Carlo Borja: Remote Work

Digital nomads and remote workers like me love to hangout in places where we can just chill and do our work.

Working "from home" may be ideal. But, if you have been working "at home" for years, a change in scenery is always something you look forward to.

That is why I prefer working outside of the house every now and then.

I used to just go to coffee shops. Fortunately, Cagayan de Oro City has now started integrating workspaces inside of coffee shops -- just like what Cuppa Workspace did.

Located in J. Seriña Street, it is a coffee shop and workspace in one.

For 25 pesos an hour, you'd get all these:

A hight speed Internet connection (a must!)
Free brewed coffee
A dedicated cubicle
Unlimited charging
Unlimited water

Totally cool and affordable! It seriously can't get any better than that. I'm a cheapskate so I wouldn't pay for really expensive monthly fees on those coworking spaces.

When I'm not at home working, I'm probably here. It's an ideal haven for remote workers like me.

I came home from the team retreat with one thought in mind: I want to be more productive at work.

So, I've thought of ways on how I could maximize my productivity while working from home.

That is why I got myself these 3 things:

A good work desk
A 23 inch monitor
A wireless keyboard

I basically just made my MacBook Air a full desktop and it's amazing.

It's great how everything seems so different and more efficient when done on a big screen.

I feel like I could get more work done.

That's just the first step. I hope to get more ideas to maximize productivity at work.

P.S. The Logitech K380 keyboard is fantastic!

I'm writing this down in a fancy hotel in Boracay, Philippines.

The last 2 days have been really productive. I met with most of the people from Time Doctor and Staff.com.

Did a lot of meetings, discussions and brainstorming as to how to move the company forward.

It was mentally exhausting. But, it was definitely a fantastic experience.

We do these team retreats every year. And, it's a really great way for remote teams like us to get re-energized and gather the motivation to become more efficient.

Tomorrow, I'm going home with a lot of added knowledge, motivation and energy to become 10 times more productive.

For that reason, I could say that this year's retreat has been really successful.

Looking forward to another one last year!

For now, I'm just excited to go back to work. :)

I have been working remotely since 2009. It's been a great experience and I'm still enjoying every bit of it today.

I get to work anytime and anywhere I want. It's an unconventional setup but it works really well for my lifestyle.

If there is one advice I would give those who are just starting to do the same, it would be to stay focused.

The remote work lifestyle is very enticing. You get your freedom and flexible work schedule.

But, with great freedom also comes a huge responsibility.

It's very much easy to slack off, get lazy, procrastinate and be unproductive.

You have to stay disciplined, keep your focus and find ways to be productive every single day.

It's something I've been working on for years. And, I believe that is what has kept me going.

People should stop treating remote work as a way for them to do 'lazy' work when it is in fact the opposite.

It requires tremendous hard work, dedication and determination to be able to sustain the lifestyle.

One of the best things about remote working is that I could work from anywhere.

Today I was at a study area / cafe that offers good Internet and decent workspaces.

This is something I do from time to time. A change of location is a great way to keep my productivity up.

It's a great bonus that they also offer unlimited brewed coffee for a very reasonable rate.

That's pretty much everything I need to get to work.

One of the biggest distractions when working from home is when you have kids around.

I'm still single but our house has 2 kids -- a 4 year old and a 2 year old.

No matter how much I isolate myself in a different room in the house these kids still get so noisy that they make you lose your focus.

Sometimes they just distract you with their toys or just talk to you about random kid stuff.

On the flip side, they are such a good stress reliever.

It could be just me as a child person, but there's something about kids that takes all of your burdens (at least momentarily).

Other than that, you just have to deal with them.

I've learned how to handle the additional distraction they give me on a daily basis.

It could be a different story when I have my own kids. We'll see. :)

I work for a company that has all its employees work remotely.

We don't often see each other in person. It is mostly just on video calls.

So, when our CEO gave me this postcard of his family with a handwritten greeting inside I was ecstatic.

That personal touch is just what all of us needs. Take note remote teams.

A gesture as simple as this can go a long way.

It was my second time in Bohol and this time it was for our annual company gathering.

There's something about this place that really captivates me.

The island is very laid back, the people are very nice and you'll see nature at its best.

Plus, we stayed at a very luxurious and excellent hotel named Bellevue.

It couldn't get any better than that.

I got to meet my colleagues from Time Doctor and Staff.com. We got to bond as a team which is a very important thing especially for us remote workers.

We also had some key meetings and workshops which gave us some valuable insights and skills moving forward. These are all valuable especially that the company is continuing to grow.

I love the fact that my work allows me to get to relax and experience places like this.

Looking forward to the next one!

Here are some video snaps from the trip:

I work for a company called Time Doctor. It is entirely run by virtual teams all around the world.

Since our mission is enabling people to work whenever they want and wherever they want, we live and work just like that.

However, we can't really live with just seeing each other only in Skype or email.

This year all of Time Doctor's virtual employees from the Philippines met up at a fancy resort in Cebu City. Our bosses from Canada also came and joined the party.

I consider myself a digital nomad.

Though I don't really travel from one country to another, I enjoy working remotely in restaurants, coffee shops and wherever there is Internet connection.

As of this writing, Cagayan de Oro has no co-working space yet. I've always wanted to be a member of one. It's like the haven of remote workers.

Enter Study Nook.

It's Cagayan de Oro's newest place for students who want to study in silence and comfort.

For 25 pesos for the first hour and 20 pesos for each succeeding hour, you get a dedicated table, a complimentary coffee and a decent wifi. This is an incredibly affordable rate.

The place is posh and it is the closest thing to a co-working space that I could have at the moment.

It's pretty awesome. In the 4 hours that I tested the place, I was able to do more work. I also enjoyed the silence. It's a breath of fresh air from all the noise I encounter when I work at home.

I'm so glad to have something like Study Nook at the heart of Cagayan de Oro City. I now have a go-to place for working remotely on a tight budget. The place is insanely cheap compared to the coffee shops I frequent on.

I hope this idea becomes successful and will pave way to full co-working spaces here in the city.

I'd be a really happy digital nomad when that time comes.

UPDATE:

Study Nook just closed it doors. In their Facebook page, they said it is because of the "high economy."

I respect and understand that. The news just makes me sad. I loved the place and I had some good memories in there.

Whatever they decide on, I'm sure it is for the best though.

I'm Carlo Borja

Education

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

Experience

Head of Online Marketing

Marketing Staff

Youth Pastor

SEO and Online Marketing Consultant

Community Manager

My Skills

SEO

Content Marketing

Leadership

Organization and Management

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Outreach and Link Building

Content Marketing

General Virtual Assistance

Pastoral Work

Leadership and Management

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The Art of Managing Remote Teams and Working Remotely as an Individual

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