#WorkFromAnywhere: Experiences & Reactions
I was always afraid to make a video call from the garden or from a mountainside. I felt it would seem unprofessional. When I began making calls from the forest or along a river the reactions were initially surprising but soon it became “where will Andrew appear next time?”
I have worked “remotely” since 1991. The last assigned desk I had was in 2001. Until 2010 much of my work was conducted together with clients at their offices. This is long before the #digitalnomad appeared on the scene. Once social media became interesting for businesses in 2011 my work went more and more online and less in-person. My home office became my anchor. the place where most of my work time was spent.
Belonging to a virtual team there were numerous phone or video calls as well as the same with clients. I would spend 8-10+ hours a day sitting at the same desk, often preparing for the next video call. I didn’t dare to run down to a café to prep for the next call or dare say take that call from the café! Mon Dieu!!
“I was afraid that it might appear unprofessional”
I was afraid to try something new. I was afraid that it might appear unprofessional if I made that next team call from a riverside. I felt I needed to “appear” in work mode even though my work days, evenings, and weekends were full of real work. I just recently read about “productivity theater” (link below). This is when employees keep updating Slack groups about their work, checking in with managers to tell them about their progress, and generally waste time making sure everyone knows they are being productive. This has been accentuated by remote working where managers feel they cannot gauge how much their teams are working.
I had never heard of this “productivity theatre” but I can guess that I may have spent months if not years of my work career just updating others on what I am doing. Sometimes it was an Excel sheet that needed to be filled out daily. Later online tools had me log individual hours to certain tasks. Even later it when old school where a weekly Powerpoint had to be submitted with all the tasks attended to and the progress of those tasks. Geez.
Bring on 2017
I don’t remember what was the actual trigger but in February of that year, I went outdoors. Writing this now seems pretty lame but for me, it was a challenge; could I dare take an hour or 3 and work from a café? Could I make a client call from a park bench? Could I visit friends and work from their kitchen table? Could I define what my workspace is? I really didn’t know or have a plan but I knew I needed to get up and out. I had spent over 25 years sitting or better, attached to a desk. I knew I can work from a train. I can work from my garden. I can #workfromanywhere.
This seems pretty boring thinking back but some context here. The internet has not always been here. Laptop computers did not always have more than 3 hours of battery life. Oh yeah, the mobile phone was very expensive to use until flat rates and free roaming became a thing. This might have been around 2017 and a reason I ventured out.
“ I remember those first few times I was excited almost exhilarated. ”
It really began with a local café. I took my laptop and went down for a coffee and then write an article. It worked! After about an hour I went back to my home office and felt relieved. I worked outside of my home office. I remember those first few times I was excited almost exhilarated. I know this as I took photos of each of my times out. At least at the beginning. I posted each of these photos on my Instagram account. Soon I began taking a photo of the location with my laptop as evidence of real work taking place. This I continued for 3 years.
Thank You Pandemic
This all changed for me in 2020. I was relieved of duty in the summer of the pandemic. Yeah! 25 years with the same company. It was a good time but it needed to end, or at least change. So, a big change came and it woke me up. Today I run my own business. I can choose to work from wherever I feel or where my clients want me to work. I am writing this from Italy. I have been on a 2 week holiday with my wife and even have her today working from our BnB! This is a first for her as well.
Even taught her the freedom of #workfromanywhere
I have received many different reactions to my work style. Mostly curious, at times a bit jealous of the flexibility it offers. I have some people contact me to just ask “where are you?”. Others enjoy jumping on a video call to also “see” where I am at the moment. It is not just about being in exciting places it is about exploring the environment around me. I need more activity in my daily routine. I will be taking this writing with me now to finish in a café 1 hour away from here. the time spent walking there will give me time to reflect on what I have done so far as well as give me some fresh air.
Not every day is spent on the move. I do have a business to run and clients to serve. This doesn’t mean I must plan my next week of sitting at my desk at home. No, those days have passed. The pandemic has changed so much. My experiment has become widely accepted. Working from home brought many the chance to see what it is like to build your workday in a new space. Not all have been positive and some of my “mobile office” experiments have been #fails as well. Bad wifi, noisy schoolkids, and bad weather are some of the challenges of working wherever you are.
I have also gotten photos sent to me of others exploring their #workfromanywhere lifestyle as well and that makes me happy.
Further Reading
https://www.weforum.org/videos/the-impact-of-spotifys-work-from-anywhere-policy