Published on
Posted under
Online Business

Why I'm Never Going Back To 9 To 5

Wake up. Brush Teeth. Eat Breakfast. Commute. Work for 8 hours. Go home. Repeat.

My gosh, it sounds horrible, and I’m never going back to that. Just to be clear, many love the 9 to 5 life, and I’m not saying The Digital Nomad lifestyle or Entrepreneurial lifestyle is any better than that. What I’m saying is I believe there’s a movement going on in the United States largely driven by Millenials that’s pushing towards a more nomadic lifestyle for all.

What do we want in a job anyway?

Flexibility

Fortune reports that many Millenials don’t view work in terms of time, but in terms of output. If we get all our work done for the day, what’s it matter?

Many companies like Virgin and Best buy are implementing an “unlimited vacation” policy, giving workers more flexibility just as long as they coordinate with their teams and get the work done.

In the end we want flexibility.

Reading this on the Fortune website was like seeing water in the middle of the desert–I connected with every word in the article. I do NOT want to feel like a slave to anybody, but many of my friends who have jobs must have a different perspective than mine.

What’s the appeal? Do they even know this life is possible? I sure didn’t! When I broke into freelancing it was like stumbling into some random door in a back alley. They’ll work. They’ll plan their two week vacation. They’ll come back from vacation and work again.

Some Are Content In Their Job

But one thing I’m missing is that many of my friends LOVE their work, and I’m truly happy for them about that. I imagine that work would feel less like work if you truly love what you’re doing every day. In a way they aren’t slaves. In a way they’re just as happy as I am. And that’s honestly awesome!

But gosh, I could never imagine it. I feel lucky that I can wake up at 9 and get straight to work without getting ready and without commuting. I love this stuff. It’s like I skipped right to dessert while everybody else is eating vegetables.

I Need Freedom Personally

And then it hit me. I can work anywhere, right? In theory I could go anywhere in the United States to work. But what about the world? Gosh. I can work anywhere in the world, too. This life is something else entirely. This life allows you to dream–it allows you to do whatever you want. It allows you to have a level of freedom that 9 to 5 doesn’t give you.

All the notions I built up in my head about life after college don’t mean a thing. I CAN see all my friends. I CAN see my parents for more than one week a year. I CAN go wherever I want to live. Then the world opens up to you.

I feel like I read some book that nobody else has thought to pick up. It doesn’t make me better than anyone–it really doesn’t! It simply means that I’ve found what I’m meant to do, just like my friends.

Let Me Show You How

That’s part of my aim with this blog. I want to show people what they can do, where they can go, and that a remote life is possible. How exciting! New places, new people–all standing right outside your doorstep–if that’s what you want.

I’m no freelancing guru just yet. I do make money, and I do support myself, but I’m honestly just a beginner. Think Luke Skywalker in A New Hope. But I promise that if you keep reading this blog, I’ll show you how I did it, and how I do it, and how I’ll do it in the future.

Thanks so much for reading!

Get my free 5-day Medium course!

Learn how to get your first 1,000 followers on Medium in my free 5-day email course. Taken by over 10,000 people!