There is no doubt that using a place independent career is liberating. Not having to punch a clock at a tangible workplace provides you the freedom to (technically) work from anywhere. However, it’s also not quite simple. I bust livelihood myths and misconceptions to give you a better understanding of the location-independent life before you take the plunge:
1. You Can Work From Anywhere
Strictly speaking this is not correct. Your place that is working will be based on a few prerequisites, not the least of which is electricity and an internet connection. Do spend some time, or you wish to trek across the Sahara desert? When you’ve got work to do, you will be out of luck.
2. There’s No Overhead
Though a location independent company involves a considerably reduced overhead (ie: there is no office space to lease or hour(s)-long commute daily ), it is not without its share of overhead expenses. (More about this in Chapter 6)
3. An Internet Connection is All That Matters
Though this is technically true, there is a caveat: a fast internet connection is all that matters. I have some coworkers (a few diverse colleagues really ) who wanted to invest some time in India. They narrowed their choice of where to base their stay by looking for where the internet connection was. The winner? Bangalore. Instead of living in some of India’s regions, they dwelt in Bangalore’s city. (More on this in Chapter 7).
4. You Want, you Can Work
If you’re handling clients/customers/bosses in other time zones, be ready to stay up late, get up early, or both. In some instances your choice of location might depend on those hours.
Even in the event that you don’t have to cater to customers, you still can not entirely work if you want (or rather, you can not take time off whenever you want). The legal environment of business By way of instance, if media promotions are an essential part of your company, expect to be online pretty much even with programs that enable you to schedule your articles.
5. You May Work on the Beach
Before taking to the street, every place independent entrepreneur aspires to sit on the shore, notebook to the side and frilly tropical drink in hand. There are three basic flaws with this vision that is idyllic:
Sand gets everywhere. Computers and sand aren’t friends.
Sea salt in the air wreak havoc with electronics.
There is a significant lack of power outlets on shores.
6. Your Office is Wherever
Once I started traveling I subscribed to this concept. I experimented with various idyllic “office spaces”, many based on convenience. I worked in bed, on sofas, in coffee shops, and in a variety of locations utilizing my lap. The outcome? Was it hard for me to focus in certain environments affecting my productivity, but my body suffered for these ergonomically office spaces that were impromptu.
As dull as it sounds, you would be well-served to prepare a more formal working space which permits you to focus, work in an ergonomically friendly place, and maintain a level of separation between workspace and playspace.
