I know, I know…. being location independent at home sounds counter intuitive right? Surely the whole reason for being a digital nomad is to give you the freedom to work from anywhere?
In three weeks I’ll be getting ready to jump on a plane to Bali. So I’ve been reflecting on the whole location independence lifestyle again as I start to plan my trip. I’ve been back home for four months now and I keep asking myself this question:
What does it mean to be location independent when you’re back at home ?
For most of us, the idea of being on the road 24/7 isn’t that awesome. Sure, travelling is awesome, but actually, so is hanging out with friends & family and connecting with your roots. So does that mean you have to take off your location independent badge the moment you land at your local airport?
I beg to differ.
In fact, I’d go as far as saying that being location independent at home is almost as fun as it is in a foreign country.
I was on a call with a client yesterday and we were talking about what location independence really means. And when it comes down to it, for me, it’s all about smart systems. It’s about building structure into your business that enables you to have more freedom. Sure, the result from making those tweaks means you can start planning adventures in faraway places, but the real change will be in your day to day life.
Let me give you an example. About two weeks ago Spring suddenly decided to show up here in Jersey. The sun started shining, the wind dropped and the waves were pumping. Everyone was stoked.
The waves were so fun that you were already planning your second surf by the time you were getting changed from the first. Every morning felt like groundhog day (the very best kind). I’d wake up, check the surf, check my diary and plan the day. The only things in my diary that are totally fixed are client calls. Everything else is flexible. So when I wake up and want to go play in the ocean, I make a note of the non-negotiable times & jiggle everything else around the tides.
The swell lasted ten days. By the end of it, I was almost relieved to see the wind pick up a little and the swell drop. My body was exhausted. I needed some time on my yoga mat badly.
But I realised something. I felt like I’d been on holiday. My location independence was kicking ass AT HOME. The freedom that everyone is chasing is totally available to you wherever you are. You don’t need to be sitting on a beach in Thailand with your laptop.
So my challenge to you is this. Start shifting your business towards location independence right now. Here are 4 simple steps to get you started :
1. Go read this article I wrote a while back on building smart systems
2. Follow the 7 steps & start test-driving your systems. Here’s the thing : If you do this properly, you will free up a whole lot of space in your day.
3. Map out the stuff you imagine you would do on a big adventure abroad, and figure out how you can start doing some of it at home. No excuses here … If you dream of swimming with dolphins somewhere tropical but you’re currently living in a cold city somewhere, then figure out another rad way to connect with nature.
4. Plan to incorporate this stuff in your day to day routine (in those gaps you created in step two). It might be as simple as heading to the beach to meditate for 15 minutes before you start work, or going for a hike in between client calls.
5. Keep leaning into location independence at home. Whether thats moving your ‘office’ from home to a local co-working spot for the day or outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant. Your systems will get smarter the more you lean in.
Note : If you haven’t already, check out a book by Tim Ferris called The Four Hour Work Week. I definitely haven’t mastered only working four hours (and to be honest, I love what I do, so I want to work more than four !), however, there is a whole heap of incredible ideas & resources in there. Most importantly, he introduces the concept of mini-retirements (not waiting till you are 75 to do all the stuff on your bucket list — genius).