Hi, I’m Nicole — and this is the first post in my blog.
I’ve been working remotely for several years now, long before COVID made it mainstream. I wanted to start this space by sharing what that experience has really meant for me — not the Pinterest version of remote work with beaches and laptops, but the real, everyday version. The one that changed how I live, think, and connect with people.
Taking the Leap Before It Was Normal
When I first started working remotely, it felt like jumping into the unknown. I had two job offers: one in an office, one remote. My family thought I’d lost it. “How do you know it’s not a scam?” my dad asked. My mom imagined me being tricked into some pyramid scheme. To them, a job you did from home, over the internet, sounded like something from a bad movie. Nobody could understand how I’d “actually get paid” if I didn’t go somewhere every morning. Let’s not even go into explaining what my job actually is.
But something about it felt right. I wanted freedom. Not necessarily to work on a beach (I still haven’t done that, by the way), but to build a career that wasn’t tied to a single city or schedule. So I took the chance. And what started as an experiment turned into six years of growth, challenge, and the kind of stability I never imagined possible. I started out in customer support, moved into customer success, and eventually partnership management. When the world shut down in 2020, it became crystal-clear just how lucky I was to have made that choice.
What Remote Work Actually Means (Spoiler: It’s Not a Beach Job)
When people imagine remote work, they think of someone typing under a palm tree or hopping between countries. Working from exotic places, productivity magically happening. For me, it’s never been about that. For me, the reality is much more ordinary and much more meaningful.
For me, remote work meant that when COVID hit, and the world shut down, I didn’t lose my income. I didn’t have to panic about leaving the house. I could keep supporting my family while everything else stood still. It meant I was connected to people across the world when everyone else felt isolated — teammates from over 40 countries, each with different accents, cultures, and snacks visible on Zoom calls. I learned more about the world from those calls than I ever did in a classroom.
Sure, there’s freedom in not commuting, in being able to take your laptop on a train or work from your garden. But that’s just the surface. The real benefit is the freedom to keep your life running when things get chaotic. Being able to shape your work around life, not the other way around, and be present for what matters.
The Little Things That Matter Most
Remote work has quietly changed how I live. In the past six months alone, three different kittens somehow found their way into my home — tiny, hungry, and in need of care. If I worked in an office, I wouldn’t have been there to help them survive those first fragile days.
When my dog had surgery, I could keep an eye on her between meetings. When I needed a break, I could walk in my garden or take her for a short walk instead of scrolling my phone in a break room under fluorescent lights. When I had a family emergency that required flying 10,000 kilometers away, I didn’t have to beg for time off — I just worked around it.
Even during small crises, remote work has given me flexibility. Like earlier this year, when we had a full-day power outage in Spain — no electricity, no Wi-Fi, no phone signal. That was, without exaggeration, the only day I truly couldn’t work. Or when I missed a flight back from Germany after a weekend trip, with my laptop sitting comfortably at home. I couldn’t log in until the next day — but instead of spiraling about it, I just adapted. That’s another thing remote work teaches you: how to keep calm and problem-solve.
These aren’t dramatic life changes, but they’ve added up to something important: the feeling that I’m present in my own life.
Adapting to Remote Life (It’s Not Always Easy)
That said, remote work isn’t all freedom and sunshine. The adjustment takes time and discipline. In the beginning, I had no idea how to separate home from work. I’d check emails at midnight, forget to eat proper meals, and feel guilty if I wasn’t “always available.”
Eventually, I learned that success in remote work depends less on where you are and more on how you manage yourself. I started using tools that made life easier: a proper task tracker, time-blocking for deep work, and clear communication channels with my team. I learned to say, “I’ll get back to you tomorrow,” and actually log off.
Remote work has also made me more mindful of how I use time — and even of what I eat. I don’t have to worry about microwaving something that smells weird in a shared office kitchen, or about eating something that looks half-edible after reheating. I can cook food that I actually enjoy, which sounds minor, but it’s a small luxury that adds up over time.
Then there’s the family-and-friends problem. Try explaining to your relatives that you can’t just “run out for coffee” at 3 p.m. because, despite being at home, you’re still… working. My friends thought I had endless free time. And my pets… well, they still don’t get it. My dog assumes every video call is an invitation to bark. My cats take “working from home” as a personal challenge to sit on my keyboard.
These small frustrations are part of the deal. But once you accept them, remote work starts to feel like second nature.
The Hidden Benefits: Friends Everywhere
One of the most surprising parts of remote work is how connected it can make you. I’ve built friendships with people I’ve never met in person. Teammates from Ivory Coast, India, Estonia, and Canada, Honduras, to name a few. We’ve celebrated promotions, comforted each other, and swapped food photos like pen pals. My favorite discovery so far has been Lithuanian pink soup (Šaltibarščiai).
Anyway, you end up realizing that collaboration isn’t about proximity; it’s about intention. When you work with people across time zones, you learn to communicate clearly, to document your thoughts, to be patient. Those are skills that translate into every part of life.
Remote work doesn’t just expand your professional network; it changes your sense of belonging. You start seeing the world as a web of people you’ve actually shared time and ideas with, even if it was through a screen.
What Remote Work Really Gave Me
It gave me freedom, yes. But not in the cliché “digital nomad” sense. It gave me freedom from fear: the fear of losing work because of geography, of being trapped in a system that doesn’t adapt to real life. It gave me perspective: that productivity isn’t tied to a desk, that value isn’t measured by how early you clock in.
It gave me time to care for my animals, to travel when needed, to build a life that feels stable yet flexible. It gave me community — one that spans the globe.
And perhaps most unexpectedly, it gave me gratitude. Because remote work taught me that “work-life balance” isn’t about working less. It’s about working where life happens.
It made me more adaptable, more grounded, more mindful, and oddly enough, more appreciative of structure. It made me realize that work doesn’t have to compete with life — it can fit into it.
For Those Just Starting Out
If you’re beginning your remote work journey, know this: it takes time to adjust. Be patient with yourself and others. You’ll need to learn boundaries. You’ll have days when your Wi-Fi drops, your motivation dips, or your family thinks you’re free to run errands. That’s all normal. But if you stick with it and build systems that support you; it can open up a version of life that’s deeply human, practical, and fulfilling.
I don’t know where remote work will take me next, but I know one thing for sure: it’s given me the freedom to choose — and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.
