This is a guest post by Ashlee McCullen. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or an employee looking for time away from your cubicle, it’s easier than ever to get work done outside of a traditional office.
Before the advent of high quality laptops, internet-connected smartphones, and cloud services, you may have had no choice but to work in an office, even if that was a home office. Today, however, you can work on documents anywhere and with any device thanks to web apps and synchronized web storage of files.
I’m going to offer some tools that will help you stay organized, productive, and connected, whether you’re working from a café or co-working space.
Tools You’ll Need
Mobile Broadband: When your co-workers and clients depend on your productivity, you don’t want to take chances with Internet access. Many coffee shops offer wi-fi, but you don’t want to be tied to any particular place if you are a mobile worker. Or maybe you just want to spend time working at a local park, where wi-fi is not offered.
I highly recommend investing in an Internet service. Personally, I use and love T-Mobile mobile broadband services. This way, I can work from my Android smartphone or tether the service to my Lenovo.
Dropbox: With online storage service Dropbox, I can store my work documents online, and have them ready for me on my desktop, smartphone, and laptop. All versions of my files are the same across devices, and I don’t need to do any complex setup or synching.
Personally, I’ve replaced my primary desktop’s “Documents” folder with my Dropbox folder, and keep everything there. If that’s not an option, you can still make copies of certain files in Dropbox. Either way, online document storage is far easier and more efficient than sending yourself (or your colleagues) e-mail attachments.
1Password: Between my e-mail accounts, online services, and social media accounts, I have tons of passwords. I save them in password manager 1Password, which keeps the information encrypted while syncing it across devices. You’ll get the best of both worlds: Security and convenience.
QuickOffice: This mobile office app works on smartphones, but is ideal for tablets. Available on both iPhone and Android, QuickOffice enables you to access and edit documents you’ve stored in Dropbox or that you created through Google Docs.
Evernote: Whatever your job is, you’ll be collecting information ranging from names to important links and information about projects and clients. I personally keep as much of that information as possible in Evernote, so I can access it anywhere.
LogMeIn Ignition: Not everyone will need this service, but it can be a down-right lifesaver if you work on multiple computers. With LogMeIn, I can take control of my desktop computer – which is my primary computer – and access files, information, or software that aren’t available through my laptop for smartphone. Trust me. You don’t want to have to travel to your office to retrieve a file you forgot to put into Dropbox.
Wunderlist: Just because you’re working outside a traditional office doesn’t mean you can slack off. Using online task manager Wunderlist, I always know what tasks I need to accomplish and if they’re due soon. I use the web service and Android app to stay connected to my responsibilities and work with greater focus.
Skype: All things being equal, I prefer using Skype over other services for chatting with co-workers. However, if your office already uses Cisco WebEx, GotoMeeting, or several other prominent chat clients, you’ll most likely find mobile apps for Android and iPhone. Get your office onboard with one of these services, so you can always send messages and conduct virtual staff meetings.
Work Smart
Of course, all the tools in the world won’t help if you are easily distracted, don’t prioritize your work, or just don’t work well by yourself.
Find a place to work where you can be focused, tune out your non-work obligations, and even consider dressing in your full office attire to be productive. You can find these and many other tips here.
About the Author: Ashlee McCullen is a staff writer for ApronAddicts.com, a website about fashionable aprons and kitchen style.
Its good to know that even your out of office you can do your work. Most specially if you have deadline, I am using those tools mostly the dropbox, and I am thankful because dropbox already expand is free capacity.
I am going to share this blog with my boss to see if we can implement any of these programs, going to push for logmein, but right now we dont use any work from home programs. We do it all at the office. At the least it might save some gas or time!
Dropbox looks really interesting. I am really looking forward to giving it a try. If it works for me, I hope I can talk my company into using it. This could help us move documents between pcs.
I just found this article randomly and decided to read it. I intend to use 1password as a personal tool that can help me out with remembering all my different passwords.
I mentioned to our office computer tech Wunderlist and LogMeIn, he said he had actually considered installing both. I explained how I was looking for an easier way to transfer projects to be worked on at home. Then he said we have dropbox and showed me how to use it.
Hear about Skype calls everywhere never actually seen it used though. I am interested in trying it just so I can call and talk and see family members that live out of state.
I started using Evernote about 3 weeks ago and I am addicted. I use it to keep track of points to mention in articles whereever i decide to write a post.
My office has a very strict password policy, with having to change and have different passwords on everything using Caps, numbers, and symbols at least 10 digits. I am always forgetting mine so I am going to use 1Password and hope it helps me remember them.
At my office we are always on call or traveling so it is tough to get files on the go. I am going to try using quickoffice or logmein, maybe a combo of both to see which one works better when traveling.
We use dropbox at my office and love it. Its an easier way for us to share some larger files faster then emailing them back and forth.
I need to start using Wunderlist as a way to stay on track. When working out of the office I find myself wondering off track alot, and using facebook or twitter. Next thing I know an hour has passed and I did nothing.
Hi
blog weelcom!
I intend to use 1password as a personal tool that can help me out with remembering all my different passwords.
I have experience with all 3 and is highly recommended .. especially Evernote
Dropbox sounds very useful. I wonder how well it works with interlinking excel files. This could be a great solution to my little problem.
Office definitely stretches out beyond cement and mortar walls and these apps on the smartphone will ensure nothing is different than a office desktop. Evernote is one useful app that I love and I like the handwriting detecting feature that gives me the feel of me scribbling on a pad.. so there is a mobile office at your disposal!
I’ve never used 1password but I do use a program called “LastPass” which has been a lifesaver. It functions in basically the same way as RoboForm, only it’s free. I imagine 1password works similarly. It’s nice to have options! 😀
Dropbox is also a lifesaver. I’d like to add Thunderbird (by Mozilla) as a useful program for accessing work and personal email from the same application (it works just like Microsoft Outlook… but, again, it’s free whereas Outlook costs an arm and a leg if it doesn’t come pre-loaded to your pc). And, for all those digital photo editors out there who don’t have Photoshop on their home pc, try Gimp. It’s an open-source substitute for Photoshop. I used Adobe on my work PC but when I take work home, I use Gimp and it works perfectly.
3 apps are very useful to me.
1. Dropbox
2.1password
3.Skype.
You can not belive how much useful they are in anywhere office, home or you are in holiday, they will manage everything. Thank you dear for your nice post.
Currently you don’t need to stick to one place to get the job done, you can do your job any where anytime all you need is an internet connection. World is becoming more and more faster through intenet linkings that is why I love skype the most to communicate with anyone anywhere around the world.
This is a great post which is very helpful these days for everyone who wants to go out from the four corner of the office. This is a good way to relax but still working on the other hand.
Definitely gonna try these out seems to be useful!
Well certainly those who have been working outside of the office already have these tools. But how will you deal with the situation when your outlook won’t send email.
I guess this is the future , we are now not bounded to desktops any more. We can handle the task on the go with the above listed apps .
Drop-box is an amazing application although Google tries to develop Google drive. The big advantage in Google drive is that they incorporated Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Google Images database, which enables you to do a text search into and image or a scanned page.amazing!
Sad to say I only use Dropbox in our office.. I want to try other stuff.. But dropbox is fine. User friendly.
I have good experience with dropbox and ever note – good applications
Nice! I have used two of these drop box and evernote.. but i will surely try the other tools that you have mentioned