Creating a freedom based, or location independent, lifestyle has become the dream for many people looking to create a better work/life balance and move away from the mundane constraints of a 9-5 corporate job. The world of work has changed dramatically since COVID19 with more employees now able to work remotely and with that has come the desire for more flexibility and freedom. Working remotely can be a rewarding experience if you plan ahead but you have to first look at what you actually want from the experience. Just saying you want more freedom is too vague.
Some people may be able to take their current work abroad, but for others the reason they want to get away is partly because their current job isn’t fulfilling them. Many people think that taking their current career “on the road” will make them more satisfied if they are in a new exotic location but that isn’t always the case if what you really need is to look at your career path and potentially change it altogether. So, if this is you, ask yourself a simple question of “why don’t you enjoy your current career?” And be as detailed as possible.
Work out your why
Thereafter, if you realise you need a career change, next ask yourself what you really want from your career. Given you now know what you don’t want, that’s a pretty good start to understanding what you do. Overlay this list, with your skillsets and consider does all of this lend itself to remote working? Starting with simple questions like these is a great place to begin to work out how to move into a career that will allow you to make location independent work possible for you.
What attracts you to becoming location independent?
So, whether you are staying in your current job or starting a new one, digging into why you want to be location independent and looking at the practicalities of living and working remotely is a good starting point. Consider what shifts are you looking to make and what are your initial expectations of changing your lifestyle? One reason for becoming location independent is to create more space and freedom to do more of the things that you want to. For many location independent people that means creating new connections and meeting like-minded people and living a life of adventures!
Working remotely creates so many opportunities for personal growth; from developing your own skills when it comes to time management, organisation and planning to widening your perspective on the world by being exposed to different cultures and traditions from better understanding yourself, your values, your beliefs, what really matters to you. So first of all make a list of what you want to gain out of this experience as this will help you to better understand what sort of experience to create for yourself and give you the answers to certain questions such as, what is the right location for you? What experiences do you want to create?What are your non-negotiables?
The Practicalities
But before you decide where to go you need to ask yourself some practical questions such as what work/life balance are you looking for i.e. how much time do you need to work and what hours will you be working – consider the time zone you will be working in. Also consider the cost of loving and create a financial projection for the upcoming 6-12 months.
When you arrive in your new location settling in and creating structure are the next things to consider. If you are always moving around, be conscious of the energy that is consumed by the small decisions you have every time you are in a new location i.e. where do I work? where is the supermarket? where is the milk in the supermarket? How does my oven work??? This can be draining so try and get set up as soon as you land and prepare yourself mentally for all these new decisions. Find an environment that works for you by researching what is available. If you need a strong reliable WIFI connection for example or somewhere you can do calls in private.
Then it’s time to look at creating structure but also making time for spontaneous activities. When you arrive in a new place there can be a lot of excitement and distractions so give yourself some wiggle room to explore and say yes to invites while also upholding your work commitments.
Remember to enjoy the experience – living and working remotely will stretch you in so many new ways!
