I would appreciate any ideas,

Thanks,

Alice

I’ve been doing the work/travel thing for 10 months now somewhat dubious results. When I left in January I had a lot of expectations for my earnings and the amount I’d be able to accomplish on the road. My earnings have more or less stayed the same and I really haven’t managed to get as many new projects (I build travel websites mainly) off the ground as I’d hoped.

Dodgy net connections and no suitable workspaces have dogged me a bit but I think my lack of production comes down to too many distractions and sheer laziness. But I’m always optimistic.

I’m in a good position because I’ve got things to a point where my sites sort of run themselves. But it’s easy to forget about the thousands of hours of work I put in over the past 6 or 7 years with pretty much no payout at all. So while it might seem like I don’t do much now, it certainly wasn’t always the case.

I’ve got lots of ideas though so I think it’s time to get back to doing some serious work. After I finish reading this blog.

What I’ve noticed most is that my shameful habits of procrastination have no place to hide. Just one week into it, I’ve also realized that being somewhere else doesn’t mean I can up and flit around like a social butterfly. Yes, there are lots of great people here whom I’ve met either in real life or online, and yes, I want to see people while I’m here, but probably need to hold a better line. Maybe some more structure, along the lines of Audrey’s comment: work mornings (hard!), take afternoons and/or evenings off.

It’s exciting, though. I hope I can figure out how to do much more of it.

I started my own thing this month, I am under 20 and it’s really just the experience that’s pushing me to be an entrepreneur and work for myself. Definitely it’s not an easy thing to do. You don’t get a steady paycheck, you have absolutely nobody to blame and it’s weird for all your family and friends that you’re doing something ‘that risky’.

In my last job, we all did our best, but it didn’t matter if you work good or you don’t. You may get blamed by the boss, but if you make a good job, trust me, the sales rise and the place profits. But you don’t see any reflection on that on your paycheck. And while some of my colleagues just told me to go to bed and be happy that you did a good job, I think it’s a pretty unfair world.

Nobody ended up being remembered for working somewhere 9-to-5, it’s starting projects, communicating with people, being different and mainly being courageous that will push you.
It’s a risky thing. Many of the people reading probably have families, mortgages, kids going to (expensive) schools and in their worldview it’s absolutely not an option, and in this economic situation absolutely impossible, but they should push their lives too.

Read the manifesto, push yourself, even if it’s not your job and you love it than just be remarkable. If you already are, congratulations.

Be the best.

I can certainly relate to this small problem. My mind is constantly churning through ideas about how to achieve the balance I want between creativity and business.

I have to say, though — the $1,000 a month would do you quite well if you lived out here in Chiang Mai, Thailand! The low cost of living here was a significant factor in pushing/allowing me to pursue my writing more. You and Jolie should think about it