Working Remotely

In the past 10 years I have transitioned from working in a traditional office environment, to working in a distributed office environment, to working from a home office, to working while traveling. In the process I have been able to create a system that helps me work effectively no matter where I am. Here are four things I would recommend for working remotely:

(1) Make sure you have two ways to connect the Internet. I would recommend standard DSL/Cable and an Spring/Verizon/AT&T wireless Internet connection. The DSL/Cable is fast and good when you are at home, and the wireless can serve as your back at home or your primary when you are traveling. Having a backup Internet connection will mean that you will not break a sweat when your DSL goes out and the phone company says it won't be fixed until tomorrow.

(2) Pay for a software such as GoToMeeting or WebEx. This will allow you to start your own web meetings. You can usually find plans for less than $50 a month. I have been using GoToMeeting ever since I worked from home and would never be without it.

(3) Use a good time tracking system to keep track of what you are doing at every minute or at the very least every 15 minutes. I use a tracking system that allows me to switch between projects, write notes, set action items, and review history. In this way I naturally keep my time as I'm working. At the end-of-the month I can generate reports with details of how much time I spent and what I did.

(4) Once you start tracking your time don't be surprised to find that a full and productive day is now between 6-7 hours. A productive 8 hour day in the office probably has about an hour or so of wasted time. Once you start tracking your time closely you will see this. Working from home can be very productive so it is important that your performance is not measured by the hours you work but by what you are able accomplish.