Preparing to take my business on the road was one the most exciting and confusing times in my career. When I decided to leave my office in Austin, TX last August I had no idea what awaited me in Europe and Asia Pacific. Regardless of my own questions, I still had to get my team on board, find a location and pack my digital tool belt.
Cora Rodenbusch (@corasauras) is a senior communications manager at PGi (@PGiMeetTweet), a virtual meetings company, providing audio, web and video conferencing solutions to over 75% of Fortune 100.
Straight from my 6 months as a Digital Nomad, below are three steps to taking your show on the road.
Step 1: Get Your Key Stakeholders On Board.
Put yourself in your boss’s shoes and pitch accordingly. Most likely your boss is asking him/herself three questions: Can you do your job outside the office? Could you actually do it better? Will it make you a happier, more satisfied worker?
Talk to those points, making your pitch as practical as possible. Share your story, be personal, but leave the emotions aside. And most importantly, make sure you’ve fully thought through your plan. Come with all the details such as office hours, cost ownership and accountability, but only speak to them if you feel your stakeholders are ready to hear them.
For more support check out a recent GreenBlog.PGi.com post on Making a Case for Teleworking.
Once you have been given the green light, bust out the champagne, celebrate and calmly proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Scout Out a Location
Whether you’re planning on working from home, the coffee shop or a remote island, make sure the internet connectivity is VoIP quality, its quiet enough to take a conference call and you can afford it. Once you’ve found a location that meets this criteria, see if it’s laptop-worker-friendly and if you enjoy being there.
Step 3: Pack Your Bag
Before you step out the door, make sure your bag is packed. When your office is mobile, it’s best to pack light, so make sure your tools work extra hard. When evaluating a new tool for my digital tool belt, I always ask, is it mobile? Is it global? And most importantly is it social, does it have that human element?
What’s in My Digital Tool Belt:
- Smartphone for Quick Email & Helpful Apps: I live by my TripAdvisor and Worksnug apps. Both help me find the right places to land for a productive day in the “coffice.”
- Solid Video Conferencing Tool: I use the iMeet® iPad app tool to keep it personal and teleport back to the office when needed.
- Online Storage: I use Evernote to store important information when on the go. I can access my files on any of my devices and even offline, when en route to my next destination.
- Emergency Internet: Kindle 3G for free global 3G wireless
Bon voyage fellow teleworker! Don’t miss next week’s Part III of the Digital Nomad 101: Your Guide to Working Outside the Office to find out how to make your teleworking experience a success.
What would you add to your digital tool belt?
Supported by Plantronics. Simply Smarter Communication solutions for the Mobile Professional
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