Traveller, blogger, entrepreneur, OpenMind project owner and simply a great guy Orest Zub, specially in interview for Yaware tells about:
- what the travel gives him;
- how he manages to combine work and constant traveling;
- how he finds time for everything;
- which countries he is going to visit in the nearest future.
How can you describe your life before and after changing your lifestyle: at the office and during the travels?
Before – I had a feeling of personal unfulfillment, uncertainty and stress.
After – the feeling of freedom and personal fulfillment. I do what I love and what brings benefits not only to me, but to others as well. Besides, my new lifestyle makes me happy, the state everyone wants to feel. And, of course, money, what is also important nowadays.
Do you work alone or with a team? If with a team, how big is it?
I was started individually and during the whole year I was working alone. During this time, my income grew to the point that my girlfriend quit her job and started helping me. Later I hired a technical assistant, who was also interacting with clients.
However, from time to time the number of employees increases. For example, we hire freelancers to meet the deadlines when launching large-scale projects.
There are three employees, who work permanently for OpenMind and its projects.
What tools do you use at work?
I am a minimalist and try to simplify everything. That is why I use a few services for teamwork: Yaware, Megaplan, Skype, GoogleDocs, Dropbox, email, webinar rooms and WhatsApp on mobile phone.
I am not trying to use all the possible tools, which can increase the productivity. They can take too much time only by understanding how everything works.
Is 24 hour day enough to fulfill all plans? What do you do to fulfill all your plans on time?
No, 24 hours is not enough to fulfill all the plans I have in my head. Although I try to most effectively treat the implementation of those things for which I undertake. And as you can see from my activity, at some point it comes off.
I am also using time management to manage intended tasks punctually and increase the chances for successful accomplishment of my ideas.
Time management is separate scope of work, that I am busy with for a long period of time, thanks to which I quit the job I didn’t like and started my own business.
You are using Yaware. What have you discovered for yourself after implementing time tracking software? Have you changed your online works and habits?
Once I was reading Tim Ferriss, and he recommended RescueTime to increase the productivity. I’ve tested the trial version. At first, the productivity increased slightly, but then it fell into habit and went off.
Later, I met Yaware representatives on IT forum. I liked the team and the software. Even though it is a paid service, I decided to try it.
With Yaware I started to treat my work more consciously. The service allows to clearly, and most importantly – fairly to yourself, see how much time I actually work, and how much time I waste.
I started to use Yaware time tracking software the following way: I imagined, that when Yaware-client is on and time is tracked – I am in the office, even it is virtual. I concern myself only with work related tasks. I am consciously working and carry out business matters.
In case I want to surf the Internet, make a cup of tea or take a break, I simply stop the monitoring of Yaware-client and from this moment the time is not tracked.
Yaware is a useful tool. And $8 per month for one employee is a miserable investment comparing to how much time it saves and how productivity increases. You can even earn more money during the period, when the person is consciously working.
How does time tracking software help the teamwork?
Implementing Yaware, you should emphasize not control, but the fact, that service allows to increase efficiency of teamwork and each employee individually.
That is why when I was installing Yaware on employees’ computers, I was telling: “Use it, it will increase your work efficiency. I am installing the service not for controlling you. It is to make you contribute time to business matters, and not to something else.” Exactly such an explanation motivates to work properly.
I do not force employees to work 8 hours a day. Most of them work 3-4 hours. I also work approximately the same amount of time. But when we work, we contribute all our time to work. And Yaware is an additional tool, that engages to work.
With Yaware I can notice, that efficiency increases, and the profit of OpenMind reached the highest numbers ever.
What do the social networks mean to you and would you be able to abandon them in order to save time?
I do not want, and will not abandon social networks, because the large part of my business depends on them. I do many things in social networks: publications, Instagram. We have our group of clients on Facebook.
On the other hand, you need to use social networks efficiently. 1 hour is probably too much for them. But if you enter 3 times each for 10 minutes, it will not have a bad impact on your work.
Apart from Yaware I also use Website Blocker – the app, which blocks access to particular websites. In my case, these are news portals, social networks and email. I can use them at a set time only. So, I can check my email during one hour in the morning from 10 a.m. till 11 a.m. and in the afternoon from 4 p.m. till 5 p.m.
Therefore I consciously plan my day and spend more time on tasks, which allow to develop my business, and just support it.
What country would you like to visit the most?
There is no country I would like to visit the most. I consider visiting all countries. And not just visit, but live there for some time, learn something new, and have some fun. It is interesting for me to get a new experience, and even more important is to get the experience, which is completely different from the one, I’ve had before.
I will only say, that I’m not going to Portugal in the nearest future, because recently I have visited Spain. But it would be a great pleasure to go to Southern Africa or Kenya, because I’ve never been there before.
We already have an outlined plan for the future: Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. I hope we’re gonna make it.
We are grateful to Orest for the interview and wish him successful materialization of his ideas in new, interesting countries!
