What I learnt from my first week of working from anywhere

Aug 21, 2023

After 10 days of holiday in Melbourne, my holiday officially ended a week ago.

But I’m not done with my time here yet.

Having studied and lived in Australia for 2.5 years during my university days, the country has always held a special place in my heart.

Re-visiting the country after 7 years away brought back fond memories, memories which I’ll never forget.

Solopreneurs are talking about working from anywhere on the internet.

This may lead us to come to the incorrect conclusion that this lifestyle is only reserved for solopreneurs.

The only difference between a 9–5 who can work from anywhere and solopreneurs do not have to seek approval from anyone, but 9–5 employees do.

It’s an opportunity cost that I’m willing to bear for that income predictability.

After trying out this lifestyle for a week, here are 3 of my (very early) takeaways that I got out of it.

The one thing that improved was my emotional stability.

I found myself to be more reinvigorated, less tense, and less stressed out.

My energy levels have gone up, and I’ve felt happier overall.

Perhaps it’s due to the change in environment.

Or more supportive people around me.

Or a combination of the two.

Ever since I visited Genting Highlands earlier this year, my love for poker (yes, gambling I know) was re-ignited.

Having played poker (albeit not very well) during my uni days, I stopped for a few years after I got busy with full-time work.

It’s only since early this year that I’ve started picking it back up and playing semi-regularly.

In fact, my poker winnings alone have managed to cover my daily expenses while I am on holiday.

Call me crazy but I’m beginning to explore playing poker as a new income stream for me.

As I’ve been putting up with a kind friend during my stay in Melbourne, I get to have frequent daily interactions with his cat.

In the past, I would shun at having to cohabit with a pet.

I never really had any special feeling or affinity towards these furry little creatures.

Now, I’ve felt that shifting after the cat melted my heart. I’m even starting to get emotionally attached to him.

Moral of the story: Never say never. Anything can happen in life.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received some questions from friends.

They were asking me where I’m working at and how I landed my role.

My answer to them “I was headhunted by a recruiter.”

You can call it “luck”, but there is no secret or magic sauce to getting headhunted.

Luck happens when you take action.

I applied for more than 50 roles overall. All I got were either rejections, or no responses at all.

Ironically, I got a job that I didn’t apply for.

If I had given up after 10 failed applications, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.

Taking action increases your luck surface area.

You may not get the exact thing that you ask for, but you’ll get close.

It’s simple, but not easy, to create a lifestyle you so truly desire.

I’m still new to this whole thing so who knows if I’ll still be at it in a year or two.

What’s important is that you keep taking imperfect action that will lead you towards your ever-changing goals.

Benedict’s Newsletter