Home Office Home Again: Random Observations After 2 Weeks on the Road

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com

After two weeks on the road, it's the simple observations that bring clarity to the home office adventure. Like…

- Sponsor or no, the Verizon Mifi 'personal hotspot' won the day — hands down. It was a true fan favorite and winner of the HOH'09 Product of Choice. Hey, anything that keeps the hoards from beating me up for my Internet connection is worthy of praise. Teleworkers and road warriors alike will find this tool extremely useful.

- Yes, family, we WILL survive two weeks without a TV. And we did. We talked, played more Yahtzee and Racko than we ever thought possible, and watched burning embers in the fire pit. And yes, we surfed the Web. A lot. Truth be told, we watched a few DVD movies on Zack's HP laptop. But that's NOT TV.

- Open a bag of animal crackers, and a dog's nose knows. "Food, food, food…"

- "Yes, Mom, Spaghetti-Ohs make a perfectly suitable breakfast."

- Success is in the gadgets you choose. Like the Belkin Clamp On surge suppressor that, well, clamped on to the edge of the bunk and supplied power to all our gadgets (no small feat, given the number of gadgets we employed).

- When plugs aren't available, old-fashioned cigarette lighters will work. Just the ticket for the Scosche reCoil retractable car charger for iPod and iPhone.

- Netbooks beget adaptors and accessories. And manufacturers are responding. The Targus Netbook Accessory Kit includes a nifty USB hub, a travel mouse and a slip case for netbooks with screens up to 10.1 inches.

- Messenger bags and sleeves have come a long way. Two happy (and hopefully educated) campers from the Disney Entrepreneur Center won a LA besace Limedrop messenger Bag from be.ez and a LA robe sleeve from be.ez.

- No matter how much you THINK you're gonna work, exhaustion gets in the way. Try climbing Georgia's Stone Mountain and watching the laser light snow — and then writing a blog later that evening. And then you plan to write in the AM, and dog gets in the way.

- Client understanding rules. Not once (well, just once) did a client call needing something Right Away. And then it was only a conversation — not a deliverable. Last year, a client's needs required that I pull over several times to deliver the goods. I guess it's part client expectation and part vendor willingness to cave.

- Family cooperation is a beautiful thing. When I needed to work, they were champs. When they needed me to sign-off, they were task-masters.

- Canine cooperation needs improvement. OK, taking Stella was great. Getting the 5-month-old pup to hang tight while I worked a bit in the AM was just not going to happen. Oh well, maybe HOH'10, when she's 17 months and a little better trained. Hope springs eternal…

Jeff Zbar is on the road with his family in one teched-out, Internet-connected RV-turned-home-office – exploring the American South, visiting small towns and popular tourist destinations – and revealing just how productive a traveling family can be. Driven by Jeff Zbar, the Chief Home Officer, Home Office Highway shines headlights on a whole new "remote" office. Learn more at www.homeofficehighway.com.