[🐝U] Your freedom + flexibility = overrated

The freedom & flexibility to “work from anywhere” whenever you want…

That’s the ultimate freelancer’s dream.

But have you noticed how often that same freedom leaves us scattered & drained?

That is also our worst nightmare … we just don’t realize it.

Not being told when to start, stop or what to do & not do is a big reason we wanted out of the 9-5

But productivity & building a business isn’t just about “showing up” or “having a plan”

Freedom without structure? It’s chaos in disguise.
& consistency isn’t just “showing up”
it’s training your brain with cues so obvious it can’t argue back

Same spot, time, coffee cup, pen,
same ___, same ___, same ___, same ___

Rituals over resolutions.

legendary “same”ness that works

Legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz (Breakthrough Advertising) started work at exactly 9am at his desk. His coffee cup always in the same spot & always with coffee, pen & paper).

That’s it.
❌ phone
❌ typewriter
❌ distractions!

The quirkiest 33.33 minute timer. He sets himself up to write & when that timer starts, 1 of 2 things happened:
1 - he’d write or
2 - did nothing

33 minutes & 33 seconds later, he’d take a 5-minute break then start again.
& 3 hours later, he was done for the day … even if he didn’t get a word down on paper.

Epic Horror Author Steven King’s process is a bit different.
He’s got a 2,000-word target, plays metal music (loudly), with his desk facing the corner.

What’s the same?
He writes in the same space, with no distractions, at the same scheduled writing time.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has his own process of “don’t break the chain” calendar hack … writing at least 1 joke a day (good, bad, or ugly) then crossing the day off the calendar.

All successful writers have their “quirks”
But then so do all business owners, athletes, musicians

There’s a psychology behind it I just didn’t get appreciate for the longest time.

When I first heard people talk about these routines I thought, “Holy Anal Retentive!” & “that doesn’t apply to me” because “I can work from anywhere”

… given I spend most of the summer traveling & camping, this doesn’t can’t apply to me.

Or so I thought!

I have the technology that lets me pick up & go into places so remote there’s no cell coverage or people … Starlink, solar power, & my travel set up … so I can still work, eat, live

Different setup ≠ different structure

What I’ve been realizing is even though the physical location changed & weather often factors in, there IS a routine. I DO have a process.

Things are different but they’re still the same.

When I’m camping, my schedule is the same. The setup is the same.
At the house, my office space stays the same … so does my schedule

But I have more spaces at the house …
→ bedroom
→ kitchen
→ back yard
→ garage

My bedroom is my relaxation space. It’s where I unwind
I have different spots for reading & eating.

Where I blew it (& still paying for it)

That’s how worked …
But lately, personal things are hemorrhaging into my workspace.
As a result, my work productivity is down.
I’m not as focused.

I should be sitting at my desk:
→ focused on year-end marketing strategies
→ finishing writing projects for clients
→ preparing for speaking engagements + in-person events
→ planning my schedule around the holidays

& I should be saving my personal stuff for NOT my desk:
→ dealing with legal paperwork to close escrow
→ researching options to develop the land to move there (power, water, sewer, living)
→ sorting through my parents’ things (to donate, gift, or toss)
→ selling their house
→ even mindless entertainment like football (the North American & everywhere else versions)

Your version of this probably doesn’t involve dealing with where to dig & (literally) dump your crap or doing it all before the Canadian winter hits.

& when I’m supposed to be in personal / unwind mode, I catch myself watching webinars & training videos instead of “mindless entertainment” to give my brain a break.

Maybe it’s family members thinking they have an all-access pass because you’re not in an office. Or maybe your clients message you at all hours & that ding’s distracting

Personal has spilled into professional & vice versa.
& I never realized how important having those “anal retentive” routines really is.

Can you “work from anywhere”?
Technically, yes, you can.
But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Going through that same ___, same ___, same ___, same ___ sets up your brain to get into __ mode.

Discipline is #FakeNews. Cues are the real cheat code

Our brains remember & perform better when it’s the same environment where the work (or learning) happens.

Same environment, same cue → “oh, it’s writing time”.

In other words, our brain isn’t lazy but the shortcuts cues do help

That’s why the “same mug, same desk, same time” is more than just an “anal retentive” quirk.

It’s a brain hack.

Without consistent cues, our brain burns energy on micro-decisions.
→ where do I sit?
→ what should I work on?
→ when do I start?

“Freedom & flexibility” of being a business-owner + the ability to “work from anywhere” sounds like the ultimate dream.

But if you’re struggling to do things, it’s not fair to blame yourself for lack of discipline or not being motivated enough.

We’re exhausting our brains because it’s lacking the signals of routines to kick itself into focus mode. I didn’t realize how much that mattered to me until I started drowning.

You don’t need more discipline or motivation.
You do need cues telling your brain, “it’s time to ___”

So if your freedom is feeling a little chaotic & scattered without any momentum, maybe (just maybe) what you’re missing is the sameness.
→ same mug
→ same space
→ same time

How do you add more “anal retentive” into your work life so your brain gets the hint … “it’s time to focus”
What same time do you feel most energized?
Find your same spot
Rinse & repeat it.
same ___, same ___, same ___, same ___

Learn from my screw up…

The first time you skip or interrupt your routine, it feels harmless enough (especially when you don’t even realize you’ve got them).

By the time you realize you’re off track, you’re stuck staring at your laptop, brain stuck in the San Fransisco fog, wondering why nothing’s moving. It’s like trying to push a stalled car uphill … good luck getting all that dead weight to move just

Hindsight is 20/20.
The moment I blurred those lines, my focus flatlined & I’m still paying the price.

Find your cues that click & treat them like sacred rituals.
Ignore them & you’ll find yourself in the same mess I’m trying to dig myself out of (assuming you’re not there already)

so … next time you’re tempted to brag about the freedom & flexibility “working from anywhere”, ask yourself: is that really helping you OR killing your focus (& momentum)?

Make it a great “anal-retentive“ week!
EG

PS:
Want help building your “same”ness up (or back)

Tiny Habits (the book by BJ Fogg) & (the coaching by 1 of my mentors, Lisa Christoffel)

Binaural Beats music on YouTube I’m re-starting listening to it when at my desk (Super Intelligence: FOCUS BETTER and IMPROVE MEMORY) … just enough to hear it (or blast metal music like Steven King)

PPS:

Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile.
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

📈 Want to talk about (& get accountability for) your writing process?
Find a time that fits your schedule.