Sep 11 2007
I Think I’m Becoming a Recluse
Well the countdown is on folks! My flight from London is booked, my last day of work is set, and the pressure is on. I’ll be heading home to Canada for three weeks on December 14th, returning to London and then jetting off to Asia a few days later to wander around aimlessly for a few years.
Though my departure date is approaching painfully slowly, I’m very aware that I have at least a hundred thousand website-related things to do before then. Add to that I’m on a mad money savings mission and it is starting to seem like I’m spending less and less time away from my computer. I think I’m becoming a bit of a recluse, actually.
Lately it seems like all I’ve been doing is hiding in my room typing my life away. I think my friends are about to disown me. Sure, I put the occasional guest appearance in now and then for birthdays and leaving parties but those crazy days of midweek all-nighters and general debauchery are long gone. I’ve changed. Do I like it? I don’t know.
While I really love this whole website development thing, I love the pub more and my internet pursuits alone would never be enough to keep me chained to my computer. I think the thing that’s transformed me from party girl to web recluse is that I’ve had that little taste of success and I want more. I now know that being able to earn a living online is definitely possible but I’m also very aware that it’s not possible without putting in a lot of work.
Being able to wander around the world at my own pace, changing my plans on a whim is what I’ve always dreamed of and anyone who loves long term travel will be able to relate. If achieving that dream means locking myself away most nights to work on my sites then I guess that’s the way it’s got to be.
Does anyone else find it easy to make sacrifices now knowing that the long term payoff is so good or am I the only boring one?
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go.
Kirsty - I can certainly understand where you are coming from. Think of it this way…you are putting in the time now to establish your income/earnings, with the goal that within a (hopefully) short period of time you’ll be earning enough to be able to cut back and enjoy life a little more. That is more than what the majority of people are doing now, where they are chained to a desk 40+ hours a week at a job they hate because they don’t have the financial means to make a break, or the desire to sacrifice now for a payoff later.
Life is certainly much more enjoyable if you are doing something you like to do but with the knowledge that you are also financially secure or at least stable.
Having said that, I am certainly no advocate of working a ton of hours 7 days a week while one is young in the hopes that one will be able to “retire” early. Doing this you waste the best years of your life with the hope that you’ll have some time later down the line to enjoy life. Problem is, a lot of folks never get to that time, or if they do, they can’t really enjoy life because of physical limitations.
Balance is the key here.
HI Kirsty, having just returned from travelling in asia and NZ for the past 12 months, i have began the process that you started some time ago. Looking for ways to incorperate into an eranings stream the things i love doing and more importantly sustaining that incorperation whilst i travel the world.
The sacrafices i know i’m going to have to make in the run up to this are no different to the kind of sacrafices i made when i was away. travelling on a budget, been able to say no, staying independant. I can completely relate to the notion that this way of travelling can be consuming on ones time, but i’d much rather spend 10 hours a day on with my laptop in a hammock in thailand then 8 hours a day in an office with a 1 hour commute either side of it in london. You accept the idea that hard work now pays off later which when you are doing work you love just is not the same kind of hard work as doing a job you can do.
I have a long way to go (24 months) before i’m even looking at booking a flight but i know, i’ve had a taste, it’s definatly worth it. (i too love a mid week bender but find that things are different now and mid week never comes)
I agree with Steve, balance is the key. What i find most difficult is fitting in this process around the day job and not letting the two conflict, i love my day job too so i don’t want to let my career suffer for the sake of something that until it comes to fruition is an out of work project. I think disiplin is also key in finding that balance. And it sounds like you have it.
I think it’s natural to accelerate all of your energy into what lies ahead as your flight approaches. it’s important, the things you can get done between now and December could make the differnce in the long run so stick at it.
As for the social life, well i think that’s always going to be a tricky one for me. I love my freinds and i think it’s important to make time for them, even when i am away. But if you let them know what you are doing and why you are doing it, they should understand because they are your freinds.
Kirsty,
I sacrificed a lot over the past year for an amazing RTW trip that is now not happening… at least not the way I planned. I have given up a lot and I know how you feel, but it will definitely pay off when you’re able to float around the world. I think your website gig is interesting, and honestly I found one of your sites about a year ago (travoholic) and wanted to give something similar a whirl but just didn’t have any niche. Looks like you’re already doing great so just keep it up! Good luck to you!
Brooke
I’m with Steve on the futility of wasting ones youth in order to retire early. That’s why I exclusively select website topics that interest me, even if they never become the big money makers at least I’ve lived while trying.
Ya I think a balance is key. At the moment the balance is tipped away from socialising but it’s only for 3 months and then I’ll unleash the fury on Asia! haha I’ll still be working on my sites but instead of spending 8 hours a day at work, an hour commuting, and a few hours a night on my sites each night I’ll be spending a few hours during the day on my sites (in theory) and will have the rest of the day free.
I for sure agree with you guys about living in the now. I’ve never been too keen on the whole retirement fund and playing life safe while I’m young so I’ll be sorted later in life. I might be kicking myself later on but I’ll be old and won’t be able to kick very hard.
Brooke I read your site now and then and know a bit about your situation from your psots on Bootsnall. Looks like things are working out though so that’s cool. My Travoholic site doesn’t really have a niche beyond a very general ‘backpacking’ but it does well I think because it’s old. Maybe you’ll come up with some ideas once you hit the road.
Ok… back I go… lots of work to do!
I was pretty much in the same position last year as you. The final few months at work are going to be busy. Everyone you know is going to want to go out for just “one more night out”. Perhaps enjoy your last months in London and really knuckle down when you get back to Canada.
Trying to work while you travel is a whole new ball game. Like one guy from Belgium who is on a one year break said to me “everyday is like a weekend”. Sometimes the temptation to go out every night is very strong.
One alternative though is to try and find somewhere isolated with internet access. Anyway, you have all of that to look forward to.