I first came across Kas Szatylowicz in my LinkedIn feed.
While everyone else was busy resharing their Twitter posts, Kas caught my attention with a photo of her working out of a small Colombian mountain village with a beautiful view of the mountains and trees, her dog at her side.
Me (couldn’t resist): “That nature view š”
Kas (feeling helpful): “I know! One of the reasons why I am in the village, not the city. The mountains, the animals, the nature. The sun goes down at 6pm all year round and it helps to keep my sleep schedule very consistent. Highly recommended!
I immediately asked Kas to take part in my new content series (not sure what to call it yet) where I’m interviewing inspiring remote leaders to learn how they stay effective and productive in the real world. Kas, thanks for saying yes! ā
Kas is a Content & PR Manager at V7. She’s a full-time digital nomad, part-time psychology student, and a self-proclaimed productivity & biohacking junkie.
In this interview, you’ll learn:
- Her secrets to an effective remote work setup
- How she biohacks her way to better focus and productivity
- Why ice baths are one of the best ways to stay energized
Here’s my (short) interview with Kas:
What does your work routine look like? Describe a typical day.
On my good days:
5:30 – 6:00 am Waking up
7:00 – 8:00 am Exercise, ice bath, breakfast, nootropics.
8:00 am – Work begins! (Usually writing outlines/editing articles)
10:00 am – Marketing team meeting
11:00 – 13:00 – Calls (e.g. case studies) / Emails / LI messages / Research (low-energy tasks)
13:00 – Lunch & thinking time.
14:00 – 17:00 – Writing / Editing / Publishing content / Planning tasks for writers/researchers / Answering HAROs / Email outreach (link-building) / Day summary + planning for the next day.
Where is your favorite place to work from?
Countries – Colombia / Argentina / Mexico
Physical space – outside! Iāve got a nice porch right now with the mountain view (plus a proper desk and a chair).
I change locations frequently to stimulate my brain and fuel my creativity.
Whatās your secret to an effective remote work setup?
#1 – Silence & being surrounded by nature.
It helps immensely to work in a peaceful place, outside, with a lot of nature around. I feel better mentally and my eyes can rest more easily.
#2 – A reliable internet ā¦ So that you arenāt getting frustrated.
Editor’s note: I asked Kas about internet reliability in a small village in Colombia. She said it wasn’t an issue. In fact: “reliable internet speed was the deciding factor although we do get power outages at times… š still worth it!”
#3 – A comfortable chair when seated and a standing desk.
What do you do to stay focused?
I am a productivity & biohacking junkie, so thereās a lot of experimenting going on because I like to walk the talk š
#1 First of all – good sleep. I sleep 8h+ and do my best to optimize the non-REM (deep sleep) phase. I use the blue light blockers in the evening (glasses), limit my use of screens and relax (e.g. read) 2h before falling asleep, use a really good eye mask and control the temperature of the room (keep it low).
If I have a good night’s sleep, Iāve already done 70% of the work to be productive/effective/focused the next day.
#2 I regulate my dopamine levels – exercise and ice baths are great ways to boost the dopamine levels (and raise its baseline long term). The ice bath is one of the best ways to help me stay focused and energized at the same time.
#3 Morning meditation (Vipassana) + first hour without my phone helps to integrate all the nighttime ādownloadsā and start my day more peacefully.
#4 I use nootropics (e.g. Lionās Mane and Chaga mushrooms with my coffee, L-Tyrosine, etc).
Otherwise – I take breaks. I try to divide my tasks into smaller chunks and work in 60-90mins sprints (not always).
I also use pen-and-paper To-Do lists because scratching done tasks off the list makes me more energized š I try to tackle the biggest tasks in the morning when Iām most productive.
I also sometimes replace coffee with matcha tea because it releases caffeine much slower and helps me stay focused for longer.
In general, the majority of my āmethodsā are all about hacking my brainās neurochemistry.
What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed?
I take a break. I nap or take an ice bath – itās a wonderful way to bring oneself back to reality.
I also write things down. It helps to clarify things and gain a perspective.
If my tasks seem too overwhelming, I make sure to break them into smaller pieces and tackle them one by one.
But there are also days when I just canāt help but procrastinate, and thatās OK, too. I simply use this time for strategizing/thinking rather than producing something.
How do you strike the right balance between remote work and life?
This can be very tricky, and I still struggle with it.
So far the only thing that helps is setting up the actual alarms that tell me: Ok, you are done for the day.
But thereās always so much more to doā¦ I try to make plans ahead of time to be motivated to get my job done in time and actually enjoy Life.
What book or podcast has helped you the most?
Hands down, Huberman Lab podcast on neuroscience, especially the recent episode about managing your dopamine.
Also, āDeep Workā (book) by Cal Newport, Matthew Walker āWhy we sleepā (book), āAtomic Habitsā by James Clear, books/newsletter by Mark Manson (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Everything is Fucked), āEssentialismā Greg McKeown.
Editor’s note: a lot of these are in my top books to read list.
Other than that, Tim Ferris (4h work week book and his podcast), Ben Greenfield (podcast on biohacking), Aubrey Marcus (podcast).
Share one favorite productivity tool or tip.
Physical activity – Ice bath!
Tool – Notion to keep track of your tasks
Tip – Focus on your biochemistry and learn to manage your dopamine levels (start listening to the Huberman Lab podcast to understand how your brain works).
Any parting advice for remote workers?
Make sure to find time to actually live your Life. Connect with fellow digital nomads and change locations from time to time to stimulate brain health š
**
Thank you Kas!
You can find Kas Szatylowicz on LinkedIn.
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