Technology keeps advancing at a rapid rate. Before, you would have been impressed if someone had a bulky cellular phone and a heavy laptop. Now, you can’t walk a block without seeing someone with a smartphone, tablet, and/or thin laptop. This is great news for Writers because it makes it easier than ever for you to write from any place. You could one day be writing in your home office, and the decide a day later to head to a coffee shop where Wi-Fi is readily available. Of course, this is dependent on the information you are working with. If it is of a sensitive nature, then you probably don’t have the flexibility that other writers have. However, even then, you can do some work remotely.
Interviewing People
Writers usually have to interview people. With web conferencing or teleconferencing, you can talk to as many people as possible without meeting face-to-face. You can use tools, like Skype, WebEx, Adobe Connect, etc. Some of the web conferencing tools can get pretty expensive, so definitely shop around.
Attending Meetings
Meetings are usually a waste of time. The most productive ones I have attended are the ones where I’m at my desk. I am able to continue writing while getting the updates of a project. I tend to think that meetings are sometimes a way for higher-ups to feel like they are in control of their employees. I will let you in on a little secret: You do not need meetings to do this. As long as you have regular interactions via email, web conferences, and/or teleconferences, then there is no need to personally attend back-to-back meetings that take up the entire day.
Working 9 to 5
Companies are still holding on to the idea that a business day is 9 to 5. I think that there was someone who was the most productive during this time, and he spread around that it’s the same for everyone. It really isn’t. I had a boss who would practically “diddle daddle” until 4:00 p.m., and then he would get going. He was very similar to me because I usually work better at night. If you want writers to turn in their best work, then let them work depending on when they are the most productive.
Free and/or Open Source Applications
I wrote an article about free and/or open source alternatives to pricey applications, such as MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, etc. You don’t need to wait for your company to supply you with these applications to get to work. You can still write your documentation, create an awesome presentation, design flowcharts, or develop online help systems. As long as you are provided with enough information, then you can be at your local coffee shop writing and designing away.
Keeping Up With Email
Even if you are at the grocery store, you can still receive emails and chat with your team if you have a smartphone. Smartphones have made it easy to always be connected. You can talk to anyone regardless of where you are.
Companies are still apprehensive at letting their employees work remotely. However, if you really do the math, many of your coworkers only work like four hours a day. This includes all the socializing that they do, smoke breaks, long lunches, etc. I always found the office dynamic amusing. The majority of the time the people working remotely are actually working harder and longer because they want to continue telecommuting, and do not want to get that taken away from them. This is especially true for creative types. We need to be comfortable in our surroundings to produce our best work.
Tags: telecommuting and writing, write from anywhere, writing remotely
