[Eddie Winslow]

Yesterday I asked my close friend/boss if he would consider letting me work remotely for extended periods of time (2-3 weeks, maybe more) in order to improve my quality of life. He was very supportive and said he would be totally on board if I can prove there is no slipping in my productivity. Obviously I would be happy to work longer/odd hours in return for a cool lifestyle upgrade.

Most of my work involves email communication, proposal writing, accounting, and project specific administrative work. All of this can be done remotely as long as I have an internet connection. My biggest concerns are:

-Participating in phone calls/meetings
-Having an efficient, quiet work station

This could potentially be a really cool set-up for me and I don't want to fuck up my first go at it. My plan is do a week in a nearby US city to test the waters, get some feedback on what works for me and my employer, and then hopefully move towards trips abroad in the not-so-distant future.

Location Independent guys with office-style work - any equipment/technology recommendations or general strategies you would suggest for pulling this off?

[qwertyuiop]

Macbook. This thing:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WRDS0AU/ref...8517880330

And a cheap wireless mouse/keyboard:

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-MK270-Wi...e+keyboard

Turns any table into as good as my desk at work. Headset if I'm in a loudish area/coworking space.

[This Is Trouble]

The most important thing is going to be that internet connection, I'm not joking.

If you have any plans to go abroad while doing this, you never quite know what you're going to get. Make sure you have your AirBNB hosts send screenshots proving the speed their apartment can provide. If you show up and it's not usable, get out and get a refund.

For phone calls, get a pair of noise-cancelling headhones with the in-line Apple mic (think Bose QC models). This'll give you good enough quality to be heard while isolating any other sounds (if you ever use co-working or coffee shops as a place to work as opposed to just your apartment).

I'd also consider some portable standing desk solution, something like this (first thing that showed up on Google for me, but not what I use): https://www.standstand.com/

Working in an office, sitting all day is bad enough for your posture and health. Hunching over a laptop as opposed to a big LCD monitor is even worse.

[frozen-ace]

Yes, internet is #1. As said earlier this may sound silly, but if you have bad internet you might as well be on vacation because you won’t get any work done.

Small things- you may need to print and sign something, so maybe a cheap printer and scanner, and electronic signature in PDF is nice if you are doing accounting work.

If you have any programs or applications that are limited to your internal network, you may need a proprietary VPN to tunnel into the office network while on the outside.

[TooFineAPoint]

- Macbook (I was an Apple skeptic for years, overpriced, hate the cult status, etc... then got a chance for a discount cos I dated a girl who worked there, bought one and it aided in bumping my productivity considerably)
- Dependable and fast internet
- Workable phone with at least 2GB data plan (for backup) and unlimited calling in your country of business (don't be a cheapskate; don't make yourself sweat every call)
- Bluetooth wireless headphones
- standing desk (or makeshift standing desk, aka cheap tv tray with the laptop set on the box it ships in).... between standing while working (and pacing while on your wireless headphones during a call) you will A. not become a sloth and B. rejuvenate your energy even though you are stuck at home all day
- have an attractive younger girlfriend you can fuck at all hours of the day so you remember to truly appreciate your remote lifestyle
- yoga mat / power tower in the home for lunchtime workouts (will aid with energy and focus over the course of the day)
- wall calendar and corkboard (for planning the most important calls, to-dos, and networking type stuff to ensure that you connect with the outside world)
- Evernote to work out ideas and keep track of best practices (also works as a portable scanner when used on your phone)

- when you travel, get a nice leather messenger bag to carry your laptop, headphones, and ebook reader
- moleskin notebook and birdy pen for taking notes at client meetings (or jotting ideas while on holiday)

[Atomic]

You guys are telling him to haul along standing desks, printers, and corkboards? C'mon meow, anything that big can either be purchases locally, found a cheap way to be made (throw some books under a desk), or use local services (need to print something once a month?).


There is zero need for a MacBook. I have 4 computers. 1 desktop dual booted with Ubuntu/Windows 10. 1 laptop dual booted with Ubuntu/Windows 10. 1 laptop for Tails. 2 MacBook Air.

The ONLY time my MacBook even gets turned on is if I need to compile an iOS app using xcode. I literally hate everything about that MacBook. It even prompted me to type in "fuck everything about apple desktop backgrouund" when looking for a new background for my desktop.

Sorry. But my MacBook rage is real.


That being said I will reiterate the internet. Absolute #1 priority. As an example, my Wi-Fi started shitting out two days, just on and off with no apparent explanation. Productivity has plummeted a good 50%. You can not afford to have your internet drop out during an important meeting with your boss, that will get the remote gig stripped in no time.

Other than that:

- Wireless keyboard/ mouse
- Good microphone - again your streaming meetings, you want crisp audio. Go invest in a solid microphone and desk stand. You probably want a cardoid style microphone. These types of mikes block a lot of the sound to rear and only record what the microphone is facing, good for eliminating some of the background noise.
- headphones. A simple 10 dollar pair works for me, but I'm not an audiophile.
- spare battery, sometimes you're gonna need some extra juice and won't have access to power.
- external hard drive. For backups / misc storage.
- I'll second stand up desk, but I don't think it's something you need to buy some weird adapter stand for. I personally try to travel light, so carrying a little stand is going to massively annoy me. It's not hard to find a high enough table or to raise a table off the ground.
- rolling luggage. I once walked around Bogota for 2 hours with two heavy bags, that didnt roll, trying to find the AirBnb address. Never again. Also why I pack very light these days.
- on the luggage, consider a pelican case for your hardware. Expensive, but the rugged enough so that the military uses them. You can cut out the Styrofoam in them to perfectly fit all your hardware.
- some time tracking software. It helps to be able to see how much time you've worked on something. I'd send these reports to your boss as proof you can handle the remote gig.
- a good small daily calendar. You can exclude this if you like using online calendars, but I like to have things written down. Easier to pick u p and check real quick.
- maybe a lumbar support. Not needed if your doing the standing thing, but you want to treat your back like a king if you plan to make a lifestyle out of coffee shop life.


There isn't much else that's needed specifically for a remote gig. The rest comes down to typical remote living needs, which to me boils down to security and health.

- a combo lock or something definitely if you go with a pelican case. Maybe through in a steel braided cable as well. But it depends on your location.
- small kitchen utensils. I've found most places give me an ability to cook, but lack good food storage. Some Tupperware is essential, but is cheap enough to be sourced locally.
- earplugs. And these fuckers can actually be pretty Damn expensive depending on where you go. But sometimes absolutely needed to get a good night's sleep.


Anyways. It's all pretty common sense stuff. The biggest things are internet and A DISCIPLINED SCHEDULE. Working remotely is not hard, maintaining work ethic while not having someone breathing down your neck watching for what time you enter the office is. Especially when you got a fine ass girl laying next to you in bed that morning.

[The Beast1]

Geeze, you guys are over thinking everything. I work 100% remote and these lists are laughable.

All you need to work remote is a computer (pc,mac it doesn't matter), a solid internet connection, a mic/speaker headset, and maybe a back up laptop.

That's it. You don't need a stand up desk or any other crap.

The Macbooks of today are not like the Macbooks of yesteryear. They're crap, overpriced, and lack peripheral ports. They're very much like cars. Buy them slightly used and save massive amounts of money. The last macbook pro i'd ever buy is a late 2011 maybe 2012. Everything useful beyond that has been stripped from the machines.

The most difficult thing you'll find is a reliable internet. I've been debating paying extra for a business internet line for the speed and ability to cuss out someone when it goes down. Yes, home spec sucks that much for work.

[Jetset]

Get a laptop with a top-tier display panel and buy a full-size USB keyboard/mouse. When you do have a proper desk, you'll get a huge amount of relief out of being able to push your monitor a couple feet away and work like a normal person.

Plantronics Explorer 500 is all I've ever needed for headset. Just don't drop it when you're taking meetings on the can.

[DJ-Matt]

(01-16-2018 11:57 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

The most difficult thing you'll find is a reliable internet. I've been debating paying extra for a business internet line for the speed and ability to cuss out someone when it goes down. Yes, home spec sucks that much for work.

If you live in a Cox area, they have something called "work from home" business-grade internet service where you're using the same circuits as the biz accounts but it's only about $10-20 more expensive than home service and you get a static IP if needed.

Not sure if other cable operators do that, AT&T DSL didn't do it last time I asked.

[demolition]

Seconding full-size keyboard and mouse. Essential.

Surprised no one else mentioned a cloud backup service. Backups are essential for anyone who is serious about trying to work and doesn't have IT infrastructure supporting them. If your laptop breaks or is stolen, you're already going to be in a terrible situation. Now what happens when you're out of commission because of that, and you lose weeks of work? Without a backup, you can kiss that job or client goodbye.

[Poseidon]

Mine looks like this:

1. 17.3 inch HP laptop: I'd have a bigger one if I could, as I work with a lot of visual media content.

2. External Hard Drive for local backups (also in case my laptop shits itself).

3. Anker power bank: Sometimes I find myself traveling in developing countries where power outages occur daily.
(There are some more expensive power banks that can power a laptop, but they can get pricey).

4. Basic $25 Sony over-ear headphones: Decent audio quality for general use and it also has a built-in mic for communication.

5. 1 wired and 1 wireless HP mouse: Using a trackpad for my work would drive me insane.

6. Removable storage: SD cards, CF cards, SSD, USB sticks etc. You may or may not these, but for my work, they're essential.
I'd recommend at least the USB stick, in case you ever need to go get something printed at a printing center.

7. Of course, a nice laptop bag to efficiently stuff these things in.

[The Beast1]

delete

[Sidney Crosby]

Beast, as far as I know the up to the 2015 or 2016 MBP's were an upgrade over every other generation. I have a Mid 2015 and it still has all the ports you need.

Anyway this thread prompted me to go out and buy a wireless keyboard and mouse for my Macbook, I plan on buying either one big screen or two smaller ones or just getting some sort of stand for it. But it would be nice to have multiples screens or at least a bigger one.