However, the price of such freedom is a precariousness that seems not to subside over time. Even the most successful, well-established people we interviewed still worry about money and reputation and sometimes feel that their identity is at stake. You can’t keep calling yourself a consultant, for example, if clients stop asking for your services. A well-published writer told us, “You become your work. If you write a good book…it’s really great, and when you don’t achieve it, you have to accept…that failure might define who you are to yourself.” An artist agreed: “There’s no arriving. That’s a myth.” – Thriving in the Gig Economy

Interesting article at the Harvard Business Review on the Gig Economy as it’s called now. I always just thought it was freelancing or consulting.

They have found that people try to build four connections while trying to maintain their independence.

Place

This is having a workspace that is effective for working. Cutting down on the distractions that you don’t need so you can get work done.

Are your places set up for you to work optimally?

I’ve written a bit about what I do to make my environment focused.

Routines

Doing similar things at similar times helps cut out decisions and thus distractions. I review books every Monday morning. I review my notes for books on Friday morning so I can stew on them over the weekend.

It can also be something like leaving a sentence incomplete, so you know where to pick up when you start again.

What is your routine?

What preps you for getting excellent work done?

I think that place and routine are highly tied together. The place you choose to work is part of a routine.

Purpose

The top paid people could articulate why their work was done. Stuff like “empowering women through film”.

Do you know why you work?

People

We’re social and we need people around. We see this in The Happiness Advantage. Social support is what gets us through the tough time is life and work.

Who do you have around you that supports you?

Who outside of your immediate family?

You need to have these four things in at least some semblance of order if you want to be successful in business and mentally long term.

I’ll write more about each of these areas in the coming weeks.

Have an awesome day!

Curtis

PS: If you need help building these things, that’s what I help business owners do. Get good work done without needing to do that stupid hustle thing all the time.

Thanks to Jocelyn K. Glei for pointing me to this article

Photo by: 99304214@N05