Organizations & Culture
The Magic of Non-Doing
I rolled out of my twin bed and stumbled into the common room. As I started the coffee maker I started thinking about my day and had a feeling of emptiness. I had nothing to do. It was sometime in early September in 2018. I had just moved across the globe to Taipei. I was ... Read more
Why Did People Stop Caring About Developing a Meaningful Philosophy of Life in the 1970s?
Since 1966 UCLA has been conducting a survey called “The American Freshman” which has surveyed incoming college students on a range of factors. A review of the first 30 years of the data in 1996 highlighted a fascinating shift in values. Especially notable are changes in two contrasting value statements: The importance of “developing a ... Read more
An Ode To Travel and What It Means (Video)
What follows is a transcript of a video I created reflecting on the last two and a half years of travel at the end of 2020. I’ve been living and working as a digital nomad living in several different countries since 2018. Three years ago my friend said I was heading out on a walkabout. ... Read more
The Knowledge Worker Mind & The Birth Of Careerism
Modern work critics blame Frederick Taylor for the hyper-optimization of the modern workplace. The accepted narrative is that Taylor kicked off a movement that looked at work as something that could be optimized and managed and that his efforts kick-started a 100+ year movement of steadily increasing optimization. Sounds good but its not true. Today’s ... Read more
The ultimate guide to becoming a digital nomad or remote worker
Over the past 3+ years, I’ve gotten rid of most of my stuff and have been living around the world. I’ve lived in six different countries: Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, Mexico and the US. I’ve lived out of AirBnBs, sublet apartments, signed a lease in Taiwan, lived with my parents and crashed with friends who ... Read more
Maslow’s Imaginary Pyramid: Who really invented the pyramid?
The biggest losers, we suggest, have been management students This was the takeaway of three researchers who dug into the history of the invention of Maslow’s pyramid. We’ll get to that story but first let’s take a look at what has become one of the most sacred ideas in the management world, Maslow’s pyramid: The ... Read more
Essential Digital Nomad Electronic, Sleep, Fitness & Travel Gear (October 2020)
I’ve been living abroad for more than two years out of a 32L backpack and a carry on suitcase. Many people have asked me what they should think about buying when embarking on long-term travel so I’ve consolidated my favorite items for living and traveling as a digital nomad. Many of the recommendation lists online ... Read more
Aspiration, Meaning, & The Traps of Ambition (A Book Review of Agnes Callard’s Aspiration)
To others, I made a bold decision to quit my job and chart a different course in 2017. Yet in my own experience of the event, there was no singular moment or decision made. This disconnect between my own experience and the narrative of bold all-or-nothing leaps has mystified me and driven a lot of ... Read more
Hustle Traps: Ten Guaranteed Paths To Burnout For The Self-Employed Creator
Starting your own business is a secret dream of many and with the emergence of more clear paths to make money online, many knowledge workers are deciding to test the waters of self-employment and entrepreneurship. In making such a leap many people hope to increase the amount of freedom and fulfilment they have with their ... Read more
Spaceship You: How To Understand Who You Are as a Remote Worker
The following is a guest post from Artur Piszek, founder of Deliberate Internet. He has been a remote worker for the last five years. This October, I will have 5 years of Remote Work experience. For the past 4, I have been sharing the journey with my liveaboard colleague and wife – Maria. We both ... Read more