lifestyle – Page 2 – Workation Diva

My To-Do List Is a Mood Board

Laptop covered in colorful sticky notes — a playful symbol of organized chaos and mindful productivity for remote workers and digital nomads.

My to-do list isn’t a tool — it’s an ecosystem. A mix of emails, scribbles, and color markers that somehow keeps me sane while my week insists on being five projects deep at once.

The chaos behind the calm

Right now, I’m wrapping up a design presentation, preparing two operational meetings, drafting a new client proposal, and organizing a team event — all before Tuesday.

It sounds like a lot, and it is.

But I’ve learned that my brain runs best on visual order and small, satisfying rituals.

Inbox Zero, but make it human

Here’s how I work: my inbox is my to-do list. Literally. If an email is there, it means something still needs doing.

When it’s done, it goes to its proper folder — or, if I’m honest, one of those “desk-drawer” folders where I hide what can wait for later.

It’s my version of keeping the desk tidy: clean screen, calm brain.

Paper, colors, and tiny victories

During meetings, I take notes by hand — all the action points go on paper. If it’s something I can do immediately after, I do it. If not, I email myself the task (one task = one email). It lands back in my inbox, where I’ll actually see it and deal with it.

And when I scratch a task off the page, I do it with random colors. No logic, just joy. I want the page to end up looking like a rainbow of small victories before I tear it into tiny pieces at the end of the day.

It’s silly, but it’s also the most satisfying reset — my kind of confetti moment.

The rhythm of where I work

Working from home gives this system its rhythm — fewer interruptions, more focus, and the space to glide through my list.

A day at the office, on the other hand, means people popping up, spontaneous brainstorms, and tasks multiplying like rabbits.

Still, both have their place, because the system holds wherever I am.

Clearing space for Lisbon

And right now, that matters more than ever. I’m clearing space for something I’ve been looking forward to: a workation in Lisbon with my son at the end of the month. Fewer open loops, more open time.

The goal isn’t balance — it’s flexibility.

A way to make work bend around life, not the other way around.

The colorful kind of sanity

So yes, my to-do list is a mood board — colorful, chaotic, and deeply personal. It’s the calm in the middle of movement.

Proof that productivity doesn’t need a guru — just a few folders, some color markers, and the small pleasure of tearing paper into pieces when the day is done.

💬 What about you — How do you keep your brain (and inbox) under control when everything’s everywhere? Share your quirks — I love discovering new sanity rituals.

💻 About the Workation Diva
I’m Caro, an early pioneer of remote work, studying IT in the ’90s when “the Internet” still made dial-up noises. I’ve been blending work and travel since before it was fashionable, from spa weekends during business trips to half-vacations at my family’s place in Buenos Aires. These days, I live the part-time laptop lifestyle — balancing motherhood, projects, and plane tickets, proving that freedom can come in Wi-Fi and family-size portions.

The Day the Office Moved and I Didn’t

View of a charming Swiss village, an inspiring place for remote work and slow travel.

Before “remote work” became a LinkedIn trend, I was already doing it — by accident. Here’s the story of the day my office moved to another country… and I simply didn’t.

Back When Offices Were Forever

I started working for what I’ll call American Company in Belgium back in 2004. Their European headquarters were in Antwerp — my city — and I was rolling out our ERP system all over Europe. I was having a blast: new projects, new countries, new excuses to pack a suitcase and call it “work.”

The Meeting I Missed (Because I Was in Barcelona)

In 2010, I was deep into a project in the Mercabarna when everyone in the Antwerp office got invited to a mysterious all-hands meeting “about the future of the company.” The few of us abroad started guessing — reorganization? merger? free coffee?

One of the tech guys said, “They’ve stopped approving office improvements. Maybe they’re moving.” He was right. When the meeting ended, we got the call: headquarters were moving from Belgium to Switzerland. One hundred and twenty people were invited to move, or… not.

A Collective Dismissal and a Personal Decision

Very few of us actually moved. I went on the familiarization trip with my husband — Switzerland was beautiful, precise, and expensive. But we had just bought a house in Antwerp, and honestly, the more I compared, the more I realized I didn’t want to start over somewhere else.

I stayed to help with the transition, interviewing and training the new team in Switzerland, making sure projects didn’t fall apart. Slowly, my colleagues disappeared one by one until one day my boss said, “Nobody is asking me to fire you. I want to keep you. Work from Belgium, just come to Switzerland once in a while.”

When “Work From Home” Wasn’t a Buzzword Yet

And that’s how I started working from home — long before it was cool, long before Zoom, and long before anyone started saying “you’re on mute.” I loved it. The freedom, the silence, the no-commute mornings.

And somewhere along the way, I realized: if I was working from home… they didn’t actually need to know which home.

The Quiet Beginning of Workation Diva

That was the seed. Before hashtags, reels, and “digital nomad” became a lifestyle, I was already sneaking in a little travel while keeping the work going. Not as a rebellion — just as a better way to live.

💬 What about you — were you already working remotely before it became the norm, or did 2020 catapult you into it? Tell me in the comments — I love hearing how everyone’s “remote life” first began.

Two Flavors of Workation: Because “Out of Office” Is a Myth Anyway

Laptop on an outdoor table surrounded by trees, capturing the calm balance of work and nature — the essence of a workation.

There are many ways to “go on a workation,” but in practice, most of them fall into two camps:

the Justifiable One — when there’s a business reason to go, a client to visit, an event to attend, and you cleverly extend it into something more enjoyable

the Just-Because One — when there’s no professional excuse whatsoever, you simply decide your laptop deserves a better view.

Each has its own charm, rhythm, and level of chaos.

One starts in a suit jacket; the other in beachwear that still looks vaguely professional on Zoom.

The Bleisure Workation

Business + Leisure travel starts with a professional purpose. A client meeting. A conference. A work trip that already makes sense on paper. And then — the clever twist — you arrive a little earlier or stay a little longer. Same hotel room, slightly extended stay, the blissful illusion that you’ve hacked the system.

The Pros:
There’s a sense of efficiency in the air. You’re already there, your flight’s paid, your hotel is tax-deductible (or at least partially so). You get to network, show your face, tick all the professional boxes — and then, when the official part wraps up, you simply… don’t leave. There’s something satisfying about reclaiming a few days from a trip that would otherwise disappear into your calendar’s black hole. A sort of professional rebellion — polite, efficient, and just indulgent enough to feel like a small victory.

The Cons:
The illusion of freedom is strong — but so is your calendar. The “free time” you planned often dissolves into last-minute follow-ups, spontaneous client dinners, or catching up on what you missed while being “offline” at the event. You promise yourself a proper museum afternoon, but end up half-scrolling Slack in the gift shop. You’re living the dream, technically — but somehow you’re too busy replying to emails to notice it.

The Change-of-Scenery Workation

No in-person meetings. No clients to wine and dine. The Change-of-Scenery (a.k.a. Just-Because) Workation starts with a craving — for sunlight, for quiet, for movement, for anything that isn’t your usual desk. You pick a spot on the map, pack your laptop, and go. The ticket isn’t expensed, but the satisfaction absolutely is.

The Pros:
Freedom, in its purest, laptop-friendly form. You design your own rhythm: mornings of deep work, afternoons of exploring, evenings where you don’t need to explain why you’re offline. You find yourself more focused, more inspired — maybe because no one expects you anywhere. Everything feels a little lighter when you’re the one calling the shots, and even mundane tasks (emails, invoices, edits) feel easier when done with a view.

The Cons:
Freedom comes with logistics. You’re suddenly your own travel manager, IT department, and accountability coach. Internet can betray you, power outlets are never where you need them, and there’s always that one café that looked perfect until a toddler birthday party arrived. Without the structure of meetings or deadlines, you risk floating — working in bursts, resting in guilt. It’s magical, yes, but it’s still work, just in prettier lighting.

The Takeaway

Both flavors of workation have their place. Bleisure makes travel more efficient — a way to squeeze life into a work trip. Change-of-scenery, on the other hand, reminds you that “remote” doesn’t have to mean “home.”

One is opportunistic; the other intentional.

One helps you make peace with your job; the other helps you fall in love with it again.

And if you ever manage to find a rhythm that includes both — congratulations. You’ve officially mastered the art of working without boundaries (and somehow, without losing yourself).

💬 I’d love to hear how you do workations — are you more of a “Bleisure strategist” or a “Change-of-scenery dreamer”? Tell me in the comments; I love seeing how others find balance between work and wander.

My Digital Nomad Fantasy Has a Teenager in It

Kitchen corner with mug, the comfort of a home base for part-time digital nomads.

I have a confession to make: I’m not a full digital nomad.

There, I said it.

Sure, I work from sunlit cafés, chase good Wi-Fi, and pretend time zones don’t apply to me. But the truth? I have a home base. A family. A TeenageBoy whose idea of adventure is ordering sushi instead of pizza.

Some Sell Everything. I Just Pack Light.

Don’t get me wrong — I love reading about people who sell everything, buy a van, and start their “slow travel life” on a remote Greek island. I cheer for them, I save their Reels, and I even Google “coworking spaces Bali” on sleepless nights.

But my version of the dream looks a little different — more carry-on bag than storage unit sale. Because while I do travel — usually once a month, laptop in tow — I always circle back home to where real life (and the laundry) waits.

DearHubby, the Voice of Practical Wisdom

My husband is wonderfully supportive of my wanderlust, as long as it doesn’t interfere with family logistics. Which means he’s supportive of me talking about it. A lot. He knows that “maybe I could spend a week somewhere warm this winter” really means “I’m already looking at boutique hotels and flight options.” He nods wisely, like a man who knows that enthusiasm burns bright… until the family calendar has opinions.

TeenageBoy, the Reluctant Sidekick

And then there’s my 14-year-old son. He has entered the phase of life where parents are both invisible and annoying, often at the same time. He doesn’t mind that I travel occasionally — as long as it doesn’t affect his Wi-Fi connection, dinner schedule, or access to clean hoodies. “You’re not really going away, right?” he asks whenever I mention a new destination. Translation: Who’s doing the laundry?

Not All Who Wander Need to Relocate

So yes, I love the digital nomad dream. I even live parts of it — the flexibility, the freedom, the ability to work from different places. But I’m more of a digital nester. My office moves between the kitchen table, cozy cafés, and the occasional beach bar (as long as I can plug in my laptop). I’ve discovered that you don’t need to burn your belongings and move to Bali to feel free — sometimes freedom is just being able to close your laptop when TeenageBoy wants to show you a meme.

And yes — I do take real workations. Sometimes it’s a week by the sea, sometimes a few days in a new city, laptop open and ideas flowing. I need those getaways — they recharge my creativity and remind me why I fell in love with this flexible way of working in the first place.

The Comfort of Coming Home

And honestly? I like having a home base. A place where my favorite mug waits, the neighbors nod knowingly, and the Wi-Fi never lets me down. It’s where I recharge between adventures — both literal and emotional.

The Sweet Spot in Between

Maybe one day I’ll take that long workation I keep fantasizing about. Maybe I’ll finally write from a tropical terrace while sipping something with a tiny umbrella in it. But for now, I’m perfectly content being the Workation Diva — balancing deadlines with dishwasher duty, balancing deadlines with dishwasher duty, wanderlust with grocery runs, and dreams with daily life.

Because the truth is, it’s not about where you are. It’s about making life — however grounded — feel a little bit like an adventure.