The Virtues of Going Virtual

Many people consider the pros and cons of moving to a completely virtual office setup but aren’t sure whether it is right for them. I recently came across a blog post from Don Loper who manages a web design firm. At the end of May he made the jump from a physical office to a full virtual office. Read more about his thoughts and experience in this post – The Virtues of Going Virtual.

He also posted some thoughts about the experience a few months later in his post The Virtual Office is Complete (love the photo Don!)

Now while many of you may be thinking it’s easy for him to go with a virtual office setup because he runs a web design firm, I think you will find most of the points he makes to be true of many businesses in varied industries.

Working Together…When Apart – WSJ.com

Working Together…When Apart – WSJ.com

Phil and I have been wood-shedding as of late, releasing updated versions of our Tipbooks, creating 3 new Virtual Training CDs, and conducting a number of Virtual Team Workshops youcanworkfromanywhere.com/store

When I saw this Wall Street Journal article I wanted to share it on the blog because it is a perfect distillation of the key issues and ideas in which we have been immersed.

Although each virtual team situation has unique qualities, there are some fundamental challenges that appear repeatedly – these are highlighted in this excellent article by Lynda Gratton along with 10 steps that any team can take to collaborate more effectively across distance.

In our workshops we often stress the importance of fostering informal communication, and many times organizations are surprised by this (or even dismiss the idea) because it is an area they have given little or no thought. I’d like to point out that the first step Ms. Gratton details relates to informal communication…

Finding Work Life Balance in the New Year

I’d like to start my first post of 2007 by wishing you a very joyful and prosperous new year! The last few months of 2006 were busy ones for me with moving into a new house, setting up our home office, and spending time with family and friends during the holidays. But don’t fret . . . Jason and I are looking forward to getting back on the microphone soon to continue our podcast and discussions about The Anywhere Office.

In reflecting on how I handled this bevy of activity at the end of the year and my plans for the new year it struck me that some thoughts about work-life balance were in order.

At this time of year I often find myself thinking that I didn’t spend as much time with my family and friends as I would have liked. It’s just so easy to get caught up in the day to day hustle of things that need to be done. You may be feeling the same way: you were so busy with meetings, email, voice mail, and reports that some of the more important things in life got put on the back burner – often with a promise that you would get to it tomorrow, or next week.

Well now is your chance, as you’re setting your goals for the upcoming year, to bring focus to developing greater balance in your life. Smart Phones, laptops, and PDAs are getting more affordable; Fast internet access is pervasive, along with great tools and online services that make it easier then ever to work productively from anywhere.

Avoiding a daily commute and gaining more control over your work schedule can not only make you more productive, it can help you achieve the balance you have been longing for in your life.

If you currently work remotely, and it has been working well for you and your organization, try to increase the amount of time you spend working from home or outside the office.

If you don’t work remotely, then consider approaching your organization about the possibility. In light of many things that happened this past year, including a sluggish economy and political tumult, many organizations are reconsidering some of their earlier fears about distributed work and realizing it makes sound business sense.

Distributed work provides a win-win situation for both an organization and its employees. Companies can save money on real estate, improve employee morale and efficiency, and be better prepared to handle disasters and interruptions; employees can work when they work best, without common office distractions, and gain both time and more control over their schedules.

In fact, depending on where you live, some new bills being passed may provide tax credits and incentives for you and your organization, making a telework plan even more attractive.

We all waste precious time sitting in traffic, commuting back and forth to the office and traveling around for meetings that often could just as easily have been held on the phone or online.

So as you spend time with family and friends, reflect on how valuable and enjoyable this time is and how it enhances everything you do.

Make a commitment to do the things necessary to achieve more work/life balance. Whether it is finding a way to work outside the office, learning new time management and technology skills, or exploring ways to improve your meetings, striving for balance can improve every aspect of your life.

Business continuity and disaster recovery teleseminar audio and handouts posted

I am pleased to announce that our free teleseminar yesterday on business continuity and disaster preparedness was a great success. We were joined by 3 panelists other than myself.
All the presentations were full of expert advice and suggestions on how to develop a solid business continuity plan for businesses of all size – from organizations to solo professionals. They also shared some excellent resources, tools, and websites.

We have posted the handouts and the audio from this event online at www.YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com/beprepared/ so you can still benefit from this valuable information.

Please check it out and post any questions you have here or give us feedback. Enjoy!

Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity

A few months ago Phil and I dedicated one of our radio shows to a discussion of business continuity and disaster recovery (show #3 to be exact, “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.”).

With hurricane season nearing its peak in the Southeast and news of continuing difficulties with projects like ‘The Big Dig’ in Massachusets, business continuity is a topic that many people are eager to learn more about. Well, the tools and strategies needed to conduct business as usual regardless of location is what The Anywhere Office is all about! So we’re going to delve in to this topic some more – and we figured, if 2 heads are better than one…

We have organized a panel of 4 South Florida experts and are offering a free teleseminar entitled: “Riding the Storm Out: Don’t wait until it’s too late to form a business continuity plan.” This isn’t just going to be a discussion about hurricane preparedness – it will be expert advice on how to develop a plan and systems to confront any contingency, regardless of whether you are an organization or a solo-professional.

Visit YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com/beprepared/ to get details about the panel, topics, and how to register.

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