Hi! Been reading your travel stories! So are you still based in Taiwan? How do you deal with jetlag…working across timezones etc? And maybe work/life balance?

Hello, thanks for reaching out!

Yes, I am still based on Taiwan.

Jetlag impacts me greatly, and I already don’t sleep well as it is. Sleeping on planes is not my thing, but an inflatable neck pillow helps. When back in Taipei, I sometimes take melatonin to help adjust; it doesn’t induce sleep, but helps keep me asleep if/when I finally fall asleep.

Working across timezones is easy. I keep the hours of the current timezone, and communicate with colleagues via chat services. I manage teams in Europe and Asia. When in Taiwan, I often start and end later to communicate with the Europe teams.

If we broadly categorize work, I also include thinking or acting on investments and personal finance. If that’s the case, I’d say my work/life balance is currently 80/20. In my opinion, your 20s is the time to shoot as far as you can, career wise. Any “play” you can spare, should be spared.

Even then, my work/life balance has greatly improved. I usually end work before 7:30pm now. I’ve made new friends in Taipei, which has made a big difference, else most my friends are in the States. I also began kickboxing classes at an MMA gym, getting my butt kicked every time.