The Challenges of the Internet Lifestyle

November 9

Filed under Do What You Love Tips by Frederic Patenaude

The Challenges of the Internet Lifestyle
*Do What You Love Success Tips*

I’m here in Costa Rica, writing from my condo/apartment on the Pacific coast. I’m not right on the beach, but not too far from it.

As I’m writing these lines, the power went out. That means no Internet. That also means that I’m getting hot, since it’s about 86 degrees outside with high humidity, with no AC and no fan running, because the power went out.

Normally these little power outages don’t last very long. Maybe 30 minutes or so. But nonetheless, when you’re coming from North America or Europe and you expect everything to be perfect, it can be a bit discouraging.

A lot of people envy my lifestyle. I can work from anywhere in the world. I can travel the world and earn a living at the same time. I can escape the cold winters of my home country of Canada (and let me tell you, I do want to!).

But anyone considering the Internet Lifestyle should be aware of some of the challenges you might encounter along the away.

Traveling and working at the same time is certainly possible. I personally enjoy the fact that my business is very mobile. However, I’m also aware that it’s not as easy to stay concentrated when you’re moving constantly, as opposed to establishing yourself in one area.

I’m in Costa Rica at the moment because I enjoy this place. I like the fact that I can wake up in the morning, take a dip in the pool, and make a fresh smoothie with fruits that have been picked just days ago, and are still gorged with sunshine.

I enjoy taking a break from work, and going outside to get some sun. I also enjoy only having to work 3-4 days a week, and spend the rest of the time at the beach or traveling the country.

This way of life sounds almost perfect… so what are the disadvantages?

First of all, being in a developing country can bring some challenges. First of all, Internet isn’t always as fast as I’d like it to be. At the moment, I’m renting a condo type of place, so because it’s not my own Internet connection, I have no control over it.

When I travelled to some remote places, all I could get was a standard modem connection. As you might remember, this is painfully slow. In fact, my laptop doesn’t even have a plug for the old-style modem, so I have to remember to bring an adapter for it, in case I might need it.

Another disadvantage of the mobile Internet Lifestyle is the lack of stability. I find that whenever I go to a new place, it takes me about 2 or 3 weeks to “adapt” to the new environment. I have to spend some time finding a place to live, figure out where the stores are, find ways to create a decent home office based on what I can find around (it’s not always easy to find a desk in paradise!).

If I come from a cold environment, it takes me a few weeks, at least, to physically adapt to the tropics. At first, I have to remind myself to drink more water, because I tend to forget to do that.

There are also other challenges to managing a business from abroad. For example, my accountant might need me to sign a paper and fax it back.

Now, try doing that when you’re on a remote island! First, you have to find a scanner, and then a fax machine. Both things are not easy to do.

That’s why I often travel with a portable scanner, and I have a subscription to www.efax.com. That way, if I ever need to send a fax, I can do it online.

These are some of the tricks for living the Internet Lifestyle I’ve picked along the way.

Another thing I discovered is that it was impossible for me to maintain a regular 5 working day schedule while traveling. Traveling takes a lot of energy, and like I said before, it takes some time to adapt to a new place.

Luckily, I know that according to the Parkinson’s Law of Efficiency, “work expands based on time allowed for its completion.”

So the least time you have to complete something, the more efficient you’ll become.

What I’ve recently done is compressed my normal, 5-day schedule into a 3 day schedule. That means I only work 3 days a week.

Because I have less time available, I make each hour count, and I find that I’m even more productive that way.

That way, if I’m traveling, I can plan my working days in advance, and make sure I’ve got nothing else planned on those days.

In spite of the difficulties, the rewards of the Internet lifestyle are amazing.

At the moment I’m looking at the pool area from my office window. If I want, I can drive to a world-class national park with white-sand beaches and turquoise water, in just 10 minutes.

If I get tired of Costa Rica, I can travel to Europe, and spend a month in Paris, working from there. Who wouldn’t fancy that lifestyle?

The rewards are there, as long as you’re aware of the obstacles and can work around them.

If you’re interested in that topic, I have created a program called “A Laptop and a Beach”, which is all about this idea of traveling and living the Internet lifestyle.

I’ll send you a copy of this CD-ROM as a special bonus if you order the course “How to Write and Sell Your Own eBooks in 24 Hours or Less” within the next 24 hours.

This course will teach you exactly how to write your own eBooks and sell them online, while earning a full-time living working only part-time.

Find out more about that course here:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/writeyourebook.html

Yours for health and success,

Frederic

PS: The bonus is not mentioned on the page, but I’ll be sure to send it over to you, along with your order for the eBook course, if you order in the next 24 hours.