☕️ (R)emote Expresso #56

☕️ (R)emote Expresso is your weekly dose of creator insights on remote collaboration designed to fuel your day, delivered once a week in your inbox 💌

Hey Remote Rebels and Digital Daydreamers,

Remember last week when I said that was my final newsletter of 2025?

I lied.

Not on purpose. I genuinely thought we were done. I had my sentimental sign-off. I thanked you for making weird feel like home. I meant every word.

And then I found out I'm writing two more issues - this one and another next week.

So here we are. Surprise encore. Unplanned bonus content. The year that refuses to end quietly.

And honestly? I'm leaning into it.

Because if I have to show up for two more newsletters in the week between Christmas and New Year's when absolutely nobody is working - I might as well make it fun.

No profound insights. No framework to memorize. No optimization tips for 2026.

Just chaos, whimsy, and a very useful GPT I built that will help you decide what to watch when your brain is completely offline.

This is the punk version of a newsletter.

Unpolished. Unplanned. Unapologetically here anyway.

Let's go.

The Case for Fun Over Finishing Strong

Why December 23rd Doesn't Deserve Your Effort

Let's be honest about what this week actually is:

Nobody's working. Half your team is out. The other half is pretending to work while refreshing the same three websites and wondering if anyone would notice if they just... stopped.

Nothing matters. Any email you send will get buried. Any decision you make will get revisited in January. Any project you push forward will sit untouched until 2026.

Time is fake. Is it Tuesday? Thursday? Does it matter? The days between December 23rd and January 1st exist in a glitch where calendars lie and nobody can be held accountable for losing track.

So why are we pretending?

The narrative says you should "finish strong" - close out the year with momentum, reflect meaningfully, set yourself up for success.

Punk says: or you could just... have fun.

Not productive fun. Not "self-care" that's really just more optimization. Not fun with a purpose.

Useless, delightful, zero-ROI fun.

Watch something weird. Make something nobody asked for. Send a random message to someone just because. Exist sideways for a week. Refuse to take December 23rd seriously.

This is your permission slip.

The year wouldn't let me leave. You're probably stuck here too. We might as well enjoy it.

What To Watch GPT: Your Chaos Companion

🎬 When Your Brain Is Offline But Netflix Is Still Open

I built something for exactly this moment: What To Watch GPT.

Not because you need another productivity tool. Because sometimes you just need someone (or something) to make one tiny decision for you when your brain has fully checked out.

Here's what it does:

You tell it your mood, your tolerance for chaos, how much brain power you have left (spoilsport scale: 1-10), and whether you want something cozy, weird, thought-provoking, or completely mindless.

It gives you actual recommendations - movies, shows, documentaries - tailored to where you actually are right now.

No doomscrolling through Netflix for 45 minutes.
No analysis paralysis.
Just: here's what to watch.

Some prompts to get you started:

• "I have zero brain cells left and need something cozy but not boring"

• "Give me something weird that will make me feel less alone in the void"

• "I want to watch something that feels like a hug but isn't cheesy"

• "Find me content for when nothing matters but I'm not quite ready to dissociate"

• "Unhinged energy, low commitment, high delight”

This is not about optimizing your downtime.
This is about removing one decision from your already fried brain.

Go. Watch. Enjoy. Report back with what you found.

🎁 GOING DEEPER: PREMIUM UNLOCKED

As the community evolved, some of you asked for more. More practice. More peer exchange. More accountability.

So we built Premium Membership — not for everyone, but for those ready to go from consuming to creating together.

What Premium unlocks:

🎯 Collaborative challenges like the (R) Challenge — structured sprints to turn ideas into outcomes
👑 Peer exchange & mentoring with people who genuinely understand remote work
💎 Curated resources & tool perks, including exclusive Miro discounts and early access to new formats

Not sure if it's for you? Reply to this email. It goes straight to Marion Zoé, and she'll help you figure it out. No pressure, no BS.

Your Challenge: One Useless Joy Thing

Here's what I want from you this week:

Do one thing that brings you joy and serves absolutely no purpose.

Not "self-care that makes you more productive later."
Not "fun that's really networking in disguise."
Not "rest so you can come back stronger."

Just useless, delightful, zero-ROI joy.

Examples:

• Watch three episodes of something you'd be embarrassed to admit you love

• Make a playlist for a mood that doesn't exist yet

• Send that random message to someone just because

• Rearrange your bookshelf by color (or size)

• Learn one verse of a song in a language you don't speak

• Bake something you've never tried before and don't care if it fails

• Create the most specific Spotify playlist title possible

• Text someone a meme with zero context

The only rule: it cannot be productive.

If you catch yourself thinking "this will help me in 2026" - you've failed. Try again.

This week doesn't count. So make it not count on purpose.

Your Turn

💬 What's Your Most Punk Moment of 2025?

Tell me: what's one thing you did this year that was gloriously off-script?

The meeting you declined without explanation.
The project you abandoned because it stopped making sense.
The time you chose joy over productivity and didn't apologize for it.
The boundary you set that made someone uncomfortable.
The weird thing you made that nobody asked for.

Or flip it: What's one useless joy thing you're doing this week?

Hit reply and tell us. The best stories might make it into next week's Void Week Survival Guide. ☕️

Closing Transmission

This wasn't supposed to happen. But here we are anyway.

That's punk.

Showing up unfinished. Choosing fun over polish. Refusing to end the year the way you're "supposed to."

You don't owe December 23rd your best work. You don't owe 2025 a meaningful conclusion. You don't owe anyone a strong finish.

You owe yourself one week of not taking it seriously.

Go watch something. Make something. Message someone. Exist sideways.

See you next week in the void.

— The (R) Generation Team 🧡 🫶🏻

PS: The year wouldn't let me leave. Might as well have fun with it. ✨

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