Author:Paulmah
Productivity On The Move
I am a digital nomad, and have been so since I started doing freelance writing for a number of IT publications. I also do some consultation, as well as giving classes at a local college. The various commitments, meetings and deadlines have conspired to keep me on the move, with the majority of my deliveribles in digital form, and involving the Internet.
Today, I share three tips which have enabled me to be both productive and efficient, which in turn leads to motivation to keep at what I am doing.
Be task-orientated
It is very easy for the connected digital nomad to be distracted by emails or instant messages (IMs) that are not relevant to the particular task at hand. While it often doesn’t take much time to respond to a single IM or email, a whole series of them within a span of an hour or two can be a serious hindrance to getting work done. In addition, IMs don’t normally end at one, and could easily escalate into a full-blown conversation before you know it.
The simplest method not to be distracted would be not to open your email and IM client for unrelated tasks.  For many digital nomads though, doing that might not be an option. In such a scenario, a digital nomad might do well to only read – and respond – to new IMs and emails upon the completion of a task rather than every single time a new IM comes in. Big tasks can be split into smaller chunks for this purpose; imposing a time-frame between checks can also work.
Some productivity gurus even go as far as to advocate replying emails only once or twice a day. Personally, I view that as being a little extreme, though it does underscore the importance that the digital nomad be completely task orientated in order to be productive.
Be properly equipped
Nothing is more annoying than wasting precious time trying to locate tools to complete what should be a simple task. An example would be not having a flash drive to transfer a large file to someone who is physically with you. Such a scenario could well lead to a digital nomad attempting to email the files out – not suitable for files more than a few megabytes in size, or trying to use the mass storage modes of smartphones instead – which might not support the fastest USB transfer speeds.
Personally, I invested in a wireless mouse I bring along everywhere with my laptop, as well as a mouse pad – so that I can work even on glass or highly reflective tables. Other peripherals that will stand you in good stead might include various retractable cables, and the ubiquitous flash drive of course.
In addition, I have also learned not to rely on power points at places where I am “staking out” or assume the availability of Internet connectivity at wireless hotspots. While a power socket or a wireless Internet connection is always welcome, I do ensure that I have sufficient battery life left in my laptop for the work at hand. I also carry along a 3G wireless data modem in case the Internet at the wireless hotspot is down. Indeed, buying a spare laptop battery might be something a digital nomad might want to seriously consider.
It is in this context that the non-gaming digital nomad should forget about a separate desktop rig at home or in the office. Simply working off the same laptop will result in tremendous savings in time not spent having to synchronize files, data, or bookmarks around the place. If your laptop is an ultraportable, or even a netbook, you can consider acquiring an additional LCD monitor for your home or office as an easy way to get a larger display.
Finally, one more thing I’ve found about working on the go is this: Not every place is comfortable for you to plonk down for long hours of work. The ambient temperature, the chill of the air-conditioning, the level of the background noise, even the glare of the sun or lighting all conspire to maintain or wreck your productivity. Obviously, this is irrelevant if you are out of town, or travel to places that you are not familiar with. However, it does makes sense to go to places where you have been before, and are comfortable with.
Learn to take a break
As mentioned earlier, I do a substantial amount of work as a freelance writer. I have contributed to IT-related sites such as TechRepublic and Ars Technica, and am also the editor of a few other on-line publications. As a well-equipped digital nomad, the temptation is to keep working. It could be due to the slippage of deadlines due to insufficient focus, attempting to take on more work than is realistic or sheer unadulterated passion.
Whatever the case, the conclusion I have arrived at is this: there is always more work to be done.
I have learned to allocate time specifically for leisure, as well as prioritizing time for family and loved ones as I plan my workload and time. Obviously, being single and young helps, but nobody stays that way forever right?
There is a Chinese saying that goes along the line of, “Rest now, in order to go the greater distance.” I have found it to be true in my case. Rather than staring blanking at the computer for an hour and producing little due to exhaustion, why not take a short break, and come back to complete hours worth of work at twice or even thrice the speed?
Control Not Technology Is The Security Challenge
The increasing number of laptops and mobile devices on the market has created a situation where IT folks are facing increasing difficulties to ensure that corporate information is kept secure. If anything, the increasing number of high profile cases involving data loss should serve as a warning that the situation is untenable and is reaching critical mass.
While technological solutions abound, the very diversity of laptops and mobile devices actively works against any single solution. For example, the release of Apple’s iPhone last year suddenly had IT departments scrambling to deal with yet another platform that employees are bringing into the office. In many cases, managers and staff might be demanding that they be allowed to access their corporate emails from these gadgets.
In this regard, we must recognize that the key challenge that we face has more to do with the issue of control rather than technology. Increasingly technology-savvy employees see no reason why they cannot be allowed to access corporate data from their personal laptops or Smartphones. To address this issue, I would like to suggest that we approach this from a different paradigm.
Companies need to wake up to the fact that the trend of staff bringing in external laptops and Smartphones will not only continue, but will in fact accelerate. But it would be difficult and unpopular for companies to demand that staff comply with certain security measures on their personal devices. However, the matter is different if these devices are actually owned by the company. This might involve loaning out company-acquired laptops, or paying an allowance for use of a personal laptop belonging to a staff. The allowance pays for depreciation of the equipment, as well as any associated inconvenience that comes with implementing various security measures. In the latter case, employees are free to bring the laptop with them upon leaving the organization – once confidential data has been confirmed as removed.
Once clear ownership of the laptops or mobile devices has been established, it becomes easier when it comes to dealing with security in the form of theft or accidental loss.
There are many options when it comes to ensuring personal security or privacy. Where a laptop is concerned, the obvious solution would be to leverage upon full disk encryption that is tied to Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Depending on various factors however, this might be impractical to implement overnight due to the fact that a complete overhaul of existing hardware and expensive software commitment might be necessary. In addition, it must be noted that full disk encryption does nothing to mitigate the ability of service personnel granted temporary access to peer into data that they have no business in. This is probably best exemplified by the case of Hong Kong-based actor Edison Chan who had service personnel pinch various scandalous photos of himself being intimate with various actresses from his personal laptop when it was sent in for servicing. The resultant outroar cut short his career and had him leaving the country in disgrace.
A more moderate and less invasive approach here would be to issue out personal flash drives with an on-board authentication and encryption. What it means is that all data on these flash drives are encrypted on-the-fly the moment they are copied in. They will only be accessibly only upon furnishing the correct password. The IronKey might be a consideration, though similar devices are now widely available on the market.
Obviously, user training will be required, especially since the drive capacities for such specialized flash drives are still relatively low at between 4GB to 8GB. However, I believe it will be relatively easy to train even novice users that only data on the encrypted flash drive should be considered secure. Another added advantage would be that users will become more conscious of following backup procedures as well. As such, it represents the best compromise between.
Join the conversation…
Collaborate with some of the leading minds in technology and define what it means to be a digital nomad. The community will collaborate to answer questions about:
- Security challenges of a mobile workforce
- Connectivity and access for nomad employees everywhere
- Ensuring productivity when employees are on the go
