Want to be productive from anywhere? Follow these tips from Perry Seale
If you see Perry Seale with a backpack and his phone in his hand, it’s safe to assume he’s working, regardless of location.
“I manage the relationship between Elastic and critical partners in the industry,” he says. “It’s a lot of alignment calls and strategy sessions, so I’m constantly on the phone.”
Perry joined Elastic® in May 2024 as Alliance Lead - SHI, but has worked remotely since 2014. Over the last decade, he’s traveled for work and traveled while working remotely, so he has tried and true methods for being productive on the move.
“I always travel with a second monitor, that’s really important for me,” he says. “I also make sure I have great connectivity so I pay for an international phone plan so I have data and a hotspot anywhere. That’s saved me.”
Perry also works the hours from his home time zone because that’s what his clients and customers expect of him. For example, he was working from the UK in July, but maintained central US time zone hours. And to record his calls and take notes while on the move, he uses an AI transcription service.
One of his goals this year is to work from a new place in America every month. Perry plans to couple it with work travel and spend a day traveling to a city or place nearby. He also has plans to go back to his home country of Trinidad and Tobago to see his mom — while working.
This setup works because of Elastic’s distributed nature. However, Perry alerts his manager if he’s drastically changing time zones.
“My manager said, ‘once you get in front of your partners regularly you can live or travel to any time zone that America covers,’” Perry says.
Perry travels while working because he loves to work in places that are inspiring. He loves to experience different cultures and learn about people. One of the benefits of working remotely and traveling for work is getting to experience America and other countries and cultures, he says.
“I can sit in an office in walls of white that’s definitely not inspiring, or I can sit quietly in a jungle bungalow and work where it’s creative and inspiring,” he says. “With the right connectivity, you can perform at the maximum.”
Perry also likes to connect with any local Elasticians on his travels.
“Because we’re distributed, many people don’t know other Elasticians,” he says. “So I try to provide that community as I travel.”
Perry joined Elastic for the community and a better culture. Elastic encourages people to work hard but have a life, he says. It’s about finding the balance. For Perry, that balance includes the flexibility to work from anywhere.
“Because Elastic is so multicultural, I encourage distributed workers to travel the world. It allows the opportunity to appreciate and communicate better with different cultures. You have a common ground and can connect on a deeper level because they understand the culture better. For a global organization, that’s so important.”
“Your life is so enriched by what you experience,” Perry says. “Be inspired by your surroundings.”
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