An internet outage is the biggest and most annoying issue you may face when working from home. If you rely on the internet for your livelihood, then an outage can be a real pain. You can do a few things to prepare for an internet outage, though, and ensure that you’re still able to be productive even if your internet connection goes down.
When the power goes out, or you lose a hard drive, there’s no IT department to save your bacon — you’re on your own. If you want to stay as productive as possible while working from home, you need to be prepared for when things go wrong. Here are a few tips to help you stay productive even when your internet is down.
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Get a Backup Internet Connection to Creative Work from Home Internet Redundancies
If you can’t live without the internet, you need to have a backup plan for when your primary connection goes out. One option is to get a second internet connection from a different provider. This could be a mobile data plan or a satellite internet connection.
Another option is to get a 5G router, which will give you an internet connection even if there is an outage in your area. This is a good option if you live in an area with spotty coverage or want to be prepared for a power outage.
Invest in Offline Tools
A few offline tools can help you stay productive even when your internet is down. One is a text editor, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. These tools will let you work on your documents offline and then sync them up when you’re back online.
Another offline tool that can be useful is an email client, such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook. This way, you can continue sending and receiving emails even when your internet is down.
And, of course, don’t forget about good old-fashioned pen and paper. Sometimes the best way to stay productive is to unplug and go offline.
Set Up Power Redundancies When Working from Home
Without power, you’re not going to be able to do much work. If you live in an area with frequent power outages, you need to be prepared. Invest in a backup battery or generator to keep your computer and other devices running even when the power is out.
You should also consider investing in a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). This will provide short-term power backup in a power outage and help prevent data loss and keep your computer running.
Have a Communication Plan for Work from Home Internet Redundancies
If you work from home, you need to have a plan for how you’ll communicate with your team in an internet outage. This could be as simple as exchanging phone numbers or setting up a chat program that you can use offline. Having a communication plan in place will help you stay productive even when your internet is down.
You should also have a plan for communicating with your clients in the event of an outage. This could involve setting up a voicemail message that gives your contact information or send an email ahead of time letting them know what to do if they can’t reach you.
Having your clients’ contact information stored in a CRM (customer relationship management) system can also be helpful, as you’ll still be able to access it even if your internet is down.
Setting Up Backups and Backup Routines
When you work in an office, IT people usually take care of backups and other routine maintenance tasks. But when you work from home, you’re on your own. This means that you need to be extra diligent about setting up backups and backup routines daily, weekly, and monthly.
You should have a backup plan for all your essential data, including client information, financial records, and project files. There are a few different ways to set up backups, and the best method will vary depending on your needs. One option is to use cloud-based storage, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Another option is to use an external hard drive.
And, of course, you should always keep a backup of your computer in case something happens to your machine. This could be a complete system image backup or just a copy of your important files.
Whichever backup method you choose, make sure you test it regularly to ensure that it’s working properly.
Why It’s Smart to Own Multiple Devices
Last but not least, think about the devices you own and what you can do with them. Your primary computer or laptop is the most important, but what about your phone or tablet? Can you still stay productive if your main machine is down?
The answer is yes — as long as you have the right apps installed. For example, you can use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to edit documents on your phone. You can also use a chat app like WhatsApp to stay in touch with your team. And, of course, you can always make calls or send texts from your phone if you need to communicate with someone.
If you have multiple devices, you should also think about how you can use them to create redundancies. For example, you can set up your computer and phone so that they share duplicate files. If one device is down, you can still access your data from the other.
You can also use your devices to create backups of each other. For example, you can set up your computer to automatically back up to your phone or tablet. Or, you can use a cloud-based service like iCloud or Google Drive to keep your devices in sync.
Doing this will help ensure that you always have a backup of your data and that you can still stay productive even if one of your devices is down.
The Bottom Line
Working from home can be a great way to boost your productivity. But it’s important to set up some redundancies, so you can stay productive even when things go wrong. Invest in a backup plan, and make sure you have multiple ways to stay connected with your team. By doing this, you’ll be able to keep working — even when the power goes out.
