“Why Don’t You Do Some Work?”

PETER SHANKMAN

POSTED ON August 21st, 2008

294 COMMENTS

Gotta tell ya… I’m getting pretty tired of hearing that.

Was having a conversation the other day with someone via IM. She asked me where I was, and I told her I was talking from the lobby of the W hotel in Times Square, waiting to have a drink with someone who runs a marketing firm.

“The W Hotel?! What a tough life! Will you please do some work?!” she IM’d back. It was around 3pm. She didn’t know I’d closed two deals, brought three new advertisers to HARO, and gotten one client onto CNN. Not bad for someone who, according to my friend, had to be nagged to “do some work.”

It’s not the first time I’ve heard that from her, or for that matter, from countless other people. One of the sub-hazards of having several status updates on various devices, I assume. In the past, I’ve heard virtually identical comments resulting from Facebook or Twitter updates that have included “Driving from LA to SF, stopped to get gas outside some wind farm,” “Sitting in the lounge at Gatwick, munching on a bagel,” “Singapore–>EWR flight delayed, hitting Duty Free, anyone want anything?” “Sitting on the hood of my rental car, watching the sunset from the desert outside of Eloy, Arizona,” and of course, “working from the Ranch, waiting for them to fuel the plane,” which of course, is code for “handling a client issue via conference call, with my skydiving rig on my back, hoping I’ll finish the call before the next load goes up in the air.”

To my detractors (who I should say, I don’t believe are saying “do some work” to be mean,) I respond simply with “On any given day I’m working twice as hard as you if not more so, and if you’re hating, you’re simply not as adept at playing the game.” And I mean that with absolute respect, and no insult intended.

Look, I talk all the time about how I have ADHD, how I use it to my advantage, blah, blah, blah, but let’s seriously consider this for a second: What does that actually mean?

I don’t do well in offices, I don’t do well in a structured environment, I sure as hell don’t do well in a cubicle, and the last time I had a “job” with a “boss,” I quit within three months of starting. I’m very fortunate to have realized it as early as I did, because what it tells me is that I’m simply not designed for working the way you work, but I’ve been smart enough to learn from it, and adapt my lifestyle to not only meet my needs, but exceed them, all while having fun.

I can work from anywhere. With the technology available to me, I’ve worked from a forest, an airplane (as I’m doing now) the back of a Taxi, or a beach in Phuket. I’ve sent out the HARO while waiting to board a plane, on a Metro North Railroad, or poolside from a conference in California.

I’ve also closed deals at nightclubs, in bars, or while running through Central Park at 11:30am on a Tuesday. I’ve taken client calls while taxiing down the runway while in the plane out of which I’ll skydive nine minutes later. I’ve gone on TV to talk about marketing with 27 minutes notice, stopping in a Nordstrom to buy a button down shirt and jacket, because I was wearing a t-shirt at the time, and it was soaked with sweat after a run. With logic suggesting that I’ll be placed at a desk where the camera won’t see the lower half of my body, I walked in to the newsroom in a button-down shirt, blazer, Nike shorts, and New Balance sneakers. I washed my face in the bathroom, they applied foundation and pancake makeup two minutes to air, and 15 seconds before we came back from commercial, a production assistant ran on set to pull off the tag from the sleeve of my jacket. The interview went flawlessly.

Best part? One of my greatest accomplishments is that I have NEVER, EVER had a client say I wasn’t paying enough attention to them, or a colleague tell me that I missed a meeting, or wasn’t focused. In fact, 90% of the time, I don’t tell people where I am, and they naturally assume I’m in an office, at a desk. Good. That’s what they should be thinking!

But before you tell me to screw-off as you read this from your desk, know that it’s not anywhere near as free-and-clear as it might seem. With this freedom, comes the inevitable other side of the coin. And this flip-side is for my friends who shout “do some work” in all caps in the window of an IM.

Sure, I might try and tack on a half-day of skydiving or a few hours of beach time after a business trip before flying home, but the last time I took an honest-to-G-d vacation, without a laptop or cell phone? July of 2001. Last time you did? Probably a few months ago, if not sooner. Every year, I’m invited to view photos from my friend Karen, as she comes back from Africa, or Australia, or some other wonderful place, where she’s toured for the previous two weeks, totally off the grid. My friend Cheryl heads to Fiji, or the Galapagos Islands, or Brazil, or Portugal for a week after the NYC Marathon, every year.

While I try to explore at least one new place every time I travel, the concept of “off the grid” is virtually foreign to me. I never know where the next deal is going to come from, or who’s going to present it. My plane seat-mate? (Who on this flight, works in oil and gas in Houston, and has fallen asleep) Not this trip, but next time, maybe – Hell, I invented and eventually sold a company to facilitate just those kind of moments! At the supermarket? Always carry a business card or two, just keep a few in every pocket, you never know. At a step-cousin’s Bar Mitzvah? Why not. It’s happened. Watching the Mets? Who knows what the guy next to me does for a living when he’s not trash-talking the Pirates?

Remember the scene in Beverly Hills Cop II, (I doubt you would, normal people wouldn’t, it’s just how my brain works) where Eddie Murphy, undercover, says to the guy with the fake credit cards, “If you can’t handle this, I’ll just go to someone else. I’m a bizness man. I’m doin’ bizness. I’m makin’ moves. I’m movin’!” He’s snapping all around, moving in a million different directions to make his point. That’s how I live – Spinning ten plates at any given time – and thoroughly enjoying it! And that’s the key – when you enjoy what you do, it’s not work. That’s why the part about not going off the grid or taking a vacation isn’t a plea for sympathy – quite the opposite, it’s saying “hey, if you want this, can you handle doing things a lot differently than what you’re used to?”

“Why don’t you do some work?” This is work! This is what I do! I meet people, I put people together, I make deals, I make two and two equal five. I don’t sit behind a desk and create spreadsheets. I don’t move numbers from category A to category B. I don’t take phone calls asking where the TPS report is from a boss who hovers over me all the time, and I certainly don’t send an email, then go out for a donut, hoping that when I get back to my desk, I have a response. Wherever I am, that’s work. Whatever I’m doing, that’s work. And no, it’s not at a desk, and no, it’s not in a cubicle, and yes, I’m probably having a hell of a lot of fun doing it.

So Let’s translate “why don’t you do some work” into what it really is: “How come your job lets you fly all over the place, and have meetings in really cool places, and why can’t mine? Your job certainly doesn’t seem like work, why does mine?”

My answer to them? Because you don’t want it badly enough. If you really did, you’d have it. You’d take the risk, and play the game. (In actuality, that’s all it ever is – one giant game.) Face it – Having a job where you’re not the boss is, well, safe. You might hate it, you might think you can do it better, and you might want to firebomb your cubicle, but in the end, it’s safe. Your direct deposit comes in every other Friday, and you know it’ll be there. Going out on your own isn’t that simple. You’d worry every single day that this is the day you’re going to screw it all up, and lose it all. And when you woke up at 4:30am the next morning, (not because you can’t sleep, but because 4:30am to 5:30am is the only time you can work out without having to carry your phone with you) you’d smile that you kept it going another day, and actually look forward to working. You’ll wake up smiling, no matter how early it is. So you’d be scared on a regular basis. The paycheck wouldn’t be guaranteed, but the excitement damn well would be.

In the end, it comes down to boundaries, be them self-imposed or imposed by your own environment, either of which you feel you can’t fight. Boundaries that say “I have to work at a job and make a living so I can provide for my family and not be risky.” That’s fine! There’s nothing wrong with that. But that boundary comes at a cost, and it can be expensive at times, and I’m sorry, but those boundaries that lock you into your desk job aren’t my fault. See, I just never understood the boundaries. (Hell, I never understood a lot of things.) I never got that there were these man-made boundaries between working and playing that said the two shouldn’t ever meet, and because I never understood them, I couldn’t understand how to respect them. That definitely got me fired from the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Yogurt” store when I was 17, no question. After college, I worked in several jobs early in my career, and they were always fun. When they weren’t, I simply left, and found something that was fun. And let’s not confuse “hard work” with fun – hard work, if you like the work, is fun. I’ve never left a job because the work was hard. I’ve left because I wasn’t enjoying it. And that’s two different beasts, entirely. The best New Yorker Cartoon I ever saw showed a man on a beach on his laptop, talking to his wife. The caption read “I”m not a workaholic. I work to relax.”

As I said above, I absolutely LOVE what I do. I didn’t get into PR and marketing because I thought it would be easy, or because I thought it was a party job. I honestly do like telling a story, and I’ve been blessed with an ability to do it well. The entrepreneurial aspect of all of it has come from, well, from not caring what other people thought, really. The same brain that got me beaten up in junior high is finally able to express these ideas that, shock of shocks, are actually worth something! How freakin’ cool is that?? If you go out and interview 10 entrepreneurs, I guarantee that almost every single one will say that they got teased as a kid, they were different, etc. And where are the kids who teased me? I’ve got no idea – but I’d be willing to bet they’re in a cubicle somewhere. And again, that’s cool – if they’re happy.

The problem though, comes when “do some work!” really translates into “I hate that you get to do that and I don’t.” Because if that’s the case, then don’t waste your time telling me to “do some work,” but rather, do some work on your own, and figure out why you’re unhappy. Once you figure that out, I guarantee, you won’t call it “work” a second longer.

Want to try it? I encourage it! Why wouldn’t you? Figure out what you do, figure out how to do it on your own, and go to town! It’s not for everyone – no doubt – just like I couldn’t handle a cubicle, there are people who can’t handle the doubt and fear that occasionally comes with doing it on your own. And that’s totally cool! That doesn’t make you any the less of anything! This isn’t a competition, which is what my “do some work!” friends don’t seem to get. The only people we have to compete with in this life are ourselves. If we’re happy with what we’ve done at the end of the day, whether that’s working for someone else, for ourselves, or somewhere in the middle, then I think we’ve won.

“Do some work?” October 28th will be 10-years since I incorporated my first company. For the past 3,650 days, I’ve done nothing but work. But you know what? It’s never once felt like it.

Claudia D’Avanzo

Hi, Peter. I’m so glad I read this. Thanks for writing it. Thought of this James Michener quote as I read along and wanted to send share it.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.”
http://www.ideahall.com Morgan Wheeler

I do believe you just articulated my ideal work life…

Preach on Peter!
http://www.annfry.com Ann Fry

I’m totally with you on this. Having been self-employed for two decades, I’ve gotten this comment over and over. How dare they? You know, we’re lucky. We work for ourselves, set our own schedules, work when we want and when we don’t. We also don’t get vacation and sick leave benefits, we pay our own insurance, we work well into the night when other’s sleep. They never see the tradeoffs. They often are envious but take it out in a passive-aggressive way … don’t let them get you down.
Remember, the statistic is something like 90% of self-employed people fail in their first year … well. hooray of us. We’ve made it.That’s what matters.
http://www.PopJudaica.com/ Nice Jewish Girl

Beautifully stated Peter!

When I tell people I am self-employed they assume I get up at Noon and work in my PJ’s. Wrong! By being self employed I work even longer hours, take fewer vacations where I am not “plugged in” and like you there is often a very thin line between work life and social life.
http://www.shelancers.com/directory/ Nicole Dean

Well, although I own my own business and work from home, I was able to take off four weeks this summer to travel and visit my family, because I outsource to my fabulous Shelancers. (Our term for women who are freelancers.)

Do I outsource everything? No. Did I bring my laptop? Yes. But I only checked it once each day, and my business ran smoothly.

I absolutely LOVE my work. However, my husband and kids love me, so I have to put it aside so they know that work is still my #2 passion behind them.

But, it was interesting when I was visiting family during that trip. They kept asking “Now WHAT do you do?” And, “how is it that you’re here and not working?” ;)

Peter, your article was wonderful. Thank you for sharing your passion and experience.
Teddy

#142 — Jess — right on with your comments. We’re all interconnected, and different people function best in different environments. I work for a nonprofit, handling all their writing and media & PR. I’ve spent entire days of my “desk job” out in the field with a film crew or gathering info I need to write about our programs. For me, this office job gives me the security I want, with the freedom to be creative too.
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http://www.TheSavvyGal.com Monique

Brilliant!! Thanks for a well-written thesis I could hand my husband to help him understand why I work the way I do and why my laptop has joined us on every vacation we’ve ever taken.
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http://schoolfinder.globalscholar.com/blog/471/471/ Brendan

Thanks for the inspiration for a pretty good blog post.
http://www.themediapush.wordpress.com Charlotte Risch

Peter, you are my hero! When I left the world of TV and ad agencies to do PR and work from home, some people thought I was crazy. Others loved to mention how “nice it must be to work at home in your PJs.” Yah, my self-diagnosed case of ADHD is perfect for PR. I can work anytime, anywhere and quite frankly…I need to be working or checking emails, no matter where I am. You’d be amazed how much I can do while traveling, waiting in line, going to a sports event. I guess I should feel better about waking early now to wake up. It really is the only time to get a workout without dealing with phone calls or emails.
http://www.sequence-inc.com/fraudfiles Tracy Coenen

Kudos to you, Peter. I can’t tell you how many times after I say, “I’m sorry, I don’t schedule meetings before 10:00am,” … I’ve been told, “Must be nice!!!!”

Yes, it is nice. And the trade-off is that I usually work until 11pm or later. I don’t mind one bit, but it’s crazy to me that people equate a later start time with laziness.

:)
Jenny

Thanks for a really great blog, Peter. I forwarded this to my husband who has medically diagnosed ADHD and also isn’t a huge fan of structure or boundaries (but loves the book “Learning Outside the Lines”!). I am very impressed with how you’ve been able to use your talents successfully given your situation.
James T. Kirk

Don’t mince words, Peter, tell my how you really feel?
http://www.luxetips.com Latoicha

I just love love love this post! This is my life and inspiration. Only an entrepreneur can truly understand this article. Thank you for sharing and now I know I am not the only one!
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http://www.joolz.com.au Airdrie

This was great to read. Finally realised that the cubicle life was not for me either and yeah, it is frightening and exhilerating and fun and crazy and I never stop working – now that I work for me, and only me! This is sometimes like the responses I get from some of my friends (on a much smaller scale of course) – its good to see I’m not the only one!
http://www.elizabethjharris.com eliza

Envy is a sad thing.

If showing up is 90% of success, you’re showing up big time and your advice is right on. Too many would rather whine than actually take responsibility for doing it. Nike said it. Just do it. You are a shining example and I’m taking it to heart. Maybe a few others should too. Thanks for the energy boost. Less whining and more doing, would boost US productivity in amazing ways. Thanks!
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http://smartwomanguides.com Vicki Flaugher

I’m so relieved to know that I am not the only one who hears this! I am never quite sure how to respond without sounding defensive or mean, but I didn’t become an entrepreneure to work conventionally. Home or mobile office, meeting others and building relationships, the whole enchilada – I LOVE it and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I do my best on my blog to encourage others, especially women, to take the leap too – life is too short to rot away in a cubicle. Great post!

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
http://www.RocketfuelSigns.com Bill Thomas

Create a way to make a living around your lifestyle, not a lifestyle around your living and you never have to go to work and you never dream of retirement!

Bill
http://www.RocketfuelSigns.com
Cacharrón

I’ll copy this and paste it next time i’m asked…

Cheers mate,

Cacharrón
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http://www.daverendall.typepad.com David Rendall

Amen! Although I often procrastinate on good blog ideas (as you mentioned in another post), this one was so good that I had to write about it right away on my freak factor blog. The premise of the freak factor is that our apparent weaknesses are clues to our biggest strengths. Instead of fixing what seems to be wrong with us, we need to find situations that fit our unique style. It sounds like this is exactly what you have done. Thank you for providing a great example and congratulations on your cartoon.
Robin Dhara

great words Peter, and also the way that I’m trying to live my life now! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
http://www.prrightnow.com Gina Kazimir

How NICE to hear from a fellow non-traditionalist!

I too “work” at odd hours and in odd places. I got a client a major story in the “Wall Street Journal” once from the back of my horse; I’ve signed new clients while looking at petroglyphs in New Mexico; I’ve answered media inquiries while getting ready to go ride Icelandic horses over lava fields outside Reykjavik. I’m not often at my desk, but I’m almost always available when I’m needed.

I’m celebrating 10 years of running my showcase PR firm (think “solo” but with add-on assistance as needed from a great network). My husband gave me a lovely leopard-print bathrobe for my birthday last year, happily announcing “look, I got you new office wear!”

There are downsides, but the reality is that today’s technology makes the idea of an “office” a very flexible one. Too bad so many people just don’t realize that.
http://www.RecipesForLife.com Barbara Howard

Inspiring – in a kick-in-the-butt sorta way.
http://www.whatspossible.ca Tara McDonough

Wow! What an incredibly articulate, inspiring post.

Peter, I have just discovered you through Seth Godin’s blog and cannot wait to read more. Our world needs more people who boldly challenge us to step up and live courageously – whatever that looks like. The adrenaline rush of authentic action looks different for everyone, yet it could power the world many times over.
Lisa

god bless ya…nicely done…
Lisa

nicely done…
http://adhdventures.com Cathy Jantzen

Wooohooo! Thanks Peter for telling it like it is. Personally, I prefer the forest and my dogs to an office and water cooler. I also love choosing my clients and making my own rules. I would have liked to have avoided the demoralizing of multiple boots by not understanding earlier. And, that and a few personal rude awakenings are what brought me back to my true nature.

It’s always been my way to help people. (I started doing social work in the 4th grade organizing group games so everyone could play.) So I’m back to doing it again. And, now we’re all grown up! I’m a guide to women who wonder like I did, “What the hell is wrong?” I’m a social worker of sorts, a community organizer for ADHD women. We bring play back in to work, or work in to play, depending on how you look at it.

What an really cool world we would live in if more of us participated in life, work and play like we did (or should have been able to) as kids.

Like I said… Wooooooo Hooooooo!
http://www.kenokel.com/video.html Ken Okel

It’s a sign of the times that your workplace and your working hours are up for the individual to define. Often I get the most out of my time by working at home rather than in the office where I can be frequently interrupted.
http://ice-qube.com leslie fastenberg

lovely peter. enjoyed the helicopter ride – and now your fabulous musings on the benefits of working in your own environment. i too, have managed to work from where ever, often in my bathrobe at the kitchen table, mostly in my car driving in the service of family and home. i have created a product for emergency preparedness called the Ice-Qube. check out my website at ice-qube.com.
i too came from the pr/marketing world, and now i am back funneling all that in to my product.
enjoyed your blog.
http://www.marinacilona.com Marina

This was an amazing post. I’m just one year into work and I’ve been struggling with the idea that productivity is not defined through the hours you put in at the office. I want to generate the most value I can in my career and I know that that won’t always be done in an office. I started a blog about career value and general and I hope that the realisation I made in this entry http://marinacilona.com/2008/0.....-and-rain/ is my first on the way to thinking about things in the way you do.

So thank you.

Marina
Wynand Winterbach

This article is perfectly timed in my life. I’ve spent the past few weeks putting together plans to get my own thing going and I your post gave another much needed push.

Thank you for sharing this.
Wynand
Kwame

I’ve never read any of your posts before and only half of this one (at work), but…you’re awesome.
http://www.workpost.com Workpost Foreman

Most people just don’t know what work is… or what work can be. Excellent post.
Kwame

Great read and I know exactly what you mean. Some people just don’t get it- work and play can be virtually the same if you are willing to go after what you want.
http://www.wink-web,com;www.nicolebraun.com Nicole Braun

Amen, Peter! Right on!!
http://www.nutsandboltsdesign.com nabd

AMEN! I am right there with you! I work from home and I love it! Keep doing your thing!
http://www.nvros.ru Antonio

I just love love love this post! This is my life and inspiration. Only an entrepreneur can truly understand this article. Thank you for sharing and now I know I am not the only one!
http://seuser.ru 56nix

I agree completely! But I still struggle to get over the guilt I feel when I’m not in my office. I can work anywhere and often do, but many people think I’m goofing off. Thanks for the great justification (not that we need one…).
http://www.gektar.biz Leo

Thanks for a really great blog, Peter.
http://www.gektar.biz/
http://dumpyemail.com Temporary

Peter, was really admired by your post… Made me think much…
http://auto-honda.narod.ru Suzan W.

The best… :)
Big thanks Peter for the great post.
You’re talking for a bunch of us!
I applaud you!
http://eas-tags.com trewis

Very interesting post!
“I can work from anywhere. With the technology available to me, I’ve worked from a forest, an airplane (as I’m doing now) the back of a Taxi, or a beach in Phuket. I’ve sent out the HARO while waiting to board a plane, on a Metro North Railroad, or poolside from a conference in California.”
I’m agree. Offices are for Robots! ))
http://asian.reaxxx.ru/map.html Angelina

I never understood people who complain day in and day out about their jobs but refuse to leave and try something else. Being an entrepreneur is very hard work full of satisfaction and excitement. It’s not a one size fit all world, which is why there are so many options out there.
http://makebusiness.ru Oleg

Keep movin, Peter! This is the right way. I work from home and have much more then my office collegues from “last life” :)
http://www.xpresstrain.com Kenneth Yim

Most people don’t know you make more in a hour then most make in a year! “If you work with your hands you work for the rest of your life. If you work with your mind you never work again”

Go Peter Go
http://topteens.ru/ Порно видео

I have had several businesses, I have worked hard a long time, and now I am interested in life! I love to “work”: write, talk, make audios, videos, interview, talk to people…but my real passion is to live life, travel, experience new and fun people, places… I love that I can work from almost anywhere!
http://topteens.ru/ Порно видео

I agree completely! But I still struggle to get over the guilt I feel when I’m not in my office. I can work anywhere and often do, but many people think I’m goofing off. Thanks for the great justification (not that we need one…).
http://hdjefjhnvfj4.hop.ru/bulgakov/map.html Порнушка

I agree completely! But I still struggle to get over the guilt I feel when I’m not in my office. I can work anywhere and often do, but many people think
http://hdjefjhnvfj4.hop.ru/cilikone/map.html порно без доступа

This article is perfectly timed in my life. I’ve spent the past few weeks putting together plans to get my own thing going and I your post gave another much needed push.

Thank you for sharing this.
Mary Huff

Sent your blog about doing what you love to a life coach who works with ADD/ADHD’ers. I don’t call it ADD anymore, I made up my own name for it: Attention Abundance Condition. (couldn’t think of a positive “D” replacement word) There’s no deficit here!
-Mary Huff, Huff Communications
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http://www.thesocialpet.com Jackie Phillips

Great job. You are right on target in how you are feeling. For me, the thrill comes from making my own decisions compared to somebody always telling me what to do. I learned I can make great decisions and I did have good ideas. Many times I would see all the stupid mistakes a boss or company owner would make and how terrible employees are treated and how customers are taken for greated and I would say: “I can do a much better job!” There is a big difference working seven days a week for yourself and your own company compared to working seven days a week for somebody else. One is fun and the other is horrible. Keep up the good work.
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http://www.quixo.com MSG Quixo

Get back to work — all of you!
http://newark1.com The Web Design Guy

Love this post! As a ‘creative’ some of my best ideas come from a hike in the desert or a walk through a botanic garden. The mind is always working!
http://myelitewellness.com Mishell

Agreed could not have been said better.
http://twitter.com/WBernuy @wbernuy

I think this is the best thing I’ve read in a long time. I totally feel the same way, seeing it put into words amazes me. I’m buying your book now. Is it available in audio as well?
Lisa

You said in this blog what I think often. My office is in my house and when I tell people that, they assume that I do nothing but chase the dog or that I have an internet business and sit on eBay all day. Truth of the matter is that I rack up about 2000 miles a month on my car and rack up so many frequent flyer miles that I may never have to pay for a flight again as long as I live. Through all of that, I manage to keep 37 employees and over 300 clients out of trouble. I often work 12 – 14 hours a day and still manage to get to Indians baseball games and many, many music events as well as other social events. I learned a long time ago, having ADHD works in my favor as I am able to juggle multiple things which means I have just as much social life as I would have only working 8 hours a day like a normal person. And I can’t believe the number of people that utter those words: “I wish you’d work!”. I’d like to see them try!
http://www.logosmith.net Gary Smith

Well stated. 2 similar stories, both related to chambers of commerce – not because they’re any more clueless than the rest of us, but because that’s part of the circle I roll in, I guess…

At most chamber events I attend, as I’m leaving, someone inevitably says: “Well, guess I’d better get to work.”

“I *am* working,” I always say. Sometimes they actually get it…

And then a chamber exec, who travels a great deal himself, sort of chides me because I took his call when I was traveling, and happened to be at a Starbucks working away at the laptop. “Don’t tell my staff you can do that, I’ll never keep ‘em in the office.”

Wow, pops, welcome to the 21st century. The first statement may be just rhetorical; a different way of saying “gotta get to the next thing.” The latter is purely clueless…
http://www.bouchardinternational.com Kelly Bouchard

So there!
http://www.eilertinc.com Barbara Eilert

Great post – I love working every day! It is fun for me – and when I am in a building the windows actually OPEN. : )
http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ Davina Brewer

This was my Demotivator this morning http://despair.com/gettowork.html It’s a personal choice how to live, work and play. I’ve been heckled for taking my laptop everywhere, even short trips. Don’t care.

Many times I’ve been on a workation, got a good lead, turned around a quick release or design project. Clients were happy, no idea I’d been snorkeling that morning, or was going to Disney World that night. It’s the work that matters. FWIW.
http://twitter.com/adventuregirl Adventure Girl- Stef Michaels

Here-here Peter.

Not only do I work mobile, but now with airplane wi-fi I work “in-air”, too. Work is work however it is packaged for you- the individual. Kudos on the story.
:0
Stef
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http://www.careerconsultmd.com/ Shahrzad Arasteh

Dear Peter,

This is a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and schedule!). I think one thing that can sometimes be hard to see from the outside is how much the lines between personal time and work time can blend together when you have your own business (but also how rewarding and fun it can be and the flexibility it can give you, not to mention that you get to do what you love). I hope you will always continue to love your work and your life, while making a difference.
http://www.imultisport.com Jon Moss

I should read this everyday
http://www.thexocolatebar.com Malena

Love it!
http://www.mominventors.com Tamara Monosoff

Thank you, Peter, for writing this post! I felt a sense of relief when I read it. I can SO relate.
http://www.RichDPhoto.com/ Rich Demanowski

Well stated, Peter!

I get this all the time from my roommates, who still mistakenly believe that the road to independence and self-sufficiency resides in the job they have with an employer.

Just because they’re playing video poker or Guitar Hero when they’re sitting in front of their computer, they assume that’s what I must be doing when they see me at mine. Never mind that blogging, FaceBook and Twitter keep me in front of and conversing with hundreds, if not thousands, of potential clients.

Like you, my business is about getting face time with people, showing them my portfolio, and teaching them what to look and listen for in their circles of influence, so they know when to hand their friends my card and say “call this guy, he can help you”. That can’t happen from behind a desk. It happens at parties and tweetups and lunches and coffee shops and bowling alleys and supermarkets. It *can* happen Monday thru Friday from 9 to 5, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. For me, more often than not, it’s before or after “business hours”, on weekends, while I’m also doing “something else” like taking a walk, chillin on the beach, or shopping for groceries.

I met one of my best clients by, quite literally, bumping into a complete stranger at Costco, and striking up a conversation.

But my roomies, in their self-imposed blindness, think that all I do is sit around and goof off all day, while they’re busy “working”.

I’d like to see them *try* and do my job. Or yours. Their pathetically narrow minds would be hiding in the corner and crying for mommy within minutes.
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http://www.ryankelleher.com Ryan Kelleher

Good stuff broham.
http://sydneyowen.com Sydney Owen

Since I met you at SXSW in March, I’ve been a lurker. I have read, and no doubt appreciated, your posts for nearly six months without a single comment.

That’s messed up.

Yesterday, the #Broman con-call brought me to this post. And I’m super-pumped that it did.

This post outlines how I feel about life in general. Except people are saying to me “you’re so lucky” because I got a sweet internship, that will hopefully lead to full-time employment, before I graduated college. I have been working at a top PR firm in Chicago since June, and I graduate this weekend. Why? Because I’m a networking machine. I’m too am always working, no matter if it’s on the bus, at a bar, or anywhere inbetween. But, like you, it’s never once felt like work. Even in my little intern cube, I’m sublimely happy because what I’m doing (most of it anyway) is what I love.

I’m coming to find out through this experience that I’m not cut out for the cube. I’ll probably ride that wave so I can learn the industry, but eventually I want to be working from my bed, a plane, a cruise ship, wherever life takes me.

Kudos to you for squashing the nay-sayers. Star performers are undoubtedly ridiculed by those who don’t get what we’re doing. It happens. And we’re better for it.

Keep on keepin’ on. And I promise I’ll comment more often.
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http://www.realestateouterbanks.org Kevin OBrien

Great article. I agree working in a cubicle everyday would drive me crazy.

Congratulations this is great – “October 28th will be 10-years since I incorporated my first company. For the past 3,650 days, I’ve done nothing but work. But you know what? It’s never once felt like it.”
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http://www,mcgrailgroup.com Mike McGrail

Peter gets to the heart of why 70% of the “work”force” are unhappy and 50% are looking for new jobs. They simply do not have enough passion for their jobs or fun doing their jobs. FUN jobs like professional sports where men and women are paid millions to “play” is extremely hard “work” or “EXTREME FUN” and it is a matter of attitude which one it becomes and it seems the real winners almost always go to the top of their profession having “fun”!
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http://zuvaruvi.com/ Abigail

I can just say that’s the way to go!
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C.W.

Well said! Ignore the haters. I’m so tired of hearing the same b.s. from people who made choices in their lives that restrict their freedom (kids, oppressive mortgage, etc.) and then spew vitriol at those of us who didn’t make those choices and/or know how to steer around the roadblocks. I deliberately avoid including the naysayers in my circle of peers, acquaintances, and certainly friends.

We are fortunate enough to live in a country where you can make your life into anything you desire as long as you’re willing to work at it and employ a great deal of commitment. Yay for that!
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http://www.ofdconsulting.com Meghan Ely

Well said Peter- I need to print this out and hang it on my office wall. :)
http://amanda-boyd.com Amanda

It doesn’t matter how many times I read through other bloggers’ perspectives on entrepreneurship and breaking out of the cube, I never get tired of it. I love hearing individual experiences, and I’m finally doing it myself. Quit my job last week, and am transitioning out of my position. Can’t wait to be free and 100% solo.
http://www.ajoyfulcelebration.net Rev. Sherry

Some people (like Peter) can chalk up their entire success to the personality attributes that make them basically unemployable in “the real world.”

And I don’t know about you, but as my own boss, I expect more from myself and my “work day” than any “boss” I’ve ever worked for. (Hence posting comments on Peter Shankman at 6AM.)

~Rev. Sherry
http://www.aignerprenskymarketing.com Anne-Marie Aigner

Amen, sir, amen. While I’m a little of both — the 10-plate spinner and the cubicle gal — I totally agree that it’s all about the results, not the process. In fact, some of your most loyal followers are on my staff and they’d like to try this work-where-you-want-when-you-want approach but they don’t think I’d let them. My answer: Do it, and know that I will expect that your results will be equal if not better than if you were in the office!!
Great post — thanks for your thoughts. You are an inspiration to all of us jugglers out here –
http://www.morejoyinlife.com Mark Nolan

I’ve been self-employed most of my life. One business I owned a while ago gave me the opportunity to talk to entrepreneurs all day long. I learned that what you said here (quoted below) is absolutely true. They all told me much the same thing:

“If you go out and interview 10 entrepreneurs, I guarantee that almost every single one will say that they got teased as a kid, they were different, etc. And where are the kids who teased me? I’ve got no idea – but I’d be willing to bet they’re in a cubicle somewhere. And again, that’s cool – if they’re happy.”

The old joke is that later in life the A students all get jobs working for the C students.

My take on it is, if you are being teased and criticized it just means that you are doing something special and extraordinary and making a bigger effort than average.

So … Smile and carry on. Shrug it off and enjoy your life. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for this great post. And this one too:

http://shankman.com/how-to-jai.....-you-want/

Best wishes,

Mark Nolan
http://clintonskakun.com Clinton Skakun

I’m also not a content shift-person, even though I work a job, I’d rather much be pounding out 16 hour days on my gig. As soon as my own gig crashflow positive and providing me with enough to replace my income, I’m going to move on.

Your post inspires me to grab a laptop and travel, see the world, and get tons of work done.

Although, I manage to make as much money as someone with a degree(two jobs + I work twice as many hours as everyone) I feel I was always meant to be a total and complete entrepreneur, be it acting, music, online business, or what ever else can be considered entrepeneurial. And I’ve found that I’m really passionate about building online services and writing. The two seem to make me tick.

Thanks for inspiring me to work even harder and take up traveling(even though that was probably not the idea of your post, more of an example of what works for you personally.)

Clinton
http://www.munichonshoes.com Munich Shoes

“If you go out and interview 10 entrepreneurs, I guarantee that almost every single one will say that they got teased as a kid, they were different, etc. And where are the kids who teased me? I’ve got no idea – but I’d be willing to bet they’re in a cubicle somewhere. And again, that’s cool – if they’re happy.”

The old joke is that later in life the A students all get jobs working for the C students.

My take on it is, if you are being teased and criticized it just means that you are doing something special and extraordinary and making a bigger effort than average.

So … Smile and carry on. Shrug it off and enjoy your life. Keep up the good work.

http://www.colehaanonsale.com
http://www.lendorlaw.com/ St Lucia Law Firm

Inspirational piece. Its the perfect work life balance that we constantly strive for, read about, attend work shops out but never really work out of the box enough to live a balanced life.
http://www.republicpr.ie Simon Palmer

I think the fact that I found this post three years after it was written and that up until now it’s had 293 comments, says a lot about how good it is.

Now do some work!

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