Out of Wi-Fi Range? 3 Tips for Getting Some Work Done Anyway

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If you’re like many Americans, you plan a vacation where you can enjoy some downtime and relax. But depending on how remote your vacation destination is, finding a reliable Wi-Fi connection, or finding a connection period, can be a challenge.

Although you may view a vacation as an opportunity to unplug and chill out, that’s not always a possibility. Many workers, including managers, business owners and workaholics, find it difficult, if not impossible, to completely unplug from work and the rest of the world.

According to Fortune, Joe Ruck recently took an extended vacation to an island in the Philippines where Wi-Fi was very limited. Ruck, a veteran of Sun Microsystems and Network Appliance and now president and CEO of Boardvantage, knew that he needed to get some work done, despite the poor Internet connection.

Here are three tips from Ruck to help you work without Wi-Fi:

  • Get organized. If you know you won’t be able to connect to the Internet, plan accordingly. Download materials you may need and make a physical list of items you need to get accomplished. If you prepare and get organized ahead of time, it “will not only help you focus,” says Ruck, “but will also cut down on stress” caused by Internet withdrawal.
  • Focus on tasks you can do. You don’t need the Internet for everything. For instance, here are some tasks Fortune compiled that don’t require Wi-Fi: review documents, make notes and annotations, work on presentations, create work plans and outlines, or draft emails that you can send later. Ruck said that “with no Internet distraction rabbit holes to fall down — Reddit, Twitter, BuzzFeed and so on — you might find you’re even more productive” than usual.

  • Use your phone. Not having Wi-Fi doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have cell service. If you’re able to use your phone to make calls, do it. You can check in at the office, dial in to a work meeting, or call someone, instead of sending them the email that you planned, and talk to them directly.

Now just because you have a few tips to be a productive worker when Wi-Fi is a distant dream, that doesn’t mean you should. If you truly are on vacation and your workplace won’t combust if you’re not there, then you may want to disconnect and take some real time off.

Ruck said taking a total tech timeout is a great opportunity to “direct your energies into channels you don’t have time for during your hyper-connected day-to-day life.”

Rest and relaxation are known productivity boosters, so just think of how excited you’ll be to work once you get back to the office.

What do you think of Ruck’s tips? How do you stay productive when the Internet is down or you have a bad Wi-Fi connection? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

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