Where can you work remotely?

When you hear working remotely, you might think of working at home. Surprisingly, home is not the only spot to work remotely. It is pretty obvious, but sometimes you might get used to it that you forget about the other options available. Fortunately, I have worked (or studied) in entirely different and various settings. Let me tell you the pros and cons of all the spaces you can make use of while working remotely.

1. Your living room

Pros:

• Breaking the daily work routine.
• No commute.
• It is two steps away from your home chores.

Cons: 

• Lots of distractions (especially if you have kids or pets)
• The temptation to turn on the TV and binge-watch a Netflix show

How to make it work:

• Disconnect your TV.
• Distract your kids with a list of activities.
• Keep your pet in a separate room, or switch to the next option.
• Clean and tidy the living room the day before, or take 5 minutes to declutter your space.
• If you have an urgent errand or a home chore, use it as a motivation to finish.

2. Your home office

Pros:

• Lots of concentration, no distractions (except for your mobile notifications, so leave it in another room).
• Everyone knows that you are at the office, so you are working, and you shouldn’t be interrupted.

Cons:

• You might get bored.
• You might get back or neck strains.

How to make it work:

• Keep an announced timeline, with scheduled breaks.
• You might use the breaks to prepare a snack, drink something, or stretch.
• Between long work sessions, do a quick home chore or just gaze from your balcony or window.
• Avoid the temptation to open Netflix and stay away from YouTube.

3. Baladi Cafe

Pros:

• It’s the cheapest spot to work remotely.
• It is perfect if your work doesn’t require to be connected to the internet all the time.
• You are served at a bare rate per drink.

Cons:

• There is no internet
• If your mobile or laptop is dying, you won’t be able to recharge
• Lots of shisha smoke around you
• If Egypt is playing on a TV screen, you won’t ever be able to concentrate.

How to make it work:

• Go to Baladi cafes really early,
• Avoid dates related to matches or celebratory events.
• Avoid Baladi cafes in noisy neighborhoods.
• If you need an internet connection, make sure to bring your mi-fi.

4. Cafe

Pros:

• Quiet, and maybe there is soft music in the background.
• You are served your favorite cafe or cocktail.
• Most probably you will have access to the internet (even if you have to reconnect every hour).

Cons:

• Waiters might interrupt you to ask for orders.
• There might be a birthday party on the table next to you, which will make your working party not so useful.
• Tables might be away from electrical outlets, or even there are no electrical outlets in the whole cafe.

How to make it work:

• Choose a distant, quiet spot, order once you arrive, and tell your waiter casually that you are coming to work and concentrate, he will take the hint and won’t distract you.
• It is decent to order at least every 4 hours, so as not to be an irritating over-staying customer, especially if you are planning on working at the same cafe again, or if it is a high traffic day.

5. Restaurant

Pros:

• Perfect spot for midday work, so you can save time on eating your meal, without going to another place for lunch.
• Many restaurants have WiFi access to the internet (even if you have to reconnect every hour).
• If you are busy, having a meeting, or waiting for a friend, make it a lunch meeting/gathering.

Cons:

• Waiters might interrupt you to ask for orders and feedback.
• Clinking clanking silverware might not be your favorite white noise to concentrate.

How to make it work:

• Strategically choose the restaurant where you are going to work.
• Use your favorite meals or desserts as rewards for your hard work all day.
• Choose the same spot every time so you will be served by the same waiter/waitress every time so it will be easier for him/her to remember your order and your preferences and save your time.
• Leave good tips to establish a good service relationship with your servers.

6. Public space: Park, or social center

Pros:

• Open spaces and greenery stimulate your creativity and productivity.
• Fresh air will keep you concentrated with good oxygen supply to your brain.

Cons:

• No internet connection.
• The setting is not perfect for work.
• Probably, there will be no internet service.

How to make it work:

• Make sure you will take a laptop pillow with you so you can have a better posture working.
• Bring your mi-fi, or give yourself a hotspot connection through your mobile.

7. Co-working space (or shared offices)

Pros:

• It would be a perfect environment for working and concentration, especially if you longed for quietness in your everyday open office.
• You will have an opportunity to network and meet other people whom you might have common interests with.
• Usually, co-working spaces have good stable internet connections.
• You will find everything you usually use at work including a printer, stationery, hot drinks station, coffee machine, …..etc.
• The best option for people who work entirely remotely.

Cons:

• If you are working remotely for one day per week, you won’t be able to enjoy monthly subscription plans benefits.
• Working at a workspace for four to five days per month might be at a relatively high rate per day.

How to make it work:

• Pick a co-working space that is close to your home, negotiate your payment plan to be monthly with a credit of days per month.
• Ask your employer if they could cover your subscription fees, especially if working remotely boosts your performance.

8. On the beach (Yesss!) ?

Pros:

• What’s better than the sea sounds, smell, and the breeze to stimulate your brain for creative work?
• Ummm, that’s all, do you need any more reasons?

Cons: 

• Your devices are at risk; lots of sand and salty water is way worse than your coffee between your keyboard and motherboard.
• Your devices might die without a chance to find anything to revive their batteries.

How to make it work: 

• Keep it minimal; creative work that can be done on a tablet or even brainstorming on paper.
• Go analog, a pen and paper are your friends on the beach. Just make sure you have something heavy to mount on your notebook or documents so they won’t go with the wind.
• Make sure you won’t do this on vacation unless it is a crisis that no one will resolve but you.

Wherever you work remotely, just know that you can shift from one setting to another, till you know your sweet spot where you can concentrate and be productive as you will ever be.