AnywhereMan

I watched three episodes of Whale Wars last night. I’ve already seen season one and am almost through season two (Netflix rocks, BTW).

Whale Wars is a show that follows around the adventures of the Sea Shepherds, a team of folks dedicated to ending whaling near Antartica. They essentially drive around, find Japanese whaling ships, and throw stink bombs at them. Their leader was kicked out of Greenpeace for being too extreme. And I think he was one of the founders! It’s highly entertaining.

But here’s the thing: One of the reasons I find the show entertaining is that the Sea Shepherds absolutely suck at execution. Every time they find a Japanese ship to harass, something goes wrong.

Oops…one guy just threw a grappling hook and chipped the tail of the helicopter.

Oops…the team in one of the small boats doesn’t have their radio on and the main ship has no idea where they are. And their satellite phone battery is dead. And the GPS isn’t working.

Oops…they’re about to engage and launch some stink bombs…and have to turn around because they’re running low on gas.

Oops…they’re launching one of the small boats and it flips over…four people stranded in freezing cold water.

You get the idea.

It seems like there is a general “plan of attack” when they encounter a whaling ship, but it always seems like important pieces of that plan are missing. I’ve never seen a single episode where they initiate a practice “attack.”

My point is this: plan ahead. Plan for business and “busyness.” Have systems in place to keep things running smooth when things start to get intense. Having a general, scattered plan for dealing with new clients, new projects, etc is bound to have some holes. Pinpoint those holes and patch them up.

My wife told me she read that the actual number of whales killed is way down thanks to efforts by groups like the Sea Shepherds. That’s great, but imagine how low they could be if things actually went according to plan.

I’ve been reading Seth Godin‘s “Linchpin” at a surprisingly slow pace. It’s not because it’s a bad book, it’s just because each little section in it is just so good and I’d be missing out on so much by reading it too quickly. I’ve got this book earmarked all over the place!

In the book, Godin discusses the idea of the resistance. This includes habits, emotions, and other barriers that keep us from truly becoming more than just a cog in the corporate machine. Today I talk about one of those barriers: fear.

So, what are you afraid of?

A big thank-you to @MichaelHyatt for the book!

The eternal “underdog” Minnesota Twins have made the playoffs five of the past eight years, recently signed arguably the best hitter in baseball (Joe Mauer) to a long-term deal, and just played their first regular season game in their brand new ballpark, Target Field. I’ve been a Twins fan all my life and looking back at their history, specifically the past 10-15 years, a person can learn a lot about what it takes to succeed.

1) Success doesn’t happen overnight

Obviously. Most of us realize this.

While the Twins achieved something that may appear to be success by going from worst-to-first in terms of being horrendous one year and winning the World Series the next (1987 & 1991), their overall success as an organization and business was just not there. After a few slumping years following the ’91 Championship season, talks of contracting the team began heating up. It didn’t help that they played in a bubble (the Metrodome in Minneapolis).

It’s only been through a commitment to build their team from within, spend within their means, and exercise patience in the face of criticism that the Twins organization has now become a success and powerful brand.

2) Flirting with failure makes success that much sweeter

The very-real possibility of contracting the Twins organization at the turn of the century is what makes their story so great. While the outlook on the business side wasn’t good, the team continued to focus on trying to win…on a budget.  They opted to develop solid everyday players through their own minor league system instead of spending big money on established stars, and it started to pay off. They started to win. They started to make the playoffs.

They continued to win. People started attending more games. They started building a reputation as a team that played baseball “the right way.” And in the long run, they were able to establish their business so much that the public voted to help them build a brand new, outdoor ballpark which will allow them to be even more successful and profitable.

I can only imagine how good it must feel to go from folding altogether to becoming what people are calling the “model team” in baseball.

3) Trust your instincts

In 2001, coming off an awful 69-win season, the Twins had the first overall pick in the major league draft. With that pick, they chose local high-school hero Joe Mauer and sent him straight into their minor league system to develop. The Twins had an excellent track record of developing talent, and developing Mauer would be no different.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs had the second pick and chose Mark Prior who rapidly established himself as a dominant starting pitcher. Critics constantly harped on the Twins for choosing Mauer instead of “overnight” star Prior.

Fast forward nine year to the present day, and Mauer is coming off of his first AL MVP season, won his third batting title, and has two Gold Gloves to his name.

Mark Prior? He’s battled injuries throughout his career and has never had a season as good as his rookie year. His most recent contract was a minor league deal and I’m not sure if he’s even playing or not right now.

The Twins trusted their instincts and refused to listen to critics, and it paid off big-time.

4) Luck happens to those who work hard

When the Twins eventually started posting consistent winning seasons in the 2000′s, it wasn’t due to power hitting or a dominant pitching staff. It was due to playing small ball. Picking up hits here and there, moving runners into scoring position with bunts and bloops, or simply taking runs away from the other team with incredible defensive players like Torii Hunter.

And sometimes, they just got plain lucky. However, I’ve noticed that often people that experience the most luck and the people that consistently work hard and do the little things that make a difference.

5) You can use your status as the “little guy” as an advantage

This is directly related to your status as a freelancer: Being the “little guy” is not a bad thing – it’s an advantage.

While other teams spend millions more to build their teams for the short-run, the Twins have spent less and gotten much much more over the long-run with the players they’ve developed. Even with the huge long-term contract awarded to Mauer last month, the Twins still aren’t spending like Boston, New York, or LA.

And that’s why they are popular. People LOVE cheering for a team that has been built, developed, and continually has an underdog feel to them, even if they have a very strong roster.

Likewise, I think people love entrepreneurial spirit, and I think people love working with a freelancer who has developed their skills and turned down full-time positions with established companies. I think it’s the go-getter attitude of freelancing and lack of a corporate safety net that gives us an advantage.

Go Twins!

Today, MBOPartners asked the following question to freelancers and consultants like you and me: “Why do you love working for yourself?”

My answer: improvisation. I love making it up as I go. I love doing things a little bit differently each time. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a vision for things, but I love making adjustments on the fly.

Why do YOU love working for yourself?

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?