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The change to Remote work has made it easier to stay productive while on the road. We have Slack and Zoom, and there are time zone calculators on our shared calendars. But more than ever, it’s especially easy to work remotely if your job involves a lot of writing. Whether that means sending hundreds of emails, reporting and writing articles, or composing newsletters for your subscribers, a laptop and an internet connection are all you need to feel well prepared.
But if you think about it, that’s not always the case. that Easy. If you work on the road, the time you spend typing on your computer isn’t spent behind a neat, tidy desk where you feel focused and comfortable. It’s spent while waiting in a noisy airport, sitting in the back of a lurching car, or relaxing in a soulless hotel lobby with terrible music playing.
But there are ways to make writing on the go more comfortable for your body and brain. Here are four must-haves to keep you writing smoothly, no matter where you are.
A portable power bank
Every writer’s worst nightmare is having their device die while they’re typing away at the keyboard. Was it saved? Was your work lost? Most airports, hotels, and other public places have charging ports available, but these outlets are often scarce, crowded, broken, or hard to reach. I’ve had to swallow my pride many times and sit on a dirty airport floor just to access the outlet.
It’s best to prepare for the worst and always carry a charged portable charger with you on the road. The one I take with me on trips is a heavy red brick with two USB ports that takes hours to fully charge, so I make sure to fill it up days before a trip. I’m willing to put up with the weight and bulk of the battery in exchange for the power to fully charge my devices multiple times. The best portable charger for you will vary depending on your needs, but here’s a list of options to help you choose.
A USB hub packed with ports
I have yet to meet a laptop that has enough built-in USB ports. Until someone designs that unicorn, carry a hub with you to ensure you can connect everything you need no matter where you are. USB hubs are generally small and portable, so you can conveniently carry one with the rest of your peripherals.
I prefer a hub with four extra ports to house my backup drive, microphone, headphone charger, and other necessities, but you can find hubs that have more or fewer ports, SD card readers, and even headphone jacks. When you count how many ports you’ll need, add one or two to the total in case a port goes bad later—it’s better to be overprepared than to be left without USB ports at a critical time. Check out some USB hubs and docks here if you’re not sure which one is best for you.
Noise-cancelling headphones to make the world disappear
When writing on the road, silence is a rare commodity. There are people who can compose poetry even with a screaming toddler three feet away, but I am not one of those people.
Having noise-cancelling headphones has meant the difference between being able to focus on what I’m writing and being left listening to everything but my own thoughts. When I’m on a deadline and need silence, I turn to noise-cancelling technology. Sometimes, I’ll turn on my headphones and just listen to silence—no music or podcasts required. I prefer over-ear headphones, as they completely envelop my ears in blissful peace, and I don’t like having things inside my ears. If you’re not sure what type of noise-cancelling technology is right for you, check out our list of options here.
A way to record thoughts in motion
The best ideas rarely come when you’re sitting comfortably in front of your laptop, hands hovering over the keyboard. They usually come when you’re rushing through a train station or waiting in line for a bagel. You can tell yourself “don’t forget this,” but chances are the idea will slip from your mind before you have a chance to write it down. To avoid this tragedy, arm yourself with a way to record your thoughts on the fly.
I use a speech-to-text app on my smartphone, which I always keep handy. Within seconds, I can be the person at the coffee shop urgently mumbling “blue jellyfish, medicinal uses” into their hand, and then the idea is safely saved in text format on my phone and backed up to the cloud. If you’re not comfortable expressing your ideas in public, a notes app or even a pocket notebook can work, but hands-free is often the most flexible option when you’re out and about.
If you have to write something for work, you’re a writer. If you’re a writer, you write, no matter where you are. Make sure you’re prepared for every train station, grocery store, and long-haul flight with the tools to help you transform incoherent thoughts into successful messages.