The barista in Medellin who called me out on my laptop habit

I was working from this cafe in Laureles, had been there for about three hours on my third coffee. The barista, a guy named Carlos, just came over and said "you know you're not traveling, you're just working in a different chair." It hit me weird because he was right - I was still checking emails at 5 PM instead of going to see the city. I started leaving my laptop at my Airbnb after that and actually went to a salsa class. Has anyone else had a local call them out on their digital nomad routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_johnson161mo ago

working in a different chair" hit home. I set a hard 2pm cutoff for myself.

tarar271mo ago

Gotta admit @sean_johnson16, I used to think switching chairs was kinda gimmicky and wouldn't really help. But the more I think about it, having a clear physical boundary like a different spot to work from makes total sense for flipping that mental switch. It's not just about the chair itself, it's about training your brain to know when work time is over. Honestly, I'd probably end up just moving to the couch with my laptop if I didn't set a hard rule like that. Your 2pm cutoff is smart, I'm honestly a little jealous of that discipline. Tbh this changed my mind on the whole thing.