Counterflows #53: The Nomad Era Is Here, Good Writers Make a Point, WFH Forever?
Your offbeat guide to distributed work and borderless living.
Welcome to the Counterflows newsletter by Lauren Razavi. These emails are where I share the best links about distributed work and borderless living each week. Want to support what I do? Forward the newsletter to a friend or buy me a virtual coffee. PS: My first book, Global Natives: The New Frontiers of Work, Travel and Innovation, is available for digital pre-order now.
Hi friends 👋
Are digital nomads the future of work, or colonialism 2.0?
My essay on this topic appears in the new travel writing collection TREAD BRIGHTLY, published on Monday.
Sarika Bansal is the brilliant editor and global changemaker behind this project, and she’s been a constant source of inspiration and better thinking for me since we first connected back in 2016.
The book is available in print and e-book formats, and your purchase helps fund future work from independent creators like me and Sarika.
Pre-order your copy here.
-Lauren
PS: My first week of the Ship 30 For 30 challenge is going well. I’m writing and publishing a mini-essay about digital nomads and the future of work every day until June 15th. Follow along in my master thread.
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🌍💻 Remote Work Made Digital Nomads Possible—The Pandemic Made Them Essential (Fast Company)
The world is finally noticing the significance of digital nomads, which long-time Counterflows readers know I’ve been talking about since long before the Covid-19 pandemic. This story looks at how—paradoxically—lockdowns and border closures have led more people to experiment with the lifestyle.
💼🏡 The Case for Letting People Work From Home Forever (Wired)
Almost 70% of full-time employees worked from home in 2020. With business operations now uploaded to the cloud, debates over returning to the office continue. This story argues companies should embrace remote, since it leads to happier, more productive, more engaged, and more fulfilled workers.
🚀🦠 How to Quit Your Job in the Great Post-Pandemic Resignation Boom (Bloomberg)
Professor Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University studies why workers exit companies. In this brief Q&A, he explains that people tend to stay put during times of uncertainty, and predicts mass resignations ahead as workers act on pent-up dissatisfaction and companies implement inconsistent WFH policies.
✍️🧠 Good Writing: Make Your Point and Get Out of the Way (Morgan Housel)
A lack of thought and intention in how we communicate often leads us to waste other people's time. In this blog post, tech investor Morgan Housel offers advice on clear writing, good communication, and getting to the point—a useful skill at work, but also in life more generally.
📝⏳ How to Create a Great Freelance Pitch in One Hour (Freelance Creative)
Crafting the perfect story pitch is a task that swells to fill as much time as you give it. This post from Jordan Teicher, Contently’s Director of Content, provides step-by-step guidance on how to write one effectively in just 60 minutes. They’re useful content planning tips for independent creators too.
🚙📲 #Vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement (New Yorker)
Ah, van lifers. These overground travellers have a lot in common with digital nomads and emerged in the same period, but they’re a unique counterculture of their own. This epic long read (23 mins) from 2017 dives into the workings of the movement and meets some of its characters.
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