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How does one lead a minimally mobile lifestyle? 

You’ve been working towards making your life less cluttered despite being on the road a lot, but you’re such a huge fan of gadgets and technology that you don’t know which ones to keep and which ones to get rid of. Nowadays, not having any technological device within arm’s reach is unbearable and plainly inexcusable, much more so when you’re a highly mobile individual who needs to get work done in transit. So, what’s a minimalist to do?

Personal computing

I remember being 15 and having to fight with my sister over the PC, or the personal computer that’s constantly wired to the internet. Perhaps you’re still using a desktop at home due to their all-around reliability as a “home appliance.” But since you’re always on the road now, perhaps it’s time to switch to a powerful laptop that’s built to last. You don’t need the fast video cards or the 22-inch monitors given your on-the-go lifestyle, so perhaps you can choose something that will let you perform all the basic stuff you need like word processing, internet browsing, and a little photo editing. This way, you can do all the normal stuff your desktop computer is supposed to do while having the luxury of lugging the device anywhere you go.

Data storage

For your data storage, get an external hard drive that has the largest capacity that you can buy for the smallest size. Gone are the days of large hard drives that are bigger than your hardbound books and come with separate external power adaptors and cords for them to be attached to your computer. A lot of 1 TB hard drives today can fit on top of your palm and are USB-powered. You can also opt for a USB key to back up your work from time to time. Most models nowadays come in 16 or 32 GB models, which I think is more than enough to handle sensitive documents, a few MP3s, and an album of photos.

Phones

You’ll save yourself some money if you use your smartphone as your portable music or video player as well. If you switch out the native memory cards that come with them into bigger ones, you can store all kinds of music or movies while not having to worry about three or four devices at the same time. I remember flying to LAX one time and this guy sitting next to me starts taking out his MacBook, an iPhone, and an iPad while waiting for his flight (I thought he was cocky, but he turned out to be nice by helping me with my luggage). Aside from that, if you’re a businessperson, you can save yourself from the task of having to carry two mobile phones, one for personal use and one for business, by using RingCentral Professional, an app that provides a complete suite of business phone capabilities on your smartphone.

Power supply

Power is essential for those who move around a lot. Phone chargers, laptop adapters, extension cords, and the like are essential for travel. Even though they’re quite handy or small, they come in handy for jet-setters and such. Just how are you going to make that VoIP business phone call in Europe if your phone dies out before you even touch down in Heathrow Airport? For such cases, it is ideal for you to buy universal travel adapters – those snap-together accessories that has all the different standard adapters used all over the world, so you won’t get weirded out when you see a completely alien power socket in Japan. Along with this, you need a mini surge protector so you can plug in all of your devices at once. You know how hotels roll nowadays – there’s just never enough power sockets.

It’s an accepted truth that not all technology is useful. Sift through what you have now and ask yourself repeatedly about what you really need. The key to leading a minimally mobile professional lifestyle lies in finding balance in the midst of the all the technological chaos around us. You can always live with less, but you need to choose the very best.

Author Bio:
Monique Jones is an Engineer who deals with telephone systems. Besides being an Engineer, she also works as a part time writer. She helps her colleagues and other people about their communication issues, giving effective solutions to address their needs.