Hey Insiders, we have a fun and interesting one for you today!

Over the weekend there was some nomad drama on Facebook. If you missed it don’t worry because not only do we have a rundown of what happened, we added our two cents on the topic.

Today’s email is a 4min 20sec read:

• 🏝️ Is Bali dead? Nomad drama with a kernel of truth

• 📦 The real reason Amazon is bringing people back to the office

• 🛋️ New corporate trend: “comfy offices”

• ➕ PLUS remote work & flex work are definitely NOT friends

But first, have you ever heard of “body doubling”? Here’s why it not only will help you be more productive but will make work more fun 👇

💡 TIPS & TRICKS

Use “Body Doubling” to Boost Productivity

If you’ve never heard of body doubling, it’s essentially a catchy buzzword for virtually working alongside another person.

The idea is to get on a call with a friend, coworker, or even a stranger and work alongside one another. From a neurological perspective, being with other people even virtually may boost dopamine.

The goal isn’t to work together on a Zoom call for 8 hours, but a focused hour working together can be very beneficial.

A quick guide to body doubling:

• Reach out to a friend or coworker and set up a recurring Zoom call once a week for an hour

• At the start of the call, state what you want to accomplish in the hour

• After an hour, review and reflect on how things went.

• Another option is to use a service like Focusmate to pair you with a stranger

🔬 DEEP DIVE

Is Bali Dead? Nomad Drama with a Kernel of Truth

Over the weekend nomad-Facebook got a little heated.

A recent Business Insider post profiling Olumide Gbenro, a somewhat controversial character in the space, shared his thoughts on why Bali is not the magical place we believe it to be and described it as having "dirty and unpleasant" beaches and out-of-control pollution.

Obviously, this upset some people and launched a full-on Facebook brawl.

In the article, Gbenro also shared that for these reasons he has decided to leave Bali and is instead heading to Southern Europe which he believes to be more nomad-friendly, and the next big destination.

I normally avoid drama like this, but in this case I decided to write a response to the article…

Because wrapped in the drama, there is an important conversation we need to have, and a kernel of truth... on both sides of the argument.

🚨 WORD ON THE WEB

🌃 Amazon is calling employees back to the office and it has nothing to do with productivity, but the fate of Seattle

• In an opinion piece on Medium, Kift creator Colin O’Donnel wrote that Amazon’s decision to pull employees back to the office is all about saving Seattle

• Amazon owns 10 million square feet of real estate in the city, a higher concentration than any other company, on any other city

• If Amazon were to pull out of the city, it could cause a systemic retrogression

• While this sounds grim, if the transition were done properly the future could be much brighter according to O’Donnel

🇮🇪 Ireland passes law protecting remote work

• The new “Work Life Balance Bill” encompasses the right to request remote working or flexible working for parents of young children or carers

• Once the law is officially signed, the government is expected to introduce a Code of Practice on to guide companies on the new law

• Ireland’s new law could help pave the way for more countries to adopt similar practices.

🛋️ To inspire workers to return to the office, companies are building “comfy offices”

• Marriot is one of several companies building offices designed to be “comfy” including a coffee shop, gym, child care, doggy spa, and outdoor seating

• Many of these new office buildings duplicate designs common in good coworking space like open floor designs, call booths, and more

• INSIDER TAKE: There’s a part of me that loves this, if you have to go to the office, at least make it one that supports your life

• However, why not take the opportunity to transform this into a coworking space, and keep 50% for Marriot only

• This would allow other small businesses to benefit, create more collaboration with other businesses, and likely help attract new employees.

🔍 96% of remote companies are using some type of monitor software, a new study found

• Despite numerous studies that show that remote workers are just as productive as in office office workers, and in some cases more productive, many companies leaders still have “productivity paranoia”

• The study also found that 3 in 4 companies have had employees quit due to the surveillance

• In addition, 37% of surveyed companies require their employees to be on a “live feed” the entire working day

💻 (NO)OFFICE OF THE DAY

@DannyPostmaa on Twitter making us jealous of that beutiful workspace view in Kuala Lampur

📆 UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 25-26: Running Remote [📍 Lisbon, Portugal] - Largest remote work conference in the world for enterprises and SMEs

May 24-28: Vivel [📍 Multiple Locations, Turkey] - networking meets music at this one-of-a-kind conference for location-independent professionals

June 16-19: Camp Indie [📍 Kent, Connecticut] - adult summer camp & conference for digital nomads & those living an unconventional life

June 25-July 2: Bansko Nomad Fest [📍 Bansko, Bulgaria] - for digital nomads, freelancers, and founders in the mountains of Bulgaria

⭐️ WFA JOBS

I've teamed up with THE remote job coach Jordan Carroll to provide you with handpicked work-from-anywhere jobs right here in this newsletter:

⭐️ Web Designer @ Chainlink Labs

⭐️ Business Development / Sales @ Management 3.0

⭐️ Staff Accountant @Polygon Technology

Want help finding the right remote job for you? Join the Remote Collective and get introductions to dozens of remote companies looking to hire people like you!

🤪 REMEME

The perfect meme does not ex…

Nevermind.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with us If you are enjoying this newsletter consider sharing it with someone you think may like it!

Send them this link!

That's it from us this week, hope you have an amazing day!