Delusions of Remote
When Is The Right Time to Go Remote?
Calling all millennials daydreaming about becoming a digital nomad
Surfing at dawn, having a smoothie bowl of tropical fruits for breakfast. Then working on a laptop from the outdoor swimming pool. Later during the day hanging out with other folks celebrating the life. Or working hard from the vibrant co-working spaces full of creative entrepreneurs. Finally, after a long ‘busy’ day chilling out on a rooftop cocktail bar. Or joining an all-night full moon party on the beach. Have you found yourself in dreaming about one or more of those?
Lots of people draw this picture in their minds and desperately want to transition to remote work. They strongly believe they have a solid reason for that. The need for personal freedom, the need for extraordinary people, the need for more quality time, and the need to be happier. Well, I thought so too. I even gave a try and let myself experience that lifestyle. And I realized that the remote only works if the timing is right.
If you’re considering the life of a digital nomad — without having reached your 10,000-hour rule coined by Malcolm Gladwell — this article is for you. You’ll understand whether your reasons to go remote are real and when it is the right time for it.
I started to work remotely three years ago while finishing my master in the UK. I didn’t even think of that difference ‘remote’ or ‘on-site’. I got a job that can be done remotely — marketing for tech startups in London. After I completed my studies, I had no real need to stay in the same location. I continued working remotely with the team. And I didn’t stay anywhere longer than for two-three weeks.
For a year, I was experimenting and lived a digital nomad lifestyle. I didn’t intentionally choose the remote, it just happened. My reasoning (read: ‘excuses’) sounded like:
‘I can’t learn much while working from the same office all the time and with the same people around. I want to speed up my professional and personal development. So I must go to other places and meet other like-minded people in tech I can learn from’.
When you’re under 26s, learning from others is exactly what you need, right? That was my naive explanation of why I can’t be an on-site employee. I didn’t have much of work experience so I genuinely believed that was the perfect timing to go remote. The more people I met, the deeper I realised I was wrong.
Many digital nomads travel around the world not to achieve some ambitious career goals. They want to solve/run away from their personal problems or get to know other cultures. And that’s absolutely fine as long as this is their conscious choice.
Still, there are many young people, who jump straight into remote to facilitate their professional growth. However, very often their reasoning is a delusion. They choose the wrong timing. They don’t realise there might be some smarter alternatives out there.
I talked to many digital nomads about why they chose remote. And I made some observations when it doesn’t make sense to go remote. Here are some of them.
#1 Do not go remote if you want more freedom
… and feel a greater sense of personal autonomy. So you can increase your productivity and creativity. So you can reach your full potential … Good intentions indeed but …
In fact: By choosing the remote, very often you get the sense of freedom but not the real freedom in its pure form. You’d still be dependent on your remote job and its compensation, the location and facilities, and the people around. If you work for someone, you’d still be an employee although a remote one, if you freelance or run your own business, you’d still be dependent on your clients. Right?
More freedom turns into more obligations. You have to know what to do with your freedom. If you’re under-26s most probably you have no idea what you want from life. Remote will give you the freedom where to go and what to do. It won’t give you the total freedom of your life direction.
Smarter alternative: A healthy mix of achieving your professional goals and time to pursue your personal goals. If you’re seeking for a flexible workspace, more opportunities to travel for work, or have less micromanagement, find the company that shares the same values. Take more ownership over your work and prove you might be granted more freedom.
Check out: 10 Crazy Flexible Companies That Understand You Need Freedom
#2 Do not go remote if you want to meet more interesting people
… and real experts who are so good at what they’re doing that they can afford to work from anywhere. Without mentioning communities of digital nomads full of not ordinary bright personalities …
In fact: You’re meeting random people. You might be lucky enough and get to know the next genius tech startup founder. You have the same chances of having meaningless conversations with less ambitious travellers. The truth is that the more ambitious a person is, the more time they dedicate to their life projects. The less they want to waste their time on other things such as constantly moving around.
Smarter alternative: If you live in a big city, local meetups are a good place to meet the same digital nomads. If you’re looking for industry experts, it makes even more sense to explore the local network first. If that’s not enough, check out online communities. Slack chat groups, facebook groups, and telegram chats. They won’t replace the live conversations but you can find interesting people there. Those would be more helpful for your professional development.
Check it out: The largest curated list of verified 2,000 Slack Chat Groups
#3 Do not go remote for more quality time for yourself and loved ones
… and more time to learn new things, read, research, innovate, and travelling.
In fact: You have to know how to manage your own time and stick with the rules. This is damn hard, especially if doing by yourself. Different time zones shift your schedule, you need to plan your workload and control your performance yourself. It requires lots of discipline and self-control. While there are so many distractions out there waiting for you on the sunny beach. Yes, you can spend more quality time for yourself, but at what cost?
Actually, remote work can bring you much more overtimes than work in the office. When you leave the office, you change the environment and can forget about your work. When you work remotely, you’re always in the office.
Smarter alternative: Work from the office. But plan your workload together with your manager so he is aware of your scope of work. Plan your week ahead and always include risks as you’d do for any proper project estimation. So you don’t have much overtime. Then you’ll be able to plan your leisure time as well. When you learn how to be effective at your job, you’ll find the time for your priorities. If you can’t unlock this level, you’ll experience a very slow growth whenever you go.
Read: This Simple Yet Powerful Weekly Planning Routine Puts You in Control
#4 Do not go remote if you want to make/save more money
… You don’t want to overpay for housing, food, and healthcare in the US or UK. While there are so many other places like Thailand, Bali, Argentina, Spanish islands with a more affordable living cost.
In fact: If you relocate to some digital nomad destination at least for one month, you can save some money. You could even continue getting paid the salary of a developed country while spending less. But is it that important in your twenties as your professional growth in a developed country?
Smarter alternative: Consider your higher cost of living as an investment in your professional development. A temporary thing before you become an expert in at least one chosen field. Even if you don’t aim at climbing the career ladder. Your gained experience and the network you build within a major economic hub would definitely help you in the future. If you still are looking to put more money in your savings account, start with small changes. Like buying fewer cups of coffee or cooking at home.
Read: 10 Ways Millennials Are Able to Save Money.
#5 Do not go remote if you want less stress and be happier
… You feel too much pressure in the office. A competitive environment leads to toxic workspace. So you start getting mental issues. You want to have more opportunities to be mindful and have less sick days so you quit your 9–5 office job and go far away.
In fact: Working in a tropical country is less stressful compared to the corporate environment. The price for that is the missed opportunities. Don’t forget how much stress you might face while travelling to developing countries — a different culture, lower living standards, language barriers, etc. All that will be another stress test for you.
Smarter alternative: Learn mindfulness and stress management. Meditation, sport, and other activities will help you to cope with stress. Wherever you go you must be able to control your emotions. Learn how your emotions are made, how they influence your body and health. Going remote won’t solve the problem. Instead of avoiding the stress learn how to handle it.
Read: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
So when is the right time to start working remotely?
You haven’t reached 10,000 hours to build expertise and/or haven’t decided what you want to do with your life? Stop misleading yourself that you’ll only be successful and happy if you go remote.
Find the company that shares your values. The team that supports your professional and personal development. The workspace you can develop your skills and feel personal freedom. Find your mentor and people you can learn from — offline or online, no matter. Learn how you could wisely manage your money, time, and mental health.
You’re so passionate about travelling and can’t live without it? Find the job that will enable you travelling for work. Otherwise, keep working on your knowledge accumulation. Master your skills and establish your expertise. Do not go remote before you proved yourself as an office worker and a good performer.
… and whenever you feel mature enough — just do it! At least try remote for a limited period of time. That’ll be an invaluable experience of your life. Do it in a smart way and enjoy!
I’d like to hear your stories of going remote. Feel free to share your thoughts and reasons in the comments — why and when you decided to go remote.
