Wherever I go, there I work (and play)

Lately I’ve been keeping an “I Am/I Am Not” list in the back of my notebook to help determine the skills and services I want to offer to my client base.  This helps me accomplish a few things:

1. It helps me narrow down exactly what my business “does”
2. It helps me determine the things I need to get better at and develop through research, education, and practice
3. It helps me cope when working on things I don’t necessarily love doing

The primary goal of my list is to figure out how I can spend more time doing the things on the “I Am” list (and get paid for them), and how to spend as little time as possible (if any) doing things on the “I Am Not” list.

There is nothing super-revolutionary about this practice, but it’s just a way to keep my mind from getting too cluttered.

How do you make sure you are doing what you WANT to be doing?

 

Red Rock Sunset by seantoyer

When I was a kid, my brothers and I were often asked the same questions on holidays every year. For Thanksgiving, it was “What are you thankful for?” For Christmas, it was “What does Christmas mean to you?” My guess is that my family was not alone in this tradition.

I’m going to start applying that type of questioning to all holidays, starting with Labor Day.  What does Labor Day mean to me?  

Two years ago I would have answered that question with a simple “day off of work!”  However, the day has a completely different feel for me now that I’m running my own freelance business.  Actually, I look forward to working on Labor Day now. Think about it: no phone calls, no client due dates, and nobody else working.  If that’s not a formula for a productive day, I don’t know what is.

That being said, I still probably won’t put in a full day like normal, but I do plan on taking advantage of the optimal working conditions for at least part of the day. 

What are your plans for Labor Day?  (don’t worry – I won’t judge you if you’re actually going to take the day off. You deserve it!)  And have a great holiday weekend everyone!

If you have tasks that do not require you to have web access, your desk, or anything else that can keep you tethered to one place, take those tasks somewhere more fun and refreshing. Get some fresh air, enjoy some scenery, and get out of there!

For me, tasks I can take with me that require little or no technology include database designs, book research, website wireframe sketchups, flow/process planning, and even just general brainstorm sessions with pen and paper. It’s always good to get out whenever you can!

Are there any tasks you can take with you?

Yes, I really want to know.

Just yesterday I was having a Twitter discussion with fellow Anywhere Jeremy Lattimore about how feasible it would be for someone to sell their home directly instead of going through a realtor.  Jeremy made the following comment:

Probably use realtor just so I didn’t have to be at every showing… lazy I guess

Good point. However, we are Anywhere People so I responded by saying that we’re usually already at home working anyways, so would that really be a big deal?  His response:

but if you stay… you’d need to put your pants on… problem for #telework

How true is that??!!  I nodded and laughed in agreement. FYI – as I type this it is almost 10 AM and I am still wearing my Timberwolves shorts and a t-shirt, aka my PJs.

The constant running joke in freelance, telework, and other Work Anywhere circles is that we work in our pajamas.  Or underwear. Or maybe even nothing at all.

Honestly, that is one of the cool things about living this lifestyle.  No longer do I need to keep a closet full of suits, ties, shiny shoes, etc. along with a whole separate collection of business casual attire.  While I do still meet with clients on a regular basis and need a modest collection of business-style clothing, most days I can wear pretty much whatever I want. For me that’s usually a t-shirt and jeans, or swap the jeans for  shorts and flip-flops if it’s hot out. 

But here’s the scoop: I often find that what I’m wearing during the work day affects my attitude, efficiency, creativity, etc. For example,  if I’m on a call with a client and I’m still wearing my PJs, I seem to have less confidence, less command, etc.  However, if I am fully dressed and wearing something worthy of a public appearance, I seem to have a much better attitude.

If I’m working on a design project, I often do my best work if I have the right music going, my desk is clean, and I’m wearing something that makes me feel creative. A lot of times that even means wearing shoes in my home office. I have no idea why – it just seems to bring out more creativity in me than if I was working in my PJs.

On the other end of the spectrum, if I’m deep into a late night of programming on a web app, I need to convince myself that I’m really not working and am instead working late for fun. In this case, I go for as comfortable of an outfit as possible. Usually fresh socks, t-shirt, and athletic shorts do the trick. In this case, dressing like I would during the daytime hours just doesn’t feel right.

Here is my adaptation of the classic quote by Mark Twain:

Clothes make the [Anywhere] man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

Am I off my rocker here? Is working in our pajamas really worthy of all the hype it usually gets?

What do you wear? Does it affect your Work Anywhere life?

Today I talk about one of my favorite web apps: Freshbooks, a system of “painless billing”.  As a freelancer and business owner who needs to track all of his time for invoicing, Freshbooks has never let me down. 

As I mention in this video, Freshbooks has hooked me up with a few things to give away.  I am going to hold two separate drawings for prize packages that will include a Freshbooks t-shirt, some swag, and a FREE two-month subscription to the Freshbooks subscription plan of your choice!  Whether you’re a current Freshbooks user or you’ve never used it in your life, this contest is open to everyone.

There are two ways to win one of the two prize packages:

1. Sign up for any of Freshbooks’ plans (even the free one) and past the URL to your login page in the comments below.  For example, my login URL is http://liftdevelopment.freshbooks.com  Easy as pie! (One entry per person). Be sure to fill out the comment name/email completely so I can notify you if you win.
    
2. Tweet the following message on Twitter:  ”Hey @daveyank you’re right – @freshbooks IS awesome for painless billing! http://bit.ly/freshy”  (You can retweet this as many times as you want and each one will count as an entry into the drawing)  Click here to Tweet this message right now!

One of the shirts that I am giving away is a blue version of the famous “tie shirt” as worn by Freshbooks CEO Mike McDerment on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine a few months back. It doesn’t get any cooler than that! I’ll give that one away with drawing #1 above…It’s perfect for Work Anywhere attire.

I will draw a winner from each contest on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009. 

Good luck!

PS – As a Work Anywhere-type, you owe it to yourself to check out Freshbooks’ forums as well.

Here is a quick video introduction to the AnywhereMan concept.  I talk about who I am, what I do, and what I hope to accomplish with AnywhereMan.  And of course it’s only fitting that the first video on this site be filmed in a canoe.

So while I am busy introducing myself, introduce yourself.  

Who are you, what do you do, and are you a current freelancer/telecommuter/anywhere-er, or are you thinking about it?

Thanks for checking out the site! More to come…