In our daily lives, it’s sad to think that 80% of us stay in our comfort zone.
This means they would rather stay with the familiar, where things are known and effectively boring. Regular routines allow weeks to bleed into each other, and playing it safe allows you to avoid risks.… Read the rest
Hello, dear reader.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know I take two breaks a year. One during the Christmas holidays and another in July.
During those times, and for the entire week, I put my phone down.… Read the rest
Unlike most days of the week, I’m more casual on Fridays.
This means booking fewer meetings, being less responsive to emails and chats, and generally winding down the week.
With all the extra time, I’m able to focus on projects that need more dedicated attention, and also work on my business.… Read the rest
There’s a recent article from BusinessInsider that makes some interesting points about leaving a major city.
The context is that since the pandemic, people have been moving out of metropolitan cities and moving to the suburbs or the countryside. The trend continued until at least mid-2023.… Read the rest
As a human being and a Salesforce consultant, it’s sometimes challenging not to be emotional.
A demanding client, a stressful project, frustrating developers. The list of possible aggravations doesn’t end.
Most often, these emotional moments and your reactions to them won’t help you.… Read the rest
Now that spring is right around the corner, it’s important to remember to take time to recharge your batteries during weekends.
As a Salesforce consultant, your weeks are probably pretty stressful. Allow yourself to rebalance and step away from the screen.… Read the rest
We now have definite evidence that says traditional work, defined as Monday-to-Friday, and from 9-to-5, is over for remote-capable employees. This includes Salesforce consultants.
The new “hot” models are:
Hybrid
This means you’re in the office perhaps 2 or 3 times a week, and you decide which are those days.… Read the rest
Josh Matthews’ recently invited me to his show, JoshForce. Josh is also the co-host of “The Salesforce Career Show”, a popular show available on all podcasting apps.
The topic of our discussion was, “How to Become a Digital Nomad”.
We discuss the ups and downs of being nomadic while working in the Salesforce ecosystem.… Read the rest
As of April 4, 2024, Italy is the latest European country to offer a digital nomad visa
To bring you up to speed, a digital nomad visa generally allows you and your family to stay in a country for a year, and possibly longer.… Read the rest
Yesterday I had a brief meeting with a podcast host. The meeting was to discuss which topics I would talk about on their show.
It’s a show about people during Salesforce careers, and the host and his partner have had many brilliant guest speakers.… Read the rest
A large part of being a successful independent Salesforce consultant is your mindset.
If you have a scarcity mindset, you often think about things as being limited. So if someone else has something, then you’re less likely to receive it too.… Read the rest
A handful of years ago, I just returned from a two year round-the-world backpacking trip. The bank account was empty and there weren’t many options, so I was open to work that didn’t involve Salesforce.
I ended up at an insurance company.… Read the rest
There’s so much more to being a “good enough” Salesforce consultant than sitting in front of your computer. How you spend your time away from the screen, and with whom you spend it with, really counts.
Case in point. I’ve noticed you can group friends into 3 categories:
For example, I have one close friend that is highly unreliable.… Read the rest
Most people know the expression, “assumptions make an ass of you and me”. This definitely holds true as a Salesforce consultant and in general life.
As a digital nomad, I live 6 months in Canada and 6 months in Spain. I love Spain so much I recently bought an apartment.… Read the rest
Long-term readers of these emails know I’m usually very scheduled with them. 99% of the time, you’ll find an email in your inbox, every weekday at 7am EST.
I lapsed a little in early Dec, and took a longer break than normal over the holidays.… Read the rest
There are many reasons why I choose to be a digital nomad. Here is reason #12.
My primary residence is in Montreal, Canada. During the winter, it’s cold. And I mean damn cold. For example, today is -16C (4F) and with the wind chill it feels like -22C (-8F).… Read the rest
In Montreal, Canada, there’s a popular diner for smoked meat sandwiches.
It’s basically an institution in the city, and there’s always a long line outside the establishment, regardless of the time of day.
Inside, the chefs carefully prepare each sandwich, whistling, and cracking jokes at each other.… Read the rest
Dear reader,
I’ve decided to extend my email break by another week. Normally I only take a break for a week every once in a while, but this time I feel the need to take more time for myself.
I’m also trying to make progress on a few work projects, and will use this week to focus on them and some personal projects.… Read the rest
Pausing your normal routine is wonderful for your mental health. It breaks the daily churn of what is to be expected, and opens your mind to the art of the possible.
You can break routine by going on a holiday, traveling to a new place, visiting a new restaurant, or many other things that simply get you out of your comfort zone.… Read the rest
The expression, “I need to work on my work vs life balance” has always struck me as odd. It’s presented in a way that work and life are distinctly opposite forces, competing for your attention.
A reader asked me how I manage finances as a digital nomad.
Here’s my situation:
Being a Salesforce Solution Architect, I love metrics and statistics. Infographics are also an awesome way to communicate lots of complicated information in an easy-to-digest format.
So when Forbes recently released some interesting metrics about working from home in 2023 (in the US), I felt the need to share them with you.… Read the rest
From the moment the airport doors opened in Malaga, my energy changed.
It was an overnight, 7 hours flight from Montreal, Canada to Malaga, Spain. Despite the abundance of legroom, I was barely able to sleep. So I was quite tired walking through airport security and picking up the luggage.… Read the rest
There are numerous studies about the benefits of remote work over being full-time in the office. There are also many articles about how hybrid work supersedes fully remote work.
Just to bring everyone up to speed, hybrid work means coming into the office a few days a week, at your own convenience.… Read the rest
As the winter starts to approach, more and more people are leaving North America to find warmer climates.
For example, next weekend, I’m crossing the pond to the south of Spain for 6 months.
Many others choose Mexico for the colder months.… Read the rest
To work effectively as a digital nomad, you need to have systems in place. Here are 5 of them that will keep you humming along, no matter where in the world you are.
1. Determine your work schedule
If you’re a morning person, you can choose a region that is in the same or earlier time zone as your clients.… Read the rest
As a digital nomad, as long as you have a laptop and internet access, you can pretty much work anywhere you choose.
When I travel, I usually decide between Airbnb and hotels. The decision depends on how long I intend to stay, what amenities I’m looking for, and what overall experience I want.… Read the rest
Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are killing employee engagement. One of the consequences is financial losses.
According to a recent survey by McKinsey, public mid-size companies risks losing around $300 USD million each year due to low engagement. Yikes.
The survey also grouped employees into 6 categories on the disengagement spectrum:
In the beginning, employees were in the office 5 days a week, usually from 9am to 5pm.
Then a few years ago, everyone was forced to change that habit and work remotely for a couple of years. Surprisingly, employees were either just as effective or even more effective at home.… Read the rest
Weeks before my last trip across the ocean, my Dell laptop stopped recognizing it was plugged in. The power cable itself worked, but the laptop just didn’t see it. So the battery slowly drained until 0% and there was nothing I could do to stop it.… Read the rest