Rolling Remote

Rolling Remote With Caine Smith

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Caine Smith and his partner, Nancy, in Egypt

Location can be everything when you’re creating stunning videos for clients, and Caine Smith gives his remote “office” views a shakeup to match. For that last few years he’s been trotting the globe while also growing his video production company, AirVu Media. Between that and soaking up the views at Airbnb spots from the Caymans to Bali (and Italy somewhere in there, too), Caine also co-founded a new philanthropic cryptocurrency startup named the AVA Foundation.

For Caine, switching up his location is key to maintaining a fresh perspective for his work. “I LOVE having a different view when working – it helps with the creative thinking. Over the last 18 months I’ve had views of Lake Como, Italy to the Nile in Cairo. Being able to one day walk down to the local coffee shop in Rome to watching Formula 1 racing in Singapore.”

Quick-fire profile

How many years have you worked remotely? 1.5

Where are you based? This last 18 months I have been working all over – Cayman Islands, Canada, Antigua, UK, Egypt, Croatia, Singapore, Bali

Where do you spend most of your remote work hours? Airbnbs most of the time, but I like to find new interesting places to work from.

Are you most productive in the morning or at night? In the morning

Coffee or tea? Both! 

Caine’s home office setup and decor

What type of desk do you use? Whatever is comfortable…

What type of chair do you use while at work? Whatever’s available at my location.  

What features do you like most about your work space? Epic views! (We’re barely containing our jealousy over one of Caine’s favorite work spots in recent memory, located in the lush forests of Bali.)

Do you share your work space with anyone? Tell us about them!My S.O – we work together!

Remote work pros and cons: Caine’s take

What are the biggest pros and cons of remote work for you? 

Pros: Better work-life balance, travel flexibility, and more focus

Cons: Feeling isolated or less connected with colleagues

Working from home tips and tricks

What software technologies do you use on a regular basis? 

Atlassian, Slack, GSuite, and Productive.io — The tool that allows us to run our entire agency.

What habit allows you to be more productive during the day?Routine and discipline

What are the 3 items you can’t live without while working remotely? 

  1. My MacBook Pro – the new retina screens make it feel like I’m working from a desktop. The resolution has made a huge difference.
  2. My Bullet Journelnotebook – I have tried every productivity hack known to man. Starting this was by far the best thing I did.
  3. My Bose headphones – when you just need to get in the zone.

Answers have been lightly edited and links were added.

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