Industry Insights: Heat Wave Power Outages Are A Real Risk. Here's How To Stay Productive.

Good morning, friends!

The heat wave continues in NYC (and in much of the country, I’m sure), and this morning as I was making my go-to Saturday morning breakfast of avocado toast with smoked salmon, I saw an unmistakable light flicker.

I don’t have a power outage at this point (praise the heavens) but ConEd is warning it’s pretty likely in some areas this weekend, and so I figured it just may be a good time to dedicate a newsletter to how to be more productive in the unfortunate event you have a power outage.

Last summer, this actually did happen to me at one point — the air conditioning in my apartment died and shorted out the power and I went about half a day without power before everything was working again (well, minus the air conditioner — I still don’t have one of those!).

But, of course, there was work to do — and there’s work to do now, as well. So, here’s some tips for if that happens to happen to you in your home or office and you have stuff you need to get done that can’t wait:

Remember that sometimes, taking a break can be productive.

It’s true. Just like you may be desperate to be charging your devices, you just may want to take the time to recharge…your soul. So, if your work can wait, take the time to take a walk, read a book or give yourself an at-home facial. But, here’s the caveat: This isn’t a time-out. This is a recharge. So, keep a pen and paper nearby to jot down some ideas that come to you once you’ve cleared your head. Sometimes clearing out all the extra gunk is a great way to make those creative thoughts bubble to the surface.

Feeling more relaxed? Now you can focus on your to-do list of items that don’t require power.

Keep power banks charged up.

If you think a power outage is at the risk of happening — be it during a storm or a heat wave — it’s important to make sure all your devices start out fully charged. This may mean your phone or laptop, but also a few external power banks, as well as (of course!) your mobile hot spot if you have one, as this can be essential in a power outage, as the wifi will likely be out as well. Now that so much technology is on the USB-C system, I can charge my phone or computer from the same power bank, should I have to. Will it charge it up fully? In the phone’s case yes, in the computer’s case, probably not.

This will be all your need though for your laptop to work for the bulk of a working day as well as operating as light source, so you are not, say, bumping into furniture.

This isn’t just a matter of saving time, but also in a sense a way of using the concept of strategic time shifting. It’s being smarter about using your downtime. You’re basically just time-shifting your to-do list for the day, which will open up your schedule for when the power returned, but also keeping you productive in another area, even if that’s putting away laundry or working on your garden.

Back to that pen and paper…

Work on creating an actionable to do list (you can get cracking on it when the power comes back up).

Do you have a UPS?

We’re not talking about mailing packages…but a UPS is an “uninterrupted power supply” and this just means…a way to keep powered in an emergency. So, in this sense, it just means being able to keep running your computer off its own battery. This is important for saving those vital files and powering down safely once you need to.

Maximize battery life

There’s lots of ways to get work done and use as little as possible battery as you do it. One way is to take your work offline and use the wifi only when necessary. You’ll also want to turn off features like bluetooth or GPS or power-sucking apps on your phone and tablet, to make battery go further.

I’m all about having ALL the backup charging options, such as the aforementioned power banks, bags which can be charged, and even solar-powered chargers.

Don’t shout at the clouds. Remember clouds are your friend.

We love all our file-sharing apps like Google Docs or Dropbox, because they let us upload files and access them from anywhere on all our devices. But remember WHY that’s so great. If my laptop battery dies, I can still access those files if I log on with my phone or tablet, or share with editors I may be working with on an assignment remotely. This is an amazing tool for emergency preparedness. Remember, too, that apps like Zoom, Skype, and Google Voice let you call anywhere from any device, should you need to.

Finish offline tasks

When the batteries die, and the wifi is gone (aside from crying and shouting at the heavens), this is actually a good time to dive into those neglected offline duties. This could be organizing your desks or files and documents.

There’s a lot of ways to stay “connected” while offline. I know a lot of people who are into using a pinned Trello tab for daily task management, but honestly - you don’t even need that. You can self-contain your own list of tasks that can be done onlnie or off, so you don’t even skip a beat during outages.

Go to an alternative “office”

This may be an actual office if you have an office you can go to or a co-working space. But a coffee shop with working power outlets, wifi, and AC can be great for times like this. But remember to spend some money and buy coffee and a snack while you are there…no one likes the person that takes up a table for hours and doesn’t buy anything…

We’re so lucky (or terribly unlucky, depending on your perspective) to live in an era where the mobile workstation is not just an option but a given — it means we can work pretty much under any circumstance and always be ready for whatever comes our way. A reliable battery is like a blood transfusion for productivity, and can keep us working even as the world seems to be melting around us.

I mean, yay.