You may be a digital nomad spending most of your working days in a van, or you may end up on a road trip that forces you to work from your car. This is a very common situation, especially as remote work is continuing to grow and people are shifting away from office jobs.
Ideally, you’d work in a home office – but if circumstances have you working from your car, you must know how to handle the situation. Whether you are working from a van, a truck, or the backseat of your car, here are a few tips to make things easier for you.
- Pre-Charge Your Gear
When you are on the road, it can be rather difficult to find an outlet to charge your devices. For this reason, you should make sure they are pre-charged. For instance, if you are staying at a hotel, you may want to recharge them overnight. This action can be done in your car as well, but it will be much slower – especially if your car has multiple high-power needs.
- Protect Your Connections
When you are in an office, you are probably protected by the firewalls provided by the company, which makes it less likely for your devices to be hacked. However, when you are working remotely from your car, it can be very easy for someone to hack into your phone.
Make sure that your devices are protected by VPN or the right firewall where applicable so that your work information is not compromised.
- Invest In a Power Bank or a Good Car Charger
The last thing you want is to do your work and mind your own business, only to realize that your devices are low on battery. This can be problematic, especially if you are nowhere near an outlet. To make sure you never run out of power at crucial moments, you might want to invest in a good power bank or a qualitative charger for your car battery.
- Get a Good Mobile Hotspot
If you are driving your car through areas without too much Internet connection, you should make sure you have a backup. A mobile hotspot from a different provider than your own cell phone company may prove helpful, especially in areas with a generally poor Internet connection.
Upgrade your settings and make sure the Internet is fast enough outdoors for what you need it to do. Getting a Wi-Fi booster might also prove beneficial in your case.
- Get a Lap Desk
Unless you have a truck and you somehow manage to install a desk somewhere in the back, you may have to work with your laptop on your lap. This feels uncomfortable even if you are at home, on your couch – so, imagine the discomfort you will get while perched on your car seat.
A lap desk will keep your laptop from pressing into your legs. So, not only will it help you with your posture, but it will also keep you cool.
- Stop the Car When You Are Working
Many traffic accidents in areas such as Boulder, Colorado happen because the driver tries to send a work text while driving. According to almost every Boulder truck accident lawyer, distracted drivers are involved in around 5.9% of accidents with at least one fatality.
Even if it means having to stay on the side of the road for a couple of minutes, being slightly late is much better than being injured or worse.
- Maintain the Vehicle
As you are working from your car, make sure that all of its needs are covered. You must have enough fuel, your battery has to work smoothly, and your AC should be charged up. The last thing you want is for your AC to die on you, especially when you are working during summer.
- Correct Your Back Posture
Cars don’t usually have that curved lower back to help give you more back support. This is why many drivers end up experiencing back pain – something that can get even more severe as you are working from your vehicle.
You just have to find ways to support your back, such as getting a back pillow or designating a certain work area. If you have a truck or a van, it might not be a bad idea to set up actual desk space.
The Bottom Line
Working from your car is possible, and can be very comfortable, as long as you use the right gear. You don’t need an office to do proper work – just a good laptop and a feeling of comfort.
