Remote work in Spain: freedom or just a new way of rowing?

Remote work has transformed work routines, allowing greater flexibility for personal tasks, but it has also blurred the boundaries between professional and private life, creating new ways of "rowing".

Remote work is here to stay, or at least that is how it seems. What used to be hours spent commuting and being present at the office have now become a blank canvas to manage. Tasks such as filing your tax return, shopping online, dealing with paperwork or even deciding what to have for dinner used to eat into free time. Now, the flexibility of remote work allows you to fit those errands in between virtual meetings or during the coffee break. The line between "work me" and "personal me" has become blurrier.

## The office at home

The transition to the home office has meant a radical change for many. Where there used to be a defined physical space for work, the home has now become headquarters. While this offers the possibility of doing personal activities, it has also led to a feeling of never fully switching off. The working day stretches on, and the temptation to use those moments to "get ahead" on pending matters is constant. The result is a feeling of always "rowing", even when you are physically at home.

## Flexibility and its limits

The key to remote work lies in its flexibility. You can make private calls, handle personal matters, and even, for some, use the break for household chores or intimate moments. However, this same flexibility can create a different mental load. The need to be "reachable" or to prove productivity, sometimes through monitoring tools, can create a subtle pressure. The old demand to be physically present in the office has been replaced by constant digital availability.

## The lost balance

The experience of those who moved from physical jobs to office work, and now to remote work, reveals a pattern. The workload, which once felt overwhelming, in some current settings seems to have mutated into a simulation of work. Paradoxically, this can make office days feel even more torturous. Remote work, with its constant need to juggle personal and professional life, can become a new way of rowing, where apparent freedom hides a reality of blurred boundaries and continuous self-management demands.