Finding the Natural Rhythms and Flows of Working

Being self-employed is definitely an experiment in working styles, as you learn by trial and error and figure out what works for you.
More and more I’ve been becoming a believer that forcing ourselves to work (or being forced to work by bosses) is detrimental — to our health, productivity, happiness, creativity.
Being forced to work, by ourselves or by others, makes work pure drudgery, and no matter how many productivity and motivational tricks we throw at this situation, it’s still drudgery. Sure, we’ll always have to do things we don’t like to do, but does that have to make up the main of our existence?

The rise in people who are office nomads, self-employed, free-lancers, consultants, web workers, just knowledge workers in general, has led to changes in the ways people work. Sometimes it has meant they work more than ever. Other times it means they can work from wherever they want, setting their own schedule (but oftentimes still working as much or more than before).
For some of us, it has meant we’ve become our own bosses, while working collaboratively with others who are their own bosses. It has meant more freedom for some of us, with the ability not only to choose the location and time of our work, but the kind of work we do and the amount of work we do.
That’s amazingly liberating, and what’s more, I’ve found it to be amazing in many ways: I’ve found more time for what’s important to me (not just my work), I’ve found an increase in my love for my work, I’ve been happier and more creative and in general I think the quality of my work has increased.
I don’t produce more than ever before, but what I do produce is better, at least in my eyes.
Yes, But What About Me?“That’s great for you,” you say, “but what about for the rest of us, who are office-bound without those kinds of freedoms?”

When the focus is the work, and not the hours cranked out or the method of working or any of that, then we realize that none of the things that used be important really matters anymore: office attire, neatness of desks, what time you clock in, how long lunch breaks are, and all the other nit-picking details. All that matters is the work.

Some of you might already be in the ideal situation to be self-employed — you might have been laid off recently. That’s horrible, of course, but it’s also an opportunity to reinvent yourself, to find the work you’re passionate about, to set up a web presence and start seeking free-lance or consulting gigs, to be your own boss. It’s scary, but it’s been done by many, many people.

What Does That Do for Working Rhythms?When work is freed up, the questions of how much work we do, what kind of work we do, and when we do it, all become open.
When do you want to work? In the early morning hours, or starting at 10 a.m., or maybe just at night? What time do you feel most energetic? Each person is different and it often takes some experimenting.
What work do you want to do? Often we do work because we have to do it, but when you start choosing work because it excites you, it changes the game completely. Choosing work you’re passionate about is the absolute best way to become more productive and happier.