Because you only live once…
Posts tagged Lifestyle Design
4 Steps to Live the Life You Desire
Sep 9th
You look around one day and say to yourself, “This is not the life that I want to be living!” You have made up your mind to change your life and are ready to start your journey towards a better life. Great! Congrats on that first step. But where do you go now? What do you actually do to create the life that you want to live.
There are 4 main steps that you will need to go through to change your life. Each of these has many sub-steps and may take some time, but master each of these and you will gain the life you desire.
1. Control Your Life
If you don’t control your life, you won’t have the ability to change it. Doing things like tracking your money, managing your time, and mastering your projects can allow you the flexibility to make changes in each of these areas. Being able to say “Here I am and this is my status on each area of my life” is an amazing feeling.
Some people may struggle with this step while others find it fairly straight forward and easy. One person may try and try to master their lives while others are probably already doing it. But wherever you fall, having some systems in place to track your life and control your life will lead to a easier time as you begin to make other changes.
2. Design Your Life
This step can be really fun. This is where you take time to dream. How do you really want to live your life? Do you want to travel? focus on a hobby? volunteer? Are there any dreams that you had as a child that you would want to pursue?
Designing your life so that it reaches its full potential (a process also referred to as Lifestyle Design), can give you a goal. The life that you want is where you are headed towards. Then sooner that you can bring aspects of that life into reality, the better life you will live.
3. Fund Your Life
This is where a lot of people get stuck. You have this life that you want to live, but it takes money that you don’t have. The goal here is to figure out how to fund that life without spending all of your time doing so.
There are various ways that you can do this. You can start an online business. You can create a product based company. You can work at a regular job, but only for part of the time. The key is finding a way to make the money that you needs while following your passions and interests. That’s what UnWork is all about.
4. Live Your Life
This last step is the best. Once you succeed at changing your life, go out and do all of those things that you planned on doing. Have an adventure. Do something different. Find ways to keep your life interesting and fun.
It’s your life. Do something with it.
Chasing Efficiency
Aug 31st
Nothing gets me more excited about working then reviewing my projects list and seeing all of these super awesome projects that I have on it – that is, until I start getting overwhelmed at the number of them. Just by looking at the list it doesn’t seem like that much. I have, say, 10 projects all of which are pretty exciting. I feel like I can just knock some out and move right along. I want to jump to the end and have the awesome finished product. It seems reasonable. They all seem doable. But then time passes and I don’t get them done.
When reviewing my list, I like to imagine myself doing the project. I can see myself working on my new ebook or building my new robot. I imagine myself totally sucked into the project that time is forgotten and I just work, completely focused, until I am finished. This is what gets me all excited. I am in love with the dream of this efficiency. I love the idea of complete focus, going from one project to the next without getting distracted by the latest cat videos on YouTube. I dream of crossing each project off my list and moving on to bigger and better projects.
So back to reality. Here is what really happens when I sit down to work. I may pick my first task and start working on it. Then a thought pops into my mind about some other project and I have to stop and take notes on that project else I forget the awesome idea I just had about it. I might then get back to the original project, but not without some other distraction or stray thought. I rarely reach the level of focus that I have when I visualise myself working. I do occasionally, and I take good notes on how and why those situations arise, but most of the time, my brain is not all the way there. I am chasing efficiency and never ever getting there.
I think a lot of people chase efficiency. This is why the productivity gurus can make so much money. This is the universal struggle that anyone with a project list faces. How do we align the way to actually work to the way that we wished we worked? Can we do more then just chase efficiency?
7 Ways to Fail at Lifestyle Design
May 22nd
Here are some sure-fire ways to fail at creating the UnWork lifestyle.
- Read too much about Lifestyle Design. This one may be surprising to some, but reading too much can actually prevent you from accomplishing your goals. First, reading too much can cause you to become overwhelmed with ideas and then get so bogged down that you never act. Second, you can’t read it all, so saying that you just need to read that next product before you start is a guaranteed way to fail. So if you are looking to fail, go ahead and read too much.
- Never focus. Businesses that try to be everything to everybody usually don’t succeed. Even companies like Google who seem to be doing everything started with a very small focus (in Google’s case, providing the very best search engine). When starting your business, whether it’s a product, a blog, or anything, focusing on a very narrow niche or providing one well defined service helps you succeed. You can also always add more to it later once you have grown a bit. When you are starting out, if failure is what you are after, don’t focus.
- Never start. The best way to fail is to do nothing at all. Never start your blog or create your product. Never take the first step towards your new life. Of all the ideas for failing listed here, this one is the best. If you don’t want to succeed, never even try.
- Quitting too Early. Most lifestyle businesses don’t have instantaneous success. It’s not “build it and they will come.” But given that you are providing value to an audience that needs value provided to them, they will come. You just have to keep at it. If you find that they are not coming, try evaluating why and change your tactics slightly. But even if you are totally awesome, your success will not be over night. There will be times when you feel like you are writing to no one. If you want to fail, that is when you quit. If not, just keep at it.
- Not Quitting. When you start out, you may go through many ideas until you find the one that you like best. No matter what your niche, if after a month you can’t stand thinking about it, maybe that is not the niche for you. You need to be able to really enjoy your work. Don’t be afraid to quit something if it’s a bad fit for you. Trying to do something that you hate is a great way to fail.
- Don’t Produce Value. I mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating. If you don’t add value, you are doomed to fail. Don’t repeat others. Don’t copy. Add something special that only you can add. Your whole topic doesn’t need to be unique, but you need to add something to the topic in order to succeed. If you don’t, do one would have a reason to buy from you.
- Don’t Market Yourself. Face it, if you are online you are a marketer. Jonathan Fields wrote about this in greater depth a few weeks ago. It is through marketing efforts, usually through social media and networking, that people find your blog for the first time. If no one ever finds your blog or sales page, no one will ever be a reader or buyer.
What other ways can you fail at all creating a lifestyle business?
Is this all a Pipe Dream?
May 9th
So I know that many people reading this may not grasp how all this can be done. How can you make a living without working for someone? How can you make a living working for yourself, out of your own home?
First let’s define “Making a Living”. You make a living by earning enough money so that you can live comfortably while doing the things you want to do on your off time.
Most people accomplish this by getting a traditional job and working 40 hours a week in order to earn the money they need so that they can enjoy what little free time they have. The problem with this is that you are stuck. You make a set amount of money and that is it (in most cases).
The alternative way is to work for yourself. You are still working and producing value (although it may not take nearly as long to do so when you remove the clutter that comes from an office environment), but you have freedom and are not stuck with that fixed income.
Imagine this. You work hard for a couple of months producing something super awesome. Then you launch it. You make your year’s income in a few weeks. Take some time to enjoy it. Maybe you can travel some. Then you go back producing your next awesome thing. You set the schedule and enjoy the freedom.
Don’t think it can happen? Let’s look at some numbers. I’ll use myself as an example.
I currently make $40,000 a year as a computer programmer working 4 days a week. I will use that as my base salary in doing these calculations. Feel free to redo them with your base salary (also, you will need to take into account the fact that you may have higher personal expenses when you work for yourself).
- If I have a $1000 product, I would need to sell 40 of them.
- If I have a $500 product, I would need to sell 80 of them.
- If I have a $250 product, I would need to sell 160 of them.
- If I have a $100 product, I would need to sell 400 of them.
Do you think those numbers are unreasonable? For a year? If you have a really good product, selling 400 of them for $100 each would not be that hard. The key is that you need a really good product.
Now take a different approach. Sell a monthly subscription service. Maybe that is a membership site where you provide weekly teaching on a topic that you are knowledgeable in. It could be a subscription to a product that you sell (think ‘Wine of the Month Club’ style). It might be a website that is a really good tool that people really find useful.
Okay, now say that you charge $20 a month for it. That is $240 a year. Can you get 167 people to buy this product or service? Plus, if it is a super good product people will keep using it. You won’t have to worry about making $40,000 in new sales the next year because some will follow over from the previous year. Your income can grow.
I pay for a NetFlix membership, a World of Warcraft subscription, an email newsletter service, an announce-my-blog-post service, a membership forum, and probably some other things that I am not thinking about right now. People do actually buy that type of thing.
Your products have to be good, and you probably have a lot to learn to make it happen. But no, it’s not a pipe dream.
Lifestyle Design is Here to Stay.
May 7th
Is lifestyle design a fad? Will this go away in a few years when people start forgetting about Tim Ferris and his 4 Hour Work Week?
I don’t think to will. Lifestyle Design captured the heart of so many people because it truly mends some deep-seated cultural desires. Lifestyle design is here to stay.
- People hate jobs. Log onto Facebook on Sunday night or Monday morning and you will probably see people complaining about the start of the work week. The hate of work is so wide spread that no matter how good a place is to work, you can find people who don’t want to work there. UnWork is the alternative. You can still add value to this world and care for your family without a job.
- People want freedom. As a web developer, I can take 21 days off a year. And that is a pretty generous program. That equates to an entire month away from my job. But if I were to take a month off at one time, I would get looked down upon from the higher ups. With a job, you can’t just go traveling the world for 6 months at a time. You are stuck. You also don’t have the freedom to move to a new city whenever you would like. You are stuck. UnWork give you freedom.
- Potential for Wealth. People chase money. The evidence of this can be found in the large number of people who fall for scams. Just look online. Some of the best selling products teach people how to make money. In a job, you have a salary or an hourly wage. Even if you max out your hours, there is still a cap to how much you can make. With Lifestyle Businesses, there is no cap. Awesome products make awesome profit. Where there are profits, people will follow.
What reasons do you have for wanting the UnWork lifestyle?
5 Common Lifestyle Businesses
May 5th
So once you have figured out (or have a rough idea) of what you consider to be your UnWork. How do you build a business that can supports it? What types of businesses are out there that are suited to supporting your passion?
Here is a list of common lifestyle businesses:
- Blogging and Information – If your UnWork is centered on a topic that you know a lot about and others would find interesting, you could write a blog about it. Blogs can earn money through ads, affiliate products, or the creation of your own information products. Not all blog topics have audiences that are willing to buy products, but if yours does, this is a fun way to use your UnWork to support your life.
- Products – If you have an idea for a physical product that others would be willing to buy, you can sell your products through drop-ship services like Amazon. There are also specialty drop-ship services that deal in specific niches, such as drop-shipping for musicians.
- Software – If you have a technical side or a good idea for software, you can create or hire someone to create a piece of software. Then you can sell the software or a subscription to it for a web application. But note that a lot of people are used to getting software for free or cheap, so if you plan on selling software, make sure it’s awesome.
- Freelancing/Coaching – Some people don’t stop trading time for money, they just increase the amount they make per hour so that they don’t have to work full time. If you have a technical or coaching skill that you believe is worth a lot, you can turn freelancing or coaching into a lifestyle business.
- Investments – Real estate investing is another common way to generate a residual income that you can live on. The option needs a large investment in both money and education to get started, but has the potential to generate a lot of residual income so that you can pursue the life you want. If you go this way, I’d recommend joining a real estate investment club in your area.
Remember that lifestyle businesses are not limited to just these ideas. But I hope this list gets your mind thinking about what you can create to generate the income to support your lifestyle.
Also note that most of the lifestyle designers that I know (including myself), use a combination of business types to create a well-rounded business.
What other lifestyle businesses have you run across?
Introduction to Lifestyle Design
May 3rd
I used the term “Lifestyle Design” while talking to a group of friends the other day and only one of them had heard the term before. That made me stop and think about the fact that when you’re around an idea all of the time, you can easily forget that others don’t know what you are talking about. So now I’m going to do what any blogger would do, write a post about it. I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to the term “Lifestyle Design” and how that relates to the UnWork lifestyle.
What is Lifestyle Design?
The term “Lifestyle Design” is thrown around the Internet a bunch these days. You’d think it was a balloon that everyone is collectively trying to keep in the air. I was first introduced to the term while reading “4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris. In that book, Ferris talks about a new type of entrepreneur that was popping up around the globe. These people were not out to create huge companies to take over the world. Instead, they were out to see the world and/or aid the world. They didn’t need mansions and fifteen cars. Instead they needed plane tickets and hotel rooms.
All they need to do was set up a business that allowed them to be 3 things:
- Location Independent – They could run their business from anywhere by the powers of the Interweb.
- Financially Sound – They had enough money coming in to cover their chosen Lifestyle.
- Free to Follow their Passion – They must have enough time to do the things that they want to do — not just what they need to do to earn a living.
The term comes from the fact that Lifestyle Designers choose their lifestyle first and then build the business in order to support that lifestyle. It’s like taking your retirement now.
Unwork and Lifestyle Design
The idea of UnWork fits very nicely with the concept of Lifestyle Design. The key difference is that I focus more on the lifestyle that you are designing. I see lots of people, including me when I started looking this direction, say “I hate my job. I’m going to start a Lifestyle Design Business.” But then they would have no idea what to do or how to get started.
The first step, in my experience, is to figure out what you are passionate about. You must figure out what you want to do and how you want to spend you time. This is what finding your UnWork is all about. Without this, you are creating a lifestyle design business that allows you to quit your job. Once you succeed, you may discover that you are either bored, or find that you could have created your lifestyle design business out of your passion. Starting with your UnWork allows you to have something to work towards (not just away from) and can offer a great source of inspiration along the way.
What is your ultimate lifestyle?
Photo By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nattu/ / CC BY 2.0
