Freelancing is on the rise, as 45% of people are choosing work flexibility over pay. Many people are now deciding to give up the traditional 9-5 office-based career and harness the vast array of technology available which allows people to pretty much work anywhere in the world. The digital nomad culture is growing, as one in three people look to work overseas.
Freelancing as a lifestyle choice
People are now making anywhere their office. Whether they’re based at home, in a hotel room, airplane or even the beach. This freestyle way of working allows people to fully combine work and life. Technology is key of course. But with Wifi more reliable than ever and even simple tools like Facetime and Skype, you don’t even need to be in the same country or time zone as your colleagues or clients anymore.
But it’s not just about working freedoms and flexibility. It can be even healthier to give up the 9-5. A UK sleep expert at Oxford University has found that having people under 55 start their workdays before 9am can actually be considered to be “torture”, leaving them stressed and exhausted.
The challenges of being your own boss
Depending on what your work is and where you are doing it, there will inevitably be distractions. If you are travelling and try to fit experience the destination, you’ll be having trouble finding the balance to do so. Or it could be from your kids in the next room to the temptation to go for a walk instead of opening your laptop. But that’s when it comes down to discipline.
It’s not always an easy work life. But if your regular 9-5 just leaves you feeling bored and unfulfilled, with every day feeling like Groundhog Day, then you can change it. Wherever you want your office space to be, breaking away from the rat race could change your life forever.
In my case, the decision to becoming a digital nomad and determine has been the best in regards to personal freedom. The sensation of being able to work wherever and whenever I want is priceless. My biggest challenge is still to find enough time during the day to do everything possible to really experience the new places I travel to. But, I guess, that’s a luxury problem and not even really one, if I look at it from a “normal” perspective!
Part of the freelancing lifestyle while traveling is to find a good place to work. Your office CAN be a hammock every now and then, but sometimes your job requires to sit in a chair for a few hours 😉 Check out our video on three co-working spaces in Berlin. We asked the owners what the benefits of working in a co-working space are in comparison to a coffee shop – the video is German only, sorry!