Hey Insider, hope you had an amazing weekend! I have a small suggestion for this lovely Monday - go and work from a McDonald’s!

On this day in 1940 Richard & Maurice McDonald opened the 1st McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California 🍔 

Not only does McDonald’s have the best fries in the world, but it’s also one of the places you can always rely on to have good WiFi, plenty of seats, and accessible outlets!

Today’s email is a 5min 42sec read:

• 🏘️ American suburbs are experiencing a renaissance

• 💻 Why freelancing will play a huge role in the future of work

• 🚌 Super commuting hits a record low

• 🤔 Virtual coworking

But first, have you heard the term “work-life integration”? It’s like the cool younger brother of work-life balance and as a remote worker, you should really look into it 👇

🔬 DEEP DIVE

Work-Life Integrations for a Remote-First World

Work-life balance has been a focus for many professionals for decades, but since remote work has gone mainstream, more and more professionals are discovering that balance isn’t possible.

Instead, they seek what has come to be known as “work-life integration”

The easiest way to understand the difference is that work-life balance promotes establishing strong boundaries between your work and your personal activities.

The work-life integration movement on the other hand says that in today’s remote work & constantly connected world, establishing these boundaries is nearly impossible and that the answer is to actually integrate them together.

Remote work naturally supports work-life integration since the workplace shifts from an office to your home, a cafe, or another non-work-specific location.

Another great way to lead a more “work-life integrated” life, is to work a non-linear schedule. This is a favorite of mine and a favorite of many digital nomads and parents!

The idea is to split work up into a few different chunks when to better fit your or your family’s schedule instead of working in one big chunk.

Here are a few more ways to dip your toes into work-life integration:

• “Bring your kid to work” by letting them sit with you during a meeting

• Extend a vacation by turning it into a workation

• Take a longer lunch break to workout

• Walk or cook during your work calls

Work-life integration isn’t without downsides. It can be a slippery slope and if you're interested in building a more integrated lifestyle you should be aware of some of the risks & negatives:

• Easier to accidentally work more hours

• You can end up not taking enough time off resulting in burnout

• Lack of “deep work” if you’re context-switching too much

Adopting a work-life integration lifestyle is a great way to get the best of both worlds - an ambitious career & strong family life, but like everything else you need to be careful with the execution.

No work-life strategy can replace the need for rest and downtime.

⚡️ WE’RE BROUGHT TO YOU BY CAMP INDIE

Unconventional Minds Wanted!

Break free and join the ultimate adult summer camp for digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and adventure-seekers! Whether you’re just starting out or have been on this path for years, you’ll advance toward the lifestyle you want to lead (while having a blast at summer camp).

Most conferences charge high ticket prices and make you pay for your hotel, food, and entertainment.

At Camp Indie your accommodations, food, workshops, and entertainment are all included!

All you need to do is show up, relax, and have a blast enjoying an unforgettable weekend of growth, learning, and connection.

Join us June 16-19, 2023 in Connecticut’s Berkshire Mountains, less than 2 hours from New York City!

💡 TIPS & TRICKS

Boost Productivity by Coworking Virtually

Virtual coworking is a fancy term to describe the idea of getting on a Zoom call with friends, coworkers, or strangers and working together.

This provides you structure and accountability to focus on the task at hand and is proven to boost your productivity.

If this sounds interesting we’re hosting a Remote Insider Virtual Coworking session this Friday, May 19th, 10am-11am EST and it’s absolutely free for subscribers!

👉 Register for virtual coworking here!

🛩️ MID-FLIGHT MISHAPS

Ever work while on a plane? Well, think twice from now on…

Tarah Chieffi, a freelance writer for The Points Guy, shared about her experience working mid-flight when the person sitting in front of her reclined their seat crushing her laptop screen.

Read more about how this happened, how to avoid it, and how the airline handled the situation

🚨 WORD ON THE WEB

🏘️ American suburbs, once marked by dying malls and empty office parks, are now thriving with no sight of slowing down

• In the last 10 years, the number of Americans living in suburbs has increased by 10.5% & the pandemic accelerated this

• A big part of this is driven by remote-working Millenials looking for more square footage to accommodate for home offices

• This shift is also driving small businesses, restaurants, and national chains to focus on the suburbs. Over half of Sweetgreen locations are now in the suburbs opposed to 35% in 2019

💻 Why freelancing will play a huge role in the future of work

• Tech advancements have made it much easier to work with freelancers and more & more companies will choose that route than engaging in long & expensive full-time contracts

• As a freelancer, you will work with multiple clients every year as opposed to working with one employer. This sets up freelancers as natural networkers which will improve their future opportunities

• Successful freelancers also have much better work-life balance and more control over their rates allowing them to maintain higher incomes.

🚌 Super-commuting, traveling 90+ minutes each way for work, hits a 10-year record low

• Prior to COVID, the number of super commuters was quickly growing peaking at 4.6 million in 2019 from 3.2 million in 2010, a 45% increase

• While many workers have seen their commuter hours decrease, super commuters have experienced the sharpest drop-off, especially those who qualify as high earners ($100K+ annual salary)

• INSIDER TAKE: This trend actually makes a lot of sense. Super-commuters have the most leverage to petition for a WFH arrangement even if their employer isn’t pro-remote work.

  Higher salaried employees often are also those that have the rarest skill sets giving them even more leverage over negotiating a remote work setup.

📆 UPCOMING EVENTS:

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

May 28th-June 3: Nomad Cruise 11 [📍 Mediterranean Sea] - The original conference at sea is back! Join 250 digital nomads on board a cruise ship in the Med to discuss remote work, business, and personal growth

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

June 21-25: Remotion Festival [📍Burgas, Bulgaria] - A festival for remote workers, freelancers, & digital nomads highlighting the Burgas area as a hub for smart living

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

🎒 GEAR

Bellroy Venture Pouch

Bellroy is one of my favorite bag and accessory brands and their new Venture Pouch is an awesome addition for any remote worker.

What I love about this is that the 1.5L size is just big enough to keep all your small things like dongles, cables, and the odd USB stick together but without taking up a ton of space in your bag. You can almost forget that it’s there until you need it.

Best of all it comes in at a killer price! Learn more about the Bellroy Venture Pouch here

🌍 WFA JOBS:

Looking for a job that’s not just remote, but that you can work from anywhere in the world? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Check out these awesome WFA positions 👇

⭐️ Conversion Rate Optimization Consultant @ Conversion Rate Experts

⭐️ Freelance Writer @ ShoutVox

⭐️ Head of Growth @ Toggl

Thanks for spending a few minutes of your day with us, we’d love to hear from you!

Please take a second and let us know what you like about the newsletter and if there is anything you think we can do better 👇

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See you on Wednesday, hope you have a great start to the week! Cheers 🍻

Today’s email was written by Mitko Karshovski