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A chat with a local in Chiang Mai made me drop my 'work first' rule
I was at a cafe there last month, grinding on a project, when a Thai guy who runs a small shop next door sat down. He saw my screen and said, 'You look at your world through a small window all day.' He wasn't being mean, just honest. He told me he closes his shop for two hours most afternoons to visit a temple or just walk, because 'the internet will wait, but the sun sets.' For three years, I've stuck to a strict 9-5 remote schedule no matter where I am, treating travel like a backdrop. His comment hit me because I realized I was in this amazing place but still living by my old cubicle clock. I've started blocking two afternoon hours for no work, just to go see something. It feels weird but good. How do you other nomads balance seeing a place with actually getting your hours in?
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betty_scott181mo ago
That "small window" line would have stopped me cold too. So when you block those two afternoon hours now, do you actually leave your laptop behind, or is it still sitting there in your bag like a guilty conscience?
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wells.morgan1mo ago
It's a desktop, so it can't come with me. The physical separation really does help.
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