Why you don’t need a 9-5 to be successful
We love our days at the YCB office. However, we know it’s true that few jobs begin at 9 AM and end right at 5 PM. Even when we’ve skipped out of the office, chances are, that work is still on people’s minds, including ours. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (2007), started a phenomenon when his book sold more than 1 million copies and was translated into 35 languages. People around the world yearned to free themselves of the common desk job. Does that sound like something you want for yourself? You can do it, too.
You don’t have to be in an office for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to be successful. Wait, what? The key to success is passion, and passion is the real currency. If you don’t love what you do, can you really excel in the best possible way? Here at Your Coffee Break, passion is a main ingredient in building a strong team. Passion gives us a successful dose of everything you need to make the day awesome. Well, that and caffeine!
Some may say that the market is oversaturated. Which market you ask? All of them. Everyone who wants a job has an undergraduate degree, so that doesn’t cut it in setting yourself apart. This is where your passion comes in, to show others you have the competitive advantage over your peers and desire more than they do. For those longing for a self-employed ‘be-your-own-boss’ life, passion for a new or developing product or service can push you further than you ever imagined.
So what makes us as individuals stand out from the pack? You guessed it: passion. People love seeing fire in your eyes. Once you have it, you can inspire people to believe in your idea. Of course, you have to work incredibly hard for success, regardless of your goals. Enjoying what you do will get you through the difficult times. Remember, if you’re not doing what you love in a 9 to 5 job, you’ll struggle to truly be satisfied.
In a typical 9 to 5 job, people often spend too much time in offices. Between meetings, writing reports full of corporate jargon, and general distractions, the office can be a death sentence for productivity. In a recent study from Stanford University and the University of Minnesota, researchers found that remote workers are 13 percent more productive. In addition, these businesses save $1,900 per employee and reduce turnover by 50 percent!
But before you resign and think, “Now what?” escaping the 9 to 5 doesn’t mean you have to quit your job! Today’s technology allows for more than enough communication, wherever you may be. This can translate to more work productivity and job satisfaction. Remote working today suggests working from anywhere you have Internet connection – isn’t that a liberating feeling? The ‘office’ is no longer a fixed place, it’s a state of mind.
There is nothing fancy involved in running a successful business – just add value. Do you love to write and have a passion for peonies or the styling skills of the French? Why not try writing a book? There’s a whole audience waiting to read your works, and they’ll be grateful once you do. Do you have a knack for helping people with an unused psychology degree? There are a lot of people who would love to have a life coach. You don’t need to be chained to a desk or even be in the same place as your clients. All you need is passion and a plan. If you do have a desk, make it a space of your own. Get to grips with interior design, if that’s your passion, and work with it.
An independent, self-directed lifestyle allows you to set your own goals and achieve them in a way that works best for you. So stop working at noon if you’ve finished what needs to be done that day. Or keep working up until midnight if that’s when you’re most productive. A company may deem success as landing that big clients. For you, it may be finishing the last chapter of the book you’ve wanted to write for decades.
For many, courage plays a huge factor in taking that leap. Don’t make, or not make, decisions based on fear. Whether you run your own business, freelance, or choose to telecommute, you become the master of your own destiny.
Follow your heart, work to achieve your goals, and do so without fear. The late Steve Jobs once said, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Own your life and your decisions. Define success as what it means to you. We at YCB are definitely on board with this. With passion by the stock load and a well-built team both in the office and remotely, Your Coffee Break is much more than a 9 to 5. You can do the same for your career.
Author:
Gemma Falconer is a Senior Campaign Specialist for GoToMeeting. She has been part of the Demand Generation team for the past five years, looking after anything from webinars to content creation. In her spare time she enjoys playing volleyball, trying to learn Portuguese and eating cake – lots of cake. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter @GemmaFalconer