How to turn your car into the ultimate mobile office

Now that you’re used to working outside the corporate office, it’s time to stretch the boundaries beyond the kitchen table or guest bedroom to the ultimate mobile office. It might lack four walls and a water cooler, but your car offers a killer corner-office view of the world and can let you work just about anywhere.

Salespeople, insurance adjusters, utility workers, and many others have long understood the benefits of working out of a car. In a very real sense, their office is wherever it needs to be, whether that’s a client’s conference room, a construction site, or even roadside at a fender bender. But there’s a gotcha: to be an effective mobile base of operations, the car requires a technological transformation with the right equipment.

For the past 30 years, I have embraced the concept of the hybrid office, working in my office, at home, and at the offices of clients and collaborators. More and more, that includes my 9-year-old Audi A4 AllRoad. In fact, rather than fly to nearby cities for collaborations, meetings, and presentations, I often drive. On a recent hectic two-day Boston trip, rather than flying (and dealing with the inevitable late or canceled flight) from New York, I hopped into my car and drove. Sure, it takes longer than flying, but it just about evens out when you factor in the cab rides to and from the airport, the time killed in the security line, and the interminable waiting.

During the drive, I stopped a couple times to check my email, catch up on the goings-on at work, and update my pitch with the latest numbers. To the outside world, I never left my office. That’s because I didn’t.

Workspace on wheels

It’s time to think of the car as a cubicle on wheels. It can feel cramped inside, but the front seats are comfortable, the backseat is an excellent couch, and the car offers ultimate privacy compared to the middle seat on an airplane.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate five key elements that have turned my car into my office: