Why working remotely works for us
It all started in 2017....We took up the challenge to live the true life we wanted to after the Netherlands refused a visum for Marce. We took a unexpected negative experience and turned it around into a positive resilient one. To live a life together we looked for a place where we could have a free life. We choose the outdoors, surrounded by nature and mountains. A life were there was space for our design work we love to do and space for time in nature.
Usana, the village where we live has 13 inhabitants
Re-designing your life is one thing but executing your new life and build a steady remote working business is another. It takes time & effort. Now after almost 2 years with several iterations, I can say we found our purpose & rhythm in our new life with design work in our little village in the Spanish Pyrenees. So far we worked remotely with clients from all over Europe, the US & Costa Rica.
There are several reasons why remote working works for us:
Working remotely and being surrounded by nature makes us more focused during our work. We get more done in a shorter period of time. This leaves time for family and outdoor life.
Remote working slowed down our lives. We choose our own life rhythm. Living slower doesn’t mean we work less hard. I personally think that I work harder then ever before, just more efficient.
We can go for a walk/ bike ride in nature during lunch or after work, which immediately reliefs us from any work stress.
Less useless meetings. All the (online)meetings we have are meaningful. Most of the mails are relevant, which means less bullshit in our work life. Still tons of fun, but less bullshit.
We can plan our own work schedule. First of all we made the Spanish rhythm work for us. In the mountains people still take the Spanish siesta very serious (lunch & rest from 2pm to 4pm). We learned that after the siesta we are recharged for another couple of hours focused working. In addition we can plan our work around play and nap time of our little boy Oliver.
We can choose where to work. We either work in home or in the little co-working in the village. Even work in our van, when want to enjoy the mountains for a few days.
It is not all fun & happiness all the time. Just like any other job or workplace there are a few traps. You can get lost in your work fairly easy. You have to guard your weekends, it is easy to open your laptop for a few hours. Other than that remote working works really good for us. Hard times get us thinking about our life. How do we want to live? Work? Often, this unexpected times come with a blank canvas. Don’t be afraid to start filling it in. You can create the life you want to live!
If you have any question about remote working, especially in these times, don’t hesitate to ask, we like to help you out and give you a better working experience.
Author: Jeroen Spoelstra
When you are looking for remote designers for your project & let’s start talking about how we can work together remotely.
