Spend more time with friends and family
I don't advocate a workaholic lifestyle where you're taking calls constantly and never paying attention to the people in your personal life. But I do believe Bedouinism can get you out of your cubicle or office and into your home or wherever your family and friends are -- If you do it right.
Some critics slam the mobile lifestyle by saying that you never have any time off, that when e-mail comes in over the weekend, you are compelled to reply. But Bedouinism has no effect on the problem of workaholism -- it won't make you a workaholic if you aren't one now, and it won't cure workaholism, either. That's a separate issue (and a separate column). What Bedouinism does do is put you in control of where and when you work.
And remember: Giving yourself the ability to know when business e-mail and calls come in also tells you when they don't come in. My e-mail system sends all important e-mail to my BlackBerry Pearl, 24/7. (Here are details on my e-mail system.) So if my e-mail doesn't "ring" over the weekend, I can relax with the knowledge that nobody is waiting for me. If I do get mail over the weekend, I can choose to ignore it until Monday or, if it's important enough, reply immediately. In either case, I get maximum peace of mind. That's better than ignorance and the worry that some vital message is sitting there for days unread.
Have more fun
Here's the best reason to become a Bedouin: It's fun. Let's face it: offices suck. I'd much rather work at my dining room table, at the beach or -- what the heck -- at a San Francisco coffeehouse with the rest of my tribe. You spend one third of your waking life at work. Why spend a minute more than necessary in an environment where nobody wants to be?
The good news is that Bedouinism is cheaper and easier than ever before, thanks to myriad improvements in mobile hardware, software and services.
Here are my five steps to becoming a Bedouin:
1. Replace your desktop PC with a notebook. For less than US$1,500, you can buy a desktop-replacement laptop with a 17-in. screen and tons of memory and storage. Get rid of your desktop computer forever and use one laptop for everything. If you crave the desktop experience, plug in peripherals like mouse, keyboard and giant monitor using a docking station.
People have their own preferences, but I wouldn't buy a laptop with anything smaller than a 17-inch screen. You'll be a lot happier and more productive than you would with a smaller screen. Buy an extra battery and look for hot-swappable components such as the ability to pull out the integrated CD/DVD drive and plug in the extra battery.
Every laptop has Wi-Fi these days, but make sure your new system has built-in Bluetooth, not the plug-in kind. You can use that Bluetooth connection for a variety of essential tasks such as using your cell phone as a modem and synchronizing your cell phone's data with the laptop.
Make sure you have extra protection for both your laptop and the add-on components. There are thousands of options available, from neoprene laptop covers to waterproof, padded briefcases. Find the option that best fits your style.