subject: A Virtual Lifestyle But Not A Virtual Reality – The Advantages Of A Virtual Business [print this page] A Virtual Lifestyle But Not A Virtual Reality The Advantages Of A Virtual Business
A busy three day weekend in New York City, a city so great they gave it the same name twice, typically results in a fast paced, exciting and somewhat exhausting excursion. Our visit to the Big Apple included a dinner in Little Italy, tickets to La Bete with David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame, and a long walk from our hotel on 44th through all of Central Park, arriving at 110th to catch the subway back to Time Square. We finished with a Sunday afternoon stroll past the Empire State Building and then caught the 2:07 Metro North at Grand Central, culminating in a drive from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts.
For many this would result in a relatively lethargic Monday morning commute, but with a virtual business, why not sleep in? Most days I start early, awakening by my natural clock. On Monday, I simply slept in until 8:30am, grabbed a Starbucks coffee in my kitchen and began my day about an hour later than usual. Perhaps an 8:30am start doesn't sound like a very late start to those employed in traditional venues. My clients and contractors certainly wouldn't care that I began my day at 8:30am; it's a rare occurrence that results in a call prior to 9:00am. And the 8:30am start time is certainly appropriate for most businesses, however unlike my virtual business, this start time would normally necessitate waking up at 6:30am to achieve an office appearance at 8:30am. For all of the traditional, brick and mortar commuters out there, a two hour lead time to shower, dress, have breakfast, grab the brief case, commute, park and walk to your office is merely the norm.
Welcome to the virtual business world, a world where all meetings take place online, and the term face to face infers a Skype video call. It's an empowering and flexible lifestyle with progressively more taking advantage of the commute free, productivity enhancing venue. There are now books discussing this topic which range from the philosophical 4-Hour Workweek to the more pragmatic Your Virtual Success. These and other books discuss doing business in a better way and a more profitable approach, while also providing for a more fulfilling existence. In my case, this isn't a perceived reality, or even a virtual reality, it's a flexible and forgiving workweek and a much better, fulfilling and eco-friendly lifestyle.
