If you knew what to expect, it wouldn’t be unexpected, now would it? 😉
The main one is that however much money you think you need, it’s not going to be enough.
All your meticulous planning for food, housing, internet, transportation, a little “fun money”, and what have you goes out the window when a cyclone hits, or a close relative dies, or that company that was your main source of employment decides they no longer need your services, and suddenly you’re halfway around the world with a rapidly dwindling bank account.
Even if you aren’t somewhere exotic, if you’ve moved yourself somewhere away from your main support network, it can be difficult to get back on your feet quickly when there isn’t anyone you feel close enough to that you can ask for help.
That leads me to a related challenge. If you’re separated from your pocket of support , you tend to get something I “ve dubbed “paranoia of the remote worker.”
Whether it’s family, friends, or coworkers, if they’re all clustered together and you’re isolated from them, the longer you’re apart, the more you start to worry that they’re saying things about you and doing things things deliberately to exclude you.
In reality, it’s generally an “out of sight, out of mind” scenario – they’re not actually thinking about you at all.
However, your paranoia causes you to kick into a “retaliation” mode for their perceived slights, tainting the interactions you do have with them. This in turn makes them think less fondly of you when they actually do, and can lead to the scenario you had initially envisioned.
And lastly, and perhaps most importantly: not everyone is cut out for self-management. Some people actually like to have someone actively managing them.
If you’re someone who wants constant feedback, craves attention, praise and recognition, you will have a terrible time living remote. There is none of that here.
You will be ignored. Forgotten. You’ll have to wave your flag and say “look at me, look at me” to get people to notice you (if that’s what you want.)
But – successful remote workers have been the happiest and most productive ones I’ve ever hired.
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-unexpected-challenges-to-remote-lifestyles
Originally Posted On: 2017-04-02