(This is one of those jobs where it doesnt matter if you look good in a bikini, by the way...)
I love to lay in the sun... Yes I know that it is "bad for your skin" and will cause wrinkles, and all that other 'scary stuff'. But for all the negatives that the media puts out there... Did you know that newer studies state "insufficient solar UVB irradiance and vitamin D greatly outweigh all known adverse health outcomes" (source). Yes, sunshine is actually good for you! And no, contrary to popular belief, the sun will not kill you.
Personally I find sunbathing to be very relaxing, and a great way to take a quality "time out" and just think.
Luckily (for me, not them) all of my neighbors are gone to their "real job" during the best sunning hours - or they are sound asleep if they work the night shift. There are a lot of manufacturing plants in this area. At any rate, its usually very nice and quiet - and perfect for a little 'brainstorming in the sun'...
In fact, I am sunbathing as I write this! There are birds chirping in the cedar tree, little robins eating out of the feeder in my sugar maple, and a cat sneaking along the bottom of the neighbors hedge.
I mentioned a minute ago that my neighbors werent lucky. I meant because they have one of those "real jobs" - not because they are missing out on this spectacular view of me sunbathing (ha!). For that, they are lucky!
Like I said, you dont have to look good in a bikini for this kind of work 😛
I am the geeky neighbor. Pasty white skin and wearing last years' red bikini, I have an ink pen in one hand and a mini legal pad in the other. Sunglasses on, a recent issue of Business 2.0 nearby, and smoking menthol cigarettes (and there you were worried about the sun!)...
You're still reading along to find out how I make money while basking in the sun, arent you?
Just a few of the things that I do while I am enjoying the weather outdoors include:
- Write reports to sell online
- Write content/articles for my sites
- Kick back and enjoy Passive Income streams
(more on that in a minute...)
You dont always have to be in front of your computer to "work". That doesnt mean that you have to lay in the sun. You can lay in the snow or lay in the river if you like. Though personally I wouldnt risk getting my Business 2.0 mag all wet... The point is, sometimes getting out of the office - or your usual workspace - can be a GOOD thing!
If you already work from home or have an online business, think of all the things you can accomplish away from your desk! You could write articles, outline your next autoresponder series, draft out an upcoming issue of your newsletter, etc.
I know it sounds old fashioned, this whole sunbathing and "great outdoors" idea. I mean, most people these days go to tanning beds, microwave their lunch and type up documents on their handy dandy computers. But if you wanted to be stuck in that mold... you wouldnt have pursued this whole "more time, more freedom, self-employed" idea, now would you?
Tips for Sunbathing Geeks:
- Put your tanning lotion or oil on before you go outdoors. Then wash your hands with hot soapy water. Its hard to hold a pen with greasy fingers! (plus you'd ruin your Business 2.0 mag!!)
- During your sunbathing rotation, keep this in mind: brainstorm while on you're back, write while on your stomach. Trust me - it works best this way.
- Dont bring any gadgets with you outdoors. The point is to get away from the office. Not bring the office with you. Paper & Pen only!
If you are already working from home, I hope that this inspires you to get out of the office and do the things you enjoy most while you are working on "doing what you love" business-wise. I'm a multi-tasker by nature, so I enjoy working and having fun at the same time.
Besides, who says personal "down time" cant be productive??
If you arent making money online yet, here are some ideas for you to consider (because this is a great lifestyle!!):
- Write reports and sell them online
- Look for legitimate work-at-home jobs
- Search freelance writing opportunities
Also look at the ways I make money online too.
Live Life... and enjoy every minute of it! 😉
Best,
About Lynn Terry
Hey Lynn - you are so right about this. I wish more people understood how important personal wellbeing is. And varying the places where you do work is a big plus for creativity.
We should all try and fit more of the good things of life IN our life. And very often the secret is to combine work and play :o)
Saying that though, all this talk about sun and sunbathing doesn't really help me. British weather is always better when viewed from indoors... hmmm.
During winter months here in TN, I will often grab a few things from the office (notepad, favorite pen, latest copy of Revenue magazine) and treat myself to my favorite lunch in town (or even out of town!).
We do have a coffee shop with Wi Fi uptown, but when I need to get out of the office and just *write*... I prefer pen & paper.
I try hard not to sunbathe. I have this little tendency to go from ghost to lobster, never a tan.
Home business does have its advantages, as you said. No seeing the ugly desk, in an enclosure that is nothing more than a jail.
With a small diary, a laptop with WiFi, working while having fun is much much easier.
How right you are! Although sunbathing isn't high on my priority list right now (I'm 6 months pregnant), being out in the sun and fresh air is. I have found it's not best to drag my laptop out in the sunshine anyway...I can't see a thing because of the glare. There's a lot that can be done with a pen and paper. 😉
Your so right! I definately do not get out enough to just relax. I tend to do so more in the summer time! But it is good to get out sit under an ol' shade tree and sip iced tea while brainstorming and writing!
Thanks for sharing this!
Good ideas Lynn! I also like to run outside so I download a few podcasts so when I go out running for an hour I'm listening to podcasts some are business related, some for fun. It's another good way to enjoy being outside and listen to some good podcasts to boot.
You guys have some great ideas - Thanks for sharing! I agree with the audio-on-the-go and the pen & paper. Both are great trade-ins when you get tired of (or just plain bored with) sitting in front of a computer screen.
It's a beautiful day here in Tennessee, so I am off to get some sun - err, I mean some work done. Maybe a little of both 😉
Great post, Lynn. It is so important to enjoy yourself and live in the day. Once I get going at my desk, I often find I am there all day and before I know it the day is done. Not quite warm enough in Ohio to work on the deck (yet) but I will definitely try out your "making money in your bikini" soon 🙂
My problem is that when I get outside in the good weather, getting work done becomes distant on my list of priorities. 😉
For example, in about 30 minutes I'm heading out to do some "Monday" errands and it'll set me up with 2 choices ... go past the ocean OR past the bay. Either one will have "patios" beckoning at me to come have just ONE nice & COLD "beverage" ... AND then I'm DOOMED! How can I resist that? The weather's awesome right now! LOL
But I wouldn't trade away the ability to be able to do this for anything else. I'm certainly very fortunate to be around like-minded people such as Lynn and others I've gotten to know in the online community, here at SSWT and elsewhere.
All I can say is ... Take time out to relax every now and then!
Cheers!
Rick Wilson aka CorpRebel 8)
Breaks are necessary for productivity - so enjoy!
As for me, I usually make it a habit to spend nice Monday's enjoying the sunshine on the patio... just to mock the 9-to-5 I left in 1996 😀
I love this post, Lynn! 🙂 Our summers here in Vermont are short, and since I'm such a summer girl I get outside whenever I can. I will often bring the laptop outside with me, but it's better to unplug and get my thoughts together. I've gotten into the habit of putting podcasts on my ipod so I can listen while I go for a walk (or run if I'm so inspired).
You are so full of inspiration for me this week - your timing is so amazing. THANK YOU!
I love getting outdoors too. Today I spent a couple of hours reading on the back deck, which was just awesome. This was my reading spot over the weekend:
http://www.twitpic.com/ce1dk
And I think you saw this pic - it's @NicoleDean and I out hiking Burgess Falls in the middle of the week:
http://www.twitpic.com/ba7ht
Of course, we were non stop brainstorming ideas & resources, so I classify that as a "work day" 😉
Thanks for the post Lynn. I live in S Florida and am always out by my pool in the sun doing my home business. Love it! But the son is hot. I have to wear alot of sun lotion.
At first, I thought this is about photographic job and as I keep on reading this article, I found out that working online can be interesting other than sitting whole day in front of the computer. i might give it a try somewhere, someplace. I'm not sure yet how but it suppose to be a relaxing one. Thank you for the creative idea.