I Lived in an OFFICE for a Year

[@kevinlee7682]

I have done this for 2 years. I had a couch so it wasn't that bad but going to gym everyday to take shower can be a little challenging. But it definitely helped me save money and concentrate on work to build my business.

[@mindful_wander]

Yea the shower part is a challenge. Have you been able to build your business?

[@therookieentrepreneur8195]

@@mindful_wander 😂 when I was living out of my office I put a plastic kids pool a ran a hose to the sink in order to fill up a 5 gallon bucket and I just used a cup ... Talk about a Bird bath 🚿 ...

[@9840vajjayquiiii]

The collapsible ones from Amazon look tempting

[@nereanim]

Lived in an office for 5 years. Housing as owning a house or renting is overrated.

[@mindful_wander]

Nice! Are you still finding creative ways to live/work?

[@cinderellacc]

so many scary neighbor stalker stories in big cities too

[@shin-ishikiri-no]

I'm in the same situation but I have a shower in the office, which is super lucky for me.

[@mindful_wander]

Nice! How's the rest of the office? And the company?

[@aerohk]

that's awesome! elon musk did that, living in office and showering at YMCA, sleeping on sofa, even his girlfriend had to go to the office to be with him. look at where he is at now.

[@mindful_wander]

Haha yea, that's right! Well, I think it is all about priorities. For Elon, it sounded like his priority was to keep his company alive and show his team that he's willing to sacrifice.

[@dakotan9310]

I’ve been thinking about doing this and I don’t even have my own business yet, my life has been a constant catching up with myself lmao

[@mindful_wander]

I feel that. You're not alone. This was not my business either. What's your next priority in life?

[@71757097]

WOW Great video archive I've thought of buying a closed hostel in another country for a retirement base. Thanks for sharing the true grit it takes to take personal economics in these challenging times!

[@mindful_wander]

Oh wow! That's a cool idea. You would use the entire hostel for yourself or operate it as a hostel? Thanks for the comment and for sharing a little bit about yourself!

[@vxgaswxrld]

I would love to work with someone like you. Passionate and are willing to go above and beyond for your business. You can’t find that just anywhere! Thank you for sharing and I’m happy the experience allowed you to set healthy boundaries!

[@mindful_wander]

Thanks! I really appreciate that. Yea, this experience taught me a lot. Since then, there have been so many new life lessons. How about for you?

[@cinderellacc]

knew an artist who lived out of his studio ...owned a fabulous buidling and then another ten years later. Super smart. Ate at a restaurant most evenings, and yoga, boxing gym, martial arts etc. instead of Planet Fitness. Talk about total immersement.

[@mindful_wander]

lol that's pretty cool. Especially if he owned it!

[@cinderellacc]

He's amazing and tenacious. Yes, he owned it. First studio was an old warehouse with erotic art events. @@mindful_wander

[@daftpunkfunk]

I asked you for advice on some WFH jobs and I appreciate you took the time to give a thoughtful answer.

[@mindful_wander]

Hey, thanks Dan! As a small creator, I REALLY appreciate that. Glad I could provide something useful too. Have you ended up changing your work path? Thanks again!

[@daftpunkfunk]

@@mindful_wander I invested into the skill of drawing and I’ve been contemplating which path to go. I’d like the freedom to WFH so I’ve been looking into potential jobs online things but AI decimated a lot of opportunities with freelance like Fiverr although it already has been bleak with the issues of outsourcing to cheaper countries. I’ve thought about concept art but the situation is similar. It seems AI hasn’t caught up to 3d modeling which opens more opportunities but who knows when AI will catch up to that as well. It’s difficult because there has to be a compromise between freedom of WFH, creating from my own passion and enjoyment instead of appealing to markets, and being able to make a living. I imagine you must feel similar. It seems that the most satisfying but much more arduous path is to create your own brand and products. I think I’ll take your advice and try out a google certificate in marketing. Thanks again! Keep up the content. Love hearing your perspective.

[@crystalcrystal1829]

Wow. I hadn’t seen the 8 month ago video. I had wondered about you and seen you hadn’t posted in two year. Glad you’re posting again

[@mindful_wander]

Aw, THANKS Crystal! That's really nice of you. I will post more often :)

[@Enrari]

Trying to open up my small business but Tampa prices hiked for my apartment and every other expense. Currently doing research to lower my overhead at all costs, thanks man!

[@mindful_wander]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. I'm sure prices have risen even more since this comment. How are things going?

[@fallen1805]

My life changed when I learned to be more assertive , honestly man you’ll find that you will lose most your friends when doing this but I gotta say not only will you be more successful with yourself , but with business , woman , and pretty much every opportunity Better to start sooner rather than later man , we live in a generation where we don’t get a space to grow anymore as men. I believe in you my guy , I hope you grow into what you wish

[@mindful_wander]

Thanks Steven. I agree. I have slowly been learning that lesson - being more assertive and honest with myself about what I need and who I am.

[@daftpunkfunk]

yo, a kindred spirit! i lived in my prius for a year before moving into an office in downtown la. im also into nootropics and self improvement. question: what type of remote jobs would you recommend? im working as a security guard which is super low key and allows me to work on my craft but im thinking about traveling and would like a job i can work anywhere. would appreciate any feedback!

[@mindful_wander]

Hey! Thanks man! That's awesome! Would love to hear about your experience as well. As far as remote work, I am doing freelance content creation (video and blogs) for a real estate company that I used to work for. I've been meaning to Dave Moran to freelance with websites like Fiverr as well. I also saw some cool certifications that you can get through, google, to get jobs in UX design, project management, digital design, etc. Seems like those trades could work well for remote work. You can go to: grow.google/certificates Just curious, any untapped skills that you have that might work for remote jobs?

[@PeterKruseMusic]

Thanks for the video! I am thinking of doing this soon (in a Chicago suburb). It will be just me renting the office, though. I currently sleep in a camper van usually, although I want an office to do work at during the day (more space and climate controlled). Currently I use my parents house for my office, but their location is too far removed for where I work. My hope is that an office with 24 hour access will not discover that I sleep / live there. Do you think it's easy to stay under that radar? Thanks for any feedback!

[@mindful_wander]

Oh, that's great. All the best to you! I feel like, if the office offers 24-hour access, it wouldn't be abnormal to be there overnight. On the other hand, I would expect landlords in big cities to be weary of people trying to get housing from non-housing spaces. Still, if you have the ability to sometimes sleep in the office and sometimes sleep in the van, that could really help keep you under the radar.

[@PeterKruseMusic]

@@mindful_wander Appreciate the feedback. Thanks!!

[@9840vajjayquiiii]

Same question and thank you for clarifying 😊

[@jamesmonto9562]

Would you recommend living out of a car, renting an office, or living in an AirBNB? I’m trying to spend 20% or less on income and currently make less than 20k. Context: Young, broke but NOT stupid. I have coding skills (front end), and plan on getting a sales job this year

[@mindful_wander]

Hey James. The short answer is, "it depends on your situation," but I would mostly say that it's important to think about what your priorities are. If saving the most amount of money in the shortest period of time is your priority, perhaps living in a car would be best. The trade-off, of course, is that you're living in a car, haha. This could also be risky, depending on the area you're living in (with regards to safety) and how far you're willing to drive to find somewhere comfortable to park. An office could be cool if your priority is maximizing productivity at work, since you could actually work and live in that same space. Zero communicate and constant access to your work. An AirBNB is def the most expensive option and (in my case) takes a little negotiating with your hosts outside of the app. It's more comfortable to, if that's your priority, plus it comes fully furnished. Hope that helps. What are you going to do?

[@robynlea6950]

Hi Brandon, I plan to do what you did. Live out of an office or something like that. I'll be moving from Spain, where I've lived for many years, to New York. I'm going to try and rent one that has a shower, if it's on the outskirts of NY, or in a not very good barrio/zone, so be it. Loved your video ✨, thanks.

[@mindful_wander]

Thank you Robyn. All the best to you and your new journey.

[@FiestaMagicc]

I have no idea why this made me wanna cry.

[@mindful_wander]

Are you going through a transitional period in your life?

[@9840vajjayquiiii]

Probably cuz US hates us so much we have to do these things just to live.... 🥺😢😢🫂

[@Nezris]

Great video subbed

[@mindful_wander]

THANKS Nezris! ✌️

[@9840vajjayquiiii]

The lease contract says "you may not live in your office" did the building owners just not care ? Or how did you avoid them noticing you? Especially being load? 😱

[@mindful_wander]

Thanks for the question! The building owners did not work in the building, so they were never around. This office was also down a small alley that divided the building in two, and the entrance to that alley was behind a gate. Basically, you couldn't see the office or any of its windows from the street. And even if you did, this was a very small startup company, so it was not uncommon for me to work late-night and very odd hours, especially during the holiday season, so I could have easily just said I was working.

[@9840vajjayquiiii]

@@mindful_wander wow! That's pretty cool! Thank you for sharing 🤗

[@leef.4242]

Did the office place charge per employee coming into the office? I thought that's how it usually works. Also, I would think it would be cheaper having the employees work remotely and you had more privacy.

[@mindful_wander]

No, they did not. I have since left this job but it required in-person work. Most of the experience that was mentioned in this video happened pre-pandemic.

[@SilasBlanc]

Didn’t anyone ever come to check on the office property?

[@mindful_wander]

During work hours, yes, but not at night. At least, not that I ever saw.

[@shutupimstilltalking]

My mom had an office in Amarillo Texas and nobody ever came to check the building but they locked the doors between 10 and 6 pm. Auto locks on the exterior doors. Their were cameras but I use to walk to her office to play games on her computer back when evony was a good game

[@thelifeofsuroy8493]

What a wild experience 😂

[@mindful_wander]

Hey, thanks Suroy! hope you've been well, man! Yea, it's been an interesting experience. Where does your journey have you right now?

[@bigfranchise]

What camera are you using to record?

[@mindful_wander]

Sorry for the delay. I was (and still am) using a Canon M50.

[@DG-mk7kd]

I did this, it was a mistake. Yes you save money and there's a bit of a transgressive thrill, but you're just letting life pass by. You can't be normal and surreptitious, you wind up being evasive and isolated. And face it, if it seems like a good idea you are probably a bit off to start with so you really should not push it.

[@mindful_wander]

That's some great input D G! It's true, I could definitely see the possibility of that happening and I think it happened to me to an extent as well. I do, however, think it comes down to the stage that someone is at in their life. For me, I felt like a dedication and focus on giving myself to work was actually a healthy change from the norm. Meanwhile, I suppose other people could use less of that and instead focus on creating space for themselves from work.

[@ravi_vignesh]

How about washing clothes and storing them?

[@mindful_wander]

Hey, Thanks for the comment. I would keep most of my clothes in the trunk of my car and the ones that I wear most often in my backpack in the office. When I needed to wash them, I would walk to the nearest laundromat.

[@ravi_vignesh]

@@mindful_wander Thanks for your time bro. Way to go!

[@Kalebhehe]

i actually experienced a FaceTime call with him and it was actually my cousin soooooo…..

[@mindful_wander]

We can FaceTime any time Kaleb.

[@Kalebhehe]

yup per doodles

[@vincentdanopoulos]

Did you have any fears of getting caught by the landlord? I heard that they regularly check the studio-spaces at night and enforce the set rules incredibly strictly.

[@mindful_wander]

Great question. I did have some fear of that. Fortunately for me, this was during the pandemic and no one, even the landlord was really coming in or out of the building. Not only that but, again because of the pandemic, I was the only one actually working in the office mostly, and so I felt that I had a decent excuse as to why I would be there at odd hours (I could say we had to break things out into day shift and night shift, in order to keep people separate). The company actually did implement this later in the pandemic. Are you doing something similar, Vincent?

[@vincentdanopoulos]

@@mindful_wander Thanks for the quick and thorough answer. I am not actually doing something similar right now, although I plan to go to New York City to grow a business, but mostly independently for the first few months/years. Thus my question about the office. Affording living AND working seems a bit daunting, so thus living out of an office seems not only more productive but also more economical of course. I think I would have quite a hard time pulling this off, especially with the pandemic now slowly moving itself out of the way.

[@RainyYears]

I found one for 300/m but it has 40 tenants not sure how to find out if it’s safe to sleep

[@mindful_wander]

Safety is always key. Hope you find a situation that works for you!