We are living through the work revolution. Working 9 to 5 used to be a thing, and that was made obsolete by the 8 to 7. But now in our connected world, it is not uncommon to be working from a co-working space in Bali for a client in New York at any hours of the day. The most important point though? The hours are now chosen by you.
The term “digital nomad” is pretty flexible. Those who aren’t familiar with it are curious and those that know it well are sometimes hesitant to give themselves the label. I guess you could call it a movement. People from all walks of life and all types of employment are now finding ways to enjoy a nomadic life while still earning money. Individuals are now able to “hack” their lives and work on their own terms. Communities such as #nomads (www.hashtagnomads.com), a Slack group setup to connect people working remotely around the world and co-working spaces like Hubud, Bali are pioneering the future of work.
There’s a huge misconception that all those working remotely scrape by and have little financial stability. That’s just plain wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this financially stable (and more importantly free) in my life. Without expensive overheads lingering over me, I feel liberated. Sure, everyone living this lifestyle wants to find a good deal on their accommodation or a cheap meal every so often, but they have chosen the lifestyle because of the better quality of life it offers, often for a fraction of the price. Many people now work remotely (full time or part time or on a freelance basis) for some of the biggest companies in tech. Buffer are pretty infamous for their fully remote team and Automattic are right up there too. People work from all corners of the earth. A time zone is no longer barrier, it is quite often an enabler. Why can’t your working day start at Midday and finish at 9pm to align with European time zones from Asia?
But where’s the biggest shift in work? There is now a huge focus on making everything we do meaningful. Companies are addressing real problems through innovative solutions that make use of technology. It’s not only important for companies to be addressing a meaningful problem but it’s imperative that they offer an innovative way of fixing it too. Flexi-hours, remote working, unlimited holiday and a huge focus on using technology to cut down time spent on menial tasks. These are just some of the key things businesses are focusing on to make their proposition more attractive to a millennial like me.
What it comes down to in the end, is that companies are offering people the opportunity to work and be happy at the same time. You no longer have to slave away to pay for an apartment you don’t really like, in a city that is too expensive and for a cause you aren’t that passionate about. Innovation is encouraged, flexibility is a given and people today are striving to live an interesting and fulfilling life. Work is no longer a hindrance, it is an enabler that individuals can use to build the life they want. As a generation we have moved away from living to work, and adopted the ideology that we should work to live.
Thanks for reading! I love connecting with others who are interested in the future of work, so if that’s you, drop me a message! It would be great to chat.