4HWW - Internet Down

Oh, how funny is this.

The last 4, and counting days. My current work office hasn't had any Internet connection. This for me has pointed out many things of office work. If the Internet is down, nothing gets down. People just stop. They forget about the pen, paper and telephone.Companies hemorrhage money as SLAs keel over. This to me screams you need to spread the risk.

This is where remote working, hosting, doing things less often has its advantages, surely. Nobody is use to you 'working' anyway and not expecting an immediate response. Disaster Recovery, connectivity becomes somebody else's issue. All your workers and you are on different Internet pipes in different time zones, therefore the company and work doesn't grind to a halt. After all the whole objective of the 4HWW is to remove you from the work equation and yet still generate plenty of income, no?

Was I Being Productive?

Me, I started mind mapping blog entries, did the cardinal sin of organising my email contact lists. Yes, I could outsource it..I did some exercises from Tim's book, took a backup of our firewall. I joked to the no. two boss that I'm only doing this so that I can work from the garden at home. The funny thing is he chimed in the first time, no Ibiza, I then said France. I thought I'd leave in Europe before I mention the US and Japan and for months at a time...maybe I should have continued? One of our senior 'consultants' piped in..NO CHANCE. Oh how I look forward to proving him wrong. Then again, he is the type that would give a hundred reasons why something would fail. He is not the person to have at the beginning of a project. He is however a critic to have once you have formulated a plan of action as he'll point oversights and holes. Maybe he should receive the first postcard?

I've implemented a different remote working solution to our current system. This is me being productive in my current environemt. In addition my firm is quite small. Therefore I am getting lots of exposure to using different software and companies that are for smaller businesses. After all being a remote boss, I may have many people working for me, yet not actually physically all in the same location or using the same equipment other than maybe email to communicate or physically belonging to my company.

The big boss, who seems to spend most of his time overseas has jumped on board and is using my solution. I've given information to the no.2 about incorporating Internet telephoning to our current antiquated system. Although it was not done in the I propose fashion as recommended by Tim.. That will come next after we have the debrief of the long Internet outage.

As a side note, Time recommended Gold Lantern Wifinder . You look pretty stupid carrying a laptop, knowing there is a hotspot somewhere, yet your laptop can't find it. After adding international shipping I opted for this item instead by Kensington. The UK price was pretty good.I was going to wait until I was off travelling again. The Internet outage has just hastened that decision. There were many a comment from my colleagues, what is the point..I didn't have the heart to tell them...Brazil.


Happy Travels.


A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - The Eyes Have It

In the 4HWW book there is an exercise about looking into people's eyes as you talk to them. This reminded me very much of my Germany Friends, who when we have a drink together, they get very offended that you don't look them in the eye when you toast. Something about 7 years bad sex. Now if that wasn't a good enough reason to look people in the eye, I don't know what would be.

I didn't realise how many times I look away from people. I think I often do it when I'm bored or have nothing more to say, yet, I've to sit and listen. Over the last two days I've made a conscious effort to talk and look at people when I am talking to them and listening to them.

Although It did make me think. This is one of the first exercises in the book. How many people have bought and read the book and haven't done even the first exercise?

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Previous Experience - More Than I Thought.

Where do I currently fit in?

I've travelled for a year before. Australia,Fiji and Singapore. By myself...often the best way to do it I think. Therefore I know that I am able to travel and live out of a rucksack for a year. I would like to stay in a few more hotels or apartments. 8-12 bed dorms, get a little tiresome after a while. I've been able to come back, fit into the workplace. Pretty much pick up from where I left off. I've grown as a person because of my travels. I've been, seen and done some amazing things, yet the the best thing for me has to have been the great people that I've met and seen along the way. I am still in contact with many of them. This means European Weekend Trips...pleasure!

The downside... Each time I prepare, go away. I'm terribly excited. I just want more travelling. For me there is something exciting about going somewhere, seeing somebody. Each time I come back home. The travelling blues hit. Sometime maybe a month later or so..I just want to go somewhere else. This time though, perhaps for 3-6 months at a time, not the year.Yet, I want to travel when I want and how I want. Not have to work to some two week schedule.

I did work whilst travelling. Thankfully I had IT to fall back on. It certainly beats fruit picking! Somewhat more lucrative. Yet, now I want an automated cash flow machine. I don't want to be in the or an office and yet still have money coming in. This was the key missing component last time around. When you are travelling, many people, certainly the younger ones have to make a decision on a daily basis...trip somewhere or food? How they and many think 2 grand is going to last them a year, I just don't know. Does it last that long at home? Many don't realise the cost of accommodation. That can eat a large chunk of your pre saved travel cash. With an automated cash flow...this worry disappears.

My Friends Will Miss Me If I Go Away.

Sorry, no they won't. Or not as much as you think they will. Many actually are jealous of you for being brave enough to go travelling. They'll all say I wish I could do that..The fact is, they all can. They just don't want to. It isn't important enough for them. They'll give you all manner of reasons or excuses why not. Remember, Your Wish Is My Command. Therefore until they change what they say and think, they aren't going anywhere.

I Need My Entertainment

You'll get use to not having the TV, news, instant messenger, hell even the Internet and Email. If something is really important you just find out. The news comes to you. You'll begin checking email once a week maybe even less. Yes, there are still places that don't have the Internet. You'll be surprised at the amount of email you don't receive. Especially if you unsubscribe from your junk mailing list that you joined to access a website that you know longer use.

I would write up my travel stories with links to photographs etc. The length was something I'd have been proud to hand in as a college assignment. It went out to more and more people. At the last count 100+. How many replies did I get? Apart from my parents, even they were few. You could count on your two hands how many people would email you back in the year, forget after each mailing.

I sent out 30 ghastly kangaroo/koalas Christmas cards. They were cheap and tacky, yet Australian.What does that tell you? How many did I receive whilst at the other end of the world. 1. This is despite, before my departure, giving everybody email, mobile and postal contact options for the year.

Coming Home

This is where it all really kicks in. You have been to and done some amazing things. Your friends haven't. After the third saying "In Fiji, In Australia.." their eyes will glaze over, they will still talk about and go to the same places that you went to before you left to go travelling. This is when you begin to contemplate your next away day. Realising that actually it is all rather easy.

Meeting The New Rich (NR)

I met a New Rich, type in Exmouth, Australia, without realising it. His name was Paul. He had founded an IT company, and then upped sticks and left his office to let it run itself, and he was still getting paid for it. He was currently scuba diving, what seemed like the world. If he and others have done it, then so can I.

Business Employee

I've briefly had my own company, yet I was in effect the employee, not the owner. This is now going to change. Yet I've been exposed to the joys of accounting, law etc. Some things are worth outsourcing!

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - The Beginning

So to the next project...

After an unanimous decision. It was about time I began formalising and implementing the ideas of Tim Ferriss and the 4 Hour Work Week. I've gone though this book multiple times and said to myself. That is good.I wish..Can I? That combined with The Secret . Then surely anything is possible.

The main idea from The Secret that has hit me is the universe can only answer = your wish is my command. Over the past weekend, I seemed to be hearing beliefs on all sorts of topics from many different people. Even if you don't believe in the ideas of The Secret. If you just permit yourself to think on just one idea. That, how you say, talk and feel about things, then that is how things will appear to you, ie your wish is my command.

This brings me to my point that as I go through the book and do the exercises, things will come up. What will I notice, what will I be saying to myself? How will I deal with them? I seem to be really good at picking up on other people's beliefs, right now, what about mine? Ponder that and then ask "your wish is my command". Therefore, I should change my syntax and words. Thus, begin to say to myself I know, I can, I am beginning to hear my less than positive beliefs, so that I can alter them to be more positive or the change the results that I receive.

Or...if Tim and others can do the 4HWW, so can I.

Happy Travels

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