SYB Remote: A Day in the Life

Here at SurfYogaBeer, we get over the winter fast. So that’s why we posted up on the beach in Playa Maderas, Nicaragua for the month this past January hosting our first SYB Remote 2022 with a group of kickass remote workers from all different backgrounds. The pace of Remote is a little bit slower and more intentional than our famous week-long nonstop adventures. The sun is shining, the vibe is chill, and the work is productive. And, of course, each day wouldn’t be complete without a little surfing, yoga-ing, and beer-ing. Curious what it’s like to live and work in paradise with us for a day? Here’s your answer. 

6:00/6:30 AM Gooooood Morning! There are no boombox wakeups on Remote (IYKYK), but the sound of the waves gets us up bright and early every day. We roll out of bed, throw on sweatpants, and have a relaxed start to the morning. You’ll find us drinking coffee or taking our foster dog, Chili, for a walk on the beach. It’s the slow and peaceful moments that we look forward to. 

7:00 AM We headed over to the yoga deck overlooking the ocean for our morning meditation and journaling ritual. Since the beginning of the month, we’ve held this every day and have truly found it to be so impactful. We start with a guided meditation (today, we focused on making healthy choices) and then do some journaling to inspire us for the rest of the day. We focus on four prompts: “How are you feeling this morning?”, “What is something you’re grateful for?”, “What is a small achievable thing you can do to make today great?” and a daily self-affirmation. There is such a sense of community here that most of us feel comfortable sharing what we’ve written with the group, and we know the others will encourage us and hold us accountable throughout the day. We then had about half an hour before breakfast of free time to plan out our day, read, start work, or even take a beach walk. 

8:00 AM Breakfast is served! We get together for family meals at least once a day, most days twice, and chat about anything and everything. This morning we talked about last night’s Investment Club meeting, how good the surf was at 6:00 AM (we’ve got a couple of hardcore wave shredders here), and who from the group would survive longest on Naked and Afraid. Charlotte, our all-star chef, whips us up a full breakfast spread six days a week. Think platters of eggs, bacon, tropical fruit, smoothies, and on the best mornings ever, a huge plate of pancakes with the most insane, fresh passionfruit sauce you’ve ever tasted. Aunt Jemima, who? We don’t know her. 

8:45 AM It’s deep focus time. Everyone spreads out around the villas and locks down into work mode. We’ve got Remoters here with all different jobs. Doctors, writers, content creators, yoga instructors, programmers, financial advisors, you name it. One of the most amazing parts of living and working with such a smart, diverse group of people is the collaboration and wealth of knowledge you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. There may even be an occasional dance party that breaks out mid-work. Who wants to stare at their living room wall alone when you could be sitting under the sun, listening to the ocean, and bouncing ideas off some of the dopest people out there? We know where we’ll be.

12:00 PM It’s time to work up a sweat. Every afternoon, we have a workout led by the sickest fitness instructors out there (hi Mantas and Steph). Be warned: they will kick your butt. It’s great to get our bodies moving in between the workday and consistently feel ourselves getting stronger. We use an outdoor jungle gym here at our villas with everything you need for a killer session. From wooden weights to a slackline, it’s like an adult playground. We don’t want to do it unless it’s fun!

1:00 PM Quick post-workout dip. Saltwater is the cure for everything. We’re 100% sprinting into the ocean. If you don’t, you’re doing it wrong. 

1:15 PM Our afternoons are generally open for whatever needs to get done. Usually, we whip up something to eat and get back to work. Smoothie pro, Steph, threw together a few bangin’ smoothies for us as a work snack. Today, a couple of the group took a surf lesson with our man, Juan Carlos. You could find everyone else either reading by the pool (and if you're smart, working while sitting in the pool), filming content, or typing away on our laptops at the workstations. We may play hard, but we work hard to earn it.

4:30 PM Once the sun started getting lower in the sky, our brains decided it was time for a trip to Maderas Sunset Bar for happy hour. It’s a five-minute walk down the beach from our villas, and we’d be lying if we said we weren’t regulars there. They’ve got some bomb nachos and burritos that we *frequently* order. Our resident wave shredders went off to tear up the surf, and we sat in the sand watching them. Picture yourself with a group of friends, a Toña in hand, and the most beautiful sunset you’ve ever seen going down over the ocean. Every night we’re in awe. It truly is the best way to end the workday. 

*We didn't forget about you, yogis. Four days a week, we practice a sunset flow around this time from our amazing yoga deck palapa.* 

7:00 PM Tonight, we decided to go out for a group dinner to one of our fav local spots, Arte Sano. We all climbed in the ATV and truck for a five-minute shuttle down some backroads (an especially great time if you’re in the ATV). We pushed a few tables together, ordered a *couple* rounds of drinks, and stuffed ourselves with the best $12 steak plates. An SYB tradition when we have group dinners is to play "Rose & Thorn," where we all share a highlight and a low point from our day. Living here, there usually aren't too many low points unless it's something like an annoying conversation with your boss or stepping on a crab when snorkeling. It's a fun way for us to reflect on what we're grateful for and laugh about the day's events. On other nights we either have family dinner at the villas, go into downtown San Juan del Sur, or explore the different local Playa Maderas hotspots. 

10:00 PM With such a packed day today, come 10PM, we were all exhausted. We've been known to pass out as early as 8PM some nights; we're a tired bunch. Every night, we go to bed grateful for the chance to live and work in an amazing place with people who have made such a large impact on our lives. 

Can you see yourself in paradise with us? We can see you, too. SYB Remote Round Two is kicking off in less than two months! Spots are limited. We're waiting for you.