Ever heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours principal?
If not, it states that 10,000 hours of practice is a requirement to master any skill.
Bullshit. It doesn’t take 417 uninterrupted days to learn. This is 2017, nobody has that kind of time, 10,000 hours is a myth.
Today’s student learns by doing, adjusting on the fly, failing more often than succeeding. Failure is the great educator, and it’s not the sore winner it’s made out to be. By expecting success, but preparing for failure, you aren’t actually failing, you’re experimenting. Falling short of your goals? Perhaps. But coming away empty handed? Never.
When first envisioning what location independence looks like, everyone dream scenario is different. For some, it’s laptops on a beach in Thailand; sipping a mojito whilst getting a shoulder rub from a vivacious local, catching a tan while sending an important email. For others, it’s getting to spend every morning having breakfast with their kids and never commuting again. For me… Alright, yeah the Thailand one was me.
I’m not in Thailand. Instead, I’m spending today in coworking space in Encinitas, 8,234 miles away from the milky white shores of Ko Pha Ngan. my initial plan “failed”, but I’m glad it did. Things change, and it took some real life remote working time to realize it.
With that in mind, here are a few ways I’ve “failed” and what I’ve learned about location independent work that didn’t take me 10,000 hours to figure out:
There are no vacation days.
Those 3 weeks of off-time you get at your current job? You’re supposed to use them. Regardless of your obnoxious coworkers’ snide remarks. Not the case in the freelance world. Your clients are counting on you, and won’t hesitate to reach out any time. Furthermore, you’re getting paid for those vacation days at your old job, again, not so in freelance or consulting. You get paid for your worked hours, meaning if you’re lucky enough to pull in $125/hour, you’re leaving $1000 on the table every day you tell your client you’re going to be unavailable for a typical 8 hour day. A lot more painful to take off when you quantify your losses.
Timezones matter.
Some formal remote teams may have frameworks for handling this, but for most of us, the person paying the bills decides when the meetings are. That probably means 10am on Mondays, and if they’re in Silicon Valley and you’re in Sydney, that means 4am. This doesn’t mean you need to be in the same timezone. Perhaps your client is in NY and you’re considering a month in Lisbon. That 10am standup and 4pm checkin are 3pm and 9pm respectively, so you can still live a pretty normal life on the other side of the Atlantic. Optimally, before taking 10 hours flights, wait until there’s a cadence of timed commitments, and book accordingly. Do your best to create asynchronous work for yourself, minimize the need for meetings, and always communicate your travel plans with people paying you.
Internet isn’t everywhere.
There’s a reason why WeWork is a $10 billion dollar (and counting) corporation. Reliable workspace is valuable, essential and limited. Americans are spoiled by the incredible triple digit MPBS down we get at almost any home or office. Depending on if you need to do any sizable file uploads, take a video call, or do a screen-share, you may need first world internet and worst case, peace and quiet. Embarrassingly, I recently took a video call at a hookah bar in Mykonos late at night. I still get mocked for the excessively loud traditional Hellenic music that blared into our conference room every time I went off mute.
Nomads love photography.
If you’re making an abrupt life change and seeing the world instead of sitting on the couch, you’ll want to remember these days forever. Compared to a location dependent “normie” (I made this derogatory term up, not the rest of the nomads, don’t hold them accountable) my fellow travelers seem to be 10x as likely to own some sort of high quality camera. I’ve picked up a ton of great tips and tricks from others at shared houses I’ve stayed at in terms of getting the most out of my camera, which camera to get, doing touchups, and getting the best shot. Photography is an amazing, addictive hobby, and the digital nomad community is obsessed.
Moving too much is a recipe for disaster.
Just because you’re a nomad doesn’t mean you can’t sleep in the same bed twice. The more you switch accommodations more you have to book travel, book accommodations, figure out logistics/timing, pack, unpack, and get settled. You’ll also take on risk of something going awry, like the internet at the hotel you’re staying at only being available in the loud lobby when you have an important video call right at checkin. Checkout time at most places is 11am and checkin time is generally 3pm, so when you do move, try to limit it to the weekends, and if you must move during the week, ensure you have a good place to work for that dead time. Most hostels/coliving spaces don’t mind if you clear out all of your stuff and work in their shared space, but be sure to ask ahead of time.
It’s never been easier to be location independent.
The more people you meet, the more you’ll be impressed with ways that people liberate themselves from an office. Entrepreneurs, designers, thinkers, creators, odd-job workers, everything-doers. It just enforces the idea that if this is something that you desire, you can do it if you’re willing to take the subsequent risks. Since I’ve taken the plunge, it feels like people all around me are starting to take it a lot more seriously and pondering what their life could be like if they weren’t tied up to an office. Be creative and roll the dice.
A lot of people would never want to live like this.
While it’s my firm belief that anybody can do it, I’m constantly surprised by how many people don’t want to do it. If it’s your goal to be untethered, you may take for granted how good and safe and comfortable a stable sedentary life can make people feel. Even the most mundane of my travel stories fill some faces with doubt and maybe even a trace of pity. Don’t let them make you feel like you’re doing something wrong or crazy, but also don’t proselytize them. Different strokes for different folks 🤷♂.
Life goes on without you.
I was born in New York City. I’ve been in New York City for periods of time every single year of my life. I’ve lived in New York City for the last 5 years. Not one person in New York City, not my mailman, that cute barista at 9th Street Espresso, not my brother, my best friends, my old coworkers, my worst enemies have slowed down for a second since I’ve left. New York City is an obvious example, but even the smallest of towns in the remotest of locations will operate business as usual once your gone. Don’t take it personally, you’d do the same. You probably already have.
Loneliness is a way of life.
It sounds sadder than it is, but it’s true nonetheless. If you’re going remote, you need to be fully comfortable being on your own and doing anything solo. If you truly want to learn yoga, or how to surf, of how to take great pictures, you’re going to have to get after it on your own every now and then, regardless how much more fun it’d be to have a partner in crime. It’s also a great exercise in shamelessness and gregariousness to live this lifestyle, and if you fail to ever put yourself out there, you’ll be miserable. I used to say “no new friends”, and keep my head down in my hometown. Now I’m doing the things I still cringe at my overly-amiable father doing; talking to old ladies in line at the grocery store, striking up conversations with fellow bike riders at stoplights, calling people I just met to hang out. Just suck it up and be friendly.
Self-motivation is a prerequisite.
If you can’t convince yourself to put your head down and churn out work without somebody looking over your shoulder telling you what to do, this just isn’t going to work. Not just in terms of making a living, but experiencing life. Set goals and move towards them. Push yourself to talk to 10 new people every week, evaluate a new investment opportunity daily, set a reminder to come up with 10 new ideas every day, Commit to a 25 day Headspace meditation streak. Pick every day from 10am — 12pm to enable SelfControl and churn out work, set a reminder every night to come up with the plan-of-attack for tomorrow… Do what it takes to keep yourself accountable and productive, or you’ll be interviewing for full-time static jobs in no time. Not the most miserable floor, but not where you want to be either.
Now if you excuse me, I have a bunch more failing to do.
