1/ It’s tremendously clarifying having a move out date and one-way overseas flight booked 6 months in advance. It’s amazing how many decisions get simplified
2/ Virtually all purchases don’t make sense, since we’ll be downsizing to suitcases. I have an easy excuse not to make long term commitments, which means all decisions, planning, & communication around those gets eliminated
3/ Helps with priorities too. Clear priorities in this period are family, friends, & local experiences. I feel no guilt taking time away from work for these things, since it’s for a limited time
4/ It’s like getting the benefits of having a terminal illness without, you know, the symptoms or dying. It’s not usually so clear when a chapter of life is coming to a close. But it’s really nice to know, so I can go out with a bang!
5/ Business and work decisions are easier because everything basically needs to wind down by October. Enough uncertainty around living in Mexico City that it doesn’t make sense to plan projects there much
6/ It’s also a forcing function to make all my systems and processes remote proof, time zone proof, distributable, internet optional, etc. I won’t be here to fix things, so they should not need fixing
7/ Also feels like an opportunity to reinvent myself. Who do I want to be? What kind of life do I want to lead? Physical & cultural environments make it hard to do this too radically normally
8/ Every major move in the past has also marked a major life transition. It’s like an identity change. Anchors, cues, constraints, context all changes, and you get to also
9/ A major goal of mine is to make remote work more feasible, through new techniques & mental models. Way more ppl could do this than realize it. It’s actually an excellent life model for a wide variety of reasons. Hope to provide some structure for others to follow
10/ Online marketers were first wave of digital nomads, tech workers are second, much wider swath of knowledge workers is next
