As a business owner, setting your ‘Out Of Office’ rarely means you won’t be working. You might be getting a couple of jobs done from home, on a business trip, or even during a holiday. And whilst you might intend to get them all completed quickly so you can focus on other things, the lack of the usual office environment might cause you to take a little longer on tasks.
It doesn’t have to be this way though. If you have an effective plan in place, you can be just as productive out of the office as you are in it. Here’s our five top tips for a more effective time away.
1. Take a Mac with you
Whilst cloud storage and file backup tools are incredibly valuable for accessing files from any device, it relies on good-quality WiFi, which remote locations might lack. Many choose to take tablets and phones with them for their mobile data, but these can have limited storage and the internet charges may ramp up.
A solution is to bring a portable computer with you, like a MacBook Pro – stocked beforehand with all the work you plan to do whilst away. This way, you’ll avoid any bumps in the road you’d come across by not having access to an internet connection. You can get your work done offline, and scout out a WiFi source later on for uploading or sending.
2. Complete tasks with speed
Your laptop will need to work fast enough for the work you’re doing. This is especially true when you’re on holiday or at an event where free time is scarce. After all, who wants to spend longer doing work than they have to?
There’s quite a few factors that affect the speed of your computer, including the processor, Ram and Hard Drive. With Macs you are unable to upgrade the these after the point of purchase. So, it may be more cost-effective in the long run to get a new device instead, especially if your current one is reaching the end of its lifespan.
3. Ensure you have enough battery
As machines age, their battery life also becomes poorer. Sometimes this can result in them having little to no power without a charger plugged in continuously. If it accidentally comes out, you risk losing your work and having to do it all over again.
Access to sockets may also be limited in some locations, meaning a computer that can’t stay on long enough will prove useless. You can still be productive, though, if you upgrade your old MacBook or iPad with a new one beforehand.
4. Travel light
Lugging your work around from one spot to another for long periods of time can be enough to put you off the idea entirely! Not only is minimising the amount of ‘stuff’ you take essential to your productivity, it’s also important if you have luggage restrictions for travel.
Packing a light device for hand luggage, such as an iPad or MacBook Air, will solve this problem, but whether you want to do this will depend on the nature of your work. A laptop will have more capacity and may in some cases be more suitable.
5. Have a back-up plan
If your laptop is stolen, damaged, or suffers a fault whilst you’re roam working, then this will definitely impact your productivity. It’s always best to have a contingency plan in place so you can minimise downtime.
Calling AppleCare will often get your device back in working order if it malfunctions. If not, it offers world wide coverage meaning that you can drop it in to an Apple Store to get it serviced. iCloud will allow you to access your files and continue working on another device. Prevention is, of course, better than the cure – which is why we’ve put together some handy tips for keeping your Mac safe on holiday.
You might not have the funds for a new computer or device currently, but you don’t have to pay upfront – you can lease one instead. With Lease Loop, it’s not just the device that’s included. All our Macs come with AppleCare and a temporary loan machine service – ideal if your device needs repairing, and you require another in the meantime.
To find out more about the leasing options available to you, get in touch with us today.
