Oh, Prague, how I love thee. Because relatively few houses and sites were destroyed in World War II, much of its old-world charm remains. The home of Kafka is very much the same as it was in the 14th Century. So much beauty. Old Town. The Charles Bridge. The Astronomical Clock. The Estates Theatre (where Mozart first performed Don Giovanni). Fantastically designed and well-kept buildings appear wherever you look.

But equally as fantastic as all of that, it is a great environment for digital nomads like us. Wi-Fi is prolific. The mobile networks are better than average for Eastern Europe. Most places don't care if you stick around for a while. There's one Starbucks (for those "Dammit, I need an iced coffee!" moments). And as an added bonus, pivo (beer) is cheaper than coffee is (most bars also have free Wi-Fi). I shot a little update from the streets of Old Town for you.

I love England. It may not be exotic, but it's one of my favorite countries in the world. And this year I've been lucky enough to spend about 3 months here on and off. Last year around this same time I did a post about workshifting while in England. I decided to shoot an update post with some tips, tricks and hacks to show you how to workshift here most effectively.


If you can't view the video below, you can watch it over on YouTube.

Got any tips about workshifting in England? I'd love to hear 'em in the comments.

I've spent the last month planning and preparing for the work of 2011.  I will be doing a great deal more writing, speaking and as if it's even possible, I will be traveling even more in 2011 than 2010.  Knowing this, I spent the last month using various tools to analyze how, where and when I use my time.  The results proved that the greatest thief of my time has, of course, been email.  So, I'm kicking the "always on inbox" habit with a few little changes I talk about in this video.

(If you can't view the below video, check it out here .)

What are some of your tips for kicking email addiction?

After having run out of gas, I had a thought on the side of a lonely highway in Utah during our Rise of the Cubicle Farmer road trip and it made me think about how sometimes we may push too hard, too fast.  Sometimes the best decision might be to rest and regroup and start fresh instead of pushing it to no end, particularly when you miscalculate when the end may be.  This could be the end of a project launch, business idea, etc.  Here's a video I took while on the side of the road.

 

Do you take time to refuel?

If you are a workshifter, chances are you travel.  And if you travel, chances are you rent cars.  And if you rent cars, chances are you have come close to strangling a rental car clerk or customer service agent at some point.  The process just sucks.  Enter Zipcar, an unbelievably innovative process for rental cars that won't make you want to gouge your eyes out.  I've used them in five cities now, always painless.  They are a workshifters dream.

Here's my video review we filmed while in a Zipcar on our way to the 140 Characters Conference in Boston:

You know what really bugs me about the idea of 9 to 5?

It insinuates that every human works in the same manner and that every day we feel exactly the same as the day before.

Here's what I mean.  I like getting up early in the morning, taking a run, prepping my oatmeal and diving directly into work early (sometimes way before 9).  But right around 3, I always lose my will to sit in front of a computer screen.  At that time, depending on where I am in the world, I either go for a walk, take a nap, or go somewhere interesting (museum, park, etc).  After that, I'll get back to work and usually be on and off until the wee hours of the night.

However, a couple days ago, I had a rough morning and hit a block around midday.  I found myself half working, half thinking and half surfing the web.  I lost my focus.  So instead of having a ridiculously unproductive day and "grinding it out" until 5, I decided to stop, shut down, regroup and return to my work when I was ready for it.

Learning when to step away from the keyboard is an incredibly valuable asset.  Not only will it will keep you from burnout, but more importantly it will make you recognize that every moment should have impact when sitting in front of that monitor.

It makes absolutely no sense to work at half speed.  It's like going to the gym and half-assing a workout that takes four hours when you could have easily been 100% focused and completed it in 90 minutes.

Every human is different.  Every day is different.  Don't feel guilty when you need to step away.  It's about value added not time spent.

Photo Credit: niallkennedy

Okay, so I have returned from my workshifting train trip from NYC to Miami, and yes I am fully aware of how crazy that sounds.  I traveled on Amtrak for the duration of the trip using something that's called a USA Rail Pass.  Basically, you receive 8 segments in 15 days for just under 400 dollars, which considering how late I booked it, is a pretty good deal.  It was a total over over 60 travel hours.

Look, its no surprise that taking a train that distance will not be as time efficient as air travel.  However, I decided to take a train to mix things up a bit and investigate whether workshifting was indeed possible all the way up and down the East Coast.  

Now, for the question of whether I remained productive.  You know how when you get on a plane, you can just crank out work because there are no distractions?  Yeah, it was like that, except for 60 hours instead of six.  It was beautiful.

From a workshifters perspective, Amtrak trains are pretty solid.  They boast big, comfy chairs, probably the equivalent of First Class on most airlines.  They also have working outlets for each passenger so you can stay charged up at all times.  And of course, you can't beat the scenery.  No, the normal trains do not have WiFi, only some commuter trains do.  But I use Verizon Wireless broadband anyway which is built into my netbook.  I was very impressed with Verizon's service.  I had access to WiFi for the entire trip.  There were plenty of spots where I had no cell phone coverage on my T-Mobile Android device but was able to keep working on my netbook.

All in all, the trip was fantastic.  I was able to remain just as productive if not more so, while soaking up beautiful scenery, meeting some very interesting people and visiting some cool spots in the US.  I love experimenting and pushing the boundaries with workshifting because I believe we have reached a point (at least in most of the developed world) where work is truly what you do and not where you sit.  The ability to workshift is not just about productivity and connectedness, its about freeing yourself to take an adventure and bring your work along with you.  And that's exactly what I continue planning to do. :)

Since December 15, 2009, Melissa and I have been home for about 15 days.  Last week, we returned from a 91 day workshifting trip in Europe, and decided to ground ourselves in the East Village for a few weeks before our next adventure.  Problem: My little brother, who I call Boy, is graduating and he lives in Miami.

At this point, I am absolutely exhausted at the thought of another short haul flight.  So, I decide to do the only natural thing any workshifting nomad would do...take a train to Miami from New York City.

I just got a new netbook, and of course am rocking Verizon Wireless broadband card as usual.  I am actually curious to see if I can stay productive while traveling down the entire East Coast on an Amtrak.
P.S. The hashtag for this little experiment is #imonatrain.

Some people workshift because they can.  Some view workshifting as a triumph of technology, others a triumph of humanity.  At my company, we workshift deliberately.  We believe that it empowers our staff as well as ourselves to add value and remain creative.  We believe that people work differently, and they should be able to decide how and where to do it.  We view work as "art", and artists always have distinct methods of extracting their best.  

If you are a small business owner and you workshift deliberately it's important to be able to articulate why you workshift  as you begin working with larger and more traditional clients.  

The reason is simple.  If you don't have a good answer, it just might make you look small.  But if you do have a good answer, it just might make you look innovative.

What do you think?

As much as I love supporting local coffee shops, sometimes when I travel, particularly in Europe, I frequent Starbucks.  Why?  For workshifting purposes.  I ain't on a vacation, baby, I have a business to run.  They always have a multitude of outlets, plenty of open space, don't mind you camping out for a day.  And, of course, the seminal ingredient for any workshifters needs - WIFI (not free, though).  

But now, they have done something that will make workshifters the world over rejoice!



What do you think?