3 Things I Do to Maximize Remote Work Productivity

I’ve never been a person who spends all day at my desk. I’m in motion from the moment I wake up (which is at the crack of dawn, if you’re wondering) to the moment my head hits the pillow (very, very late, if you’re wondering). And while sleep may not be something I can brag about, productivity is. Here are three things I rely on to get the maximum amount of work done while I’m on the go.

1. Be meticulous about scheduling.

I am known for making better use of the 24 hours in each day than most people. It’s kind of my thing. I workout every morning before the sun comes up to get the hardest part of my day over with before my clients even wake up. I might even crack open my laptop in the locker room to look over a creative brief or dial into a meeting in another time zone. Then, I stick to a strict routine and schedule every available free minute I have. Blocking off my calendar is like a really crazy game of Tetris, but I now have two assistants who help me juggle requests and fit everything in. If it’s important, we find time; Planning in advance and scheduling everything are the key to working on the go.

2. Delegate as much as you can.

If it requires me or my specific expertise, I’m on it; If not, I have a full team of people—

from production staff to marketing and creative staff and, of course, all of my agents—whom I can delegate to. Hire good people so that when you find out you need to be on a flight to Florida to meet a client at a moment’s notice, you know the task is in good hands.

3. Invest in tools that are as fast as you.

Wherever I am (in the car with Yuri driving down the West Side Highway, about to board a plane to Greece to visit my family, filming a video on the rooftop of the SERHANT. office, or showing up to a developer’s office to pitch myself for a project) I have to be connected to work at all times. I’m currently using the Dell Latitude 9420 laptop as my on-the-go office, because it works anywhere, just like me. It’s designed for people with a need for speed (yes, please!) with an ultra-fast log-on, and runs conference apps automatically on the strongest available connection with directed bandwidth. I can’t tell you how much I don’t want a frozen screen or dropped call when I’m talking to a $100 million buyer. Using a high-speed laptop like the Latitude has actually given me back the five minutes I used to lose being perpetually late to meetings.

The takeaway: If you need to work from anywhere, find tools that work from anywhere. Invest in good products and good people, and don’t be afraid to pay for things that buy you back time—whether it’s a personal trainer or a driver or an app or a laptop or an extra assistant.