Why I enjoy working remotely

Almost everywhere we go now we can find people working out of cafes, parks, and any variety of odd places. The idea of working in a stimulating environment used to be reserved for writers, creatives, or book readers. Now technology has shaped our experience to be able to operate whole businesses from single laptops and a hotspot or cafe wifi.

There is a lot of information or self-report available on the benefits of a fresher, energetic work environment. Virgin maintain a very active blog on modern work environments, and the flexibility with which we can now operate has fostered businesses like Regus, Wework and other start-up incubators who created shared work spaces, serviced offices and opportunities for very lean office space strategies.

For my real estate business Sydney Listings an early initiative due to my own disdain for chaotic storing and printing of paper drove us to set up as many things as possible to be kept completely in soft copy, and authorised online. They would then be saved securely in a cloud, becoming accessible from anywhere from my phone to a trip to Nepal. I don’t have to be in my office or come in on a day off to check a bill or a contract, I have secure access where I need it!

For me the idea of remaining enclosed in one corner of one office for years on end is extremely restrictive. How many of us only see limited corners of what is a world full of adventure, excitement and diversity!? In several weeks time I will take my habit of spending 2–3 hours of every day on the road or at a scenic cafe one step further, carrying on with my work in European countries ranging from Spain and Croatia to Scotland and England.

I enjoy remote working to get away from some of the headaches and distractions of the office, especially when I want to think reflectively and reflexively on my business(es), not just in them. I also find a stimulus rich environment of light noise, coffees buzzing and other people around more energetic and connected. That feeling of connectedness is something I strive for — on instagram I regularly inform people in advance where I will be based the following day or invite them to join me for a coffee where I may be working. Some distractions are necessary, and I intend to utilise the opportunity to work in virtually any location not to hide, but to connect more.

In the From the Ground Up days, our team regularly took the opportunity to meet at a cafe on Sunday afternoons, sometimes the only availability to work — and enjoy each others company, relate ideas back and forth, and really enjoy the fresh experience of our work.

The purpose of my office is to be connected to my colleagues and work team for synergy and cohesion, just as home is the centre place for family. For me the ability to work in constantly new environments makes me feel more connected, avoids a sense of ‘groundhog day’ and is also very convenient when needing to visit different places — I can pull up for a coffee and a bite between meetings and still be productive.

SO… how can you utilise remote work to activate your work experience? It is certainly something I push to my own team members to be used in the right way. Yes, it depends on your industry and your trade, but it is something that can unlock a lot of creativity, productivity and new energy if it suits you. Some major tips:

1. Don’t be too unprepared — not knowing where exactly you will work from leads to indecision and can hamper productivity. It’s nice to pre-select a shortlist of locations and be slightly planned
2. Start small, and work your way up — particularly if you are an employee. Negotiating working remotely or from home should start as an experiment, and you won’t exit the monotony of the office overnight
3. Bring headphones… trust me.
4. I recommend using the remote workplace for specific tasks, in particular reflection on performance, writing, individual strategy setting… it can create a handy two-phase between your more regular duties and your reflection on your own work.

If you’d like to catch me out and about, and push the boundaries of work environment, please follow my instagram stories and shout outs!

Thanks for Reading! Nothing makes me more excited than people reading my stuff, this has always been one of my dreams… to write! It took me a while but hey, I’m still a young guy!

I also hang out on Instagram and LinkedIN. In case you don’t find me boring :)