Work Remotely? What You Need for a Traveling Office
Have you said goodbye to the standard 9 to 5 grind? Good for you! Working remotely can be an extremely liberating experience and give you a lot more flexibility in managing your work/life balance.
But without the proper preparation, setting up shop at a new co-working space every day can become incredibly chaotic.
Here’s what you need to make the transition from a cubical to the coffee shop as seamless as possible.
A Sturdy Backpack
If you don’t like working from home and plan to be moving around a lot, you’re going to need a reliable backpack to get you through all that travel. While a messenger bag is fashionable and good for storing laptops, they don’t always have enough room for all the office essentials.
Invest in a sturdy backpack with a large volume that can hold your laptop, charging cables, keypads and mice, headphones, notebooks, water bottle, and even some extra clothes.
A backpack is much better than a briefcase or side bag because it allows you to move around with two free hands. You can even invest in an insulated bag too – so it holds much more space.
Bike to the nearest co-working space, grab lunch on your break, or talk on the phone as you lug around office supplies on your back!
A Secure Laptop
Your laptop is now going to be used for a lot more than binging Netflix shows and emailing your grandparents. Now that your entire professional life will exist on a mobile PC, it’s time to get serious about its security. Get a laptop lock to deter thieves if you ever step away from your computer in a public place.
These cables make it practically impossible for sticky fingers to open your laptop, and they ensure that you won’t be an easy target as you take your work on the road.
In addition to a physically secure laptop, you should also boost your security software to protect against malware and hackers. Anti-virus software can help alert you to potential threats and get rid of suspicious downloads or programs.
When you store sensitive client information on your laptop, it’s important to take every possible measure against it leaking into the wrong hands.
An External Hard Drive
If you plan to make remote work a way of life, you’re not going to have enough space on your laptop to store all the necessary files and programs.
That’s where an external hard drive comes in. This nifty storage devices simply hook up to your PC, usually through a USB port, and act as an extension of your saved file library. Hard drives can vary in storage capacity, but 1TB to 3TB of space will typically be plenty for the traveling professional.
Once you fill up a drive, you can simply grab another! Just make sure to label and properly store your hard drives to help you keep track of important work.
A Pair of Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Concentration is key when you’re working in an uncontrolled environment every day. Drown out strangers conversations, honking cars, and blasting coffee shop music with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
No matter how much you might like wearing small earbuds, they won’t cut through the cacophony of a loud room like a pair of heavy-duty headphones will.
Lots of noise-cancelling headphones also feature fun designs so you can add a little pizzazz into your office equipment.
A Good Water Bottle
Unlike at an office, you probably won’t have a water cooler constantly dispensing cold refreshments 24/7 while you work remotely.
That’s why a good water bottle will come in handy! Pick a thermos that keeps your drinks hot or cold for long periods of time, that has a spill-resistant lid, and that’s able to withstand hard impacts if you drop it.
Staying hydrated is key for a healthy, productive mind, so don’t skip this step while you’re outfitting your mobile office.
The benefits of setting your own schedule, working in a new place every day, and getting out of the office can be enormous. But this level of freedom also comes with a lot of responsibility, and a lack of organization can be the downfall of many eager remote workers.
Set yourself up for success with the right gear to make your traveling office work for you—and not the other way around!
