Learn How to Set Clear Boundaries
The best thing about working in an office is that it is easy to set boundaries between your personal life and your work life. Once you get outside the office and start working from your bedroom or your hotel room, the boundaries become blurred. If you really want to learn how to work effectively outside the office, you need to figure out how to separate your work life from your personal life.
The best way to go about this is to mark off an area in your bedroom or hotel room or wherever you want to work, and reserve that area for work alone. That way, whenever you enter that area (however small it might be), you will notice yourself starting to shift into a work mindset. And, when you leave that area, you will find yourself better able to transition away from a work mindset.
Pay Attention to Ergonomics
The biggest problem with working outside your office is that most non-office spaces do not have furniture that promotes good posture and comfort while working. Most hotel furniture is not designed to be used as office furniture and while upscale hotels often have desks that can work in a pinch, most hotels do not have furniture that will enable you to work at your best for long periods of time without feeling cramped or uncomfortable.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. If you have a good tolerance for ergonomic nightmares, you might not even need to solve this problem. If on the other hand, you are like most people, you might want to consider shopping around for some good portable or lightweight office furniture. A simple folding table and chair can work wonders and aren’t too difficult to haul around.
Guard Your Health
Although health is often overlooked as an important factor in success, the truth is, health is one of the foundational pillars of a successful career. The better your health is, the more energy you have and, consequently, the more likely you will be able to persist in pursuing your goals.
Unfortunately, working from the road or your bedroom is not conducive to good health. There’s just something about working in an informal environment that encourages bad food choices. Nothing’s easier than grabbing a fat-laden snack while you’re in your pajamas and working hard in your bedroom. Ordering a pizza is a cinch when you’re working out of a hotel room.
In order to protect your health, make a conscious effort to make healthy eating choices. Healthy options are almost always available wherever you are, even if they are usually less visible than unhealthy options. Put in a little extra effort to put only healthy things down your throat, and the quality of your work will be improved.
Keep a Handle on Your Relationships
Relationships make the world of business go round and round. Unfortunately, most business relationships require regular face-to-face contact to flourish or even survive. We live in the digital age, but there is absolutely no replacement for face-to-face communication. However much you detest your office, you will have to return occasionally to meet with your employees and keep valuable relationships going.
Try not to make this into a chore. If people sense that you are meeting with them only because you feel you have to, you will have a hard time maintaining good relationships with them. Always try to be sincere in your efforts to build relationships. The more sincere you are, the better the results you will have.
(Word-of-mouth marketing is another excellent example of an activity that is only effective when you are sincere. There are no effective word-of-mouth marketing experts who don’t believe wholeheartedly in what they’re doing.)
Questions to Help You Improve on How Well You Work Outside of the Office
- Do you have a clearly delineated workspace?
- Is your impromptu workspace meeting your ergonomic needs?
- Are you watching your diet?
- Are you maintaining important relationships at the office?