No stress: working in the island way of life
"You have the watches, but we have the time"
From the bottom of my heart mind
Fresh stories from a Spanish Copywriter.
When you heard “I’m having a slow year”, it means “I’m having a bad year”.
"Having a slow day" means experiencing a day where time seems to pass very slowly, often due to a lack of activity, boredom, or a feeling of being unproductive
For most of us, slow has a negative connotation — and it totally makes sense: in countries like Spain, Germany or the U.S., we are all about productivity. Being busy is better than don’t be.
You are better if you work more hours, if you take on more projects, if you squeeze your day by waking up at 5 AM, read, meditate, exercise, study, work, spend time with your family (but not too much), more work, more exercise, more study and then again and again.
Over the last weeks I’ve been traveling and working from Cabo Verde… and the pace here is different. We felt weird the first time we waited 90 minutes for a cachupa.
The next day, when the pasta took over an hour, we thought the same.
But then we stopped and saw around: everyone was waiting and nothing happened. Someone would ask for chicken, wait for more than an hour and still be fine. 2 hours for a burger? Is fine too.
By the end of the week, we’d walk to the restaurant at 7 PM, so we know we can eat dinner by 9 PM (our Spanish time for this meal).
Now is even an internal joke: when I sit on a restaurant, I can guess who has been in the country for one day or more by how they react when the food is not coming.
Do you think all these “last minute-offers” would work here the same way they do in your country?
Do you think sending the same amount of emails would work?
Do you think the marketing strategy for, let’s say, a local restaurant, should be the same as if it was placed in New York, Barcelona or Helsinki?
These insights are powerful. Even if these businesses have tourists as their main audience, the people who run them and the people who work on them are still local.
As a local artist told me sharing a meal, “You have the watches, but we have the time".
Outside the desk
Where the magic really happens.
💡 Back at work this week (at a slow pace, of course), I’m getting a lot of ideas for my business this 2025.
🏋️♂️ I’m working out in one of my favourites gyms of all time. I didn’t expect to have this just 5 minutes walking from my apartment, and I think is great.
📖 After a break from Brandon Sanderson —I read “Fuego en la garganta”, by Beatriz Serrano, I just started The Stormlight Archive. Looking good!
Make it global, baby
If you want to work with me, this is the way.
🚀 Want to take your brand to the next Spanish level? Hit the “reply” bottom and let’s talk.
📬 Want to appear in one of the next issues? Let’s see how we can work it out.
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All the best for the rest of your week,
💙 Ricky from Textonality.com 💙