I recently finished Timothy Ferriss’ book on how to first outsource your life and then take your job and shove it. It’s an inspiring read from a guy who has figured out how take the plunge and join what he calls are the “New Rich” (NR). Which means that this group shares the common characteristics of living abroad, being self-employed, utilizing India, and chasing down dreams.
So, here are the top five things I took from Timothy’s book:
1. Pareto’s Law: I’d heard of the famous 80/20 Rule numerous times but never thought about it on a personal level. 80% of what I would call “productive” work is really about 20% if my undivided attention. The rest of it is answering emails, getting sidetracked with small tasks, and chasing down small jobs.
Take away: If you jot down what you do minute by minute for a whole day or even week, you will be shocked at the amount of crap that fills up your day and does not get you in any closer to your goals of becoming a better architect. (Two way tie between client meetings and voicemail?)
2. Just jump: It sounds so cliche but the toughest step really is the first. If you commit yourself to taking a plunge and jumping off to follow your own whimsy, you will for sure be met with people shaking their heads. The book outlines the baby steps needed on how to get yourself slowly unplugged from being an office cubicle drone and more into thinking for yourself.
Take away: Develop a plan with small, achievable goals and a timeline leading up to unplugging off the grid whether through telecommuting or self-employment. See if you can transition to a laptop and eventually do all your CAD design work from a home office. The best way to test the waters? Call in sick for three days in a row (Tuesday through Thursday) and then prove how much work you can get done unsupervised.
3. Mini-retirements: This one was an eye-opener. Why wait until you’re old, cranky, and afraid of the world to take up traveling? Instead, devote a few weeks (preferably six at the minimum) or a few months to explore a hidden spot. Rent a pad, shuffle into the local scene, and immerse yourself in a different culture. Yeah, the dollar is weak overseas but the book has suggestions, complete with figures, on spots that you live for on the cheap.
Take away: Remember with an internet connection you can still have conference calls, a personal phone line (VoIP), share files, and meet virtually with clients (web camera). FTP is a beautiful thing.
4. India: It’s not just for big companies looking to outsource anymore. You too can get in on the action by getting a “Virtual Assistant” that will basically manage every small detail in your life. For $5-$15 an hour you can have somebody doing research, taking care of your bills, and keeping you on track. Clear communication is the key to getting an efficient assistant up and running
Take away: If you’re bogged down or looking to free up time, consider this option. Need photos collected for design inspiration? Looking at better ways to build an architecture model? Do you have repetitive CAD files that need to be cleaned up? Let the polite folks in India do the work for you.
5. Revenue stream: This is the toughest challenge and one that is glossed over a bit in the book. The whole goal is to develop a consistent monthly cash-flow that requires little to no management…preferably about four hours a week. With income on auto-pilot you’re freed up to chase more important things like bull-fighting or learning to surf.
Take away: Maybe you can freelance your architecture skills or develop a library of house plans that can be downloaded from a website.