Working from Florida

When we visit Florida, we rent a house and I convert one of the bedrooms into an office. Working from this office every day is very important to me. I need to prove to myself and my employer that I can be productive from Florida. This will encourage my employer to continue approving my trips to Florida. It will also help me make the argument that they should let me relocate to Florida someday and keep my current job.

I take this very seriously. My goal every year is to make it so my global colleagues have no idea that I am in Florida. As far as they know I am still in New York because I am providing the same level of dedication and effort while in Florida that I provide everyday.

While I work? The family plays. Video games, pool, club house, mini golf - whatever they want! Most years we get the annual Disney pass so they can go to Disney while I work, and I catch up with them in the evening.

I have a very important criteria for when we rent a house. I require the house to have a street facing bedroom with a palm tree in the front yard. While I am working all day, I want to look out the window and see Florida. This year is perhaps one of the best views I have ever had. The window looks out onto a garden of three palm trees and a variety of plants.

I usually like to see some kind of activity out the window: people walking their dogs, joggers, baby strollers, etc. There is some activity in the morning, but for the most part - the street is very quiet.

When we return back to dreary New York, I won't have the palm trees and blue skies. I like to set up a video camera and record several hours of video out the office window. Back in my office in New York I have a "digital window" where I loop the Florida shots and it is almost as if I work from a Florida office all year long!