Several key businessmen have said that remote work will become the norm in the next five years, especially when offices and physical workplaces are slowly becoming phased out. In light of certain events that are happening, most companies are putting a lot of effort into making contactless work a norm. By mitigating physical transmission by making people stay at home, everyone will be safe without having to expose themselves to particular diseases unnecessarily.
In an age of information, most individuals are already connected to the Internet. Whether it’s through wireless or high-speed stable cable connections, no one can deny that having an internet connection was now a human right. More than 80% of the American population is connected to this data highway.
For the modern nomad, remote work is a dream for them. Not only can you travel, but you can also work at the comfort of your hammock by the beach, in vibrant hotels, and bustling cafes around the world. However, this is not necessarily always the case when it comes to remote workers. Realistically, most will have to deal with choppy connections, work interruptions, unwanted noises during meetings, and other inconveniences while we’re doing our work.
We’ll focus more on the travel aspect than the business aspect of remote work. How does travelling influence your progress at work?
Does It Work?
Let’s assume that after a few months to a year, travelling will resume, and we can go back to our daily programming. Realistically, how does travelling affect our performance at remote work?
Well, unless you’ve got years of experience, we will need to ask ourselves these questions right before we delve into remote work:
Are You Okay with Unpredictable Adventures?
When it comes to working for a company while being thousands of miles away from your workstation, it might seem hard for companies to monitor your progress unless it’s wholly needed in your line of work. Some businesses will monitor your progress by putting a tracker on your device to keep track of your time. Some companies don’t necessarily mind what their employees are doing daily as long as they submit their workload.
However, when we travel, there’s going to be a lot of hiccups with internet connections, and overall, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Should I Work for Myself?
It might seem like a relatively simple question, especially for most individuals who are working for themselves; however, in a more corporate level, this can be a bit more tricky. Ultimately, this will depend on the nature of your work. You could be an essential part of a corporation. Let’s say you’re someone who has to do repair work with Bosch power tools or needs to face different employees from different international branches. Then working remotely might be a challenge since you need to see people face-to-face. Additionally, you might be obliged to travel to where your company wants you to go.
If you do plan to work for yourself, you might want to consider freelancing as a career. Not only will you be the master of your own rates, but you won’t have to deal with angry bosses. After all, you see the world, and there’s no time for all that negative energy.
What Are My Long-Term Goals?
You should ask what your long-term goals are. It might be something you want to strive for the year, or maybe throughout a decade on your life, but what matters the most is what your plan in life is.
Do you plan to travel more and work less? If that’s the case, then you can do at least one, for now. If you do choose to work, it’s best to work while you’re at home instead of travelling. If you’re more interested in seeing historical heritage sites, practicing new skills, and learning from people from all walks of life, then you can temporarily put off your work to focus more on yourself and your travels.
You can’t serve two masters at the same time. It might seem like traveling and working is the dream job that you’ve been striving for, but it’s best not to mix your work with your hobbies. While some will find happiness in making money while travelling, you’ll eventually start associating travelling with stress. You’ll get stressed by the fact that you’re travelling and constantly searching for a connection to upload that one report that you need to submit at the end of the day.
Realistically, travelling and working at the same time might not be the most convenient way of doing things. Unless you’ve been doing them for decades and can concentrate when a lot happens, you’re bound to get distracted at some point.
