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Managing the 24 Hour Workshift

Posted by Susan Murphy in Workshifting

This coming weekend, I'm taking some time off, to go on a mini-vacation with my husband. I'm both excited and nervous about it at the same time. Part of me is thrilled to be "shutting down" from my business for a few days. The other part of me is wondering if I can really do it.I became a full-time workshifter 2 years ago, and I've never looked back. I adore the lifestyle - making my own hours and setting my own priorities is definitely the way I like to do things. I was never big on the workaday world. But... Read More

Comments | Tags: organization, productivity, strategy, timemanagement, workshifting | Permalink

Self-Discipline Tips

Posted by Inga Rundquist in Motivation

I believe one of the most important character traits of a successful workshifter is self-discipline. While working remotely obviously gives us all a great deal of freedom and flexibility, it's up to us to put ourselves on a leash - figuratively, of course - in order to actually get things done and succeed. Without adequate levels of self-discipline, it's likely your work and business will suffer. Here are some of the standards that I've set to condition myself and maintain the discipline that's needed on a daily basis when you're working outside of an office. Set working hours and stick... Read More

Comments | Tags: focus, motivation, selfdiscipline, tips, workshifting | Permalink

Workshifting on a Train - Part 2

Posted by AJ Leon in Workshifting

Okay, so I have returned from my workshifting train trip from NYC to Miami, and yes I am fully aware of how crazy that sounds.  I traveled on Amtrak for the duration of the trip using something that's called a USA Rail Pass.  Basically, you receive 8 segments in 15 days for just under 400 dollars, which considering how late I booked it, is a pretty good deal.  It was a total over over 60 travel hours. Look, its no surprise that taking a train that distance will not be as time efficient as air travel.  However, I decided to... Read More

Comments | Tags: mobile, onthego, productivity, technology, travel, video, wifi, workenvironment, workshifting | Permalink

The Silent "D" in Workshifting

Posted by David Horne in Workshifting

The silent "D" in workshifting stands for self-discipline. The freedom of "office anywhere" allows us to have is sometimes dangerous for the new workshifter. It is easy for the high productivity environment created by working outside the office to have the opposite effect. Not having the office to discipline us requires that we discipline ourselves. This can be hard (Remember the first time you left home on your own).  Self-disciple is part of our character. It is not willpower or a set of activities. I used to believe I was disciplined because I had a planned calendar and kept to... Read More

Comments | Tags: motivation, productivity, selfdiscipline, tips, workshifting | Permalink

The Critical Qualities of Workshifting

Posted by Sharlyn Lauby in Workshifting

When organizations and individuals start having conversations about workshifting, the discussion seems to naturally gravitate toward how to manage a person who isn't sitting around an office all day. It's a reality and unfortunately, this is where the workshifting concept can often get stuck. A basic tenet of workshifting is being able to manage yourself. That's not to say people who work in offices can't manage themselves, but I've heard from many people over the years that they need an office to visit each day. Because working from home or the local coffee shop can sometimes be a distraction. And... Read More

Comments | Tags: management, managers, tips, trust, workenvironment, workshifting | Permalink

Designing a Workshifting Disaster Recovery Plan

Posted by Matt Martin in Crisis

One of the things we have been wrestling with is building a sound disaster recovery plan for our business. If you have never done it, disaster recovery quickly turns into one of those never ending rabbit holes that take a lot of planning to get it right. But all of this time I never really translated disaster recovery into my personal life.Until... I lost the hard drive on our main iMac in our home. All of our digital pictures, our entire iTunes library, lots of documents, you get the picture. I have talked about some technology sins that I have... Read More

Comments | Tags: crisis, disasterrecovery, homebusiness, homeoffice, office, organization, technology | Permalink

A Workshifting Experiment: Taking a Train from New York City to Miami

Posted by AJ Leon in Travel

Since December 15, 2009, Melissa and I have been home for about 15 days.  Last week, we returned from a 91 day workshifting trip in Europe, and decided to ground ourselves in the East Village for a few weeks before our next adventure.  Problem: My little brother, who I call Boy, is graduating and he lives in Miami.At this point, I am absolutely exhausted at the thought of another short haul flight.  So, I decide to do the only natural thing any workshifting nomad would do...take a train to Miami from New York City.I just got a new netbook, and... Read More

Comments | Tags: onthego, productivity, travel, video, workenvironment, workshifting | Permalink

Developing a Firewall for the Mind

Posted by David Baeza in Review

I heard a great quote while on a webinar with Author and Wired Editor, Jonah Lehrer.  He was discussing the Paradox of Choice and Decision Theory, he said to think about the "why," and "what" decision we are trying to make.  Doing so can help us "...avoid, avoidable mistakes."  The essence of this boils down to the conscious choices we make and how the brain processes rewards and expectations.  It's a really meaty topic that I'm interested in learning more about.  For now, I decided to jump in and start applying what I heard.His quote has been stuck in... Read More

Comments | Tags: focus, guidelines, mindmapping, review | Permalink

When a Workshifter Comes In From the Road

Posted by Chris Brogan in Workshifting

I've been workshifting since before there was a term for it. I started back in the late 90s, when I convinced my office that I could manage most of my project details remotely. By the early 2000s, when the company where I worked acquired a new building, I even built workshifting (then called telecommuting) into the desk counts for the office space. Years later, I brought workshifting to my marketing company, New Marketing Labs , because my home is 67 miles away from my desk. But recently, I picked up an office space closer to home because working out... Read More

Comments | Tags: featured, lifestyledesign, office, onthego, organization, productivity, workenvironment, workshifting | Permalink

Paper: The Workshifter's Secret Weapon

Posted by Scott Nesbitt in Workshifting

Paper. The analog method. Call it what you will. In this age of digital, using something as 20th century as pen and paper sounds like a very strange thing to do.It doesn't matter if you use a tablet, a pocket notebook, the other side of some printed paper, or the back of an envelope. Paper can be more than just a quaint way of going old school. It can be a useful and powerful tool.Why use paper?I'm definitely not harking back to the days when William Faulkner wrote his manuscripts with a pen on a legal pad. Instead, I'm advocating... Read More

Comments | Tags: organization, productivity, resources, tools, workshifting | Permalink