Why worry about where you’re working from if you’re still selling your soul to the man? Even if the man is you?
There’s an increased amount of “chatter” in the business world about working remotely. Almost every time I pick up a business publication, in this case the latest issue of Inc Magazine, I’m reading an article about software, hardware, and productivity tools aimed at facilitating the work-from-anywhere model.
Of course, I’m always asking myself the big “why” behind the articles. I mean, working from anywhere has its perks just from the fact you don’t have spend a majority of your day behind a desk in a cubicle. Working from home, for example, can be a phenomenal change of lifestyle in itself. But what about the freedom one can engineer for their life if they combine these fantastic mobile work tools with a commitment to work smarter, less often, and a desire to be defined by something other than what they do for a living?
It’s a well understand fact that 80% (or so) of your profit/productivity/success is going to come from 20% (or so) of your effort. If you don’t believe me read the 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
Yes, by all means build out your remote control office! But that in itself is simply not going to create a life of freedom, profit, and the option to invest your time how you want to.
You’ve got to be very intentional about engineering a lifestyle around the tools you’re using to be mobile. Try the following simple exercise:
1. Find something to write (or type) on.
2. How many hours per week would you like to work? Write it down.
3. How many months out of the year would you like to work? Write it down.
4. How much money do you want or need to make? Write it down.
5. Divide the amount of money by the hours of the week you’re going to work and multiply that by the square root of the number of months your going to work. (Just kidding. Ignore this step. Skip to 6)
6. Work out a formula. This will most likely require you to realize that you’re going to have to remove yourself from the status-quo. Which is, in this case, doing what everyone else is doing for a living. You’re probably going to have to take a risk and be willing to fail in order to succeed.
Most likely, your freedom will come from being entrepreneurial in some fashion. Don’t accept other’s limitations of your capabilities, tenacity, and vision. If I had a ten dollar bill for every time someone put me in a box and tried to make me fit their mold I’d have a thousand dollars. (At least!)
