I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: remote work is awesome!
For the most part, remote work gives you so much flexibility and freedom to virtually do whatever you want. And if you know how to handle said flexibility and plan around it, life is good.
I’ve been working remotely for a few years now so it’s safe to say I’ve gotten pretty good at responsibly managing the flexibility that comes with the job. I’ve even written a few blog posts on my process and methods.
But just when I thought I’d mastered remote work I came across a new challenge when it comes to working from home:
Remote working while traveling.
Over the last few months, I’ve been traveling quite a bit, and let me tell you, working remotely isn’t nearly as easy when you’re somewhere new that you’re dying to explore. Especially when you have exciting plans after work. You know, not your usual Supernatural-episode-after-dinner plans but exploring-a-new-city plans.
It has been a hard challenge for me to work around but since I’ll be doing quite a bit more travel for the last few months of 2021, I desperately needed to come up with a system that works for me. Something that could help me maximize productivity at work while still giving me enough time to enjoy my travels.
So I did!
After some trial and error, I’ve come up with a few tips that have helped me effectively work remotely while traveling. Check them out!
Tip #1 Wake Up Earlier
Let me just come out and say it, this tip sucks. Can you tell I’m not a morning person?
Waking up earlier is a hard thing to do but it helps in this scenario.
Waking up early, even if just by an hour, allows you more hours in a day. Thus giving you some extra time to work on your deliverables before you even ‘start’ your day. Think about it. If you get your work out of the way in the morning, the rest of the day is yours to use as you please.
This also goes for meetings. If your work consists of more meetings than individual work, try to schedule them as early as possible to free up some space later in the day.
Honestly, it sounds like a lame tip but I can tell you, it works!
The next time you’re traveling and need to get some work done, set your alarm clock one hour earlier, produce excellent work, and give yourself some well-deserved time to explore after.
Tip #2 Try The Pomodoro Technique
I’m sure by now we’re all aware of the Pomodoro Technique and even though I don’t use it daily, I use it when I need to work while traveling.
There’s something about working somewhere different that tends to distract me. Maybe it’s the fact that there are a lot of other things more exciting for me to do than the task at hand, but alas, I still have to get the work done.
The Pomodoro Technique helps me stay on task and get my work done efficiently. It puts me in a mindset of productivity and it almost makes me feel like I’m racing against the clock –– which, if you think about it, I am. It helps me get my tasks done faster and eliminates distractions from my mind so that I can go back to planning where I’m gonna go for lunch later.
If you’re having a hard time focusing on the task at hand instead of daydreaming of the beach that’s 10 minutes away from you, try the Pomodoro Technique. It works wonders!
Tip #3 Plan Ahead, Work Ahead
This tip is my secret weapon and I’ve been using it for years.
I will say that this one depends on the kind of work you do. If you work in customer service and your job requires immediate action, it might be a bit hard for you to work ahead.
But in my case, I can get stuff done and scheduled ahead of time so that my workload decreases when I travel.
Take for example my Youtube Channel. I upload videos weekly and usually, that means that I film and edit at least one video every week. But if I know I’m traveling soon, I plan ahead and pre-film and edit videos so that I can schedule them to go live while I’m on a trip.
That means I don’t have to worry about filming or editing videos while I’m traveling and that frees up a bunch of my time!
I’m not able to work ahead on all of my other gigs but there are a few things I can work on in advance to free up some time in my future. At that moment, it will feel like double the workload but once you’re in the thick of adventure and having so much fun, you’ll be thankful to your past self for busting their ass to get things done in advance.
If you were to only try one of my tips, it has to be this one. It will change your life!
I’m sure the more I travel while working I’ll be able to come up with even more tips and tricks. But these three are the ones that have helped me over the last few months. They’ve allowed me to keep productive with my remote work while exploring and experiencing new cities and they have helped me keep my stress levels to a minimum.
What are your favorite tips to maximize remote work while traveling?
Isabella Bonifasi 