What's Up Wednesdays: What I Learned

No, today’s post has nothing to do with children’s literature and hiding from malicious rabbits. Instead, it’s a collection of articles from around the Internet that offer insight into the lessons these bloggers have learned through personal experience. Kicking things off, we have Bob Buskirk reflecting on his first full year as a thirty-something. He talks about how he does things differently now compared to how he did things during his 20s. He doesn’t have the time or patience to put up with your nonsense anymore.

Like Bob, I gave up the more traditional work schedule years ago in favor of the “dot com lifestyle.” Jacob Laukaitis is arguably in the same boat, except he has been living as a digital nomad. “Time spent in the office and productivity aren’t necessarily related,” he writes, so why not travel the world and get some work done while relaxing on a beach in Bali or motorbiking through Thailand instead? Indeed, Jacob has visited 25 countries in the just last two years.

Speaking of telecommuting, freelancing and working remotely, Deb Ng describes her own personal tale about a client that didn’t pay and what she learned from the experience. It is of paramount importance to have crystal clear payment terms on all your invoices and Deb has since switched from a net-30 to a net-15 schedule. And business is business: don’t allow for unpaid invoices and don’t be afraid to charge late fees.

Changing gears to a younger generation, Clayton Imoo has just launched a new series on his blog called Jake’s Takes. The video series, which will also be made available through YouTube, follows the trials and tribulations of his son Jake as he makes his way through seventh grade. Jake has some common interests, like Minecraft and bowling, but he can be a little out there with his speed stacking and balloon art too.

We finish this week’s speedlink on a savory note with Ed Lau. He recently partnered up with Ford Canada and his friend Ronsar Lo to put together one epic meal. They started at the local farmer’s market, continued to Gourmet Warehouse and Cioffi’s Meat Market, before ending up back at Ron’s kitchen for a culinary treat. What have we learned from his experience? It pays to get great meat (and to have an awesome chef as a friend to help you cook it).