Happy December co-remote workers of the Triangle!

If you're like me, you've entered the year-end mad dash to get all your work and shopping done before the holidays, so I'll keep the intro short and sweet. Don't forget to take care of yourself during what can be a very stressful time, often exacerbated by the winter-weather blues that can creep up on you this time of year – especially if you're stuck inside working from home most days. Take breaks from your work, walk outside a bit, get out and see people, and remember that if every last thing on your to-do list doesn't get done in time, the world probably isn't going to implode!

What we're up to

Last month we held our first co-working retreat in North Carolina's beautiful Yadkin Valley wine country. It was a resounding success, and 'remote' in every sense of the word! Eleven remote workers shared a remote forest cabin to get out of our normal surroundings and work, play, eat and drink on the road. Hiking, karaoke, grilling, s'mores, hot tubbing, tea tasting, a biker bar, wineries...and even a llama farm/vineyard were among the activities on the four-day trip, and we still managed to be productive during working hours.

As the pandemic has receded, it's revealed legions of newly minted remote workers in its wake ready to make up for lost time – and perhaps shift their mindset and priorities in the process. There's been an explosion in travel as location-independent professionals realize that "work from home" and "remote work" are not synonymous. The latter allows you to pick up and work from anywhere, making your travel longer, more frequent, different and, I believe, more rewarding in many ways.

There are organizations predating the pandemic offering co-working trips that cater to digital nomads, such as Remote Year, Wifi Tribe, Work Wanderers, Noma Collective and Hacker Paradise. On these trips, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to a year, groups of digital nomads live together, work together and play together in exotic locations.

These trips are very appealing to digital nomads, whose exciting Instagram feeds often bely the loneliness of long-term solo travel. Co-working trips not only provide a community of like-minded wanderlusters, but indeed can accelerate the friend-making process. When people are living, working and going about life in close proximity for even a short period, deep connections can happy quickly, travel can become more meaningful, and even unexpected professional development and divergent ways of thinking can emerge.

From the beginning of NC Triangle Remote Workers, I've hoped to eventually develop it into something that provides these sorts of work/travel opportunities on a smaller, more local scale. A month-long digital nomad retreat in Thailand is great, but even those who have complete location-independence in their work aren't always able to go that far for that long – and even if they are, they might not want to indefinitely traipse around thousands of miles from home. The digital nomad lifestyle is appealing to some, but I think many are also drawn to the concept of the 'digital semi-nomading' – having a fixed home base and investing in life in one location, but also leveraging remote work status to travel longer, more often and more spontaneously than when you're tied to an office.

That's the gap I'm hoping to fill with these retreats – letting people travel with a remote worker community and getting many of the benefits of the big digital nomad trips, without having to go so far or for so long.

It was very gratifying on this trip to see 11 people from very different personal and professional backgrounds – spanning in age more than two decades, most of whom hadn't met each other before – come together and click so well. This was the 'pilot' trip, and there are some things I'll do differently next time, but it convinced me that there will be a next time, and that there is demand to make this a regular occurrence. So if this sort of retreat is something that interests you, stay tuned to this newsletter, our website or Meetup group. We're tentatively planning to do the next one around March.

Our upcoming events

Reminder that these are only the events already confirmed, and they are subject to change. We often post new events less than a week ahead of time, so be sure to follow us on Meetup to stay up on them as they're posted or adjusted.

• Thursday, December 1 (11am-5pm) - Co-working, Lunch, DJ & Free Adult Beverages at Frontier RTP (Event Listing)
• Wednesday, December 7 (9am-12pm) - Co-working at The Root Cellar in Chapel Hill (Event Listing)
• Tuesday, December 13 (9am-12pm) - Co-working at Namu in Durham (Event Listing)
• Wednesday, December 14 (6pm-8:30pm) - Special Event - Ho-Ho-Holiday Party at Lynnwood Brewing (Event listing)
• Wednesday, January 4 (7pm-9pm) - Special Event - Digital Nomad Happy Hour with The Nomadic Network at Raleigh Brewing Company (Event listing to come)

Other events of interest

Not affiliated with us in any way, but you might be interested in:

• Friday, December 9 (11:30am-1pm) - On the menu: Creating a Sustainable Culture of DEI - Free seminar with free lunch at Frontier RTP's co-working space (Event listing)
• Wednesday, December 14 (8:30am-5pm) - Free co-working day at Spaces Magnum Street in Durham (Event listing)

Venue spotlight: Pimiento Tea House

This 18th-century Holly Springs house has been refurbished into a modern day tea house and a lovely setting for an afternoon of remote work. Pimiento is a nice change of pace from cookie-cutter coffee shops, with its quirky décor, yet proper tea house vibe that's difficult to find in the Triangle. Choose from a rotating menu of unique seasonal teas that will keep you going through your workday, and as you near the end of business hours, try one of their tea-infused cocktails. Stay fed with an assortment of unique snacks that pair well with the various teas, like scones, macrons, tea cakes, sausage balls or pimiento cheese and crackers – or make a day of it with their brunch, lunch and supper options. (Check out their website)

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December remote work reads

Featured: The Unintended Consequences of Working from Home - Freakonomics Podcast

• ​Airlines Cash In as Flexible Work Changes Travel Patterns - New York Times
• ​Remote work changed their lives. They’re not going back to the office - Washington Post
• ​Middle managers are not alright. Caught in the crossfire over remote work, they’re the most at risk of burnout - Fortune
• ​Why Teleworkers Get Lonely, and How to Boost Morale and Mood - Psychology Today
• ​Your Boss Still Thinks You’re Faking It When You’re Working From Home - Wall Street Journal
• ​The Holidays Are Longer Now. Is That a Good Thing? - New York Times
• ​‘Stealth workers’ lying to their bosses about where they work are costing companies tons of money - Fortune
• ​Mark Zuckerberg has a $10 billion plan to make it impossible for remote workers to hide from their bosses - Fortune
• ​Work From Anywhere! (Well, Not Really) - Wall Street Journal
• ​Musk’s First Email to Twitter Staff Ends Remote Work - Bloomberg
• ​The rise of the 'chief remote officer' - BBC
• ​The future of the office is a lab - Vox
• ​The War to Define What Work Looks Like - Wall Street Journal
• ​I proudly wake up at 8:59 a.m., one minute before starting my remote work job. There are thousands like me, and we don’t care what you think - Fortune
• ​Forget Hybrid And Flexible Work. What People Want Now Is Job Security - Forbes
• ​Remote workers reclaimed 60 million hours of commuting time and are prioritizing their wellbeing—not work - CNBC
• ​The great mismatch: Remote jobs are in demand, but positions are drying up - Washington Post

Thanks for making it to the end. If you enjoyed this newsletter, send this link to a friend so they can sign up too. And if you have any other questions or suggestions, write to us at durhamremote1@gmail.com. Happy working!

-Eric

Note: We have no relationship – financial or otherwise – with any of the establishments mentioned in this newsletter. All recommendations are our genuine, unpaid opinions!