A guest post written by Ashley Wilson.
These days, you don’t have to sit at your office desk to get work done.
The question is, how do you set yourself up for security, safety, and excellent performance when taking your laptop with you on the road?
The rise of cloud computing has allowed for an increasing number of employees to travel and work remotely.
That allows more people to work from home or tackle work successfully while on a business trip.
Working while traveling can make you more creative by preventing you get stuck in the same old professional rut.
Since your laptop is likely to be your lifeline to the office and the work that you need to do every day, we’ve put together the following tips to help you keep your computer in excellent condition.
Get the Right Laptop Case
There are many crucial tools that can improve your chances of success as a remote worker, from USB thumb-drives to VPN connections and more.
However, if you will travel with your laptop, one of the most important accessories you’ll need is the right case.
You can’t just throw your laptop into your backpack and expect it to survive the stress of being thrown around every day.
Look for a padded case that’s tight enough to stop your laptop from moving around in transit, but robust enough to protect the internal hardware from knocks and bumps.
It may be helpful to have two laptop cases, one sleeve to keep your laptop snug and protected, and one bag that you can use to simplify transportation.
Update Your Software Before You Leave Home
Software updates are one of those things that many of us put off as much as possible.
When we’re busy trying to get work done, we feel as though we don’t have the time to sit around waiting for an update to complete.
However, updates are essential for patching your system against potential breaks and even security issues.
Before you’re traveling in a place where you’re never 100% sure what kind of connection you will have, update the software that you rely on each day to get work done.
This will improve your chances of everything running smoothly when you’re on the go.
Learn How to Fix Common Problems
If you’re traveling around the world, the chances are that you will not have 24/7 access to a tech support team.
Even if you have people in your network that you can reach out to for help, there’s a good chance that they won’t be available in the same time zone as you.
With that in mind, it pays to figure out how you can fix a few of the fundamental issues that might happen with your laptop.
Get to know the operating system that you have installed on your laptop, and learn to troubleshoot the most common issues.
Bookmark useful guides to have a DIY solution at hand:
This should reduce your reliance on IT support teams and give you more independence on-the-go.
Turn It Off
It’s difficult to pack all the computer power you get from a standard desktop into a small and slimline space like laptop manufacturers do.
That’s why when you’re using your laptop for extended periods of time, you’ll notice that it heats quickly.
If you leave your computer on standby and shove it in your bag while you’re traveling, that heat is still building up, increasing the chances you’ll end up with damage to the internal components of your machine.
Don’t make the dangerous mistake of putting your laptop away for the day when it’s still in sleep-mode.
The more you force your machine to overheat, the more likely it is that you’ll end up with a shortened battery life, or other major problems.
Back up Your Data
Finally, remember that you can never be sure that your laptop will see you through thick and thin.
With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to back up your data before you start on the next leg of your journey.
Whenever you create a new document or make progress on a crucial project, make sure you have multiple copies of that work that you can access if something goes wrong.
This could mean automatically updating to the cloud, or saving something important on a thumb-drive.
Having a backup of all your information will ensure that even if your entire laptop breaks down, you’ll still be able to access the work that you need from a different device.
For professionals on the go, this can be a life-saver, and even make it easier to share files with coworkers too.
Looking After Your Laptop
In today’s digital world, more people than ever before are discovering the benefits of working remotely.
If you’re ready to embrace the power of remote working for yourself, make sure you know how to look after the crucial tools that you’ll use to keep your career running smoothly.
Your laptop will be your lifeline as travel and work, with the tips above, you should be able to keep it secure, running, and in excellent condition, as you go around the world.
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