Why I’m Not a Digital Nomad

In 2009, with more confidence than sense, I announced to my family in Argentina, “I'm officially a digital nomad.”

That year, #Supercoolwife and I spent four weeks visiting friends and family in various cities across Argentina.

The vision: Me, effortlessly typing from charming cafés, remote beachside huts, and tucked-away boutique hotels—living the laptop dream.

Reality arrived swiftly and without mercy—like the first Skype call I confidently scheduled at a seaside café.

(Yes, kids - it was only Skype back then!)

Only to watch the connection drop repeatedly, leaving me apologising awkwardly to a client by email as I stared at them patiently through a frozen screen.

What I didn’t realise was how much deeper this was—not just Wi-Fi frustration but productivity, mental clarity, and the hidden costs of a perpetually disrupted workflow.

Digital Nomad Dreams Meet Wi-Fi Reality

Wi-Fi became a cruel lottery outside the dependable embrace of central Buenos Aires.

Quaint seaside cafés, built for leisurely coffees and gossip—not deadlines and Skype calls—shrugged helplessly as my ambitious digital tasks dissolved into buffering wheels and dropped connections.

The digital nomad fantasy quickly surrendered to reality.

Finding Creative Stability

Salvation came unexpectedly from our friend Loreley’s buzzing little studio, which a group of creatives comfortably shared.

The spacious, calm atmosphere, gentle hum of activity, high ceilings, and warm sense of collaboration provided a peaceful sanctuary for creativity.

It wasn’t the nomadic fantasy I'd first imagined—it was even better.

Writing newsletters surrounded by artists and designers felt like coming home.

London, Connection, and the Crash

Flash forward to last week: I'm tearing around London’s Workspace Design Show, running London Coworking Assembly workshops, fueled by the sheer joy of seeing faces beyond pixelated Google Meet tiles.

The camaraderie? Incredible.

The productivity? Nonexistent.

And while I wouldn’t change a thing, the mental come down after so much stimulation knocked me flat for the entire following week.

Racing around London, meeting countless people, and juggling work, family, and friends filled me with energy.

However, returning home to quieter, slower-paced Vigo in Galicia brought a sudden, unavoidable crash.

These days, my most lethal vice is a double espresso after 3 o'clock.

But it all vividly reminded me of coming down from days spent wide awake in Ibiza in my youth—only this time, the high wasn't clubbing; it was the exhilarating buzz of nonstop human connection and activity.

Ignoring Advice Right in Front of Me

Recently, we spoke to Sam Sundius on the about the importance of meeting your brain where it is.

Ironically, I completely forgot that advice upon returning home.

Instead, I plunged straight into work, ignored my own advice, and spiraled into self-induced overwhelm and panic.

Sam brilliantly put it in her newsletter this week:

“The less you're holding in your working memory, the more energy you reclaim for the shit you absolutely need your working memory for.”

📧-> Sam's newsletter The Pull: Love letters to your brain {subscribe}

Yet, I kept it all swirling in my head.

Predictably, chaos followed.

Tiny Habits, Major Impact

I'd stopped writing down my three daily wins - see my Gap and the Gain post.

I'd stopped emptying tasks onto Post-it notes and documents.

By last Friday, routine tasks took me five times as long.

These tiny habits aren't minor—they're vital to mental clarity.

Years ago, Brené Brown shared her messy creative process—an hour of rearranging papers, pacing, and procrastinating.

Hearing that was permission for my chaotic brain.

I thought something was wrong because I couldn't sit down and start working immediately!

It takes me ages to settle, even if I have a to-do list in front of me!

Expecting seamless productivity in airports and coffee shops is pure delusion.

The ADHD Revelation

Speaking of delusions, at the end of 2024, my wife again gently nudged me towards an ADHD test after years of suspicion.

It's not that I didn't want to take the test—I just kept “forgetting”.

There was some weirdo avoidance; oddly, I forgot to write it in my project lists or notebooks despite her reminders.

Over the years, ADHD frequently surfaced in therapeutic and coaching conversations about my behaviour traits.

I was diagnosed with dyslexia at Roehampton University in 2005, which profoundly shaped my academic path.

Officially diagnosed with ADHD now, honestly, it was the least surprising revelation ever—it finally explained why it's so hard for me to settle down and focus, and why endless context-switching feels like drowning in scattered chaos.

What I Learned About Managing My Brain

Since receiving my ADHD diagnosis, I've started paying closer attention to how I manage my energy and productivity.

This past week painfully illustrated why.

When I ignore my routines and rituals—like clearly documenting tasks, emptying my mind onto paper, and protecting predictable spaces to work—my productivity and mental clarity collapse.

It's not Wi-Fi issues or chaotic cafés causing this; it's breaking the patterns that keep me grounded and focused.

The Myth of Effortless Productivity

Around ten years ago, I attended Lisette Sutherland’s 'Work Together Anywhere' workshop at Bishopsgate.

(Even though it was in a WeWork I still went! 🤣)

It was the first practical, eye-opening training I'd ever had on how remote teams could thrive.

Lisette’s workshop and numerous chats with my fellow creator , founder of Virtual not Distant, became foundational without my realising it.

Years later, when COVID hit, I found myself being the only person many people knew who actually understood remote work.

That wasn't because I was uniquely talented—it was because Lisette made something obvious yet overlooked crystal clear: Remote work isn't a level playing field.

Communication is the hardest part.

How do you recreate the ease and flow of working face-to-face when you're spread across screens and time zones?

You don't.

You have to create it intentionally.

The workshop cut through my misconceptions, shifting my focus from trying to work "anywhere, anytime" to deliberately designing conditions that suit my specific way of thinking and working.

Here's what stuck most vividly:

• Building a workspace that genuinely boosts productivity
• Communicating clearly to avoid chaos
• Fewer meetings, better connections
• Creating an actual presence online
• Understanding personal productivity deeply
• Real collaboration, not forced interaction

The biggest takeaway: Genuine collaboration isn't about mimicking the office. It's intentionally creating rhythms, habits, and rituals suited to your unique needs.

I still stumble, occasionally pausing to ask, “Is this my ADHD speaking, or am I just spectacularly moody today?”

The truth?

It doesn’t matter. What matters is noticing, adjusting, and intentionally building patterns that support creativity, clarity, and genuine connection.

A Couple of Connection Invitations

Before I wrap up, I have two invitations for you:

• The Coworking Alliance Summit is happening this Wednesday.
  It is packed with honest conversations and insights for coworking leaders.
  (DM me today for a code to join!)
  
  
• Don’t miss our upcoming Unreasonable Connection online event for coworking space owners and community managers. Join us for honest discussions on what truly matters.

Stop Chasing Fantasies

Here's the honest nudge to fellow coworking space owners, creators, and community builders: stop chasing seductive fantasies of productivity in constant motion.

Instead, build intentional stability into your workspace and workflow by embracing routines, documenting tasks, prioritising mental clarity, and nurturing tiny habits that keep you grounded.

You can get one thing working with the people you have before you build the next thing.

Could you match your workspace to the messy, beautifully imperfect reality of your brain?

Stability isn’t dull; it’s a quiet, underestimated superpower.