Over the last three years, I’ve worked from a lot of places: Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, and more. But one thing has stayed the same. I’ve kept my working hours on Central Standard Time.
While most digital nomads shift to local schedules or build around async workflows, my role required me to stay aligned with my team back in USA. Sometimes that made life easier. Other times, it made things a bit more difficult. Either way, it changed how I think about time, work, and structure.
Slow Mornings, Clear Afternoons
One of the best parts of keeping CST hours while traveling was having full, open mornings. In places like Kotor or Belgrade, I’d start my day slowly — getting coffee at a local cafe, going for a walk through the old town, or grabbing brunch with my girlfriend. No rush, no Slack messages, just time to soak in wherever we were.
Work usually didn’t start until the afternoon, which gave me space to fully disconnect from the job for a few hours. That separation helped me return to work with more focus. And because the early part of the workday in Texas is usually quiet, I could ease into things with a bit of deep work before meetings or check-ins picked up.
Late-Night Debugging is NOT Romantic
There’s a cost to starting your workday at 3 or 4 p.m. local time. When something breaks, whether it’s a feature launch that runs into issues, a production bug, or a client with last-minute changes, you’re the one pushing through it in the middle of the night. Luckily, I worked for a great company that truly valued work-life balance. Working past 6 was rare, and crunch time was virtually nonexistent.
Still, some time zones pushed that balance to the limit. Working from places like Bangkok meant flipping my schedule almost entirely. The photo above was taken after one of those nights. Bangkok is nearly twelve hours ahead of CST, so wrapping up around 5 or 6 in the morning became part of the routine. Some days I would finish a deployment just as the sun started to rise, then head straight to bed. It was quiet and peaceful, but not exactly sustainable.
What made those nights harder was how few places are actually designed for deep work. Most Airbnbs offer a small table and a chair meant more for eating breakfast than writing code for hours. For all the growth in remote work, it still feels like many spaces are set up for short stays, not serious production.
Turning Being "Out of Sync" into a Superpower
There were several occasions when my schedule gave me an edge. I’d log on several hours before the rest of the team and most of our user base, and be able to patch a bug or finish a task before anyone even noticed.
That quiet time became valuable. No pings, no meetings, just space to build or problem-solve. I leaned into it. Left notes for the team, prepped updates, and reviewed code while the rest of the org was still asleep. It made me sharper about what I shipped and how I communicated.
How It Changed the Way I Work
Working this way made me develop structure. I started preparing my updates earlier, writing more notes to myself, and thinking more deliberately about how I used my time. I became more careful about when I started new tasks, choosing work I could realistically finish before logging off instead of leaving things half-done and open-ended.
It wasn’t about handoffs or async collaboration. It was about focus. I built a rhythm around clarity by knowing what I needed to finish, when I needed to stop, and how to leave just enough context behind for myself the next day. That mindset stuck with me, no matter what timezone I’m in now.
A Few Tips for Working CST From Anywhere
If you're thinking about trying this kind of work arangement, here are a few things I learned that made it a lot more manageable:
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Keep your work computer set to your team’s timezone. It may seem like a small thing, but it helps you stay mentally aligned. It also prevents confusion when checking meeting times, deadlines, or commit timestamps.
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Be purposeful with your caffiene consumption. If you’re in Europe and logging off around midnight, that afternoon espresso can really mess with your sleep. I started cutting off coffee about four to five hours before I planned to stop working for the night. It made winding down much easier.
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If you're traveling with a partner, plan for space. One person working late while the other wants to relax or sleep can lead to tension. Make sure you have a setup where you can work comfortably without feeling like you're disrupting each other.
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Leave notes before signing out. Whether it’s your scrum update, a quick message in Slack, or a reminder for yourself, give future-you and your teammates a clear place to pick things up. It saves time and helps maintain momentum.
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Invest in a good laptop stand. Elevating your screen makes a big difference for your posture and also how you appear on video calls. Many places still don't have proper desks, so bringing your own setup(laptop stand, mouse, and keyboard) can go a long way.
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Adjust your DND settings thoughtfully. If you're trying to get quality sleep or stay focused while out of sync with your team, consider letting only critical notifications through. Things like Slack mentions, calendar alerts, or production pings can be filtered in without letting everything else through.
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Good connectivity is non-negotiable. When booking my next stay, I got into the habit of checking internet speeds, messaging hosts to ask about Wi-Fi stability, and scanning reviews for complaints. I always had a backup wireless hotspot with enough data for emergencies, and I’d scope out nearby cafés as a fallback. It takes extra planning, but it can save your job (and your sanity) when things go wrong.
These tips are not silver bullets, but they helped me stay focused, rested, and productive while working on a Texas schedule from the other side of the world
Final Thoughts
Keeping Texas hours while traveling wasn’t always comfortable, but it forced me to rethink how I work. It sharpened how I communicate, helped me appreciate quiet stretches for deep focus, and made me more deliberate about how I show up for my team. The rhythm was unconventional, but it gave me a clearer understanding of my own limits, habits, and energy.
This kind of setup isn’t for everyone, but it worked for me. It turned remote work into something more flexible, more self-aware, and ultimately more sustainable. I still keep a lot of those habits today, no matter what time zone I’m in.
// Mike