Today, we’re sharing our interview with Daniel Garcia of Doist where he talks about work-life balance, routines, tools, and remote work future.
Daniel Garcia works at Doist, the makers of Todoist and Twist, as part of the Marketing team, managing PR, and I also coordinate the localization of the apps in 18 different languages. Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, he loves his hometown’s vibe. He has side projects in radio broadcasting, podcasts, and cultural magazines.
How Does Your Remote Workday Look Like?
I wake up between 7.30 am and 8.30 am, depending on the day. No pressure. Have breakfast calmly, I think it’s important to take your time to eat, no rush.
Go to the coworking and start working at 10 am-10.30 am; it’s 5 minutes walk from my home and it’s a really nice place, nothing fancy but a neighborhood coworking with nice people who mostly work in culture and arts. I can work at home and I do it sometimes, but I like to chat with people, I’m very social.
Lunch at the coworking with people, and usually finish work at 6.30 pm. Go home. Some sport. Writing. Gardening. Reading. Working on my side projects. Beer with friends.
My days are usually very similar and I try to respect a work-life balance. The fact I work for a company that not only respect but also enhances work-life balance helps a lot.
What Tools Do You Use to Get Things Done?
Todoist for task and project management. Twist for internal asynchronous communication. Zoom and Google Meet for meetings in the few cases I need synchronous communication. Gmail for external email, never internal.
What’s the Biggest Challenge of Remote Work?
Globally, the biggest challenge is governments, big companies and tech hubs. We see how current governments are not ready for the future of work, there’s a terrible lack of legislation for remote workers. Big companies because they want to control everything, they don’t realize that remote workers are happier hence more productive. Tech hubs like San Francisco just think about themselves and believe they’re the center of the world.
Personally, the challenge is to have a regular schedule avoiding distractions. The flexibility is good because it allows you to do some errands in the morning, doctor appointments or maybe going to the grocery store avoiding rush hours in the evening. I do that. But at the same time, I’m very strict with my schedule to avoid working in the evening or at night.
What Are the Advantages of Remote Work?
Unlike factory workers in the 1800s, though, remote workers don’t need to live within walking distance of their employer to make a living. This fact alone means that remote work has the potential to solve many of today’s toughest problems:
- Rural revival: People can access tremendous career opportunities regardless of whether they live in Tokyo or in rural Iowa.
- Gender equality: Glass ceilings break when women can control their own schedules.
- True diversity: Companies can source talent from literally anywhere in the world, not just within the 30-mile radius of their office.
What’s the Future of Remote Work?
I hope the future is companies globally distributed. While remote work does pose complex challenges, for example, Doist is a profitable bootstrapped company with almost 70 employees distributed in 25+ countries, and we’re excited to lead the future alongside companies like Buffer, GitLab, Zapier, and InVision. I think this is a rich model where you can hire talent from around the world with different backgrounds, cultures, languages, etc. Next step should be to put some pressure on governments to create laws that protect remote workers and enhance working remotely, particularly in rural areas.
What Made You Consider Remote Work?
I quit a job 11 years ago in an office. Since then I’ve worked physically in an office again once, for 3 months. At that time it was a natural choice, I became freelance and didn’t even think I was working remotely. It has always been very natural for me, even when people still asking after 10 years “how can you work at home?”
What Are Your Favorite Destinations in the World?
I don’t travel as I used to be and I try to go to different destinations every time I travel. When I repeat: Los Angeles, Rome, and Porto.
What People Who Want to Work with You Need to Have?
This is a nice post from our HR guy, Andrew, with some tips to apply for a position at Doist. Basic values: Accountability, independence, communication, balance, impact and mastery.
