I love remote work, but I’m pretty sure I would fail it as a digital nomad. For starters, I’m almost 60 years old and I have stuff! (admitting it is the first step!) Not just a little stuff, lots of stuff. Two 16-foot pods and two 28-foot U-hauls full of stuff. It’s a little hard to move around the world when you’ve got that kind of baggage. We recently moved and tried to downsize. And I would say we succeeded. There was a dumpster, multiple loads of stuff to the dump, and a lot of donations to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. I don’t have nearly as much stuff as I did, but it still makes me less than nomad material.
Back in my 20s I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about packing up and moving to another state or another country.
I did it on a couple of occasions. But today, moving my stuff is a very real consideration. I like my stuff and I like having a home base. So clearly, it’s not the digital nomad life for me. Thankfully there are still options.
Your Remote Work Approach
Having downsized from a six-bedroom house to something about half the size we are looking to do things differently. I like the idea of having a home base but I’m not opposed to sharing it and leaving it occasionally to go do other things. Just because you can work from anywhere doesn’t mean you have to force yourself into the model you see on people’s social media feeds. You want to work where you want to work. It may be a beach in Morocco, the mountains in the Berkshires, or a small village in the Alps. Maybe it’s just your basement or on your deck. Find out what works for you. Don’t try to live somebody else’s dream just because they’re doing something cool being a digital nomad.
Don’t Be Fooled by Social Media
Remember, social media, for the most part, is heavily edited. We tend to see the high points. We don’t always see the low points. Working from anywhere isn’t just about working from anywhere. It’s about figuring out what works for you and how you work. The two are closely intertwined. I always laugh at the pictures of people with their laptops on the edge of a pool. Nobody does that. Between the glare of the sun and the risk of somebody cannonballing next to your laptop, it’s just not practical.
Have I worked on the beach overlooking the ocean on occasion? Yes. But is there a need to take a picture of that? It seems a little more than trying to prove a point. So whether you’re traveling with a backpack and a small suitcase or multiple pods and u haul containers, figure out what worked for you.
Remote Work Options
Whether it is a remote work schedule, occasional coworking spaces, or the fully remote option, work and office are no longer joined at the hip. Anything is possible. I like the remote option that includes intentional get-togethers or retreats a couple of times a year. Our interactions should be more purposeful and meaningful. I’m meeting some coworkers for the first time this week, and it’s more of an event than a daily grind.
For me, it’s been almost 3 years since I was in an office. I miss some of the face-to-face interaction, but compared to 2 hours of driving daily, Zoom or Teams works just fine. I know people that packed up their families and moved to Florida, Spain, Italy, etc. I’m looking forward to visiting them and maybe doing some work while I’m there. But I think I’m happiest working in my quiet little village near my family.
I think I resisted the term Homad when Dave Cairns came up with it. But I have to admit it’s starting to stick. We are remote workers who pretty much stay at home and work. It’s probably the oldest working model (even older than going to the office). We might travel occasionally, but generally very happy at home. Much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, having been to the emerald city, she realized, “there’s no place like home”.
