Comments on: 10 tips for working location independent

By: Diane

Diane — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:31:23 +0000

I am in Insurance Broker, however, needed to diversify to earn an income so I became an assistant to 2 Real Estate agents, having previous experience in that field. I was going into their office everyday. Now I am working completely from home so I can be friend to work with insurance and/or my admin business that specializes in real estate assistance.

The things I’m struggling with?
1. Friends understanding
2. Taking time for me everyday even though that’s the reason I started working virtually
3. My neighbourhood looks like an episode of Leave it to Beaver. Stay at home moms and retirees who don’t get it. They think they can drop in anytime because I’m not working or that I can join their groups. Difficult to make them understand without alienating myself

By: Alaina

Alaina — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:30:07 +0000

This is something I would really like to do. I’m glad to know that it is actually possible!

By: niamh

niamh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:47:06 +0000

Great article Steve! I especially loved 5 and 10.
5 because of a hilarious-to-look-back-on day in Manali India when I ended up moving between pretty much every net cafe in the town trying to find a place where the power lasted more than 10 minutes! Pre-wireless and laptop days!
10 because like you said it’s so easy to forget to take the time off and really appreciate where you are.
Thanks for the inspiration to get that lifestyle going again soon!

By: Photographer, Amanda

Photographer, Amanda — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:38:39 +0000

I’m location independent every day except one a week ( shooting day ). I really do miss human interaction during the week and often work from a coffee shop or something to compensate.

By: Silvia

Silvia — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:07:33 +0000

Thanks for the advice Steve! This is definitely an idea I’ve been toying with for the past year (I’m a recent college grad myself!) and have been trying to figure out the best way to approach my company about this. I guess that now I’ve officially ran out of excuses and just need to do it!

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:44:18 +0000

Jen- As with most things, it depends. I’m currently in Indonesia and they offer a “business visa” which is distinguished from a “working visa” in the sense that I’m producing a product/service but none of the proceeds are going to Indonesia. The price is not considerably more than a regular visa and the restrictions for obtaining one are pretty lenient.

By: Traveling Wedding Photographer, Amanda

Traveling Wedding Photographer, Amanda — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:55:58 +0000

I’m mostly location independent ( 4 days a week ). There is only usually one day per week I have to be in an exact spot. One of my biggest gripes about this is that I have good friends ( I’m referring to a specific couple of people I consider best friends ) truly do not understand that I am working during the week and that I don’t just work one day a week. It’s not that I have anything to prove to them, but I wish they would “Get it” . Besides ….if it were a contest …. wouldn’t the person working only one day a week win anyway ?
It just really bothers me that they think I’m enjoying my time during the week SO MUCH when I do my most boring tasks mid-week ( selling shoots, photo editing, going to lab, working on website, doing other work related errands ).
It’s a lost cause. I don’t think they will ever get it !

Also ……… trying to explain the stress of not being busy enough is really hard to understand for other people who aren’t in a position to have to sell their services.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:14:31 +0000

I’m curious about the Visa situation… does the fact that you have an employer in the U.S. prevent you from needing one to live abroad?

By: John Bardos - JetSetCitizen

John Bardos - JetSetCitizen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:45:01 +0000

Great Article Steve!

It sounds like you have a very progressively minded employer. I read a good quote from author Ian Sanders, “work is a mindset, not a place.” I wonder how long it will take for the rest of the world to figure that out.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:16:05 +0000

You guys have already noted most of the problems with remote work. I hate to admit it, but there is times I want to go into an office and see people I know and be able to talk about work and bounce ideas off of them. However, I’ve had great experiences looking for smaller jobs wherever I happen to be. They tend to pay fairly less, but they open up a lot of interaction that would be difficult as a “tourist.” My only real advice is to try it out. It’s not for everyone, but people also tend to forget that if you’re competent and reliable you pretty much always will have a job where people know you, no matter how horribly your remote work experiment goes!