The growing pre-pandemic trend of remote work has only accelerated in popularity due to the policy of movement restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19. Adopted by many companies and individuals, working from home has proven to have numerous benefits from better work/life balance to a lower carbon footprint. For many, however, losing the classic 9 to 5 work structure and starting location-independent ventures has taken some adjustment.
Embracing the new trend of remote work is about much more than putting in the hours. And nobody realizes this more than Michelle Beltran who has bootstrapped a six-figure location-independent business. An award-winning author and former United States Air Force servicewoman, Michelle mentors her students about the intricacies of embracing change and cultivating the type of location independent success that can have a meaningful impact on the world.
Here are Michelle’s four strategies for embracing the rapid paradigm shift from the eight-hour-per-day world of corporate life to location-independent work environments and businesses in 2022.
Embrace The New Social
Remote working brings with it a cultural shift. Social interactions change and with that comes a need to create new ways of communicating.
Michelle believes that creating a strong team culture means creating a system of meetings, habits, and events that keep everyone communicating. “Adaption was the name of the game,” says Beltran. “Since I couldn’t just walk up to a co-worker’s desk any longer to talk to them, I had to find new tools for my office.”
Michelle embraced video conferencing and it quickly became the go-to means of communication — the superpower for personal, face-to-face connection. “But there were some ground rules,” says Michelle. “It would be important for the remote team to bond, so in addition to normal work-related topics discussed in video conferencing, portions of our video meetings are for non-work topics, team bravos for awesome contributions, and just old-fashioned catching up,” Beltran explained regarding her way of creating a new kind of social culture.
Set Rules And Boundaries
Remote working is something to embrace but having clear boundaries around unplugging from your day goes a long way.
“When I started my business, I would get up at all hours of the night to meet with clients who were in different time zones across the globe. At the time it worked, but it wasn’t a realistic pace or schedule.” Michelle then established some rules. She set firm hours and was no longer available after those scheduled hours. She took breaks, lunch breaks, and ended her day on time.
Michelle also believes finding a way within yourself to release the need to prove yourself in your remote working environment matters. “It’s an unnecessary pressure we place on ourselves to prove our work or contribution. Beltran says, “If we would simply view remote working as the new norm we would be leaps and bounds ahead.”
Quiet Your Mind And Listen To Your Inner Voice
Michelle believes that introspection can help individuals experience new depths of living and remain productive in the ever-changing world of remote work. She specifically recommends taking time to quiet your mind and letting go of the incessant mind chatter, ongoings, and to-dos of life.
For Michelle, the fastest way to connect with her inner self is through meditation. “When the mind is quiet, clear intuitive messages emerge. They can’t present to a racing mind that is busy with thoughts of the next thing that needs to get done,” she says. “In your daily meditation, even if it’s just five minutes a day, be sure to quiet your logical, left brain. Agree with your left brain to reconvene at another time – when you’ve learned to quiet your mind and the road gets rough, the entrepreneur still sees a path.”
Set An Intention And Draw On Discipline
Starting a remote business is no easy task. And the biggest factor in its success is you. As a former professional cyclist, Michelle says she learned a great deal in sports that she applies to her business. Michelle believes that there’s nothing more important to business success than discipline and intention. “With discipline and intention at the helm, success must prevail. No exceptions. These are not things we just call upon or that come to us in a burst of emotion. They are sourced from within, breathed into the business day in and day out, becoming the foundation.” Explained Michelle.
For Michelle, success is about inspiring, teaching, and feeling internal satisfaction from knowing that her work helps aspiring business people reach a better place. With everything moving online it allows a global reach more than ever.
Remote working has been a game-changer for individuals and companies in many ways. According to Michelle, the balance of life is more achievable with the flexibility that remote working provides. “Freedom and flexibility became the staples of life,” Michelle says.
