Stealth Work

One of the great benefits of reaching financial independence is the ability to modify work schedules to fit my preferences.  Maybe I want to work only certain days of the week.  Am I tired of nights and weekends?  I could get rid of them.  I could ditch overtime or even the whole gig altogether.  The choices are limitless and moldable.  In fact, I prefer to be out and about while everyone else is otherwise engaged in their 9 to 5.  The downside to such freedom is the funny looks from friends and neighbors.  I often get inquisitive stares from work men as they tromp up and down my neighborhood mowing lawns, landscaping, and mending fences.  The thing about being a stealth work practitioner is that I am confronted with the same question over and over.

Do you even have a job, or what?

After being asked this question on multiple occasions, I realized that not only do I practice stealth wealth, but stealth work also.  I tend to schedule my productive hours in ways that allow for not only a great deal of free time, but also leaves availability during the regular work day.

So how do I do this?

Front Loading

You have heard me talk over and over about front loading the sacrifice at the beginning of a career.  Well, I also front load my day with the most difficult tasks.  I usually wake up at 4:45am every morning and arrive at my first nursing home shortly thereafter.  The patients are just being woken up for their early medications, and I can see a number of them in short order without searching throughout the nursing home facility.

I also like to write in the early mornings.  There are fewer distractions.  Less phone calls and texts to answer.

If done correctly, a large part of one’s daily productive activities can be accomplished before 9am.  This leaves the rest of the day to manage everything else.

Work Bursting

Most stealth work practitioners utilize work bursting. Bursting is the process of accomplishing difficult tasks with intermittent bursts of intense focus.  This practice isolates work to short periods of a few hours at most.  Not only does this lead to greater concentration and productivity, but it also creates an abundance of downtime in-between.

Bursting works best when done in nontraditional hours when others are not around to pester you.  I like to burst in the early morning.  Some like to burst late at night.  The point is to create a protected time and space where others can’t sap away your energy.

The appearance of joblessness occurs because these short bursts of work are done at atypical hours, and punctuated with long periods of downtime.

On The Fly

Many stealth work practitioners also create jobs in which they are being paid not only for work product but also availability.  For a number of my consulting jobs, I receive stipends for being available to nurse practitioners and nurses to answer questions.  I don’t need to be physically present.

Thus, even though I am waiting in line at the car wash, I am in the midst of my typical work day on call by text or phone if questions arise.  While still technically on the clock, I am free to roam as long as I am carrying my little mobile tether.

Final Thoughts

Many people who know me think that I am either unemployed or severely underemployed.  They believe this because I am always home during the work day and have plenty of time for social outings.  The key to creating this lifestyle is to become a stealth work practitioner.  i do this by front loading, bursting, and working on the fly.

Not a bad way to spend my days!