Work From Anywhere: 25 Cool Apps for Digital Nomads, Corporate Escapists, and Loony Adventurers

In the past 3 years, I have already run my business from Lebanon, Indonesia, Morocco, Iran, Kenya, and South Africa. Always on the hunt after a stable Wi-Fi connection, but free of fixed working hours.

My office can be my bed as well as my favorite local coffee shop. My only tools are a laptop, a smartphone, and a pair of headphones to isolate myself from the noises of the outer world. Needless to say, I’m 100% dependent on technology to be able to work from anywhere the word.

Technology sometimes fails me. There’s no Internet. My computer freezes up. The phone is dead.

But most of the time, it is technology what makes it possible to keep my dream of time and location freedom alive. Both quality hardware and handy software. That’s why I’ve selected a list of really useful apps that will help you stay connected, productive, and above all relaxed.

DOCUMENTS

1. Docady

Snap a photo of all the important documents you don’t want to carry around. The app will help you arrange the paperwork into relevant categories and safely store everything you might need on your travels.

2. PandaDoc

There’s no need to send your proposals or contracts via snail mail. You can easily create, share, and sign documents with legally binding electronic signature software.

3. Docracy

There’s also no rush to look for a lawyer every time you need a simple contract. Use this amazing open database of legal documents instead.

SECURITY

4. CrashPlan

Protect your data and back up all your valuable files (music, photos, documents) to an external drive or cloud. You can access them from anywhere, at any time.

5. Hola

In some countries, your popular websites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…) may be blocked. For such cases, it’s good to have a solid VPN installed before you cross the borders, so you can browse the Internet without censorship.

PRODUCTIVITY

6. Sunrise

Plan your days with a calendar that connects to your favorite apps, including Facebook, Evernote, or Trello.

7. Trello

Keep track of your daily tasks and collaborate with your team on any project with this free and simple board-like app. No more endless email threads or missed deadlines.

8. Wunderlist

Organize your to-dos, set due dates, and reminders. You can also share your lists with other people and possibly assign the tasks to someone else.

9. Solo

If you work as a freelancer, most project management apps probably don’t address your specific needs. Solo will not only help you get stuff done, it will also assist with monitoring your performance, tracking your time and expenses, generating invoices, or managing clients.

10. WudaTime

Easily track the time you spend on individual tasks with the help of this free browser-based tool.

11. Gorgias

Save some minutes every time you send an email. This app will help you create nifty templates and shortcuts so you fly through your inbox super fast.

DISCIPLINE

12. Momentum

Self-discipline is the main challenge when being your own boss. This app will help you create new habits, track your daily progress, and achieve your goals.

13. Freedom

Block distracting websites and apps to skyrocket your productivity.

COMMUNICATION

14. ClearChat

Stay connected with your remote coworkers via an encrypted team chat app. Your conversations and files will be read only by the intended recipients.

15. Talky

Those who prefer to speak face-to-face can complement chatting with team video calls. No downloads, signup, or payment required.

PEOPLE

16. Clarity

Schedule a call with an experienced entrepreneur and get expert advice on your business no matter where in the world you are.

17. Meetup

Meet new people at events organized by local communities all over the globe.

18. Idealist

If you wish to combine work, travel, and making the world a better place, check one of many volunteer opportunities here.

TRAVEL

19. Entrain

Those who often suffer from jet lags will make good use of this free app. It will tell you when to seek dark or light to adjust faster to new time zones.

20. PackPoint

This smart packing list app will check the weather, note the length of your stay, and consider the purpose of your trip, so you don’t forget anything important.

AND MORE

21. Dollarbird

Control your budget on your smartphone. See how much you’ve spent, plan your future expenditures, and observe your spending habits.

22. Silvrback

Don’t waste your time setting up a new website. Capture your adventures in a lean, distraction-free blog.

23. Canva

Presentations, infographics, blog post images, business cards, web banners, posters, invitations… any design related stuff is a piece of cake even for non-designers with this free, drag-and-drop app.

24. CodersClan

Get your smaller coding tasks done by professional coders in no time.

25. SuperTasker

Do you need to fix your WordPress site, create a new logo, or write a press release? All sorts of digital tasks can be delivered within hours through this website.

37 Best websites to learn something new

The 37 Best Websites to Learn Something New

Forget overpriced schools, long days in a crowded classroom, and pitifully poor results. These websites and apps cover myriads of science, art, and technology topics. They will teach you practically anything, from making hummus to building apps in node.js, most of them for free. There is absolutely no excuse for you not to master a new skill, expand your knowledge, or eventually boost your career. You can learn interactively at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home. It’s hard to imagine how much easier it can possibly be. Honestly, what are you waiting for?

→TAKE AN ONLINE COURSE

edX — Take online courses from the world’s best universities.

Coursera — Take the world’s best courses, online, for free.

Coursmos — Take a micro-course anytime you want, on any device.

Highbrow — Get bite-sized daily courses to your inbox.

Skillshare — Online classes and projects that unlock your creativity.

Curious — Grow your skills with online video lessons.

lynda.com — Learn technology, creative and business skills.

CreativeLive — Take free creative classes from the world’s top experts.

Udemy — Learn real world skills online.

→LEARN HOW TO CODE

Codecademy — Learn to code interactively, for free.

Free Code Camp — Learn to code and help nonprofits.

Udacity — Earn a Nanodegree recognized by industry leaders.

Platzi — Live streaming classes on design, marketing and code.

CodeCombat— Learn computer science while playing a real game.

Code School — Learn to code by doing.

Thinkful — Advance your career with 1-on-1 mentorship.

Code.org — Start learning today with easy tutorials.

BaseRails — Master Ruby on Rails and other web technologies.

Treehouse — Learn HTML, CSS, iPhone apps & more.

One Month — Learn to code and build web applications in one month.

Dash — Learn to make awesome websites.

→LEARN TO WORK WITH DATA

DataCamp — Online R tutorials and data science courses.

DataQuest — Learn data science in your browser.

DataMonkey — Develop your analytical skills in a simple, yet fun way.

→LEARN NEW LANGUAGES

Duolingo — Learn a language for free.

Lingvist — Learn a language in 200 hours.

Busuu — The free language learning community.

Memrise — Use flashcards to learn vocabulary.

Babbel — Discover a new language experience.

→EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

TED-Ed — Find carefully curated educational videos

Khan Academy — Access an extensive library of interactive content.

Guides.co — Search the largest collection of online guides.

Squareknot — Browse beautiful, step-by-step guides.

Learnist — Learn from expertly curated web, print and video content.

→BONUS

Chesscademy — Learn how to play chess for free.

Pianu — A new way to learn piano online, interactively.

Yousician— Your personal guitar tutor for the digital age.

Women who work for more than 60hrs a week, at risk of life-threatening diseases

Women who work 60 hours or more per week during the bulk of their careers have been found to be at high risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis, says a study.

Women who work 60 hours or more per week during the bulk of their careers have been found to be at high risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis, says a study. 
Women — especially women who have to juggle multiple roles — feel the effects of intensive work experiences and that can set the table for a variety of illnesses and disability,’ said lead author Allard Dembe from the Ohio State University. 
The risk begins to climb when women put in more than 40 hours and takes a decidedly bad turn above 50 hours, the study found. 
The researchers found that women who worked an average of 60 hours or more over three decades had three times the risk of getting diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis than those who worked 40-hour weeks.
People don’t think that much about how their early work experiences affect them down the road,’ Dembe said. ‘Women in their 20s, 30s and 40s are setting themselves up for problems later in life,’ he added. 
Men with tough work schedules appeared to fare much better, found the study published recently in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
In the study, the researchers interviewed 7,500 people and analysed the relationship between serious disease and hours worked over a 32-year period. 
Women tend to face more pressure and stress than men when they work long hours because they undertake the lion’s share of family responsibility, an earlier study suggested.
Moreover, work for women may be less satisfying because of the need to balance work demands with family obligations, Dembe added.