Escape Plan Update #3

This is the 3^rd (and final) update on the planning process for my 4 to 6 month trip through Europe. If you haven’t read my previous posts, here is part 1 and part 2. The overall goal for these articles is to describe what I’ve done to prepare for leaving my ‘normal life’ behind for an extended period of time.

In truth, I’m writing this post early Saturday morning. That’s because as you’re reading this, I’m probably in a plane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, heading towards Madrid, Spain.

To get to this point, I had to do a LOT of things in the last few weeks. Here is some of what happened…

Prepare for the Unprepared

During the last few months, I thought I was doing a good job of preparing for this trip… until I had to deal with a number of last minute, urgent errands/chores/fires that needed to be put out.

I’m now a firm believer in Murphy’s Law where everything that could go wrong will go wrong. Because I waited till the last minute on a number of things, I wasn’t prepared when the unexpected popped up. As a result, I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get everything completed.

If I had to do this all over again, I would probably followed my Dad’s advice and completed everything with a week to go. That way when the unexpected comes up, I’ll be ready to take it on.

The Art of Packing Lightly

Another thing I’ve come to learn is that it’s pretty hard to pack for a 4 to 6 month trip. Since I’ll be traveling from the middle of spring to the middle of autumn, I have to plan for a variety of weather.

Furthermore, I’ve had to make sure to include everything I will need for my online business.

The end result is my backpack is a lot heavier and bulkier than I originally thought it would be. While I’ve tried my best to strip everything down to the bare minimum, I’m still going to be worn out if I have to carry this sucker for more than a few miles.

In all likelihood, I’ll spend the first week figuring out what I actually use (or wear). Anything that’s not touched during this time will be put into a box and sent home. I know I could travel a lot lighter, but I’m at the point where I don’t really know what I will (and won’t) use.

Managing My Online Business

As I’ve mentioned in my previous two posts, I’ve been having a lot of trouble with figuring out what to do with my online business. I know I can structure everything to the point where I only work 20 hours a week. The challenge is to make sure that I’m managing my business where it grows during my travels instead of decreasing.

During the next few months I’m going to do 20 to 25 tasks per week (like I said in my post about to-do lists, I break everything down into 45 minute long tasks). To make this work, I’ll dedicate an entire day to work (probably on a Monday), and then complete minor tasks throughout the week when I have free time.

Like I just said, I want to focus on the “core genius” tasks that bring the most results for my business. So as of now, I’m looking to do the following:

• Create blog content/long-term income for Steve Scott Site (10 Tasks)

• Create autoresponders/broadcast messages for my affiliate marketing newsletter (4 tasks)

• Manage my case study project (5 tasks) [This is something I’ll discuss in a future blog post]

• Manage outsourcers and come up with more ways to utilize their services (2 tasks)

• Blog Commenting (2 tasks)

• Weekly tasks (1 task)

• Planning and long-term strategy brainstorming (1 task)

As you can see, there are a few tasks which focus on managing my systems rather than “doing tasks.” That’s because I’m hoping that the limited time during my travels will help me become better at managing my outsourcers. Ultimately I hope to use them to handle the majority of my business, leaving me to focus on planning and overseeing the process.

Where Do I Start???

Well as I mentioned before, I’m probably landing in Spain as you read this post. First, I’m going to take it easy in Madrid and get acclimated to the time change. Then I’ll be heading towards Toledo. After that, Seville. Then finally, I’ll go into Portugal, stopping first at Lagos and Sagres.

From there… More of Spain, then France, Italy, Switzerland, etc, etc, etc.

Of course, nothing is etched in stone. I’m trying to be extremely flexible and not get bogged down in the “to-do list mentality” while I’m traveling. My goal is to enjoy life a little, not approach this trip as mad dash attempt to do everything.

That’s about it for now. In the next few days, I’ll send another update and let y’all know how things are going…

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