Working Remotely

Would You, Could You, On a Bus?

My family runs on six wheels: one car and a bicycle. I get the bicycle. There was a time when I lived a mere seven miles from work and could bike it most days, if I cared to. But we moved. I now live almost twice that distance away and there are major highways between here and there. This led me to incorporate public transit (in the form of a bus) into my daily commute. The bus ride itself covers about ten miles over the span of an hour. Two times a day. It didn’t take long for me to start identifying a strategy to get things done during the commute. Here’s a basic guide of some tips I and others have picked up. Maybe you can use it whether you’re riding a bus or train, waiting for one, or just thinking about commuting by public transit!

What you will need

There are a few basics I depend on to make the most of my commute. You might require less or more. Some extremely talented people make it work with nothing but a smart phone. Here’s the list I recommend:

• A laptop with a good charge.
• A smart phone also with a good charge and tethering available.
• A fairly bulky bag or some other item to set your laptop on for a more comfortable feel (a backpack on top of a bike helmet works pretty well!).

An ideal laptop is something small, though I use a 15" Macbook. It works, but there are many days I wish I had something smaller instead. The most important requirement for your electronics is that their batteries will last. Tethering will kill your phone’s battery fast; I usually use up about 25% for my ride. What really kills it though, is if I forget to turn the hotspot off after exiting the bus and walk around all day offering a wireless access point to the office. So, remember to check that you aren’t doing the same.

The bulky bag comes in handy for propping the laptop up. It’s not ergonomic to stare down at your lap, nor is it healthy. The goal is to get your laptop into a comfortable position that you can endure for a long period of time. I would love to bring along a portable tray, but I am sure the passenger in front of me would love it less (Note: if I see anyone driving down the road with this thing attached to their steering wheel, I am calling the cops). As much as I try to get the laptop into perfect position, I’m still not working with an ergonomic desk. It is important to take breaks every few minutes and move your head around. If you start to get uncomfortable or stiff, then it’s time to put the laptop away and finish things up when you are off the bus.

Should you bother?

Before you unpack the laptop and get things going, you need to make some observations and determine if it will work out. Two major inhibitors are time and space. Maybe those only count as a single problem if the likes of Einstein are to be believed, but for us it represents two. First, determine if the time it takes to set yourself up is worth the time you will have to work. My commute requires two buses. The first is only about fifteen minutes, so it really isn’t worth getting out the laptop, tethering to the iPhone, connecting to VPN, etc. On that stretch of the ride, I pull out the iPhone and check emails, HipChat, and Google News. The next bus is a solid 40 minutes, which is well worth the setup effort. Second, you need to make sure there is space for both you and your laptop to occupy without being a jerk to those around you. Take into account not only the space you need to sit comfortably with your laptop, but also the space your elbows will need as you type and use your trackpad. If you can’t work without being a jerk, then don’t do it. Manspreading is already bad enough.

I am fortunate that I only have to worry about one transfer, and my Internet connection tends to stay consistent enough for most work. Other people, like my boss in NYC, have a few more obstacles when it comes to transfers and reliable Internet access. He has to plan out a more rigid routine in which he queues up reading material for when he is offline.

Pick your spot

So, you’ve decided you can do this working on a bus thing and need to pick your spot. Depending on how much privacy you need, your seating options may be surprisingly limited. The main criteria I use when picking a spot are:

• Can my dominant hand be against a wall rather then against another person?
• Will the person behind me have no choice but to stare at my screen?
• Are there any obstacles, like poles that would give me less mobility?

Based on this, I have selected one seat I prefer and usually snag on my bus. Below is a rough map of the kind of bus I ride with some guidance on why some seats are more optimal than others. The purple seats represent those that might work well for someone who is left-handed, and the red seats are for those who are right-handed. (Keep in mind which hand you use to control your trackpad!) This is because you generally have a little more space between you and the wall than between you and your neighbor.

Personally, I prefer to avoid the very back row. It seems a bit too cozy for public transportation. But, in terms of privacy, it probably offers the best option. Note that the highlighted seats toward the rear quarter of the bus offer more privacy than most other seats because of the orientation of those behind them (those 3-seaters would also be good options, but there are poles on my bus that make things too tight). No one is forced to stare straight at your screen in this setup. This is my ideal spot. There are rare days when someone beats me to it. Many times, I’ve followed behind a small group to the rear of the bus, watching them claim seats all around that sacred spot and getting more and more nervous as their bodies shift from one direction to the other. Kind of like being in back of the line for a piece of dessert. Will someone grab that last slice of pie before I get up there?

Another tip when it comes to privacy: dim your screen. I try to keep my screen as dim as possible without causing eye strain. This also saves your battery. For whatever reason, I set it extra dim when someone is sitting next to me. As soon as they vacate the seat, I brighten things back up. But, it is important to note that this whole exercise in privacy is not ironclad. You need to make the call on whether or not the information on your screen is too sensitive to have out in public. Dimming the screen and choosing the right spot really only serves to keep opportunists from getting too interested in what you are doing.

Get setup

My laptop’s propped up with my bag, but there is a bit more to getting setup. Here are the steps I take when I first sit down:

1. Get my laptop out.
2. Set the laptop on top of my backpack.
3. Open the laptop and discreetly unlock it with a password (making sure there are no prying eyes).
4. Get out my iPhone and turn on the hotspot.
5. Connect the laptop to the hotspot wirelessly.
6. Put the iPhone back in my pocket.
7. Connect the laptop to the ITHAKA VPN.
8. Get comfortable.

The primary reason I do all of this right away (whether I plan to use everything at that point or not) is to maximize privacy and courtesy. I want to unlock my laptop and enter my VPN credentials when there are as few people around as possible. Maybe that isn’t right at the beginning of your ride like it is for mine. You need to pay attention and identify the best time to walk through these steps on your own route. Getting setup with the hotspot when few people are around is also more courteous, because it means you won’t be elbowing and twisting around as you try to get your phone out of your pocket with someone sitting next to you. People don’t like to be touched by strangers on the bus. The fewer movements you make, the less likely you are to invade your neighbor’s space and bump into them. This goes back to our not being a jerk principle.

Get to work!

At last! It’s time to dig in and work. But, can you just work on anything you like? We have already narrowed the scope to items that aren’t sensitive, but in my experience, there are a few other things that are good to avoid. Here are a some suggestions of what not to do:

• SSH into a server (unless you are using screen) — The connection is too unreliable.
• RDP into a server — This actually works ok once you are logged in, but the initial connection can take a long time to negotiate.
• Phone/video calls — Not only do most buses have signs that say “No phone calls!” but it is also rude to the person on the other end. All those noises that drive you crazy on the bus are going to be even more annoying to the person who can’t hear you over the guy dancing and singing in the aisle.

On the other hand, there are some tasks that, for whatever reason, I find I can do better on the bus than most other locations. Some of the things I do recommend on the bus include:

• Administrative tasks — Scheduling time off, daily planning, sending meeting invites, etc.
• Email and chat — I use HipChat constantly on my trip.
• Documentation — Even better with some headphones.
• Coding — I have had many breakthroughs from my seat on the bus. One caveat: don’t touch production environments from the bus. You don’t want to break something and then drop your connection or have to hurry off the bus.

Final notes

Now for some of the most important tips. One of those being stay aware. Don’t get so absorbed in your mobile office that you stop paying attention to what’s going on around you. The bus might be packed and someone could really use your seat. If you aren’t paying attention, you may have to revisit the whole “don’t be a jerk” principle. Another reason to pay attention is so you don’t miss your stop. I am fortunate enough (depending on your point of view) to take my bus from one endpoint to the other. That means if I do get absorbed, I at least have a bus driver that yells “Last stop” to remind me. There have been days I know I would have missed my stop otherwise.

On the topic of bus drivers, I offer my last tip. If you take the same buses everyday, chances are, you will see the same bus drivers time and again. Be nice to these people and remember how much work they put into keeping your mobile office running and (usually) on time. I picked up a $5 Starbucks card for one of my primary bus drivers last Christmas. She was always friendly before, but now she remembers my name, chats a little, and asks about the kids. And, if on occasion you have to break the no phone call rule, it’s helpful to be on good terms with the driver.

So, there is my survival guide for working on the bus. My ride is probably different than yours, but I hope that if you want to get stuff done during your commute, you will find this helpful.

Now, turn off your hotspot.

Have some of your own tips? Share them in the comments.