Remote work breaks your boundaries.
That’s the dark magic of it. The same freedom that lets you choose your hours also erases the lines between deep work and burnout, Monday and Sunday, productivity and paralysis.
Some days, it’s just you, your screen, and that slow, creeping static in your brain.
That’s why I walk.
Not for steps.
Not for fitness.
Not to optimise my heart rate.
To reset.
A 20-minute walk in the morning sun is my sanity check.
It’s the only meeting I take without my phone.
It’s the one routine that doesn’t bend to timezone chaos.
It’s stupidly simple. That’s why it works.
Because when you’re building product in the pressure cooker of early-stage startups — clarity isn’t optional. You don’t have time to burn three hours feeling foggy. You can’t afford to hit hour five and realise your brain hasn’t even booted yet.
The founders I build with don’t need motivation hacks. They need mental stability. And that starts with a ritual they actually keep. One they don’t negotiate with.
Mine is walking.
Yours might be something else. Journaling. Boxing. Cold plunges. Early sleep.
Doesn’t matter.
What matters is that it happens. Every day. Without debate.
Because in remote work, there’s no office to walk into. No train ride to decompress. No coffee queue to breathe in. You have to build your own transitions. Your own rhythm. Your own resets.
Without them, the days collapse.
Without them, you collapse.
So here’s the real prompt:
What’s the one ritual you do daily that makes sure you stay human?
Not productive.
Not optimised.
Not impressive.
Just anchored.
Just clear.
Just... you.
Here’s what to think about next:
- What do you do just for you, every single day?
- What part of your day is sacred, non-negotiable, untouchable?
- Are you running a startup... or are you letting your startup run you?