Would you like to be able to work from home? Do you want to work from anywhere in the world simply by the magic of the internet? Good news: it’s possible! Working from home is the dream of more and more people every day, and today I’ll share with you my advice for achieving it.
Reality Check: Working from home through the internet is possible in 2021
With the explosion of the internet and the myriad tools now available online, we can perform remote tasks that only just a few years ago used to require going to the office. You can now run a business or create a blog from anywhere in the world, and it’s quite simple.
I spoke some time ago with a person who created a thriving business, and who wanted to move to a small island in the Philippines. He did not want to sell his business because he loves his job, so he entrusted one of his collaborators with all the tasks that he could not do remotely.
Today, he continues to run his business from the other side of the world, thus becoming a digital nomad. He was able to realize his dream because of the magic of the internet. What’s more, he kept his European salary while living on a small island where the cost of living is much lower – so he has a higher standard of living than when he lived in France while doing the same job.
It seems surprisingly easy, and yet few people take the leap. You ask, why?
Why so few people take the leap
For most people, remote working doesn’t even register on their radar
There are two reasons why so few people work from home, while many people dream of working from home or an exotic location around the world.
The first reason is that most people do not believe for a second that their work could be done remotely. The truth is, we go to the office out of habit, whereas we could do almost all our daily tasks from somewhere else. Whether you are an employee or have your own business, take the time to reflect on it: ask yourself what are the tasks that you could perform outside your office.
I myself have a business that I run remotely, and which is entirely virtual. My team consists of a dozen freelance contractors, several of whom I have never met – I have no idea where they work from – I only know they are doing a good job. I know that my assistant works from Morocco, another assistant who was in China, then in Brazil; she travels all over the world. This does not prevent my business from running and succeeding!
Analyze your work over a day, then a week, and try to see what could be done remotely or delegated. Consider whether the tasks for which you absolutely need to be present can be delegated to someone else or whether it is possible to automate them.
If you are employed by a company and you are worried that your boss will frown upon you working remotely, your best bet is to follow the advice of Tim Ferris in his book The 4-Hour Workweek: take the step-by-step method. Go see your boss and show him the tasks that you have identified as doable from home.
Start off by asking to work from home once a week
Explain that you will gain in productivity: you will not waste time commuting; you will not be distracted by discussions with your colleagues or interrupted by unscheduled phone calls from customers. You will be in a healthier and more pleasant environment to concentrate and perform tasks where you need peace and quiet, etc. Suggest to your boss that you test it out one day a week for a month and commit to being more productive – and consequently to delivering better results. If after a month of testing it out and your boss is still not convinced, then you will come back to work from the office.
It is an offer your boss can’t refuse, for the simple reason that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain from it. It will then be up to you to prove to him that he can trust you and that you are indeed more productive when working from home. If you prove yourself, it will be much easier to then ask for two days a week, then three, then to work remotely 100% of your time. You can then decide to go and live where you want: whether you work from home in mainland France or elsewhere, it won’t matter
In certain companies, you may be forced to stay within a perimeter where the time difference should not exceed three or four hours, so you can continue working in collaboration with your colleagues for example, but this still opens up a large realm of possibilities for you.
Read: Master 9 Concepts to Increase Productivity and Creativity, great habits to develop for your work from home or digital nomad career
If you are an entrepreneur and you realize that there are a lot of things in your business that don’t require your presence, consolidate these tasks in one or two days and do them from home. You may also see if it is possible to restructure and reorganize your business so that you can work remotely six months out of the year. During these six months, you will be able to continue to run your business, while enjoying a different, more pleasant, if not more stimulating, living environment!
It’s up to you to see if you would feel better about your life, if you would be happier if you had the option of going to live in Rio or Beijing one month out of the year.
If that sounds like you, then go for it! Take the leap and test it out leaving for one month.
Most people are too afraid to go for it
We have the impression that living on the beach halfway across the world is a way of life reserved for people who have the means. That if it was an easy-to-reach goal, the word would be out, and everyone would do the same. These are self-made barriers preventing you from achieving your dreams.
To get used to the idea of going away, start by digitizing as many things as possible around you. You will quickly realize that there is so much you can do online that you never thought possible.
For example, you can opt for a mail processing service that will ensure that you’re up to date. These companies will receive and scan your traditional mail and send it to your email address.
Here are the mail forwarding company options according to your home address:
United States: Anytime Mailbox
Canada: Polar Imaging
United Kingdom: The London Office
Australia: Aussi Mailman
Read: Becoming an Entrepreneur: Myths and Facts. Discover the realisties associated with launching your own business.
These are just a few very simple examples that prove that it is now possible to manage everything remotely, to make sure that your job is no longer a constraint, and to live according to your deepest aspirations. Many people think that it is impossible for them to work remotely, only because they have not taken the time to actually ask themselves the question and to consider solutions. More and more people want to work from anywhere in the world. And in response to that, there are now more and more solutions to help you take that leap!
If you want to read further on this topic in addition to this article, click here to receive my free book Vivez la vie de vos rêves grâce à votre blog (‘Live the life of your dreams through your blog’). If you have already taken the leap, tell us about your experience in the comments; it may inspire some to do likewise!