On Wednesday, we showed you how to add movement into your workshifting routine. Read below for a more extreme version from Citrix’s own Chris Latham.
Santa Barbara local Chris Latham, a manager on the Citrix Customer Insights team, has been competing in triathlons for 15 years. Currently she’s training for the 2012 Ironman Hawaii 70.3 race located on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. While Santa Barbara is a great place to train for these kinds of events, there’s no substitute for training on location, which allows athletes to become better acclimated and more familiar with the route.
So what’s a motivated Citrix triathlete to do? Workshift from Hawaii, of course!
Chris has made a detailed plan on how to realize her dream of training on location while keeping up with her job from March 28 to July 2. From getting manager approval, to gathering the work gear she needs, to finding housing, Chris has got it all figured out.
Get Manager Approval
Before she did anything else, Chris made sure to discuss her workshifting plan with her manager. Together they made sure that Chris would be able to meet all the requirements of her position and made plans for how Chris would communicate with her team while she is in Hawaii.
Get The Gear
After talking with the IT department, Chris discovered that the only things she needed in addition to her usual “occasional workshifting” setup were a wireless data modem (so she can literally work at the beach!) and a VPN connection to provide instant access to the network without having to provide a different connection.
Hardware
- Laptop with power cord
- VoIP headset
- Wireless data modem (Verizon or AT&T)
- Mobile phone
- Pad of paper
- Mechanical pencil
Software
- VPN
- GoToMeeting
- GoToMyPC
Kona Coffee (optional)
Get a Place to Stay
To save on housing costs, Chris used Airbnb.com, an online service that connects people who want to host guests with people who need a place to stay. Then she found someone to sublet her apartment just by spreading the word through her friends on Facebook.
Turns out, getting ready to workshift was surprisingly easy. All that remains for Chris to do is to work, train and race.
Get Going!
The Hawaii 70.3 (or Honu) on June 2 is a 70-mile triathlon, consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. Chris will be competing with over 1,600 other athletes, including 7-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. (No pressure, Chris!)
As part of her preparation for the big Honu race, Chris will also be doing the running leg of the Lavaman triathlon on April 1 and competing in various 6-man canoe races at the Kai Opua canoe club from May through June (just for fun).
Chris has a lot of hard training ahead, but she couldn’t ask for a better place to do it – or a better workshifting arrangement.
