You’ve been working on a project all morningwhen, all of a sudden, your tech breaks down. Your progress is ruined, and now you have to scramble to get new equipment so that you can get back to work. How can you deal with this disaster?
Dealing with Tech Disasters at Home
One of the biggest challenges of working remotely is having your essential equipment break down on you. If you worked in a corporate office space, you could just call up the IT department and have them take a look at the problem. If they couldn’t solve it, they would find you a replacement right away so that you could push forward with your tasks.
Unless you have a tech-whizz living at home, this isn’t likely to happen to you. You have to figure out a solution on your own.
Have a Back-Up:
You can recover quickly from a tech breakdown when you have back-up plans:
- Keep functional tech around after you buy upgrades. Old laptops, smartphones and chargers can save you from a ruined workday.
- When your internet is patchy, consider using your smartphone’s mobile hotspot to keep going.
- If you have no old tech, get some cheap or second-hand back-ups for your home office.
Remember to keep the receipts when you buy new equipment. You will need them come tax season.
Have an Emergency Fund:
Tech can be expensive, especially when you don’t have the time to shop around for good deals. So, if you want to make it easier to cover this potential cost, you should build up an emergency fund right now.
Building up an emergency fund can take time. While you’re saving up, you should apply for an online personal line of credit so that you can have a financial safety net whenever something goes wrong. You don’t have to pull from the line of credit until you really need the funds. It’s a useful solution for anyone who doesn’t have a stocked emergency fund to rely on.
Get Insurance:
A warranty will help you get your equipment repaired or replaced by the seller or manufacturer. It’s important to keep track of your proof of warrantyand to be aware when that timeline has expired.Certain companies offer extended warranties or insurance programs. For instance, if you have a lot of Apple products, you could consider getting AppleCare + to extend the protections and maintain the more affordable repair costs.
Take Care of Your Equipment:
Taking care of your equipment can prevent this kind of disaster. How can you do that? You should run routine computer maintenance to make sure that it’s running smoothly for as long as possible. Protect it from damage using screen protectors, cases and skins. Keep it away from liquids and harsh temperatures. And learn the signs of when to replace your computer — this will help you get an upgrade at the right time and avoid a surprise tech breakdown. In the case of freelancing, deadlines are crucial. The more time that you take to shop for new equipment and set it up, the more time that you’re taking away from your work. That’s why you need to try your best to recover as quickly as possible.
