How to Move From an Office to Remote Work
There are obvious advantages to switching from an office-based job to working remotely, either from a home office or from a mobile location. Less obvious are the drawbacks of making this change, especially if you are accustomed to working in a standard office. Making this move successfully requires good advance preparation, an investment in work materials and flexibility to take the good along with the bad of working remotely.
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Instructions
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If you are still in your office job, make a list of all of the office materials and support procedures you make use of over the course of the week. If you are no longer in an office, compile this list from memory as well as possible. A week is a good time frame to use, to include sporadic events such as weekly meetings and conference calls.
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Determine what computer hardware you will need in your remote office. A laptop is your most likely choice; few remote workers can get by without one, and equally few people require both a desktop and a laptop (consider this only if you need a lot of computer horsepower for computer programming or graphics editing). Laptops are a trade-off between capability, portability and price; do your best to avoid skimping on price, as this laptop will be central to your work.
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Consider your telecommunications requirements. A cell phone is a necessity; most carriers offer moderately priced monthly plans. If you are unsure how much time you will spend on the phone, start with an unlimited minute plan, and audit how much time you use in the first two months; you can reduce your plan later more cheaply than if you run over your plan limits during this time. Consider plans and cell phones that include wireless Internet access for your laptop, so you do not need to hunt for a wireless hotspot when you need to be online.
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If you are working out of a home office, furnish it by focusing on practicality, not style. Office chairs, desks, and equipment can range into the thousands of dollars; unless you will be meeting with clients at home, and have a need to impress them, it is better to spend your money on time-saving devices rather than chrome and wood inlays.
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Schedule social time. Most people are unaware how much time they spend socializing at work until they work from home and find themselves suddenly isolated. Take your laptop to a nearby coffee shop for a few hours, or work from a park when the weather is good. When you finish your work for the day, leave your workplace, even if you're working from home; otherwise, you may find your job becoming a 24/7 endeavor.
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