Destination Remote: The coolest Bulgarian couple 🇧🇬

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Hello (future) Remote Champ,

Have you ever met a cool Bulgarian couple with 2 cool kiddos and an awesome summer house near the Black Sea?

Well, you’re about to and you won’t be disappointed!

Let’s meet them and discover much more 👇

👀 A glimpse of what you can expect today

• 🇧🇬 Meet Velina & Martin, the Bulgarian Remote couple

• 🧐 The most underrated soft skill

• 📃 The best remote job boards

• 🥇 Why hybrid > in-office

 👋 Have you met Velina and Martin (🇧🇬)?

A few weeks back, in June, I met Velina and Martin, the coolest Remote couple in Bulgaria (I might be biased!). During the year they live in Sofia but in summer, they move for 2 months to their holiday house in Kavarna (near the beach) with their kids. That’s what I call “getting the best out of Remote Work”!

But it hasn’t always been this way. When they met 15 years ago, Martin already had his company and worked remotely but Velina, who’s a journalist, didn’t. This was okay until they got kids and Martin took the kids to the beach for summer (where his mother lives). For Velina, this was a nightmare and she decided something had to change. Even though it took some years, she finally made the switch and now works 100% remotely as well 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Just like most Remote Workers, they also encountered some struggles with remote work. Martin admitted he worked a lot (up to 14 hours per day) and that it was (and still sometimes is) very difficult to disconnect from work. Luckily, Velina could observe the struggles Martin was facing before she started working remotely and she avoided them from the beginning!

My favorite response from their part was when I asked what they do to avoid loneliness while working remotely:

Velina: “Working with my husband”
Martin: “Working with my wife”

How cute 💑

🗽 Their must-see in Bulgaria:

It’s been a while since they have been themselves but they both agreed: “Cape Kaliakra is a must-do on the beach side of Bulgaria”, and I can see why 👇

Get your company exposed to thousands of Digital Nomads! Contact Chris at [email protected]

🖥 Set-up of the week

🌍 Remote jobs

Imagine working from anywhere without having any location constraints.
It’s possible and here are 5 WFA job offers to prove it 👇

• New Client Strategist @ 10UP

• Technical Copywriter @ Matomo

• Senior Product Manager @ BeyondTrust

• Growth Account Executive @ Iterable

• Senior Backend Engineer (Java) @ Canva

_{Is your company hiring for remote positions? Contact me to be featured in next week’s newsletter (WFA positions only).}

🧐 The most underrated soft skill

→ Are you self-aware?

Most people are not self-aware and it’s killing their productivity, sucking their energy, and wasting their time.

Do you know:

• When you need to take breaks?

• When you’re most productive?

• When you’re procrastinating?

• What you’re very good at?

You might think you do, but most people don’t.

So I’m sharing 4 tips that will help you to become more self-aware!

1. Feedback: 

Ask for feedback.
To your peers, your employer, and your clients.
You’ll get fresh perspectives on your performance.

2. Reflection:

Take time to reflect on your work.
Ask yourself questions and be honest about it:
”What went well?” and “What could be improved?

3. Mindfulness:

Take a moment to practice mindfulness.
You’ll be able to focus on and understand your emotions.
And you’ll be able to act better accordingly!

4. Journaling:

Make a habit of writing down your thoughts and feelings.
You’ll see patterns and understand yourself better.
Try to do it at the same time every day.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to use them all
Start with 1 or 2 and you’ll already see a huge difference.

The best part: it’s 100% free!

Are you ready to become self-aware?

🗞 The Remote Work Gazette

• 7 Websites to Help You Choose the Right Destination as a Digital Nomad. Read more

• Why Hybrid Beats Fully Office-Centric In The Future Of Work. Read more

• 25 Best Work-from-Home Jobs for 2023. Read more

• These remote employees are secretly working abroad. Read more

🏋️‍♀️ Remote move challenge

❌ Don’t be a fool and sit all day behind your desk!
✅ Be smart and do the Remote Move Challenge:

• Walk 5000 steps every working day

• Do a 7-minute work-out before you start working

• Finish every day with 4 stretching exercises

• Have a post-lunch walk (at least 10 minutes)

You will be more productive and you will feel a lot better 💪 
I promise!

📊 Remote Stat of the week

Which remote work buddy of yours would love this newsletter?
Be a good friend & transfer Destination Remote so they can subscribe here ✌️

From Belgium 🇧🇪

Remotely yours,

Alex

PS: I’m on a mission to meet a remote worker in every country. See my progression here and contact me if you are currently working remotely from a country I haven’t checked on the map yet.