Earning $100 in the dump

Working virtually means freedom in your daily life

You can work from anywhere. Usually bloggers idealize this as meaning from a beach in Thailand or in between scuba trip in the Bahamas. For most of us however, the ability to work anywhere means freedom in your daily life. You can pick up your kids from school, you can visit relatives a little longer during the holidays or as I found out today, you can visit the dump.

Yes, today I made $100 while standing under a 20 foot pile of compost.

Not typically thought of as the hotbed of entrepreneurism, it was a perfect reminder of the importance and power of creating the virtual office. It started with an ideaI shared with my fianceĆ©: we should have a garden. Unfortunately, we know very little about gardening so have taken the mindset of, let’s stick some plants in the dirt and see what happens.

It seemed like a good idea, until we realized how hard it is to get dirt. Although logic tells me I should be able to just uproot the grass and plant a tomato, I actually have to scour the county for quality compost if I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for the very thing my arms and legs roll around on when I’m wrestling my dog.

Off to the dump

After numerous attempts, this morning was finally the day to borrow a truck and a shovel and head to the landfill. On the way there, the phone rang, and I was patched in to a conference call. Although I had not received the invite, I acted fast: I put on my imaginary consultant hat, open my GoToMeeting app and listened to a demonstration of a new software system providing feedback and ideas to the group.

Of course, while this was happening I was also arriving at the 20 foot pile of black gold. With a strong shoulder and agile hands I was able to gather dirt while participating in the call.

The virtual office

This work environment and attempt at multi-tasking obviously is not ideal, but it sure beats missing the call and having to reschedule. Instead, the virtual office enabled me, and enables you, to take work on the road (when you want to) and enjoy freedom in your daily life.

Questions for you

What tools are essential for your virtual office? What lessons have you learned?

Photo: Smaku (CAT); Taylor Mertz (me at the dump)

Posted on May 24th, 2012 in Business