How to Spend Two Weeks in a Beautiful Place…and Still Get the Job Done
The offer had been put on the table a few times. “If you ever want to come visit us in Colorado and work remotely for a while, we’d love to have you…” It was so enticing. Work from Colorado, hike in my free time, experience life in a different city for a bit. Mentioning the opportunity to Morgan, he replied “I’ll believe you once you book the flight!”
Done. Approval from the boss, funds available in the budget, I booked a trip to Colorado for two weeks. After telling Morgan the plans were solidified, I picked his brain on how I should schedule my time. Should I take a few days PTO and work the others, or should I do a one week on, one week off type of thing? He asked me a clarifying question: “Are you trying to have a badass vacation where you work a little, or are you trying to see if you can effectively work remotely from a badass place?” Oh. Definitely work effectively from a badass place. That’s how this type of trip, traveling and working, will be possible.
Now over a week into my stay, I’ve learned a few lessons about working remotely from another state. Have a look.
- Be above reproach in responsiveness with your team. Working remotely can quickly gain a bad reputation if your co-workers find themselves bending over backwards just to get in touch with you. Being overly available and communicative increases trust in the system. I remember once calling out to a co-worker “Hey Justin!” across the office to grab his attention, only to realize that he had been working remotely all day. Our conversations on Slack were so seamless that I didn’t even realize he wasn’t around the office. That’s the goal.
- Always check beforehand to see if the place you’ll be working from has reliable wifi and adequate seating. Learned this one the hard way. I planned to work from Lula Rose, a super cute coffee shop in Denver. As I walked in, I saw a sign that read “SORRY, NO FREE WIFI” and noticed there were hardly any tables available. I grabbed a coffee to go and ended up driving an extra twenty minutes to Union Station, a train station with coffee shops, comfy couches, and tables with charging outlets. Once settled in Union Station, it was smooth sailing for the remainder of the day.
- If you’re switching time zones, match your workday hours to your team’s. This tip came from Morgan, and it’s proven to be an excellent practice. I’ve been working 7:30–3:30 MT to be available 9:30–5:30 EST and this decision alone has been huge in having a productive day while working remotely. Meetings happen at normal times, communication occurs though the same time window each day, and an added bonus, I have 3:30 through the end of the day to explore local shops, go on hikes, and enjoy the crisp fall weather!
- Work in an environment where others are working as well. Sitting across the table from my hosts Shane and Jason has kept me in a productive headspace. They each work remotely for teams based in Atlanta and SF. As they’re focusing, I’m focusing. As they’re taking a lunch break, I’m taking a lunch break. They’ve made for great accountability.
I’m still nailing down the perfect strategy for working remotely, but I’m confident these factors have contributed to a productive and successful week. I’ve had to think more carefully about guarding my time from outside distractions, listen to music without lyrics to increase coffee shop productivity, and ensure I’m doing all that I can for our team to run “business as usual” even if I’m not in the office. The experiment has not been without it’s bumps, but I’d say this trip has paved the way for future trips to far-away places.
Now, where should I go next?
