Work and nomads
Working from another time zone without ending up nocturnal
The overlap with your team decides your daily life. How to work it out before choosing a destination and how to shape the day so it works.
Claudia Ferrán 5 min Photo by Alim on Unsplash Working from another country isn't doing the same work somewhere else: it's working on a different clock, and that changes who you talk to, when you eat and what hours your head is clear.
Work out the overlap before you book anything
| Region | Overlap with your team | How your day ends up |
|---|---|---|
| Same continent as your team | Nearly all of it | Same as at home |
| One ocean away, to the west | Your afternoon | Morning free, afternoon full of meetings |
| Far west, eight hours or more | A little, right at the end | Meetings at the end of your morning |
| Far east, eight hours or more | Very little, first thing | Meetings from your afternoon into the evening |
| The far side of the world | Almost none | Asynchronous work or very early mornings |
The last two rows only work if your job can genuinely be asynchronous. If your day runs on meetings, rule those destinations out and spare yourself the misery.
How to shape the day
- Fix the overlap hours as an untouchable block and put everything that needs other people inside it.
- Deep work goes in the hours when nobody writes to you: usually your morning.
- Publish your hours in the team's tool, with your time zone visible.
- And protect an hour a day for the place you're in, or you'll end up living in a room with a view.
The detail that wrecks calendars: clock changes
Your country changes its clocks and many others don't, or do it on different dates and in the opposite direction if they're in the other hemisphere. For a few weeks a year your overlap shifts by an hour with nobody announcing it. Since 2019 the United Kingdom and the European Union have also moved on separate legislative tracks, so don't assume the dates still line up.
The time zone doesn't change your work: it changes who you can talk to, and when.
Frequently asked questions
How many overlap hours do I need with my team?
It depends on the job: if it runs on meetings, as many as possible; if it's genuinely asynchronous, one or two will do.
Which regions can I work from?
Your team's own continent with no change, one ocean west with your afternoon as the overlap, and the far side of the world only if your work can be asynchronous.
How do I shape the day?
By reserving the overlap hours for everything that needs other people and leaving deep work for when nobody writes to you.
What about clock changes?
Your country changes and many others don't, or do it on other dates, so your overlap shifts by an hour for a few weeks a year.
