Knowing how to work remotely has become an essential and life-changing skill many of the world’s brokers and investors have had to embrace in a post-pandemic world.
Employment has changed. For investors and real estate agents, this has also become a reality as remote and satellite work spaces fulfill an ever-increasing need for service and opportunity.
Fortunately, these changes are not all negative, and thanks in part to the wonders of technology, you can run a successful remote business or work remotely for a range of industries from anywhere in the world.
However, how do you transform this new employment situation into a dream come true? How do you live, work, and travel to live the life of your dreams?
You’re Working Remotely, Now What?
Most of us dream of having the skills and opportunities required for remote work. It seems an idyllic setup to work from home (or from anywhere in the world). After all, there’s no morning commute, no dressing up according to often strict dress-codes, and for those with young kids, it’s the ultimate dream to be home and raise your children while still earning a steady income.
While many companies have embraced the remote working culture in a post-pandemic world, this is still a greatly misunderstood way of working, and it has its own set of challenges.
Whether you are suddenly working from home, remotely, or even away from home, you will need some skills you may not already have, and there may be considerations involved in this revolutionary employment phenomenon that you are blissfully unaware of (for now).
A Few Truths and Challenges About Working Remotely
Working from home is not about lounging around in your pajamas all day long, and while we have all had a long giggle at the boxer-shorts memes about Zoom meetings that circulate on Facebook, this is not the reality of working remotely.
Working remotely successfully has its own challenges, and if you are not well-informed, you may be back at your brokerage desk (or broke) much sooner than you’d like. Here are some basic truths about remote working and some of the challenges you can face:
- Remote Work Is Different
When you make the shift from regular office-based working to remote or home-based working, you will face a drastic mind shift. With regular office work, you know and use a particular mindset of being “at work,” and so, from nine to five, you are in work mode.
At home, you may have to contend with a range of other demands of your time such as needing to deal with issues at home, friends who assume you’re home so you have time for them, and a range of other challenges such as power outages or lack of reliable Wi-Fi.
You will have to be a lot stricter with your time management, your commitment to work, and meeting targets. While you may be sitting on the sofa in your lounge, you are still accountable to your clients, and you still need to answer for work that is lagging or behind schedule.
In essence, you have to become your own boss. You have to be the “monitoring” presence who keeps an eye on you so work gets done (even though online apps such as Asana, Trello, Slack, and Basecamp can be used to check whether you are working and track your tasks).
Embracing the correct mindset to go with remote work is essential to making a success of it.
- You Can Become Invisible
Home-based or remote work is definitely much nicer than trudging to the office, but it also means there is no watercooler culture happening.
While you may believe the watercooler is such a waste of time and energy at work, a reality is that socializing during office time is how you are seen and remembered at work. When you work from home, you could end up becoming invisible.
Working remotely can cause people to forget your presence at work, especially if you are one of only a few employees who work remotely.
For investors or real estate agents, being invisible at work is career suicide. You need to be seen, be remembered, and be effective within your company to qualify for advancement and promotions.
You will have to take steps to remain visible if you hope to work your way up through the ranks at work (even though you are no longer in the office).
- Networking Hassles
For those who are effective at working from home, networking is a challenge they need to overcome on a daily basis.
Within a traditional office, you can easily walk to the office of the person you need to connect with and bounce ideas around or get their opinion or commitment to an idea you are running with. However, in remote work setups, you do not have the ability to see them face-to-face. Just like you can become invisible, you can also become cut off.
Remote workers often complain they are the last ones to learn about important information of something happening in the company unless a company wide notice was sent out. Being connected is a crucial part of being effective at remote work.
- You Become Your Own Mentor
When you are unsure about something at work, you can usually stop with a cup of coffee at a senior employee’s desk and get the assistance or mentorship you need. But where (and to whom) do you turn when you work remotely?
Think about the many deals you put together while running into other brokers in the office. There are also the times when you asked other agents or your manager how to handle objections before big sales pitches.
The answer is to become your own mentor. You will have to engage in self-learning and training where you could previously rely on peer learning. Being proactive, identifying your own shortcomings, and finding ways to address these are essential if you want to keep up to faceless employees (other remote workers) whom you may be competing against.
- You Are Only as Good as Your Infrastructure
Working remotely can be a technical challenge. In the office setup, you can call for assistance and request a proposal to get done or maybe an offering memorandum to get printed out and mailed. There is usually a technical support person who can also assist you when you are at your work premises.
At your home office, you are the “support” manager. If your laptop fails, you lose income. When your software crashes or viruses infect your PC, you are responsible and in trouble.
This means you need to have the best equipment, be trained in maintaining these, and know how to ensure your work effectiveness at all times with the technology at your disposal.
- Mental Strain
When the office is no longer represented by the company’s four walls, you may find your personal boundaries are being pushed and balancing work and life can become difficult.
You may struggle to get teammates or even clients to respect the concept of you being “off the clock.” This can cause a lot of mental strain, while being a real estate agent or broker within a global office with different time zones can be equally challenging.
Having certain skills, like meditation, journaling, and a fitness routine, will help you deal with remote work challenges and find solutions.
What Are the Skills Required for Remote Work?
- Embrace Change
Investing in you is about embracing change. While working remotely is different from a traditional day job, you can make a success of it and enjoy all the benefits of flexibility and independence. If you expect it to be just like your office job, you will struggle.
However, if you embrace the changes and challenges, you will soon lead the pack. Work hard at overcoming challenges, and you will be a remote-pro in no time.
- Establish Presence
Ok, so there’s no watercooler to hang out at and be seen, but you can still create a presence by making sure you are not forgotten.
Keep in touch by sending messages and emails. Communicate on various platforms where your colleagues hang out. The watercooler has gone digital, and so should you. Jokes and hanging out with your colleagues has been replaced by strong written and verbal communication online.
- Reach Out
Create new networking skills. Be sure to reach out, connect with different players within the work scene. Whether you are in the same city or in another country, you can still make connections and get the information you need.
Waiting for everything to be emailed to you is not feasible, so be proactive.
- Learn Constantly
In a remote working culture, you need to learn … constantly. You can no longer wait for company-initiated learning workshops. You need to self-analyze, find your weak spots, and train yourself.
There are amazing online resources for remote workers where you can easily communicate with other workers from across the globe, learn tricks of the trade, discover new ideas, and further develop your skills for remote working.
You are only as employable as your remote working skills. Learning to use digital tools becomes a non-negotiable when working remotely.
- Invest in Quality Infrastructure
Since you are now responsible for your own infrastructure and equipment, you need to invest in quality. While you may be learning how to work remotely, you need to start with the best technology you can afford.
A reliable laptop is essential, as is having a reliable Wi-Fi connection. You can’t always rely on your local coffee shop’s free unsecured Wi-Fi when you are a professional remote worker.
- Be Your Own Manager
The mental strain of working remotely may not be for everyone. The skills required for remote work need to include not only proficiency in networking or technological aptitude.
You also need to be skilled at managing yourself. Knowing when to step back and log off is essential to prevent mental burn-out.
Another aspect is maintaining a level of motivation that will equal productivity. When you are having an off day, you can’t simply decide to hide in bed and hope your boss doesn’t notice you’re not online. Managing stress becomes an even greater requirement when working remotely.
I’m Working Remotely, But I Want to Travel
One of the greatest reasons most people want to work remotely is to be able to travel. Who wouldn’t want to quickly Zoom with colleagues while on a beach in Thailand or reach out to their team on Slack while strolling through the markets in Marrakesh? So, how do you make this happen?
Travel and Working Considerations
When working remotely, you can do so from anywhere. Whether you are online on your sofa in your own living room or attending an e-conference from your Airbnb in Colombia, the world of online work is boundless. There are a few considerations to keep in mind though:
- Time Zones
Working while traveling can mess up your time zones quite badly. This could lead to missed appointments and meetings.
Keeping track of where (and when) you are will be important to the global remote worker (and traveler). However, you can use time zones to your favor, gaining time depending on which country you visit. Again, this comes down to management skills. Can you handle a night owl schedule in Asia or would you be better off in Latin America if you need to work US hours?
- Increased Distractions
While it’s lovely to be in new places, these can be very distracting when you need to work. A coffee shop may not be the best place to focus in, nor will it have secure and fast Wi-Fi. Renting a coworking space may be a solution to consider while abroad. These offer you reliable equipment, internet, and an office-like space to focus in.
Remote Working (and Traveling) Tips
As an experienced world traveler and remote worker, I suggest these remote working tips for you:
- Schedule Your Time
Time management becomes really complicated when abroad as you operate across diverse time zones. You may benefit from using a time zone tracker to help you keep track of who, when, and where.
- Pack With Foresight
Take your own reliable equipment with you. For me, I prefer a professional work laptop like the Microsoft Surface Book from Amazon. Whichever laptop you choose, it must be durable, lightweight, and offer excellent battery time. You should also include a heavy-duty carry case to protect your precious laptop.
I also backup all data to an external hard drive (for when there’s no internet) and also to cloud storage. A lightweight USB keyboard and mouse are also a blessing, and you may consider getting a laptop stand that enables better working postures.
- Be Flexible, Not Lazy
Working remotely is not about working less. However, you should have work flexibility. Keep this in mind when scheduling your time, travel arrangements, and commitments. Create a productive schedule and stick to it as closely as possible. Even though you are working nomadically, you are not only a tourist; you have commitments to keep.
- Show Yourself Kindness
There will be times when you mess up. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Rather treat yourself with kindness and work harder at creating the skills required for remote work.
Kindness includes knowing you can’t work productively when you have jet lag from an 18-hour flight. Combine the flexibility of working nomadically with self-care and healthy living.
Successfully Working Remotely FAQ
How can people who aren’t used to remote work psychologically prepare themselves for it?
Keep in touch. Stay connected to people in your life, whether they are in the same room as you or on another continent.
Communication skills are vital. Make sure to talk to people face to face as much as possible, not just online. Keep connected with people who are not near you by sending instant messages, sharing on social media, and calling when appropriate.
Get up and walk. Working remotely may result in long hours spent in sedentary positions, so plan exercise and stretching.
What is the effect of the unexpected when remote working?
While you may be working as part of a team, it may not feel like that when you work remotely. Your identity as part of a group is important, and you should strive to maintain the connections and responsibilities within the company group or culture as much as possible. These are the people who will be there for you when times get challenging.
When you have maintained a good relationship with your team, you can explain when you can’t attend a meeting because there are power outages or you can’t make a deadline because you are stuck in a storm somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Creating this kind of relationship is what helps you deal with the unexpected. Remote work has challenges but there are solutions.
But I need to see clients! How can I possibly work remotely?
Though it certainly presents a challenge, you can still work remotely when your job calls for close client interactions. While you may not be able to drop off a basket of fruit and wine, you can still interact in a variety of ways (or get an online service to deliver a gift basket for you!).
Virtual meetings are becoming more commonplace, and you can build a connection in unique ways. Couriering packages can replace the physical contact with your clients, and you can engage with your clients through video conferencing or even social media. After all, client-based work is about connection and personality—those are still there, no matter where you are.
Final Thoughts on Remote Work and Traveling
Working remotely has its own set of challenges and solutions. However, by adopting a learning mindset, you can enjoy job flexibility, as well as greater and more rewarding successes than you imagined possible. You also get to travel!
These remote working tips can help make the transition from office to home and abroad smooth and seamless. As long as you develop the skills required for remote work, you can truly make the world your oyster. Finally, if you are really serious about learning more about this lifestyle, I highly recommend reading the “digital nomad” bible:
Before you go, check out my curated list of recommended books for Digital Nomads