Successfully working remotely is a lot like successfully camping: having the right set of gear goes a long ways. We've seen a growing trend in this arena, with both employees AND employers pushing for more remote work. There have even been a number of studies done that are showing that for many people, working remotely makes them more productive. So the company saves money on office space and gets a more productive worker, but what makes you want to skip the office camaraderie for the on-going battle to find working wifi while dealing with someone talking on their cell phone 3 feet from where you're trying to work? For me, it's freedom. Freedom from being tethered to a cubicle, freedom from routine, and freedom to make your office a coffeeshop that's 10 minutes from a rock climbing wall or hike that you want to crush that afternoon. It’s another step towards that life goal that a lot of us share because (whether it’s true or not), remote work seems to make work-life balance all that much easier to attain.

I’ve been working remotely for the past 14 months at a marketing firm in Chicago. At first I was skeptical about how productive I could be, but now I have a hard time imagining ever working in an office again. While I'm definitely not an expert yet, I have picked up a couple of useful bits of information along the way. Besides taking advantage of some of the obvious benefits, like not having to deal with traffic and being able to choose your own schedule, the most important thing that I've learned is something many people overlook: a completely portable office.