These days, it seems everyone is trying to push a return to the office for a wide variety of reasons. But what if we explored the other extreme — not just working from home, but working from anywhere? A year ago, I embarked on a month long relocation dubbed “The Great Experiment”. The idea? To see if I could live for a month in another place and still work effectively. What would it take for me to complete projects from somewhere other than my comfortable and well-set up office.
And I learned some stuff!
- Set Your Tech: Once you have good internet connectivity, you’re all set. We’re all in the cloud now, and it’s a game changer when it comes to working from anywhere. Not only did I have access to my entire desktop file system, I also had access to the host of websites we all use on a daily basis. While I had to puzzle through a few uploads, I was never stuck for a document or function I needed. From Slack to Figma to WordPress, I had access to it all.
- What to bring: What I took was a little different than what I’d planned. As I packed, a few things — like a nifty laptop stand, stayed at home. They were just too big and too heavy. (When you’re packing for 5 weeks away from home, you have to make some tough choices.) I brought a Chromebook instead of a heavy laptop and skipped the iPad. While I brought my paper planner-calendar, I consolidated my work notebooks, journals, and trip info into one notebook. It was a great lesson in going paperless. I didn’t use a VPN, but easily could have. I brought great pens and a legal pad, just because.
- The morning reset: At home, I have a morning routine, like all of us. Coffee, desk, email, calendar. I make notes if I’m reading something for work. I tried to keep something similar when on the road. Over coffee, I’d journal and make a work plan, set and track goals. I’d write down ideas and catch up with any daily tasks. When sharing a small space with other people, I also tried to make sure my space was clean, tidy, and organized.
- Project based work: As part of my morning routine, I’d make a list of things I needed to get done as well as one major piece of work for that day – a chapter edited or writing finished. It helped me to focus getting through my list each day, being mindful about rolling anything over, and setting boundaries. You may not get everything done but you can find the space to give yourself permission to enjoy where you are.
- A workspace/desk/comfortable chair: So, I love the little apartment we frequently rent, but we are usually so busy, we never noticed there’s no comfortable place to sit or work! I learned I can work from anywhere, but I really need a desk or table and comfortable chair (don’t we all) next time.
- Stop and smell the roses: Keep in mind where you are! If you’re in a foreign country, sometimes you have to set work aside for a trip to the wine shop, a favorite restaurant, or an apero on the deck if the weather is nice. And bonus, for lunches and leisure time, you’re in a foreign country! Soak it in!
All of this means I can hardly wait to do it again! We all have times of the year when we’re not so busy, so many that’s the time to decide to relocate for a few weeks. A condo on the beach in Florida for the winter, maybe? Or a ski-cabin in Colorado with hiking every afternoon? It’s freedom! Make it work for you! I can hardly wait to try it again.
Connecting. Creating. 
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