Ashton Kutcher was always annoying to me – Punk’d, trucker hats, That 70s show = lame.

Now he’s the most followed man on Twitter.  Who cares?

Well, not only did he build his personal brand, but he did it better than most.

He owns his own production company – Katalyst, married Demi, and basically does what he wants all day long.

And he’s the one who got me thinking about, what he calls, the “thrash effect”.

He claims that the ‘thrash effect’ is what made Punk’d work, it’s what makes his Twitter popular, and it’s why his production company is successful.  When he has ‘thrash’, he will never make everyone happy.  Thrash is the wake left behind when you’re moving forward to a goal.

Thrash forces you outside your comfort zone, it makes you stretch, it keeps you moving.  Ashton has a good point.

It’s got me thinking about what I can do to have more thrash.  What can I do that will stir the people?  What will cause a movement?

I’ve started keeping a notepad with me – it fits in my back pocket.  It has been so useful for ideas that I have during the day.  I’ve filled 6 pages in my first day, and like the way this is going.  Slowly but surely, I’m engineering my life to exactly how I want it.

That’s what I told my teacher in 4th grade when she asked me to step outside.  Yeah, I was probably really annoying.

I’ve always something against authority figures.  I can distinctly remember thinking to myself about Mrs. Sesserego at Pasadena Elementary – “if I’m a person, and she’s a person, then we’re equal, why does she get to tell me what to do?”  I was 9 at the time.

But then again, we if just easily fall in line, where is that going to get us?  Probably right next to all your neighbors, coworkers, and the  majority of the population in your country – the middle of the road.  The middle class.  The middle wage earners, and the 1.5 kids, dog, and a cubicle.

There’s something to be said for doing something a little different.

Seth Godin says that in order to make change, in order to do somethingn different, to be indispensible, we can’t be ’sheep-walkers’.  We need to lift out heads up out of the sand, take a stand, and be a leader.

This is exactly what I’m doing with my life.

I’ve never been one to follow the leader.  Are you?  Or will you lead us?

Like Seth says, “Start a movement.  Something that matters.  Start.  Do it.  We need it.”

I’m not a blogger.  I had this idea to start this blog to document my life for 2010.  Record progress, successes, failures, connect with like-minded people, and have somewhere to store my thoughts.

It’s been 1 month of actively trying to keep this blog, and I’m losing steam.  There are so many things I want to do, how can I stay focused on this one?  It’s not easy.

When I first started this idea, I told myself I was going to keep this blog up to date for 1 year minimum.  This past week has been tough, and I haven’t posted this entire past week.

If you’re reading this, I’m sorry.  This post is mainly for me, not you.

I told myself I’d do this for 1 year, and I’m going to do this for 1 year.  At this point, I don’t really have a plan, a direction, or a purpose.  But it doesn’t matter.

Not everyone is cut out for living a location independent lifestyle. Most people are used to going to the office for work and leaving the office for home. But for a few others who want to get out of this situation, there’s another kind of lifestyle to live– a location independent lifestyle.

The idea of being location independent appeals to those who desire a significant level of freedom and flexibility, that is, living and working anywhere. The catch is, working anywhere.  Figuring that out is a whole different story.  But if you can, you may have just fished your wish.

So how do you go about living a location independent lifestyle? It definitely starts with you. Are you ready to sail away from the safe harbor?  Are you ready to rely on nobody except the one in the mirror for an income?  Think you can do it?

Here are a few questions to consider before you start.

First, check your current status –

• Are you happy with the circumstances you are in?
• Is it about the eight-hour job you’re forced to have?
• Or is it about wanting to take a vacation or “mini-retirement”?

Not being happy with our present situation is something that you cannot put off by going to the bar and partying all night. You’re going to have to work for your own happiness.

Second, are there other individuals dependent on you?

Having a child is not a hindrance to living independently of location. You’ll see when you travel to other countries that many people travel with small children and toddlers.

But then again, having a sick child puts a definite damper on things. If you’re married, remember, things are going to cost twice as much.  Plus, it’s going to take two “OKs” before making any type of change or move.

Third, how are your finances?

If you don’t have enough money, you’re not going to get very far.  If your savings are not enough to support you, don’t risk facing starvation. Even more – if you’re going to live off savings, you also aren’t going to get very far… unless of course you’ve got millions in the bank.

One key element that people need to remember – Many ‘indie-locale’ nomads are making a minimal living online, but then living even more minimally (is that a word?) in a country where their dollar or euro stretches.

People earning in dollars and who can work away from the office have this obvious advantage.

Imagine spending the dollars or euros you’re earning in a location with a relatively lower standard of living. Although, despite how much your currency can converts, financial planning is extremely essential.  But it will be a bit easier in, say, Thailand, you get 33 baht for your dollar.  You can find lunch for 25 baht.   You can find rent for 3,500 baht.  See what I mean?

These are just a few the issues that you need to consider before embracing a location independent lifestyle. Going into each of them requires prudence and good judgment. Once you have decided, focus on your goal and don’t let anyone discourage you.  It’s not for everyone, but for those who it is for, it’s a dream come true.

Study hard and get good grades. Does this sounds familiar? That’s what we’re  told. So despite the monotony of re-reading and taking class notes until our hands hurt, we go on and study– really hard.

Guess what? It might backfire on you. In fact, psychology research reveals that your brain can take only “enough” information at one time. So you may ask: When is “enough” really enough? Enough is the data you can focus on for a manageable block of time.

Studying by “blocks” is actually studying smarter. Even experts suggest that you’ll remember more if you focus on a data for a short time than reading non-stop for more than an hour.

Let’s get something straight: studying less is studying smarter. Give this a try:

1. Get a timer and set a study block for thirty minutes.
2. Second, make sure the timer sounds and set your goal – studying for the entire thirty minutes.
3. Maintain your Do Not Disturb mode.
4. Take a break after a 30-minute after your study session.
5. Get back to your study table and try to recall what you’ve studied previously.
6. Repeat

This is one of those things that is going to take patience, planning, and some self-control.  How smart is that?

Sleeping might be everyone’s guilty pleasure nowadays. Imagine if people can consume a product that would guarantee them longer waking hours without losing their vitality or without feeling sleepy and lethargic.  Redbull would go out of business.

Longer waking hours will almost always translate to more time for work and leisure. In fact, when you ask what productivity means to most people, you’ll get suggestions relating to time, that is – more time.

So what if you could transform your usual eight-hour sleep to a two-hour sleep at the minimum? Impossible? Maybe.

Richard Buckminster Fuller, the futuristic inventor of the Dymaxion House has tried it. He’s one of those, apart from Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, and Samuel Johnson, who considers sleep as a bad habit. Think you can relate?

Consider this, you don’t need to be a scientist, a polymath, or a lexicographer to adopt a two-hour or four-hour sleep. More and more people are interested in what psychologist J.S. Szymanski coined as “polyphasic sleeping,” or multiple naps a day in replacement of a straight core sleep.

Blogger Puredoxyk and productivity coach Steve Pavlina has tried a variant of polyphasic sleep called “Everyman.” Puredoxyk eventually switched to “Uberman” sleep and has even written an e-book about it. Think you can manage sleeping polyphasically?

Polyphasic sleep is not for everyone. We’re living in a society that almost always prevents us from sticking to our napping schedules. We can’t nap if there’s a meeting, if the boss is on his vacation, if the laundry isn’t done yet or if the children need something from you. But if you really think you can manage, here’s a quick look at how Everyman and Uberman operates:

Everyman:

• Six 20-minute naps (or a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes) every four hours.

Uberman:

• The most common involves a three-hour core sleep plus three naps (approximately 20 minutes) spread throughout the day.

Other variants involve a 1.5-hour core sleep plus four naps and a 4.5-hour core sleep plus two naps.  So, are you going to start hacking your sleep?

FREE e-book on hacking your napping. CLICK HERE

Are you still in school?  If yes, then I have a question for you.  If no, then I have a question for you.

If you’re still in school, you had better be attending every single networking function, compeition, and get together at your university.  If you’re not, you’re doing something wrong.

In my opinion, going to a university is more about the connections you make, businesses you start (for us entrepreneurs), and resources, than ending with a degree.  Sure, the degree will look nice on your wall, unless you’re trying to own less things than you have fingers, and believe me, many people are.  I’m digressing.

If you’re not in school, are you attending all the networking opportunities you can?

Look, online social and business networks are great.  I also agree that you will be able to find people online in your exact niche (of life, business, education, etc) with greater ease.  I will also tell you that there is something personal and memorable about meeting people face to face.

The point is – we need both.  Online networking is great, easy, and can be very specific.  We should also be networking as much as possible offline, and if you are going to a university, you should be going to multiple functions per month.  Some of the greatest connections I’ve made have been in college.

1.  Now is the time to take action.

If not now, then when?  The decade is over, the economy sucks, your job sucks, it’s time to take matters into your own hands.  2009 was the last year you should be doing something mundane, typical, and boring.

2.  Use your networks

Are you plugged into the right networks?  There are so many social and business networks out there now, you have to decide which ones are worth it.  It’s going to depend on you – what are you interested in – you should belong to networks that touch on all of your strengths and weaknesses.  In the networks where you have strengths, this will be your time to shine.  You will be the expert, you will help others succeed, and in doing so, you will succeed yourself.   In social and business circles where you are weak, you will learn, you will stretch, you will become better.  The best part?  These networks will most likely overlap, and you’ll be in the center of it all.

3. Push yourself

Don’t put off any longer those things that you want to do.  Want to start a blog?  Go register your domain.  Right now – GoDaddy.com. Just start writing out your thoughts.  Stretch your imagination – try new things, go out on a limb.  Why not?  You’re uniquely you, and there are thousands of people out there who will like your opinion, will think your jokes are funny, and will have very similar thoughts as you do.  What are you waiting for?

4. Write down your goals

We’ve all heard – a goal not written, is just a dream or a desire.  Write those goals down, post them on your bathroom mirror, on your computer, whatever.  Make sure you can see those goals every single day.  It works, believe me.

5. Find something to be a part of

It was already mentioned – there are thousands of networks, communities, groups, and clubs out there, just waiting for you to find them.  Real estate clubs exist all over the world, SEO clubs, knitting groups, dog training and guitar playing.  This goes back to networking – get into a group of like-minded people and start making some friends.  Friends help friends, and there will be someone there who needs your advice and vice versa.

6. Quit following all the rules

If you’ve always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.  2009 is over, and so is the decade.  I’m starting anew and it’s time to make things happen.  Will you?

7. Systems FTW

There’s are reason why assembly lines work.  If you are doing something over and over every single day, you need to value your time and your money a little more.  It’s time to expand and hire.  Virtual Assistants are ready and willing, looking for work – many are more educated than you are.  In order to have an efficient VA, you need an efficient system.  Open a Word Processing document, and start writing down exactly what you are doing all these time.  Take some screen shots, explain in detail, and then hire a VA to start doing this for you.  You’ll have free time to create, explore, promote, and work on your other projects that are much more important than wasting hours doing what you can outsource.

8. Charity never fails

It is my personal belief that we are entrepreneurs, making up the top percentage of the world’s income, have the charge to give back to humanity.  Philanthropy and charity are always a right choice.  Kiva.org and other charities are doing good in this world, and we can contribute.  Please do.

9. Work hard

I’m a big believer in work.  I’m not afraid of hard work, and I think it is almost essential to any projects I’m working on.  I’ve touched on reasons that work is important – and I think the more work you put in, the less chance you have to fail.  And of course I think you should be working as smart as possible.

I just got done reading an awesome ebook written by Jonathan Mead at IlluminatedMind.net.  It’s free and you really should go get it.

This is a catch-22 for me.  I feel like I need all the information I can get my hands on out there, but at the same time, I feel like I should be working instead of reading.  There is a fine line here, and it is hard to choose between the two, at times.

Ask yourself this – should you be working on somthing to engineer your own life so you can be free from your 9-5, or should you be reading my blog?  You’re now grateful because you read this post on this blog and I told you to go back to work.  Get it?

Some people are super nomads – living here or there, owning less things than will fit on a table, and staying ultra-mobile.  Other are so stuck in their place they couldn’t move if they were forced.  Somewhere there is a nice balance.

If you’ve been aware and following the Lifestyle Design trend as of the past couple years, I’m sure you’ve seen the extremes as well.  NomadicMatt is off somewhere cruising around the world, author Tim Ferris and almost everyone on CouchSurfing.com is trying to living out their dreams of being free and traveling.

I’m not against this way of living at all – I love to travel for weeks and months at a time.  At the same time, I like owning a tent, some snowshoes, and being married.  I wouldn’t trade that last one for anything in the world.

Up in the Air portrays the life of an ultra nomad in the most modern and corporate sense – a traveling businessman who’s only real goal is to earn 10,000,000 sky miles.  Not to be confused with the Kevin Bacon classic -

The character (George Clooney) in Up in the Air does it too.  What does he forego?  Real relationships.  He’s not friends with his family, hasn’t seen them in a long time, and is somewhat disconnected from a life he once had.

Please don’t think that I’m saying ultra mobility is a waste or somehow less than suburban life, oh no, I tend to lean more to the mobile lifestyle than the opposite, I’m just saying I don’t want people to forego relationships, friendships, and family just to say they earned 10,000,000 miles or visited every country in the world.  There is a balance, and is for each to decide themselves.