Freelancing in Real Life

The past few weeks it has occured to me that we as Anywhere professionals are at a distinct advantage in the event of an outbreak such as Swine Flu.  Most of us are already at home, primarily communicating with the rest of the world through phone, email, social media, or IM/video chat.  Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve actually gotten sick less often since I’ve been away from a busy workplace surrounded by potentially contageous co-workers.

Today I re-tweeted an article regarding telework and the Department of Homeland Security.  It turns out they are looking at ways to ensure continuity in the event of an outbreak through having some sort of telework structure in place. Smart thinking.

I don’t have anything profound to say regarding this, but just wanted to offer you encouragement that you and I are already out there doing this. If something contageous like Swine Flu begins to take off, we are already somewhat quarantined and can continue our everyday work life as well as anyone.  

Also, if you start getting the sniffles, be sure to take Airborne. That stuff kicks your immune system into high gear!  Tip: Mix it with Sierra Mist, Sprite, or orange juice. This makes it tasted much better.

But remember – I’m a blogger, not a doctor. 

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You’ll see that I’ve linked to this site in my People section, but just wanted to give a public recommendation that you check out Phil & Jason Montero’s TheAnywhereOffice.com.  They provide some excellent content especially targeted at managers of virtual teams.  While my site tends to cater a little bit more towards the freelancer, The Anywhere Office gravitates more towards the world of teleworking.  

If you are not yet living the Anywhere lifestyle, directing your manager or boss to The Anywhere Office may help you convince them that a virtual office team really can work and offers many benefits.  Go read up on their site and as I mentioned, tell them the AnywhereMan sent you. 

Today’s wardrobe courtesy of Freshbooks.

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I’m passionate about my hatred of traffic and anything traffic-related. This includes an annoyance for road construction, slow-moving farm equipment, and people who have no clue how to drive in snow (and consequently end up in ditches, thus producing “gawker slowdowns”).  

My first remedy for this hatred was a move to rural northern MN, and then ultimately said goodbye to traffic altogether with an upgrade to the Anywhere lifestyle and running my own business from home.  

Today I discuss my thankfulness for my current work situation, and I also talk about some of the added benefits of a movement towards teleworking.  

Do you share my total disgust with a rush hour lifestyle? Any good road rage stories?

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While I was at BizConf last week, I ended up talking to a guy who was living a similar lifestyle to mine: husband and father of young kids who works from home running his own business. We got onto the topic of how our careers really give us the flexibility to work pretty much wherever we want. He said that his family recently spent a few weeks in the mountains and he was able to work remotely and keep up with his business duties, all while getting some vacation time in as well.  

He then told me about a site called LessCabinFever where you can actually swap houses with other folks who are looking to do the same thing.  Today I checked it out and thought it looked pretty cool even though there aren’t many listings on there at this point. I expect the listing quantity to grow as this is a great idea, especially for us Work Anywhere folks.  

You’ll now see my Grand Rapids home listed among the few listings they’ve got up.  Setting up an account and creating the listing was super easy and I’ll keep you posted on any swaps I make in the future.  After a week in Florida, I’m totally up for escaping to warmer areas in the future (especially in the winter!).

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?