Working from Home? no, .... Car

The latest buzz word, WAH (Work-at-Home), describes folks who either own home-based businesses, run consulting firms from home offices, are in sales, or tele-commute from home. The common theme: they are all working from home every day (or for the majority of their time), rather than going in to a traditional corporate office or working at a bricks-and-mortar place of business.

For many WAH'ers, their time is actually spent in their cars on the road, driving to attend meetings at their client's place of business, going on service calls at the homes of their clients, or giving presentations at various locations.

As a Professional Organizer, I probably spend about 30% of my time on the road when I give my presentations on "Getting Organized", or meet with clients in their home to begin their organizing session.

How do you stay organized while working out of your car?

Preparation is key; planning out what to take with you in advance and taking the time to gather your supplies and materials together before heading out. If possible, do this the day before your appointment, if not earlier, so it's not a mad rush on the day of (been there, done that... not fun!)

Some helpful tips on what to bring and what to prepare in advance:

• Client File
• Hard copies of related documents from your computer
• Any other reference materials, books, etc. if needed
• Any parts, testing equipment, etc. if needed
  
• Day planner, time sheets, phone list, etc.
• Extra change, money, credit cards, etc.
• USB drive, backup disks, etc.
• Laptop (recharged) with all cables, network card, etc.
• Cell Phone, Blackberry, etc. (recharged)
  
• Map
• Print out of turn-by-turn directions from map website
• GPS (pre-programmed in advance, especially for multi-stops)
• EZ Pass transmitter if needed
• Pens, Notebook
• Water, beverage, snack
• Mints or gum
• Personal care items (travel toothbrush, makeup, hairspray, comb, etc.)
  
• Hand wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues
• Full tank of gas
  
• Lay out your clothes to have it ready
• Clean out your car
• Clean out your briefcase and/or purse
  

I'm probably forgetting some things, so feel free to post a Comment or send me an email to add to this list.

Here's a recent article titled, Road Work: New Jersey workers, armed with technology, are turning their cars into their offices, by Michael L. Diamond (Gannett New Jersey), which talks about real-life technology solutions for those on the go.

Happy trails!

Helping you to Sort Things Out, one step at a time!

Eva Abreu, www.Sort-Things-Out.com
Speaker, Organizing Coach