Many of us were recently thrown into the teleworking world, some for the first time. It wasn’t easy for people to figure out how to do it, and how to stay productive while working from home. While everyone’s experience with staying productive while telecommuting is different, there are three things that have been super helpful for me.
Telecommuting was awesome for me… until it wasn’t.
I started teleworking, or working remotely, about two years ago. My former company started a policy that allowed us to work from home one day per week, and I jumped on the opportunity. I used the day to get my work done more efficiently as well as get some things done around the house.
As weeks went on, I started to play with my work from home days a little bit more. I spent mornings getting work done in a local coffee shop and took calls in the afternoons. Some days, I’d go work from a friend’s place.
Then, after I quit my job and went out on my own, I was suddenly working from wherever there was WiFi without ANY sort of accountability. I began sleeping in, working until all hours, and sometimes getting on my computer while still in bed. I lost any sense of structure to my days.
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Top 3 ways to be productive while telecommuting
I realized early on that I needed to give my days some structure. Here are my top tips for people who want to be more productive while telecommuting:
1. Create a morning routine
Yes, I said it. Sticking to a morning routine is KEY to being productive while teleworking.
Whether you adhere to a miracle morning or simply commit to an alarm clock and simple morning routine, find something that works for you. It’s ok to start small.
I started by simply committing to drinking a full glass of water before 8:30 every day, no matter what. Then, I added 5 sun salutations before 8:30. Then, I bumped it up to 8 am. It goes on, but now I have a morning routine that has me in to ‘work mode’ by 9 every day.
2. Prioritize your day
Not only do successful work-from-homers prioritize their days, but they do it the day before. Let me give you an example.
My to-do lists are often scattered and have things added to them throughout the day. It leaves me feeling overwhelmed at the end of the day rather than accomplished. To combat this feeling, I rewrite my to-do list at the end of each day.
Before rewriting my list, I sort out what the most important things are. Then, I rewrite my list for the following day with the most important activities at the top of the list. Then, I make sure I have what I need to get the top 3 done the next day.
When I know the day before that I am set up for success the following day, I can rest easy and walk away from my work.
Working from Vedauvoo National Forest
3. Start the Pomodoro Technique
In short, the Pomodoro Technique is short work sprints followed by even shorter breaks. The work sprints are strict: no distractions, no exceptions. There are plenty of Google Chrome plugins that help with this, or you can simply set a timer.
I’m weak when it comes to my phone, so using a phone as a timer is no bueno for me. I use the Marinara plugin on Chrome and set a timer for 25 & 5 minutes. I work for 25 minutes, then get up and do something else for 5.
When I’ve prioritized my day, I simply start with the most important thing first and set 1-3 sprints aside to finish it. For example, I know that if I need to write an article today, I’ll set aside one sprint to write it and the second to refine it.
I pair the Pomodoro Technique with the Pareto Principle and Parkinson’s Law. They’re better explained here, but they essentially say that if you have a set time to get something done, you’ll get it done.
Further reading on being productive and telecommuting:
When it comes to planning and taking a vacation, the delight is in the details. Want to find the best place to stay tonight? There’s an app for that. Want to do a currency conversion quickly? There’s an app for that, too. There’s even an app that lets you take a photo of a menu, then gives it back to you in English within a few seconds! Keep reading to learn about the apps that EVERY traveler should have in their phone.
A screenshot of the ‘travel’ section on my phone.
But first, need to know how to use your phone in a different country? Click this link to decide if using your current data plan, getting a SIM, or just using WiFi is best for you.
Google Maps
Did you know that Google Maps can tell you the best public transit route to almost anywhere AND give you a link for where to purchase tickets? Google Maps can even tell you the hours of the place that you’re going and if it’ll be busy. In other words, Google Maps is your one-stop-shop for just about everything travel.
Pro Tip:
Did you know that you can use Google Maps to navigate offline (watch how-to here)?
Google Translate
If you’re traveling to a country that speaks a different language, download Google Translate. Google Translate even lets users take a photo of a block of text (super helpful when trying to read a menu!) and will translate it to your native language in a few seconds.
Pro Tip:
Download a language within the app so that you will be able to do basic translations while offline.
XE Currency
There are so many currency exchange apps available, but I’ve used several and find that XE Currency Converter is the easiest to use and most up-to-date. The app allows you to keep track of live rates of every currency and works offline.
Pro Tip:
Remember to download the conversion rate of every country you’ll be visiting before you leave and you’ll be good to go.
WhatsApp
Most of the world does not use text message or calling. They use WhatsApp instead to do their texting, video calls, and voice calls. A lot of the time, business cards will have the WhatsApp number on them so you can make reservations or communicate with your hosts via WhatsApp rather than the lengthy process of emailing back and forth.
VisitACity
This is one of my favorite tourist tricks to keep up my sleeve. This free app has preplanned, interchangeable itineraries in most touristic cities around the world. It’s free, but it only works when you have Wi-Fi or data.
SkyScanner
While I typically use Google Flights or other websites on my desktop, SkyScanner is the best app for searching for cheap flights on a phone. Skyscanner allows users to search for one-way or round-trip flights on specific dates like usual. However, it also has an incredible flight comparison map to use if your vacation is flexible. It also has a ‘month view’ that allows you to be flexible on your travel dates to find the best flight deals.
Booking.com
Booking.com and Airbnb are the ONLY accommodation websites that I use. I love Booking.com because users can search for anything from 5-star hotels to hostels. There is a map feature that allows users to search for places in a neighborhood of their choice, and the filters are abundant and accurate. You can book right on the site and have open communication with the property you book through their chat feature.
Other Apps Every Traveler Should Have
I use WhatsApp and Google Maps so much that they live on my home screen!
Other apps to consider are:
HitList- Find cheap flights but without control over dates
Airbnb – Find houses, apartments, and rooms
Couchsurfing – Meet locals and (possibly) stay with them for free
Hotel Tonight – Last-minute hotels for cheap
TripIt – Organize your travel itinerary
LoungeBuddy – Get paid access to lounges in the airport you’re in
Detour – Free guided audio tours in 17 cities around the world
Comment below: What other apps do you keep for traveling?
A lot of people come to me and ask how I quit my job to travel. Even more come to me asking how they can travel as much as I do. Here’s what I have to say to the ‘quit your job, see the world’ types: Just because I did, doesn’t mean I want you to quit your job to travel. In fact, don’t.
You may daydream about walking out of your office for the last time or spending countless leisurely days on beaches in places you can’t pronounce. We all do, it’s called retirement.
However, retirement on its own is completely unfulfilling, and you don’t have to quit your job to achieve your travel goals.
If I don’t want you to quit your job to travel, what DO I want? I want a world full of inspired, educated people. People like you, who can find a balance between and experiencing the world firsthand.
My first ‘I just quit my job’ beer!
I’m going to cover a few things in this post:
Why I Quit My Job to Travel Full-Time
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job
What You SHOULD Do Instead
Why I Quit My Job to Travel Full-Time
I’ve known since college that I didn’t want to spend time in corporate America. In fact, I even knew that I wanted to visit every country and slow travel long-term. I just didn’t know how to avoid the corporate world while being responsible about my finances.
With that in mind, I finished school and got a job. I put myself on a weird, intense budget so that I could pay off my debt and start saving as quickly as possible. In fact, I paid off $55k+ of debt in 3 years – and visited 20 countries in that time (read about the budget/debt/travel here)!
After some time in the traditional workforce, I began to create my exit strategy. Well, I tried to be strategic. However, quitting came as more of an entrepreneurial seizure than a tactical move, but that’s a different story.
My point is – I always knew I’d be an entrepreneur and long-term traveler. I knew my travel goals and knew that I had to quit working for others to truly be myself. If your travel goals aren’t the same as mine, that’s ok. You may not have to quit your job to travel the way that you want to.
Working from a national park via a 4G Hotspot
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job
Honestly, I can’t think of a single reason.
That’s because YOU have to.
If you want to travel long-term
If you want to take some extended time to travel while keeping your job (or a job), I have a few ideas for you:
Take a sabbatical
Take a leave of absence
Get a new job and push out your start date so you have time to travel in-between (I did this between my first and second job and it was great!)
Take a job in education abroad so you can spend your summers & breaks seeing a new part of the world
See if your current job will let you go remote
If you do feel that you should quit your job to travel, let me be the first to tell you: it isn’t all rainbows and beaches.
Traveling, especially as an entrepreneur, is stressful. Your next paycheck might be iffy. You might learn that you hate working outdoors. Perhaps you learn that moving around is exhausting for you.
The bottom line is, don’t quit your job to travel if you don’t have a fallback. Being broke and stuck halfway around the world isn’t glamorous, it’s gross.
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What You Should Do Instead
Okay, so maybe I haven’t painted a beautiful picture of traveling. But I want you to be serious about WHY you’re traveling. Not only that, but if you want to quit your job, you probably have some stuff to work out. It’s ok, we all do.
I just want to be crystal clear that just because I quit my job to travel, and just because I teach people how to travel well,does not mean that I only want people to travel exactly how I do.
So, consider the following:
Think about what you want to do, not where you want to go. Can you accomplish that in your allotted PTO?
What is your purpose for traveling?
Do you have a purpose in life beyond your job? A surprising amount of people quit and then just start drinking around the world until they run out of money
Consider your values. Do you need to quit your job to live a life better aligned with who you are?
If you simply want to travel more – do it. There’s an avenue for you. If you hate your job – figure out a different place to work. If you want to quit your job and travel the world – figure out a way to do that, too! But don’t do it because everyone else is.
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Don’t Quit Your Job To Travel
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If you’ve ever wondered how to use your phone in a different country, then this is the article for you. When choosing the best phone plan, you have a few options to protect yourself from an outrageous phone bill while overseas.
The way I see it, there are three options: read on to see which option is best for you to use your phone while abroad.
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Before I jump into the three options, there’s two important things you should keep in mind:
Permitting that you turn off ‘cellular data’ and turn on ‘airplane mode’ and ‘wifi’, your phone will work as a tablet while traveling. You can make calls, send iMessages, and use your apps while on WiFi and not incur charges.
You can download languages in your Google Translate App, currencies in your currency converter apps, and even download maps to use offline in Google Maps. Using these few things offline have helped me to avoid paying for data or SIM cards abroad
What is the best way to use your phone in a different country?
Okay, now on to the three phone options while you travel:
Same Phone, New Plan
Who it’s best for: Short-term travelers who want to use their phone freely in another country. What it is: It means that the user keeps their same phone and either purchases a new plan for their phone or changes the SIM card in their phone to one from the country they are in. What it costs: A new SIM card costs a few dollars in most countries. Sometimes they come free with the purchase of data. Data has cost me anywhere from $14 for a month of unlimited data in Thailand to $50 for a month of unlimited data in the EU. Other notes: I think this is the best option for most people, but feel free to prove me wrong!
New Phone, New Plan
Who it’s best for: I only recommend this for people who are expatriating to a different country but plan to come back to the US. This could also be a good option for students going on a study abroad program. This is only a good option if the new plan has an option to get out of the contract upon return to the US or the person wants to stay with the provider after they return. What it is: This option requires the user to have a phone that is on a network that is available internationally but is based in the US. This includes contract-based carriers such as Google Fi and T-Mobile. What it costs: Google Fi costs either $50/month or $17/month plus any data used. T-Mobile costs $43/month on autopay. Other Notes: Google FI has a promotion on new phones when you start a plan with the provider. This brings down the cost of the phone by 40-60%.
Same Phone, Same Plan
Who it’s best for: Short term travelers that do not want to worry about changing SIM cards or plans and plan on using their phones for ‘the basics’ while traveling. This might include a quick glance at a map, but not streaming or being in constant contact back home. What it is: Users go to their provider at home and let them know that they’ll be traveling. The company then adds an international plan to your phone. Typically, users will just be changed for the days that they use their international calls, texts, and data. What it costs: This option is $10/day through Verizon, and has similar rates to other carriers. Other notes: This option typically has some restrictions to how much data can be used. You’ll incur some significant charges if you go too far over your allotment.
I’m speaking from my experience here. Feel free to fact check me or tell me how you circumnavigated the ‘phone thing’ while traveling in the comments!
As a carry-on gal, it’s easy for me to say that you should do the same. Whether you’re looking to pack like a minimalist or just lighten your load, know that it is possible to take a carry on for nearly any trip.
You’ve seen me go to Panama for five days with only a drawstring and Southeast Asia for 8 weeks with only a backpack. I know it can be done, but I know it isn’t for everyone.
This was what I packed for 10 days in Spain, Portugal, and Andorra.
This begs the question, should you check a bag, or challenge yourself to travel with less? Here’s the perks and pitfalls of each option:
When you carry on, you have to carry all your things with you through the airport. The perk is that everything is easy to find and compact.
When you check your bags, you risk the airlines losing your bag. The perk is that you can bring more things with you.
Of course, you could always keep a day’s worth of necessities in your carry on, and leave the rest at the mercy of the airlines as well
All the clothes I took for 10 days in Hondouras, El Salvador, and Guatemala
At the end of the day, I’m team carry-on. Here are a few tips for fitting everything into a carry-on:
Bring multi-purpose items – You can and should wear staple items more than once. For example, nobody will notice if you wear the same black pants more than once.
On that note, wear the same thing every day – No, not the same exact thing! I am one of those ‘If the shoe fits, buy it in every color’ types. Same goes for my pants. I have the same pair of LOFT pants in 4 colors, and the same style of shirt in 5 patterns. When I pack, I know that I can pair any of those shirts with any of the pants and the outfit will work with the same pair of shoes. I do NOT bring all of those on trips with me!
Shoes take up too much space – Here’s my theory: One pair of black shoes, one pair of white shoes. Everything you wear should match each other.
3 oz bottles and samples are your best friend – That perfume sample you got last year? Now is the time to stick it in the toiletry case. Save a ton of room by putting your shampoo, face wash, etc, in smaller containers. Old contact cases are great for bringing a small amount of moisturizer. As for makeup – you do not need to be photoshoot ready in the jungles of Vietnam. Leave most of it at home!
Laundry might be a cost-effective option. Whether you’re going to Disney as a family, Southeast Asia as a backpacker, outsourcing laundry while you travel might be much cheaper than paying for checked bags.
Leave maybe at home – If you are looking at an item thinking that you might wear it, leave it at home. Thinking of bringing two dresses for one event? Nope. Make that decision before you leave.
What do you say, could you go on a trip with just a carry-on? What is the longest amount of time you’d go with just a carry on?
This post is one of a series of tips & tricks for business travel. For related posts, see:
Traveling for business brings unique packing challenges. Whether you’re a first-timer or looking to be a better packer, I’ve included a list of what I bring in my business travel carry-on.
Know a woman who will be traveling for business for the first time next year? This list is full of great gift ideas!
And yes, it ALL fits in a carry on!
Luggage
A backpack like the one above (It has wheels and fits into the carry-on compartment!
One blazer or sweater in case conference rooms are chilly
One pair of pants for every two days
Enough underwear to last a month 😉
Workout clothing if your hotel will have a gym
‘Plane clothes’
One set of ‘dinner clothes’ – likely a pair of jeans and an acceptable top, but you may want to stay in your work shirt
One extra shirt and pair of pants, just in case you’re like me and spill your morning coffee on yourself
Two pairs of shoes – both must be comfortable! I recommend the LifeStrides brand; they are practical, comfortable, and cute.
Reminder: Pack things that can be used in multiple ways. Wear comfortable shoes during the day that you can also wear to dinner, and don’t be afraid to rewear a classic item such as a black blazer.
Phew! The list is long, but making good impressions is paramount! What else would you add to this list?
What do you say, could you go on a trip with just a carry-on? What is the longest amount of time you’d go with just a carry on?
This post is one of a series of tips & tricks for business travel. For related posts, see:
