Lifestyle design is a concept that has been popularized recently by Tim Ferriss and his book The 4 Hour Workweek. The idea is that you’re going to design your lifestyle to be just the way you want it and you are going to make your work fit in around that. This is instead of going the opposite tact of choosing your job and then changing your lifestyle to fit that.

Really this should be the obvious and ‘default’ way to proceed. Why compromise your lifestyle just so that you can work more hours and satisfy an organization? It doesn’t seem to make any sense!

The problem is that many of us take the approach of working for as hard as we can, for as long as we can. And we think that by doing this we can ensure that our future will be secure and that we will be able to retire and live the life we want.

So essentially you’re deferring your happiness. And by the time you’re able to live that lifestyle that you want to live, you’re going to be old and grey!

Many of us also picture ourselves as becoming ‘successful’ if we work harder though and of having all the things that we want. But again, this is often misguided. After all, what do you picture yourself doing when you’re successful? Probably having a much nicer home, maybe traveling, maybe spending more time pursuing leisure activities…

…and all these things are things you don’t need lots of money for! You can enjoy the lifestyle you’ve been looking forward to on your current budget. Sure, you need lots of money if you’re going to drive a fancy sports car but is that really going to make you happy?

As for cruising around in a beautiful yacht, you can get a crewed charter yacht very affordably for the days when you want it and split the costs with your friends!

And travel is becoming more and more affordable!

So instead of working the job that you think is going to make you ‘rich’ or ‘successful’, instead ask yourself what is most important to you in life and then get a job that supports that. Being a teacher is wonderful for people who want to travel a lot because it means they can travel and see the world during the summer holidays.

Likewise, you might decide that even though the job prospects aren’t amazing, being a dustbin collector suits you a lot. You’ll have to get up early but it’s well paid for what you’ll be doing and you’ll have your whole afternoon and evening free to do what you want! That might mean you can train and get into great shape, or it might mean that you just spend more time with your family!

Changing the Way You Think About Work

There are a surprising number of jobs out there that are highly flexible and that will allow you to work more convenient hours. Look for jobs that offer flexi-time for example and you can clock in two hours early and go home two hours early!

Or how about trying to find a job that lets you work from anywhere? There are some counseling jobs for instance that let you work through Skype!

You could even discuss working 4 days a week at your current job and use something small on the side (like the Skype counselling) to make up for the lost income.

Or you could work two part-time jobs! Decide how much time you need and when you need it and then just pick the job that fits in with that!

And meanwhile, you should also stop defining yourself by your career.

The objection that a lot of people would have to working as a dustbin collector would be that it doesn’t offer them much in the way of challenge, or in the way of career progression.

But then why does your job have to be where you get your sense of satisfaction? Instead, why not have a side project and use that to pursue the things you’re really interested in?

You can work all day in a quiet convenience store if you like work that lets you feel rested and chilled and then you can come home and work on the next great novel, or paint and try to sell those paintings on the side!

Are you a checkout assistant? No – you’re a painter! One day you might earn enough money from the painting to give up the other job but in the meantime you can just enjoy a quiet lifestyle that leaves you plenty of time and energy to pursue the things you’re interested in. And you’re still a painter because you paint!

Oh and likewise, don’t think that your salary and your wealth has to be completely tied to your job. Want to earn more money but don’t want to take on more responsibility at work? Then why not try selling arts and crats in the evening, or selling your writing online? You could become a piano teacher alternatively, or cut the neighbor’s hair or their lawn.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the only way to get what you want from life is to sink more and more hours into a thankless job!

Another tip is to try going on lots of shorter holidays. A lot of people dream of going traveling but don’t have the means to give up work for a whole year and don’t like the thoughts of being away from everyone for that long.

But who’s saying that you can’t just travel for a month by taking a short career break? Or for three weeks by saving up all your annual leave? If you speak with your employers, you might be surprised how flexible they can be.

Or alternatively, why not take shorter trips throughout the year for long weekends and the like? You can go away for three days at a time and see some incredible things. It probably won’t cost you much more than visiting home (budget flights are becoming cheaper and cheaper) and you’ll be filling your life with all those incredible memories that make it worthwhile!

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