliable internet access. Coffee shops and libraries are great resources. It's great to work from locations that will provide easy access to restrooms and food, but make sure your setup will also allow you to work anywhere without relying on anyone else. What do you do if the only coffee shop in town is closed or your day goes awry? Here's your litmus test: imagine you're stranded on the side of the freeway, waiting for a tow truck — could you realistically get some work done while you wait? If not, reconsider your setup.

To make sure you can access the internet anywhere, your phone should have mobile hot spot capabilities. You can also get mobile hotspots, which will save your phone's data plan and may offer more reliable internet access.

5. Utilize Quality Headphones

Having good headphones will help cut out distractions, but this tip isn't just for you — it's for those around you. Nobody wants to hear the audio bleeding out of cheap headphones if you've got your music cranked up. Quality headphones will reduce that sound overflow so you can stay in the zone without forcing others to hear whatever it is that helps keep you there.

If you pace during calls, get headphones that connect via bluetooth.

If you follow these tips, working remotely can be a dream come true. With access to your business line at all times and a good computer, you could even go on a cruise without using your paid time off or stressing that you're missing something important. Don't forget to take advantage of long flights — you can get a solid workday in during an international flight. It's not everyday somebody brings you pretzels and ginger ale while you're composing emails.

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5 Tips For Working On The Go

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