Let’s just face facts, mobile phones have become part of the fabric of our lives at this point. An excess of 4 billion people worldwide own a mobile phone, and we have now grown dependent on our devices to assist us in keeping connected on a day-to-day basis. We utilize them from the minute we wake up to the minute we fall asleep, whether we use them to catch up on news, to communicate with our work colleagues, make applications, and help us find our way and navigate through unfamiliar areas. But what if one day, we had no wifi connection and lost our access to data? Ultimately meaning we have been isolated from the online world. How would you meet those deadlines then?
We have created a very short list to help you stay productive for those moments you find yourself exiled from the online world:
1. Work on your offline documents
Don’t panic. Yes, you have lost internet access but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something with your time. Consider Plan B, working from an offline document keeps you productive, whilst up to date with any work that may not have been at the top of your list.
2. Pre-write your emails
For some professionals, coming to the realisation that you no longer have access to your emails can send them into a frenzy. Don’t worry, it’s not a life or death situation. You’ll already have an idea of who you need to contact throughout your day, so just start by drafting your emails. Even though you can’t access your real-time inbox, you can still construct emails that you were planning on sending anyway in your notes. Once you arrive at your office you can then send these emails. This means that you can get those emails out of the way once you have connected with the online world again and then begin to address your inbox.
3. Plan your day/week in advance
Many professions keep a planner in their diary at work, however many fail to find something more therapeutic than writing out your priority tasks or mapping out a project from beginning to end, on a piece of paper on your notes application on your phone. This may be considered a menial task but in a professional world holds great importance. This can help clear your head if you find yourself under pressure of being stuck without data access. Writing these tasks out in priority order will provide you with the springboard you need to get going when you arrive back in to your office.
4. Listen to an audio book offline
If there is no way you can access your work materials without the internet, it’s a good second option to stimulate your mind in an alternative way. It’s a good idea to keep an offline audiobook, or your favorite podcast on your phone to help keep you entertained. This will give you some much-needed downtime and ensure that you maintain productivity at the same time. If you rather, this might also be an offline training exercise that you can complete to help you upskill in your role.
5. Relax
It can be easy to get caught up in working life, and to feel as if you need to be working around the clock to get your work done on time, and always have your work completed to the highest standard. This pressure that we tend to put on ourselves can cause high levels of stress amongst professionals. However, it is important to make sure you are taking time to relax on a regular basis. This will rejuvenate you, and get you more prepared for the day ahead of you.
Every now and again, we might find ourselves without access to data and disconnected from the online world, however there are still things that we can do to increase productivity and make our lives a little bit easier. Hopefully some of these steps will help you out the next time you find yourself unable to get online.