Hot Takes on How to Work from Anywhere Successfully

What is a hybrid work trip?
Hybrid work trips are trips where you both work and play. Gone are the days of spending your PTO on a family vacation or the girls trip to the cabin. Now you can spend dinners with your family and cozy cabin time with your friends while also working! 

One of our core team values here at my company, Obih Collective, is flexibility. Hybrid work trips are part of the equation. In fact, it can often be energizing to work in that cute airbnb by the beach. A change of scenery and time with loved ones can spark creative juices to flow and get us out of work slumps! 

If you want to be successful on work trips you MUST plan and communicate. 

Planning for your hybrid trips 

The social part of hybrid trips is the easy part. Whether you’re with family or friends, interactions and activities will always be there. It is the work side of things you need to prioritize (after all you still have a commitment to your clients or boss). Your work time will require the most focus and energy from you. Decide what hours you want to work and stick to them.

What is the plan? When do you want to work? What time do you have Zoom calls? Create a schedule that allows you to fully show up for your work or your business. Setting hours for yourself will help you fight the FOMO. When you dedicate time to working, you’ll be even more present when the time comes to log off, knowing that you had a pretty successful work day. You’ll know exactly when it is work time and when it is vacation time. Confusion and gray lines averted.

Visualize your workspace wherever you are going. Is it a hotel vibe or a shared airbnb? Factor in the times you might need a quiet space for a Zoom call or where you’ll set up your workspace. Plan to turn your notifications off on your phone, especially the always poppin’ trip group chat. When you are done with your work day you can socialize without feeling guilty or worried that you missed something at work. Focus + sticking to the plan is key.

Communicate with your trip buddies 

Once you have your work schedule figured out, you must communicate those boundaries with those you are traveling with! (If you’re lucky enough to have your own hotel room or Airbnb then your focus is sticking to those scheduled work hours!)

Communicate via text or phone to your trip buddies before the trip. Send a text to the group chat letting your friends know the hours you’ll be working. Not only does this put your schedule on their radar, but you might find that others on the trip need to work too! Together, get ideas for quiet spaces and work plans. Especially with the popularity of working from anywhere, it can be beneficial to game plan with your friends ahead of time.

Communicating your work hours sets expectations ahead of time. It will make it easier to give your friends and family reminders if they ask for your attention during that time. Reminding the people you’re spending time with of your schedule will let them know when you can be fully present with them (after your work hours). 

Continue to communicate before and during your trip. Give people the chance to understand and gain clarity… After all, they can’t read your mind. 

Communicating with the people you are traveling with might sound like…

• “I am so excited to spend time with you! I have to get work done from 9 to 4 during the week, but after that you have my undivided attention!”
• “On tuesday at 1pm I have a Zoom call. Could I get the back bedroom to myself for an hour so I have a quiet space?” 
• “Hey, that’s such a good question! I have one more hour of work to finish. Let’s talk about that when I’m off at 4!’

Family and friends want each other to be successful. Setting expectations and communicating will help everyone be on the same page. 

During my most recent hybrid work trip, I went down to LA for a family wedding. I spent the beginning part of my week knocking out client work and big projects. By setting a plan, I was able to be done with work before Friday and enjoy all the wedding festivities. My productivity was even better than a typical work from home day. If I had to guess why, it’s because I was focused on completing my workload within my set work schedule so that I could fully enjoy and be present at the wedding.