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Road Work Defined: Prewiring Expectations

Sitting in a beach house in Lavallette on the picturesque New Jersey Shore, I’m 1,500 miles from my home office. But I’m as dialed in as if I were right at my desk.

With all my gadgets in place and powered up, I’m hard at work.

Those who know the typical home office worker (whether he’s an entrepreneur or telecommuter) know work is a function of time, not place. Give me a few hours in the early morning while the family’s still asleep, and I’ll give you a few hours of solidly productive output. And since I rise at 5 a.m. – regardless of whether I’m in my South Florida home office or the kitchen table at our friend’s beach house three doors from the shore – I’m used to working quite literally from anywhere.

Work-life balance from the road is more about organizing your work and balancing the mindset than about the work itself. I know I’ll spend the bulk of my day away from the laptop. But with my BlackBerry phone, I can still check in on my emails and make any necessary calls. Some people say it’s a shame to “work” like this while on vacation. The way I see it, 1. Stealing a few moments to check some email or make a quick call over the course of a two-week vacation is no real crime, and 2. If I’m awake in the early AM, what shame is there in making it productive time? Besides, someone has to pay for this road trip…

As the Chief Home Officer and occasional road warrior, I’ve mastered remote work. I’ve worked like this in hotel rooms from New York to Naples, Fla. I worked from a friend’s Toronto dining room table when Hurricane Wilma stranded my family there in 2005. I’ve worked from the patio and bed using my wireless network, and from the Interstate when a file just had to be emailed to a client. Work is not about where the job gets done; it’s about getting the job done.

So even as we’re on vacation, my family has been prewired to understand that Daddy sometimes needs to beg a few minutes to make a call or file an assignment. Then he’ll be back on the shore to build a sand castle or toss a football in the surf, or fall asleep under the beach umbrella. Man, Dad’s a ton ‘o fun…

Jeff Zbar is a journalist, corporate copywriter and 19-year veteran in home officing and telework. Learn more at www.chiefhomeofficer.com.