I am frequently asked how, or more precisely, “where” I work. I travel frequently and seem not to have a “home base”; I work on my own, without an employer providing a fixed environment.

Working on one’s own does not mean there is no need for a proper office. However, it does give the privilege of being more flexible in choosing the office. I make use of 3 types of office:

  • Fixed office
  • Temporary office
  • Mobile office

These various office types are required because I travel often but also revisit and/or spend much time in the same place repeatedly.

Fixed office

My fixed office (read “permanent”) is a separated home office in Luxembourg. While it is a “home office” by the definition of being in my home building, it nevertheless is a separate unit and not just a corner in the living room.

I therefore never refer to it as a “home office” but just as my (permanent) office. It consists of 2 rooms (office and archive/library), with enough space to have 5 people working comfortably at any given time.

Temporary office

Being a frequent visitor to have meetings, doing research, pitching projects and occasionally using as a regional base to get in touch with other Asian countries, I use “temporary office” to refer to my Hong Kong setup.

I have the incredible luck to have a friend’s place for accommodation (even after I haven’t been in Hong Kong for a year in between my last and next visit). When I was young(er) and nothing could distract me, I used to have a temporary office setup in that home, not minding the jackhammers from morning to evening, months in a row.

A while ago I couldn’t take that anymore so I rented a serviced office which has been well worth the money. Returning to Luxembourg soon and no plan to come back to Hong Kong for quite a while thereafter, I’ve found myself again very lucky with a friend having just bought an office and giving me a desk there for storage and in case I drop by.

Mobile office

With “mobile” I do not refer to setting up a laptop in a coffee shop. When I do a short visit to another place, either for business purpose with a party in that location or as my own retreat, I call it “mobile office” as it is about moving a basic office to another place for a short time. I am not a friend of coffee shop offices.

My most frequent use of a mobile office is travelling to South China for several days, locking myself into a hotel room and taking care of all the many things that have accumulated during the past months but had not yet been taken care of. This is always a highly efficient time as I won’t be interrupted by others and the change of location is also quite inspiring. I usually take the time to give a friend’s office a hand with computer and network issues, followed by relaxed evenings to take my mind off my own work for a few hours.

Mobile offices can be set up almost anywhere. I’ve been working in hotel rooms, apartments, houses… In the past decade this has been in China, Germany, Malaysia, Philippines, Turkey, USA… ranging anywhere from 3 days to 3 months.

Equipment

Given that I may not use the office equipment in a certain location for months, the equipment is not the latest of technology. I do not need the latest, I even do not want it. It’s a waste of money if I can’t use it full-time. Furthermore, moving it around would be risky, likely expensive and troublesome.

I like to create “new”computers from other people’s rubbish and so I do monthly visits to a recycling center in Luxembourg to find “new” parts. I have 5 fully functional and speedy workstations in my Luxembourg office, including 2 20inch monitors. Guests enjoy all the features they are used to from their own, modern computers and have never complained about my old stations. It’s just a matter of setup. Would you believe that my fastest computer runs on only a 450Mhz CPU? All office and Internet applications run flawlessly without letting me wait even once (I do admit I don’t watch fullscreen videos which might kill the machine though).

I am a believer of “make use of what you can get and what you really need”. With zero equipment budget, unlimited recycling and only office/Internet requirements, my place runs smoothly.. but would be a burglar’s nightmare.

Communication

Communication is important and therefore I carry a subscription-based Luxembourg and Hong Kong phone number (my most frequently visited locations). While in Hong Kong a mobile phone is enough for me, in Luxembourg it’s not (yet). The fixed office has 5 lines which is none too much if it is in full operation: a phone number for the house (private), myself (office), a guest station, the fax and for the broadband (could be used for phone as well).

Mailing

I can make use of mailing addresses in 6 countries, from Asia to the US, and in some locations even multiple addresses based on what mailing is expected. Mailing is something odd: I might not need it for years and suddenly my life depends on it. That’s why I maintain a network of addresses operated by friends and businesses.