Access your files remotely; sharing them

Ever have this problem? You're away from your office, and you need to access some of your files. Or this one: You need to give colleagues or clients access to some files? Here are some options:

• You may use a backup service like dropbox (getdropbox.com). This backs up all the files/folders you want and then allows you to share whichever ones you want with whomever you choose. [It also will synchronize files between multiple computers].
• You can rent space on a file sharing service and put some of your files there.
• You may use Apple's Mobile Me service (or related service from Microsoft, live.com)
• You may use a small inexpensive device, like Pogoplug (www.pogoplug.com). This costs $99, and you may attach one or more disks to it (usually on your home network). This makes whatever files you put there available via the Internet. You may share what you like.

Note that none of the above options require you to leave your home office computer powered on while you are away.

WiFi at 35,000 feet

I had the opportunity to use WiFi on board an Airbus 319 operated by Virgin America. The cost was $7.95 for SFO to IAD (Washington, DC), based on my using an iPhone. It apparently costs about $13 if you want to connect via laptop.

Was it worth it? In a word, yes. Being able to stay on top of email and news saved me a lot of time on the ground. One problem: Don't expect Skype or other VOIP services to work well. Virgin doesn't seem to be blocking these, but the lags and dropouts made Skype unusable.... You could always watch a movie, on the screen in front of you, or on your notebook, netbook, or phone. A business expense? You decide.

Office documents on the go

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10273139-233.html

That's a nice link to some Office-like document editing tools available now on the iPhone.

When you travel, you have a choice (in theory) of what type of computer to bring/use:

• Smart Phone
• Netbook (about $350 - $450)
• Traditional Laptop

There are obvious trade-offs in price, weight, power needs, ease of use, screen size, etc. On an airplane, if you need to deal with email, Office documents and want web access (assuming WiFi is available), a netbook might be a nice compromise.

Traveling

When I travel, I make some business preparations:

• Make sure there are online, secure copies of any documents I may need. There are many options available, including zoho.com, google docs, and various online and syncing services (e.g., getdropbox.com)
• Leave the Internet connection on, if I know I may need to access something on my home LAN. [The home LAN has to be carefully secured - future posting will discuss some How-Tos].
• Change Voicemail greeting, as appropriate. [If you're struggling with figuring out how to let people reach you on your various phones, consider Google Voice, voice.google.com. There are a lot of features here very useful for home office and small business people.]
• Power off any system that will not be needed.
• Lock up or shred any confidential paper documents
• Let business contacts know when I am traveling and how to reach me
• Clean up the work space. It's hell coming home to a messy desk.

Electricity, 2

Are you using surge protectors (or else plugging all your office electronics into a UPS)? If not, put them on your shopping list, next time you buy supplies. Any office supply or electronics store will have them, at $10 - $25 dollars a piece. An electrical surge can ruin your hardware. Surge protectors are cheap insurance.

Electricity

Got backup? Backup electricity, that is. Are you prepared for whatever may happen if, or rather when, the next power outage occurs in your home office? While it's not as likely as it used to be, you could lose a lot of work, not to mention time, if the AC power goes down. I have all my critical office systems plugged into UPS, uninterruptible power supplies. You can get these at office suppliers and electronics stores, and online stores like Amazon and Buy.

What they are is batteries that get charged up by house current. Then, when there's a power outage, they supply electricity to the electronic devices you plug into them. Buy the best/biggest you can afford to maximize the time they can supply power during an outage. And don't plug in power-sucking devices like printers.

Remember to plug in any DSL or cable modems and routers you have. If/when your house loses power, the telephone lines and cable systems usually still are live.

Oh, yea.... If you work after dark, doesn't hurt to have a small flash light on your desk.

Calendars

I used to use a calendar application on Palm. It would sync with my computer, and I had easy access to my business schedule.... I've since moved on to using the Google calendar (http://calendar.google.com). The main advantage of Google is that it's available anyplace where the Internet is, and there are several apps that will sync with it, if you prefer another interface (e.g., Apple's calendar).

An additional advantage of the Google calendar is that you may create multiple calendars (e.g., business, personal) and share whichever you like, with friends or business associates. You may also import their google calendars, along with readily available public ones (like US holidays).

Like most other calendars, Google's may be configured to alert you of upcoming events. Email and text messages are supported.

What time is it?

I'm one of those people who frequently wants to know what time it is. Yea, there are multiple ways to display the time on the computer screen (or, heaven forbid, look at a watch), but I find what works best for me are analog or digital apps for PDAs. Translation: I like small clock displays on my iPhone or Palm. My favorite is a Plam App not longer available, Clock+. There's nothing quite like it for the iPhone either. A clock plus easy-to-read calender on one nice smal display.

If you're compulsive about knowing exactly what time it is anywhere in the world, you could go to here: http://timeanddate.com/

My favorite analog display clock for iPhone is: Aarons Clock.

Lifehacker

I have to mention this early in the life of this blog: Lifehacker.com is a superb site. It's not all about Home Office life, but there's a lot there that "homies" will find very useful. Visit this site often!

Furniture, etc.

I use a pretty decent office quality chair and a desk from one of those "Container" stores. [Hold Everything]. Sit4less.com has some nice chairs, but they are not especially inexpensive. Avoid cheap furniture unless you like visit to your chiropractor... or orthopedist.

I prefer a trackball mouse, with 6 programmable buttons. Mine is called Evolution, and it's superb. From itacsystems.com. Great if you have any RSI issues in your hands. I also use a special glove, called SmartGlove, from Imak. It's got special beads inside that protect the palm.

I also use a smaller keyboard, so I don't have as far to reach to get to the mouse. There are several brands available. Check out Happy hacker.

Divide and conquer

Build a virtual wall between your business activities and your personal digital life. Use separate email accounts, separate email clients or browser windows for each.

If you use you business systems for personal use - and working at home, it's sometimes hard not to - then create separate directories/folders, use multiple browsers (one for work, one for personal).

If your computer supports virtual desktops/windows, use those. Create some desktops for work, and some for personal use. All major operating systems support some type of virtual desktops. I use 12 on my Mac.

Distractions

You'll never get anything done if you get distracted by... distractions (like perhaps this blog, or personal email). Something that works for me is giving myself time limits for various daily tasks, e.g., two hours to develop an initial presentation. If I finish in an hour, I can move on to the next task, or "allow myself" to get distracted.

Separate the legitimate distractions (e.g., business calls) from the non-work related ones. For example, if you "get stuck" on an unexpected 30 minute business call, give yourself an extra half hour on your project.... I.e., you may be "working late".

It never hurts to remind your friends and family that when you're in your home office, you're there to work. And it doesn't hurt to disable personal email notifications, at least temporarily.

Office Space

I've worked in bedrooms converted to an office, corners of living rooms, almost every part of the house except the bathroom. OK, I've taken an iPhone in there, but only opened game Apps...

It's important to have your office space, however big or small, wherever it is, be *dedicated* to office work. If you don't make this the rule, it becomes much harder to get anything done.

OK, you can make exceptions. For example, you could take personal phone calls in your home office just as you might at an actual office building. You can eat meals, listen to music, almost anything. But the caveat is this: If you didn't do this at the last office you worked in, it's probably going to distract you from getting as much work done as you had hoped. But, WTF, that's part of the reason you're working at home, right? So you can experiment and see what works.

Introduction

This weblog (i.e., blog) is being designed to present a forum where people setting up and working from home offices can share ideas and feedback. The basic focus will be on how to setup, maintain and improve home office environments. The site has been is being developed (slowly) by Ric Steinberger. Comments, questions, suggestions and new ideas always welcome.