What did I learn to stop working from nine to five

My grandparents were born and raised in the USSR, and they had a very simple idea of ​​success. They wanted to find a job and do it for the rest of their lives. For them, it was the ideal that allowed them to remain in their comfort zone.

They wanted a simple and predictable life: coming to the office by 9 in the morning, depicting vigorous activities, not hanging out, and going home at 5 in the evening.
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After two generations and several decades, much has changed. I hate everything simple and predictable, I don’t like offices, I don’t want to “keep a low profile” and adore going beyond the comfort zone.

50 years ago, companies needed to gather all workers under one roof in order to ensure industrial production. Today, more and more people understand that if an employee provides a result, his physical location and the number of working hours do not matter.

As a result, a new class of workers has emerged: those whose position and working time do not depend on anything. Digital wanderers spend time traveling and working - freelancing in Bali, running a business in Barcelona or working for a firm from San Francisco while in Singapore. There are thousands of us around the world, and I can’t imagine another life.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the time spent in the office and productivity are not necessarily related to each other. What one worker can achieve in four hours, another can only in eight. Some work more effectively in the morning, others in the evening. Some people like to work in the office, while others do not.

At ChameleonJohn.com , where I am a co-founder, we encourage employees to spend time outside the office. We wonder if someone asks if he can go to a party with a friend or mother for a birthday. If they give results, they can do what they want.

To an inexperienced observer it may seem that digital wanderers are terrible workers. They fly all the time, and you can not get through to them at the right moment (you don't answer the phone while diving or surfing). But I think the opposite is true.



People become happier when they live where they want and spend time with what they like. As a digital traveler, you can create the right life for you. Love surfing - move to the desired city. If you want to travel on a motorcycle, you can go on a six-week trip through Vietnam.

A great example of a company that works with hundreds of remote workers is MySQL. I talked a lot with their CEO, Martin Mikos, who sold the company in 2008 for $ 1 billion. At their peak, they had 500 full-time workers from 36 countries, and not a single office. His words:

“It is very easy to look busy in the office by attending meetings, responding to emails and consuming coffee. But working remotely, you will answer only one question: "Where are the results?". In addition, hiring people only from the San Francisco Bay area, we would not be able to reach out to all the most talented developers. And so we can hire a person from any place, and save a lot of money on renting an office. ”

The happier your employees are, the more they like the job, the more they bring in innovation and better attitude towards customers. This indisputable relationship of cause and effect leads to an increase in sales and profits.

My address is not a house, and not a street

I have been traveling for almost two years now. During this time I have traveled to 25 countries. He rode a motorcycle around the islands of Thailand and the Philippines, walked along an active volcano in Indonesia, studied surfing, obtained a license for a deep-sea diver on the Gili islands, learned new cultures and met dozens of beautiful people. And all my things fit in a small backpack (the one with which I once went to school).



Our society is obsessed with ownership. As Dave Ramsey says:

People buy things they don’t need, with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like.

But I discovered that owning things is an impractical thing. They have to be watched for, they tie you to one place, and usually it is more expensive than renting them.

And for the last two years I have not had a permanent address, since I rarely spend more than a month in one country. I am free to move where I want and when I want. I can get from Thailand to Japan, and then to Indonesia, without lingering for months for selling all things and renting an apartment. I just buy a ticket and fly away.

With the spread of the idea of ​​itinerant workers, the attitude towards things changes. Companies like AirBnb (renting houses and rooms), Vinted (selling and exchanging used clothing), RelayRides (joint car rental) are gaining popularity. They have many advantages - from the convenience for users to rid the planet of harmful emissions.

Thousands of prospects

After each adventure, I think about what I saw, what I learned and what I learned from it. In Japan, I learned the price of selflessness and care for others. In Myanmar, I realized that happiness is not determined by money. In Vietnam, I learned about the importance of the family.

This experience has a strong influence on my approach to life and to business. It helps me see opportunities for doing business outside the western world, and creating products for not-so-rich countries.



For example, Indonesia is the fourth country in the world in terms of the number of people - 250 million people. But they are scattered on 17,000 islands, which is a logistical problem for products coming to this market. In Myanmar, I saw a large market of 65 million people with great potential. The Internet is very slow there, and there is practically no public transport. The country is ready for big innovations, after it has long suffered under the yoke of the military junta.

Digital travel can make the world smaller, and digital innovation can bring people together.

There will be no better time

Steve Jobs once said:

“The realization that you are mortal is the best way for me to avoid the misconception that you have, what to lose. There is no reason not to follow the call of your heart. ”

I use this principle when making important decisions in my life, and that is why I became a wanderer.

If you ever dreamed of exploring the world - it is time to do it. You do not have to sacrifice your career. Thousands of people are ready to help you, there are many ways to make a living, many things you can experience, and many places to see.