A Life Online Forces My Need To Create A Physical Escape

The need for a physical escape is something that I have been thinking about for many months now. This alarming and attention seeking thought grows in my mind because of my past decision to build a business online day after day after day.

As much as I love working on my online projects, it fuels my need for having a space that I can physically experience to truly remove myself from the ever addictive tendency of doing something digital.

Humans are simple beings in a complex world.

This world is moving aggressively towards pulling as much attention from you as possible, and removing you from the simple things that make life so organically beautiful.

For example, everyday use of virtual reality is just around the corner. Laptops will be partnered with VR headsets to increase efficiency, and combine that with remote working, it’s likely many of us will spend most of our days consumed by these digital headsets without seeing or talking to anyone. It scares the fuck out of me.

My generation will be the only generation that witnessed the start of the internet, the start of the video games industry, the first smartphone, the first social media platform, online dating, the launch of the Metaverse, NFT’s, Cryptocurrencies, AI content creators and so on, giving myself a perspective on this fast evolution of technology that no other generation younger than myself has ever seen.

I am not saying the use of technology is bad, hell no, technology has changed my life for the better, but the longer I live and the longer I use technology, the quicker I realise that it needs to be controlled.

I can feel technology distracting me from what genuinely makes me happy, pulling me in with unlimited dopamine hits on social media, a sense of achievement through business growth and the need to buy things because of near perfect marketing calculated using my personality data from cookies and search history.

My recent reflections have deeply scared me, and I can see myself sub-consciously falling into a world where the only way to trigger my essential emotions is through a digital life.

How do I counter this and what is my sub-conscious seeking?

I am seeking a physical escape from the digital distractions, a place to ground myself, a place to reflect, to plan, to grow and to relax. A temporary haven to assess the three pillars of life: health, wealth and happiness.

I want an off-grid cabin.

You may be thinking “Brandon, why not just take a holiday?”. A good idea, but it’s temporary and I cannot just get up and go sporadically. I thought about taking a few weeks to solo-travel every year, but that can get expensive, stressful and again isn’t sporadic enough.

My mind kept focusing on a cabin with a bit of land away from people, away from noise and most importantly away from distractions. No internet, no signal. Just straight up fucking nature that I can go to for however long I need to, when I need to.

The more I thought about it the more it made sense, both personally and as a business investment.

How will it help me and others?

Why not invest in building a cabin to use as a personal retreat but also as a short-term rental business that other creatives/professionals can escape to.

A distraction-less retreat for the distracted.

My business is 100% online, which as diversification goes, isn’t the smartest decision. This could help bring in additional revenue streams outside of the digital world and create a business that I can physically pass down to family should the time come.

When thinking about a cabin for myself, I also thought about the great impact it could have on my family and future children.

Me and my partner talk about children a lot, and I can’t help but talk about how hard life is going to be for children growing up in this distracted, complexed world. It’s going to get harder, mental health issues will rise and the middle class are going to be the ones that get absolutely shafted due to the non-existent help from the government.

It’s going to be fucking tough. Society I all take, take, take.

This cements my need for a cabin as it could be a retreat for my children that can be passed down the generations. A physical base to regenerate and a physical piece of land that can be used to get closer to the beauty of nature, something that is so greatly under appreciated.

How do I build this retreat?

That, I do not know. I plan to grow Click Hill into a profitable business and use my online revenue streams to start the process:

• Calculate how much it’s going to cost and how long it’s going to take.
• Save as much cash as possible using Click Hill profits.
• Buy land (preferably a few acres that can be used to expand the business if need be).
• Apply for planning permission (this is incredibly hard to do in the UK).
• Design the cabin or buy pre-made cabin plans.
• Hire contractors to build the cabin.
• Hire contractors to plant trees, craft paths, and create a “distraction-less location” for the cabin.
• Rent out cabin on AirBnB when not in use.
• Enjoy when I want.

Those plans are very vague, but you get the idea. In terms of estimated prices, it’s all over the place. After doing some very minor research into land, planning permissions, materials and contractors this is looking to cost well over £250,000+ to just get it off the ground. Ouch.

Time to get to work.

It’s a long-term goal, this won’t happen over night, but I do know that this could be one of the best things I do for not only myself, but also my family.

It could also assist with my three pillars: health, wealth, happiness.

It would help my mental health knowing I can retreat to a distraction-less retreat. It will hopefully help with wealth, using it as a new business venture through short term rentals while documenting the process using content, and it will certainly help with the overall happiness of myself and my family/friends through building fond memories at this location.

Now I just need £250k…