With technology getting smaller and more portable, the office is on the go, with people taking their work to coffee shops, restaurants, libraries, and even the occasional bar. Locations such have Starbucks have sprung up based on the business model of providing people with a place to work, outside of the home and the office.
It is not uncommon to see someone walking down the street with an entire office slung over their shoulder. You may not see the desks, office chairs, filing cabinets or copy machines; those are housed in other locations or are provided by the destination, but they do have everything they need to perform a full and productive day’s work.
The centerpiece of portable office essentials is the laptop. If your work is computer intensive, then you have to make sure that you have the highest powered machine possible. However if you don’t require a super computer there are a number of rather tiny machines out there that can make portable computing extremely easy.
Backing up the computer, many people will have a blackberry, or web enabled phone, which can act as a backup player for the computer. A cell phone can be used to research things on the web, pull up notes, keep records, or as a way of staying productive when your computer is busy “thinking”. Oh yeah, you can also make business calls on them.
A kindle is another portable device that can be used to help your portable office. Not only can you store paper documents in a convenient digital form, but you can also use it to download current publications such as newspapers and magazines. The constantly on internet connection also allows you to access blogs, wikipedia, and other online information from almost anywhere in the world.
Aside from technology, a good portable office will also be very organized. This will involve folders, files, and a neat and orderly briefcase, with everything in its proper place. You should always carry pens, a paper pad, business cards, and any reference materials which you frequently require.
With technology getting smaller, lighter, and more powerful, people are doing their work in many different locations. Where someone working out of their home might have been rare 10 years ago, now you will find people working out of coffee shops, books stores, and libraries. This trend will only continue, and will get easier with each leap forward in technology.
