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
It feels like new digital nomad visas are popping up every month. One month it’s Portugal, the next it’s Spain, and tomorrow it’s South Africa.
To help you keep track of which countries offer these visas, there are several websites available.… Read the rest
Amid the many organizations forcing workers to return to the office full-time, there are some that are strongly advocating for remote work forever.
GitLab is one of the latter, and they published an in-depth article explaining exactly how they manage remote workers.… Read the rest
There’s a popular song from the 1908’s called “Working for the Weekend”. It’s by Lover Boy, a Canadian rock band with lots of cowbells. One of the lyrics of the chorus is, “Everybody’s working for the weekend”.
Well, it turns out, 40 years later, everybody’s actually working ON the weekend.… Read the rest
I recently read yet another article talking about the impacts of working remotely or hybrid. The summary of this article is: We need to change the way people are managed.
Breaking this down, there are three key points.
1. People are stressed, regardless of where they are physically located.… Read the rest
As it turns out, shifting from a full work-at-home schedule to a full work-from-work schedule isn’t good for us on many levels. Here’s another to add to the list.
As you may know, our brain is a highly adaptable organ. It is constantly changing at a physical level, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.… Read the rest
As I travel from city to city as a digital nomad, I find a checklist helps me pack and track what items I use and need. If I find I’m missing something on a particular trip, I add it to the list for the next time.… Read the rest
Despite all the news about organizations forcing their employees to return to the office, remote working isn’t going away. As such, executives are starting to realize they need to support a hybrid or fully remote staff.
One of the key ways to do that is to build a strong work culture.… Read the rest
Did you know there are currently 58 countries that offer some kind of digital nomad visa?
The number keeps growing every year, and some visas are harder to obtain than others. So which ones are the easiest, cheapest and fastest to receive, in places you would actually want to go?… Read the rest
According to a recent report by Future Forum, workers with a flexible schedule are 29% more productive and 53% more focused than those without. Flexible schedule means the ability to choose to work partly or completely remotely.
Yet executives are still stubbornly forcing employees to return to the office full-time.… Read the rest
Here’s a story of a particularly close friend. Stefan is Canadian born, and holds both a Canadian and Polish passport. Anna is Polish born, and only has a Polish passport. I may have changed their names for this email.
A few years ago, when Stefan’s father grew ill while living in Canada, Stefan and Anna decided to uproot their lives in Poland and move their 4 children to Canada.… Read the rest
An interesting article that crossed my path today was about remote job stacking.
As the story unfolds, a 48-year-old from Texas started working as a network engineer at company A. In this full-time position, he made $117,500 a year and worked on-site.… Read the rest
Remote working became significantly more popular over the last several years. As a result, the hospitality industry took notice and started to adapt. They are attempting to attract people who travel for both business and pleasure. This mix, labelled “bleisure”, is a fast-growing buzzword.… Read the rest
Until recently, employees that were permitted to work from home could pretty much choose where they wanted to work and for how long. Sometimes that meant actually working from home, and sometimes that meant remotely. Sadly, there are recent trends that suggest companies are starting to crack down on this freedom of choice.… Read the rest
OK, I’ll admit it. Not every single aspect of being a digital nomad is like unicorns and rainbows. There are some minor downsides to this lifestyle.
Here are a few challenges you may have along the way.
1. Romantic Relationships
If you have a life partner and they are not able to join you on these adventures, well, that sucks.… Read the rest