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Lifestyle Design: The NEW Rules!

February 14, 2011 by Chris 36 Comments

Lifestyle Design: The New Rules!

Before Tim Ferriss authored his first bestselling book (I’m not even going to quote the title, everyone knows what book I’m talking about!), the term ‘Lifestyle Design’ was barely searched for on Google. Even though the concept of designing a lifestyle against the ‘norm’, one that gave it’s exponents the ability to live life on their own terms, was being practiced by a select few, it wasn’t until Tim started promoting and marketing his book online, and it’s subsequent launch, that the term itself became one of the most searched for phrases online.

However, a lot has changed since the release of the book, and the concept of Lifestyle Design isn’t so foreign to the masses anymore. Its mainstream. It’s ‘out there’ and there are hundreds of blogs you can read that give you all the info you need to start designing your own dream life.

What actually is Lifestyle Design, anyway..?

Lifestyle Design is fundamentally working towards designing a life that is against the norm. Its about sticking it to ‘the man’, being your boss, and living life on your terms.

This can mean different things for different people, of course. But, ultimately, I strongly believe that the most important factor of designing your dream lifestyle is to be your own boss, first and foremost. Some might disagree with this, and thats okay – it’s just my opinion, I’m sure you have yours.

The reason behind this is that by becoming your own boss you are the master of your own universe. You call the shots. You make the decisions. Worked 14 hours today, been crazy productive and want to take a day off tomorrow to spend more time relaxing and decompressing – do it. Want to travel to the other side of the country to spend more time with your number one client – do it. And all on your own terms, and at the speed that makes you happy.

New Rule #1 – What if you have lots of employees..? Delegate.

Fast forward. Let’s say you have your own business, and it’s got to the point where you have several people ( or several hundred people, like myself!) working for you. The idea of leaving the office, and becoming a mobile entrepreneur might scare the crap out of you. But, that’s what Lifestyle design is all about.

The first step to freeing yourself of the responsibility of not having to ‘be there’ all the time for your staff is to start delegating. Fast. The more delegating you do, the less ‘work’ you’ll be doing, and more strategizing, marketing and planning you’re going to be able to focus on. Which is exactly what every business owner should be working on… Not packaging the orders to customers. And certainly not answering the phone, sending invoices to clients, or other admin related tasks.

You’ll find that the more you delegate to your staff, the better they will become at what they’re doing for you, and the more they will enjoy their jobs because of it. People get bored, and stagnant in their roles as employees. Mix things up a little, and give them some more responsibility. The act of delegation alone plays a big role in the design of your overall preferred lifestyle.

And if employees put up resistance, and prefer for you to not delegate task to them, replace them ASAP. These types of employees will bring your business down eventually, not help you grow it.

New Rule #2 – What if you have kids…? Plan.

Having children is probably the best feeling in the world. For me, it doesn’t get any better than being woken up in the morning to the word… ‘Daddy!’.

Some parents that practice their own lifestyle design concepts will travel seamlessly around the world, home schooling their kids. If that works for them, then that’s great. For me, however, because of my other responsibilities, both personal and business related, that is not a possibility. And I’m not the only one in that boat, too.

The fact is that you can still design an awesome lifestyle with kids in tow. First things first, the kids should always be the most important factor in your lifestyle design equation. If you don’t agree with me on that one, as a fellow parent, I’d prefer it if you go read another blog. Seriously.

The great thing about being a kid is the school holidays. They are huge, compared to what they used to be! And by being a self employed parent you can enjoy those holidays and the immanent travel that comes with them. All schools will give you a calendar at the beginning of the school year, listing all the holiday dates. So, start planning your travel and trips immediately.

Book your flights and hotels/resorts early, and then start planning what the mice will be doing in the office (see New Rule #1, above!), when the cat is away on vacation, living the lifestyle he/she is designing for their family.

New Rule #3 – Laptops on Beaches is soooo yesterday! Get Mobile.

Right, first up… I’ve never been able to figure this one out. Who wants to actually WORK on a beach in the first place…? Seriously! Firstly, going to the beach is supposed to get you away from the office and work, and computers, so you can de-stress and switch off. Secondly, getting sand inside your laptop isn’t ideal..!

But, seriously… The idea of working on the beach is very much the ‘yesteryear’ of lifestyle design. That’s your down time. That’s your rebooting time. Use it properly.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t escape to a beach resort, or go stay at a beach location, or apartment for a period of time, and work whilst you’re there. It simply means – leave your laptop in your room whilst enjoying yourself on the beach!

Last year, I spent a whole week at a beach resort in amazing Boracay. I worked an average of 5 hours a day, inside my air-conditioned apartment, shot a great series of VA video tips and enjoyed the rest of my time with my wife, as we decompressed, relaxed, enjoyed happy hour cocktails, and generally created lots of fond memories.

I conversed with my management team via Skype and email, and things flowed nicely. Not only this, but the entire time I was away, I was speaking with clients consistently and none of them figured out I was not in the office. Now, THAT is what I call the Virtual Business Lifestyle!

The new rules of lifestyle design are not black and white. They are not for everyone. Some of you might agree with these rules, some might not. The most important thing is that you recognize that the concept of designing a life that you and your family will really enjoy and appreciate living, is ‘out there’ for you all to discover.

I have, and continue to. And you can, too.

Some of you might have your OWN new rules of lifestyle design, and I would love to hear them from you. Please feel free to comment below, at will, so we can ALL learn from each other on our relentless journey’s to creating lifestyles we love to live!

They Laughed When I Said ‘Tell the World What Scares You’, and then they saw my Balance Sheet!

October 29, 2010 by Chris 47 Comments

Note from Chris: This is a guest post from El Edwards.

It’s Monday morning, the first day of a brand new week. You stare at the blank, white screen in front of you, cursor flashing. What on earth are you going to do today?!

You pull out your planner, to-do list, GTD system or the good old fashioned diary, but it might as well be written in ancient Greek for all the help it gives you. You’re stuck.

Coffee? That’ll help won’t it? It’s bound to shift this fog and get you back in the right direction toward amassing your fortune, earning your keep, and generally keeping the proverbial wolf from the door. Because, let’s be honest, you don’t have time for this do you? You’ve a business to run.

There’s a whole world of stuff you should and could be doing right now but none of it feels right. Woah! Hang on a minute there cowboy. Feels? What’s this feeling nonsense you talk of? You’re an entrepreneur. You deal in plans and figures and goal setting and targets. Since when did you let your feelings dictate your work flow?

Well I have news for you sweetie. Feelings are what got you here in the first place.

Think back to why you started playing this game. What made you turn your back on the regular nine to five working for the man? Did it have something to do with dreams? Maybe a desire to spend more time with loved ones? Perhaps you wanted to earn a bit of cash whilst travelling the world? Forget travelling the world, do you have a desire to change it?

Whatever got you into this game, it certainly wasn’t facts, figures and balance sheets. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, your feelings have got you on this path so it’s time to play them at their own game. It’s time to start recognising your feelings for what they are and get real.

Stop pretending that you have it all together. The very next time your world feels a bit foggy, look around you. He might never admit it, but that guy over there in the slick suit and fancy tie? Yes him. He’s been where you are right now. And Ms ‘I have three degrees and six suits from Gucci’? She’ll be there next week. You are not alone.

The stuff whirling around inside that lovely head of yours is amazing. You can do such awesome stuff. But on the day that the fog descends, on the day when everything around you suddenly feels wobbly, you will feel all alone and shut off.

I’m here to blow the whistle on all that nonsense. The sooner we start being honest about this entrepreneurial journey of ours, the easier and more fun it will be.

Imagine that you’re having a dark day. Not black but certainly a darker shade of grey.

Just as you’re beginning to feel like the most frustrated person on the planet, your phone rings. It’s your best friend. A person who you not only respect and adore as a friend, but someone who you look up to in business too. So you pick up the phone expecting to hear of their latest triumph but instead, they tell you that they have a secret to share with you.

You grab another cup of coffee, ready for a tale of secret travels for their spouse’s birthday next month. But no, it’s not that kind of secret:

“Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I have something to tell you. I feel like a fake and a fraud. Everyone sees me as this hugely successful person. They respect my opinion and think I’m great. But the thing is, who am I to think I can run this multi-national corporation? I’m just me. Who am I kidding?!”

Wow! You land in your seat with a bump, the air knocked out of your lungs in shock. And then smiling and breathing a sigh of relief, you recover and prepare to welcome your friend to the club.

When was the last time you heard a peer own up to this darker side of business? Do you ever look around at your contemporaries and feel a slight tinge of envy because they have no worries?

I have news for you my friend. Every single person on this planet has days like this. There are some great actors in our circle but it’s an illusion.

It’s time to start being honest. It’s time to start being real. It’s time to shine a light on the dark stuff so it has no-where to hide. Who’s with me?

El Edwards is a muse and writes Heaven and El where she inspires people to live their dreams in an honest and authentic way. You can read more about El’s vision in her manifesto, Like A Breath Of Fresh Air. She’s also the founder of UK registered charity Give A Brick where she uses social media to empower unconditional love and giving.

How to Take Charge of Your OWN Virtual Lifestyle!

October 26, 2010 by Chris 14 Comments

Virtual Lifestyle

This guest post by Yolanda A. Facio is part of the VBL Guest Post Month!

It sounds exciting…sitting on the beach with a fruity exotic umbrella drink and tapping away at the keyboard of your laptop, waves crashing 5 feet away, mmmmmmmmm.

Sounds great!  But it also sounds very, very far away…

I’m here to tell you it isn’t that far away and to help you change your perception about what being “virtual” really means….

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Virtual Office Tips for Virtual Business Success!

October 22, 2010 by Chris 11 Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk85OfMCrSA

This guest post by Valerio Paolini is part of the VBL Guest Post Month!

Today, we have the pleasure to see a guest video post from Valerio Paolini all the way from Rome, Italy. In this clip, Valerio shares practical tips on how to take your business to new heights utilizing virtual office magic tricks! Valerio highlights the Pareto efficiency in economics that we can all learn from. He also mentions the bliss of having a virtual business lifestyle, meeting new clients in 5-star hotels and restaurants.

…

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Baby Boomers and the Virtual Business Lifestyle!

October 6, 2010 by Chris 28 Comments

This guest post by Steve Thomas is part of the VBL Guest Post Month!

Most blogs and articles about online business are geared toward the twenty or thirty something crowd. These young people have become disillusioned with the world of work and want to spend more time traveling and enjoying life. Fine for them, but what if you are forty, fifty, or older?…

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The Virtual Business Lifestyle Top 12 “Lifestyle Design” Blogs

August 10, 2010 by Chris 48 Comments

Location: Home Office – Reading Time: 10mins

I am a pretty well read guy. I like reading, always have. I have well over a couple of hundred books and can genuinely say I have read every one of them. Although lately I have been spending more and more time reading online, to keep fully up-to-date with the things people are up to – and as my “Virtual CEO” quest continues, I am reading on the subject of Lifestyle Design more and more.

From reading all the wonderful blogs lately on the subject, I thought it might be a good idea to create a little resource here on my own blog, with a list of the all-encompassing Virtual Business Lifestyle Top 12 Lifestyle Design blogs on the internet – and believe me there are some great contenders! I’d like to point out that these blogs are NOT listed in any apparent order, its simply a collection of great content and great minds! So, without further ado, lets get stuck in.

…

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How to Develop a ‘Virtual Business’ Mentality and Create a Lifestyle Design Strategy of Your Own!

April 8, 2010 by Chris 20 Comments

Location: Company Offices – Viewing / Reading Time: 7-8mins

Today we have a Guest Post by Greg over at music marketing blog GenYRockstars, who also runs www.rockstarlifestyledesign.com, too! Check out his sites if you are an entrepreneur or a musician – if you’re both, you’ll be spoiled rotten, trust me!

Myself and Greg were literally hours away from hooking up on my trip to the US in February, planning to do some video posts together on growing businesses and general entrepreneur stuff – but, alas, it didn’t quite happen! Next time for sure. Since then I’ve been interviewed by him for his blog, and I asked him to do this post to offer you guys the usual, great insightful stuff that he puts together….

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Process Design for Automation, Outsourcing and a Better Life!

March 16, 2010 by Chris 18 Comments

Location: Company Offices – Reading Time: 7-8mins

This is a Guest Post by Robert Granholm of The Lifestyle Design Project.

Process design is about understanding what you do, and I don’t mean that in some philosophical way, but in a very literal, “what steps do you actually take” way. We rarely stop to think how we get things done, most of the time we just…do them. Truth is though, the practice of breaking down how we get from point A to point B unearths ways to multiply our productivity in such a fierce way, it’s almost an entrepreneurial necessity. Streamline practices, outsource minutia, and be ruthlessly efficient by learning how to take on the process design mindset with a few key practices.I don’t mean to introduce another tool or getting things done methodology but instead, habits that will naturally wake you up to where you aren’t just efficient, but effectively efficient! (there’s a difference). Stop wasting time, effort and money doing things simply because you think that’s how things are. Someone once said hindsight is 20/20, well gaining perspective doesn’t always have to be after the fact!

Laundry or Launching

The design mindset is applicable anywhere in life, from doing your laundry to launching a product. Deconstructing the steps it takes to accomplish a task uncovers wasted energy, better tools, and simpler methods. Applied in your day to day endeavors you’ll find yourself less frustrated, more organized and with more time; applied to your business life and you’ll be amazed at the benefits. Entire time stealing endeavors like finding customers, or hunting down gigs can be shortened, easily outsourced or erased all together after you’ve taken the time understand what’s really happening as the hours tick away. Although I can elaborate for days on the importance of documentation and workflow vs just throwing yourself at something for productivity, I’ll leave that for the comments, here’s how to get your mind processing for all around results.

Your New Mental Habits

Understand the World – Sam Carpenter says it best in his book, Work the System, “Everything works fine 99.9 percent of the time.” And if that rubs you wrong way, take a look at this video that subtly reminds us that everything around us works 99.9 perfectly well, so putting things into a systems mindset works with the world, not against it….

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