Notes From My Desk #6: 16 days until we move to Valencia! ๐ช๐ธ
I'd love your top tips ๐๐๐
This weekโs business diary entry features my excitement for our impending move, the tools I use most in my business, and a simple LinkedIn tip thatโll transform your profile โจ
Plus two incredible newsletters I just had to share with you!
March 18th, 2024
I have a love/hate relationship with this business diary. I love it because it reminds me of my accomplishments and stops me from forgetting the magical minutiae that make up a self-employed life. I hate it because just as soon as Iโve finished writing one, suddenly two weeks have passed (?!?!) and itโs time to write another.
How?!
๐ต Favourite song to work to right now:
The Big News right now is that in 16 days me, my husband, and my beloved Corgi, Winston, are moving to Valencia!
Only for 9 weeks, mind you, but still. Nine glorious weeks in the Spanish sunshine drinking Sangria, eating seafood, and making the most of being freelance (me) and working for a company with a very flexible remote working policy (husband).
In January 2022, we did something similar and moved to Porto for 3 months. We had the best time and knew that as soon as we could go again, we would.
So, why only 9 weeks?
As a UK resident, weโre only allowed to live in Europe (without a visa) for 90 days in every 180. Thanks, Brexit! So that we donโt use up our entire allowance in one go, we decided to make our remote working stint a little less than 12 weeks. We also had to factor in Winstonโs travel and make it work with the pet carrier company that will drive him to Valencia.
Iโve written all about the logistics of temporarily moving abroad in this article, so if youโd like to know how we do it (from finding tenants for our flat to choosing which location to move to), go read that!
Will I work in Valencia?
Yes, I will!
My Monday-Thursday will look almost exactly the same as it does in London, except for one key difference. I will be in VALENCIA!
I will do the same work as I do now, but more weekday evenings will be spent outside, and most Fridays and weekends will be spent exploring the city and nearby towns.
As our departure date of April 6th has gotten closer, Iโve been trying to be sensible. And by that, I mean going against all my instincts as a self-employed person and not saying โyesโ to every new enquiry that lands in my inboxโฆ which is hard! I never want to say no (what if itโs the last enquiry I ever get?!), but I also know that I donโt want to waste the incredible opportunity of moving abroad by working as hard as I do in London and hardly having any time to explore my new surroundings.
Whatโs the point of doing that?! Life is too short! etc. etc.
Do you have lesser-known Valencia foodie/bar/cultural recommendations? Please drop them in the comments below! Iโd love your advice.
Two newsletters you HAVE to read
Last week I read two newsletters that are full of such brilliant, actionable advice, I knew I had to share them with you, too.
๐ค If you have, or are thinking about starting, a podcast you must go read
โs recent (free) newsletter: My podcast tech stack, workflows, and lessonsโplus a giveaway. There is so much helpful advice in there. I donโt even have a podcast and I soaked up every word.โ The agency Demand Growth recently shared their strategy to make their newsletters work harder (and capitalise on SEO) by creating the โGrowth Vaultโ. Here they upload and categorise the best bits from their newsletters into an easy-to-navigate content hub (that lives on their website). Read how and why they did this in the piece โRepurpose content into a dynamic databaseโ.
The tools I use most in my business
I love reading about the tools that freelancers and entrepreneurs use to make their lives easier and more productive.
So here are mine. The ride-or-die tools Iโve used the most over the last 4+ years and the reasons why I find them so valuable.