What does remote work mean? According to Wikipedia, remote work, also known as telecommuting, is a work arrangement in which you do not have to commute or travel to an office building, warehouse or store. According to your company policy, you can work either from home, either from the other side of the world.
With technology development and remote work being the new trend, your world traveling dream might come true. Yes, it is challenging and it requires sacrifices and adjustments to your personal and professional life. But isn’t this what you always dreamt of?
If you’re reading this it means you wondered at least once how it would be to travel and work remotely. How it would be to really live your dream and make money to support your lifestyle.
Remote work checklist
Start with the following checklist:
- determination ✓
- savings ✓
- passport ✓
- flight tickets ✓
- accommodations ✓
- list of places you want to explore ✓
- job (50% – 50% chances you still get to keep your old one) ✓
- laptop + internet connection ✓
- phone + camera ✓
- luggage ✓
- adventure spirit ✓
- back-up plan (just in case) ✓
Let your folks and friends know about your plans. Talk to your boss, get your clearance, pack your bags and travel towards your destination even if you will feel scared and will doubt yourself. Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you want the most. Chances are some will support you and some will judge you.
Now, let’s see some of the most important pros of remote work.
Always connected
In a way or another, wherever you are, you are always connected to your phone or laptop. Why not benefit from this? Set up a working schedule. Use your time management skills. Decide on what projects to work on, for how long and get started.
Happiness booster. Health improvement
First thing you will notice, your mood will improve. You will be happier, less stressed. Your projects might turn out better than before, you are feeling more inspired. To put it bluntly, it will improve your mental and physical health.
Freedom. Work / life balance
Working from a remote place grants you a certain freedom. You decide when to work and when to enjoy your free time and explore the place you are in. This translates into a better work / life balance, a thing many lack while working in an office. Moreover, a better work / life balance means you become more productive, more focused and you complete your tasks and projects faster.
Staff retention
As a company, allowing its employees to work remotely, it will increase staff retention. Therefore, offering this possibility, they gain trustworthy employees and avoid having to recruit others. And you won’t leave also.
All in all, this sort of experience will help you learn and develop new skills, you will get to know yourself better.
The cons of remote work and traveling should also be taken into consideration before embarking onto this adventure.
Distance from family, friends & office
Firstly, you won’t be close to your dear ones, but technology will help you keep in touch with them. Keep in mind that in each place you visit, you will bond with a few people, you will socialize with them, maybe even let them become your friends.
While working away from the office is cool, you will find it difficult to be up to date with the office plans. So, professional communication might be an issue, because you will miss details that might be useful for you to continue working. This aspect might be influenced also by the timezone difference.
Distractions
One important aspect of all this freedom and newness is that you can get easily distracted. Distractions are also present while working in an office, but being in a different place, without your supervisor, well, your mind and eyes will wander and you might fall into daydreaming. So, work has to suffer.
One more aspect you should address should be technology. Being away, won’t provide you the same top technology you were used to having while in the office. Internet might also be one issue to stress over. Some cities or even countries don’t have powerful internet connections and you might suffer because of this. So, make sure that wherever you go, you have quality technology and a secure and good internet connection.
It doesn’t really matter if you are a freelancer, influencer or you have a normal job that allows you the flexibility of remote work. If you feel like this is what you want to do, if this is what makes you happy, then do it. But research before taking the leap.
YOLO, friends ?