Build Your Remote Work Setup

2020 came in like the destructive force that it was, and left with so much devastation. But a silver lining of living through a pandemic, remote work.  Companies that never would have green lit a work from home program were suddenly running successful businesses with a majority of staff not being office bound.

Around late 2021, with easing COVID restrictions, I found myself sitting in my home office confused.  Why was I relegating myself to a corner in my home? Work from home? No. Work from anywhere.

I’ve taken my show on the road a few times, spanning from a couple of weeks up to months, and here are my steadfast tips for creating a mobile remote work set up.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Laptop

• Bluetooth mouse

• Portable monitor

• External hard drive (optional - I do a bit of video editing that requires this)

• Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones

My first foray, I worked exclusively on my laptop with no second screen and no mouse, 0/10 do not recommend. My ability to toggle between applications was tested, and I was miserable.  Instead of being able to enjoy being in a different city, I ended up working 11 and 12 hour days to make up for how slow I was moving being limited to a single 15” screen.

For the next go, while working in Bogota, I thought I’d gotten clever. I brought an HDMI cord with me and plugged my laptop into the tv. Surely having a massive tv as my second monitor would be everything I needed? Not quite.  Computer monitors are higher resolution due to having more pixels per inch.  Trying to view text on a tv was a headache inducing endeavor. But at least the second time I had a mouse.

Finally, on my most recent trip, I picked up a portable monitor. This was a game changer, while it required another piece of equipment, I was able to work quickly and efficiently.

Noise canceling headphones with a mic that isolates your voice and reduces ambient noise is super necessary when it comes to meetings.

This is the basis of a sleek remote work setup.