When you hear the words lifestyle design, you will probably find yourself thinking of digital nomads. These are people who take their laptop under one arm and go traveling around the world to spend time in other countries. They work on the go and this gives them the freedom and flexibility to see amazing sights, meet new people and generally live a completely untethered life.
But there are downsides to being a total digital nomad. One of my girlfriends said, “I feel like a well to do homeless person.” Apart from anything else, it means that you don’t have a home and you don’t have the option to go back and enjoy a nice hot drink and your favorite TV show. If you have a family, then working online really may not be ian option.
So what do you do instead? Here’s how you can use lifestyle design in other ways to increase your freedom without sacrificing security or comfort.
The Third Place
If you work online, then you can work from anywhere and you can work when you want to. This means you don’t have to be tied to anyone place but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to travel the world!
Think instead about all the places near you that you might like to visit. I personally live in Florida. Many days I just work in the coffee shops local to me and I love hearing people chat around me and go about their business while I drink in a warm and creamy café mocha.
But then some days I’ll go and visit the rest of Orlando. Sometimes, I walk around the amazing Disney Springs where I can do some serious people watching. Somedays I enjoy all the commotion of the tourists with their children. Other times, I work in the local library which has amazing facilities and a very studious feel.
And if I’m a quiet mood? Then I just work from home and enjoy the ability to work in my yoga pants and and t-shirt.
Flexibility and Freedom of Lifestyle Design
From time to time though, I do make better use of the freedom my work affords me. Sometimes for example, I go and visit the coast of Florida and I can stay there for a long weekend while working.
Other times I’ll travel to other parts of town where friends work and meet them for lunch or a glass of wine.
Every morning at sunrise, I take a walk because I don’t have a commute and can finish at 6pm. I have zero problem getting haircuts or visiting the bank either because I can book appointments in work hours. I can eat big meals at home, or just pop into a shop to grab lunch to enjoy with a view.
In short, you don’t need to be travelling the world to live a freer lifestyle. In fact, most of us would probably choose to stay where we are. But simply not having to commute to a busy office 5 days a week is more than enough reason to give lifestyle design a try.
