My company allows short-term work from anywhere. I have taken advantage of it twice now, and I'm currently packing my bags for a third. Each trip one full month in another country.
As long as my company has this policy I will be at my company. This policy is amazing. Full stop. I thought I needed a sabbatical, I actually just needed this.
I feel just as a productive if not more productive while on these work-cations. I come back energized about life and my job.
I went almost 7 years without having a vacation where I returning thinking "wow, i feel refreshed and I want to go home". These trips actually, finally, solved this. I'm no longer feeling burnt out and that is incredible.
So, if any employers are reading this.. take note.
I never fully got how people actually got work done, at least not at the level of intensity and hours needed for an early stage startup, while working out of a coffee shop on a small laptop on crappy internet across the globe. Sure maybe if you're running a dropshipping company of one or doing a crypto rugpull, but if you have to build a product, sell, get on calls with customers, coordinate and motivate a team, hire.. etc. how do you do all of that from a small coffee shop in Indonesia or from your hostel?
I have worked with a real deal digital nomad once. It was not at a startup, ~only development, and I think he worked at least a little under eight hours a day. He did high quality work, no complaints.
Find coworking spaces targeted at digital nomads. Pick spacious airbnb apartments - important to have this as a backup for calls when the coworking space does not work out. Stay somewhere for at least one month, ideally 3 months. Japan is very nice. Portugal is alright. More rural places can be nice. Avoid most coffee shops.. Time zone differences can be very painful.
"digital nomad" is what you say when you travel and stay somewhere longer but don't want people to think you are a hobo or member of organized crime. Actually doing any constructive work in a rental without kitchen, washing machine, and equipped with 20 USD D-Link router? In a hostel or aparthotel with people randomly snoring, yelling, doing random weird and creepy things? I don't think that's possible.
Besides economic pressures, I think that it's hard to be productive while on the move. Accomodation with a good desk and fast internet are rare. Good internet cafes are also rare. Taking calls in public is not nice.
I am not constrained by location, but home is where my monitor is.
My company allows short-term work from anywhere. I have taken advantage of it twice now, and I'm currently packing my bags for a third. Each trip one full month in another country.
As long as my company has this policy I will be at my company. This policy is amazing. Full stop. I thought I needed a sabbatical, I actually just needed this.
I feel just as a productive if not more productive while on these work-cations. I come back energized about life and my job.
I went almost 7 years without having a vacation where I returning thinking "wow, i feel refreshed and I want to go home". These trips actually, finally, solved this. I'm no longer feeling burnt out and that is incredible.
So, if any employers are reading this.. take note.
I never fully got how people actually got work done, at least not at the level of intensity and hours needed for an early stage startup, while working out of a coffee shop on a small laptop on crappy internet across the globe. Sure maybe if you're running a dropshipping company of one or doing a crypto rugpull, but if you have to build a product, sell, get on calls with customers, coordinate and motivate a team, hire.. etc. how do you do all of that from a small coffee shop in Indonesia or from your hostel?
It feels like a LARP at best.
I have worked with a real deal digital nomad once. It was not at a startup, ~only development, and I think he worked at least a little under eight hours a day. He did high quality work, no complaints.
Find coworking spaces targeted at digital nomads. Pick spacious airbnb apartments - important to have this as a backup for calls when the coworking space does not work out. Stay somewhere for at least one month, ideally 3 months. Japan is very nice. Portugal is alright. More rural places can be nice. Avoid most coffee shops.. Time zone differences can be very painful.
"digital nomad" is what you say when you travel and stay somewhere longer but don't want people to think you are a hobo or member of organized crime. Actually doing any constructive work in a rental without kitchen, washing machine, and equipped with 20 USD D-Link router? In a hostel or aparthotel with people randomly snoring, yelling, doing random weird and creepy things? I don't think that's possible.
I also think it is what you say when you are traveling, living off your trust fund.
Instead of going to Phish concerts, raves or pretending be a professional poker player, the 2020s version is/was to be a digital nomad "entrepreneur".
It is easy to make a vlog or podcast no one watches or listens to anywhere.
[dead]
The page keeps crashing for me.
Besides economic pressures, I think that it's hard to be productive while on the move. Accomodation with a good desk and fast internet are rare. Good internet cafes are also rare. Taking calls in public is not nice.
I am not constrained by location, but home is where my monitor is.