Tell us about your last journey – where did you go, and how was the work/vacation split?
I travelled the north of Europe by train and boat – via Hamburg and Oslo to Trondheim and then along the coast to Bergen. From there back to Oslo, Gothenburg, and Copenhagen before I ended in Berlin, right on time for LEXR’s team retreat there.
The work/vacation split was initially planned to be 50%, taking into account a few free days, but mainly reduced hours to discover all the visited places. In the end, I worked a bit more probably, but I am still pretty satisfied with the whole experience.
What does a remote workday look like for you?
I start as always, by having a brief check-in call with my team. The “work” part is generally pretty similar, but I do longer breaks during the sunny hours. Exploring a new place is just far more rewarding in daylight! Since I can work pretty flexible, I rather spend a few more hours working in the evening, which allows me to go outside during periods of good weather – and trust me, in Norway you’re happy about every sun ray you can get.
Were there any complications or special challenges – if so, which ones and how did you solve them?
When doing a workation, for me there’s always a risk of working more than I actually wanted and cutting down on the vacation part. Here it helps me to book trips or do something with other people, so I have an additional nudge to close the laptop. Luckily I have a great team who I can rely on taking over when I am gone.
What has been your favorite remote location so far and why?
Hard to name one… But if I have to probably an apartment on the Czech country side. There was a beautiful forest directly behind the house, so I basically everyday went to have a short walk in nature before starting the day, few times even a longer hike. The city trips I so far did where great too, but I think in the future I’ll look out more for country side locations.
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of remote work?
The largest disadvantage for me is that it requires more discipline with time management. For me that’s not so much about working enough, but more about taking the necessary breaks, do sports and so on. At home, I have my established habits, but at a new place, I always run the risk to simply spend the day in front of my laptop. But it’s all a matter of getting used to this style of working, and if I manage to get away from the laptop, the biggest advantage of remote works shows: There is so much new inspiration and impulses when working from a new place! Also, having a job which allows me to collect such experiences is of course a huge motivation booster and I am very thankful that this is possible at LEXR.
