Abie Maxey

~ Writing

The Blog

Notes from the field ~ on nomad life, systems, language, and what it actually takes.

How I Replaced Qwilr with My Own Proposal System
BuildingProposal SystemQwilrMarch 23, 20267 min read

How I Replaced Qwilr with My Own Proposal System

Qwilr charges $35/month for branded proposals. I built my own in a day ~ e-signatures, pipeline tracking, terminal-style design. Zero subscription, forever.

Read Article
How I Built an IG Carousel Editor with AI
BuildingAIClaudeMarch 22, 20268 min read

How I Built an IG Carousel Editor with AI

I'm a software engineer. I could've built this the slow way. Instead I used AI as my co-pilot and shipped a full IG carousel editor over a few weeks. Here's the entire process.

Read Article
The Only AI Tools That Actually Matter
SystemsAI ToolsProductivityMarch 20, 20267 min read

The Only AI Tools That Actually Matter

I was paying for eight AI subscriptions. I was using three. Here's the stack that survived the audit ~ and a free tool to build yours.

Read Article
I Accidentally Travelled the World
JournalsPhilippinesOrigin StoryMarch 17, 20266 min read

I Accidentally Travelled the World

It started with heartbreak, little savings, and a one-way ticket to Japan. No plan. No roadmap. Just the belief that not doing something about my life was more painful than the unknown.

Read Article
The Real Cost of Moving to Spain
EuropeSpainCost of LivingMarch 17, 20267 min read

The Real Cost of Moving to Spain

Everyone romanticises Spain. Tapas, siestas, golden hour. Nobody tells you about the bureaucracy, the rent spikes, or the loneliness of not speaking the language.

Read Article
How I Run My Life From a Laptop
SystemsToolsProductivityMarch 17, 20268 min read

How I Run My Life From a Laptop

Freedom without structure is just anxiety with a nice view. Here's every tool, system, and rhythm I use to run my entire life from a laptop.

Read Article
How I Automated 100% of My DMs with ManyChat
SystemsManyChatDM AutomationMarch 20266 min read

How I Automated 100% of My DMs with ManyChat

8 flows. 3 platforms. Zero manual replies. Here's the exact DM automation system I built to capture leads, route interest, and grow on autopilot.

Read Article
How I Applied for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa
Visas & ResidencySpainDigital Nomad VisaMarch 20268 min read

How I Applied for the Spain Digital Nomad Visa

I submitted with 10 Schengen days left. Here's the exact step-by-step ~ documents, income proof, self-employment requirements, fees, and what I wish someone had told me before I started.

Read Article
Spain Will Not Adjust to You. Speak Spanish
EuropeSpainLanguage LearningFebruary 23, 20264 min read

Spain Will Not Adjust to You. Speak Spanish

I put the question to my Threads community: 6 months to A2 ~ is it possible? The replies shocked me. Here's what I learned about language, EU citizenship, and what it actually means to operate in the country you chose.

Read Article
My European Year Recap
JournalsEuropeNomad LifeDecember 28, 20258 min read

My European Year Recap

12 Countries. 12 Months. 1 Upgrade. I didn't travel to sightsee ~ I lived in each country for 1–3 months while testing systems that worked for me. Field notes from a year of radical movement.

Read Article
The Brutal ROI of the Nomad Life
JournalsNomad LifeMindsetDecember 22, 20254 min read

The Brutal ROI of the Nomad Life

Digital nomadism is sold as freedom. Here's my honest audit after 2 years: social erasure, zero redundancy, dopamine tolerance, and the loneliness nobody talks about. A letter to myself.

Read Article
Reverse Geo-Arbitrage
SystemsMoneyGeo-ArbitrageDecember 22, 20254 min read

Reverse Geo-Arbitrage

Every nomad playbook says: earn in dollars, spend in pesos. I did the opposite ~ moving from the Philippines to Europe on purpose. Why bleeding money is the best investment I've ever made.

Read Article
Why I Am Choosing to Stop
JournalsNomad LifeMindsetDecember 18, 20254 min read

Why I Am Choosing to Stop

I spent two years learning how to leave. Now I am learning how to stay. A letter about depth, stillness, and what comes after constant motion.

Read Article
My First Day in Seville
EuropeSpainSevilleDecember 9, 20253 min read

My First Day in Seville

BlaBlaCar drama, Plaza de España, and a €8.84 Lime Bike lesson ~ an honest, unfiltered first day in one of Spain's most majestic cities.

Read Article
The Places I Mourn
JournalsNomad LifeGriefAugust 15, 20255 min read

The Places I Mourn

Every city I left took a piece of me with it. A letter about the grief nobody warns you about when you choose a life of constant motion.

Read Article
Becoming Her: The Woman I Needed After All
JournalsBecoming HerHeartbreakAugust 9, 20254 min read

Becoming Her: The Woman I Needed After All

Two years ago I was shattered. I didn't know it then, but that pain would be the catalyst for everything good that followed.

Read Article
One Country, Three Faiths
TravelBosniaSarajevoAugust 1, 20256 min read

One Country, Three Faiths

I visited the Museum of Genocide in Sarajevo and left shaken. A reflection on fear, propaganda, empathy, and a history that still hurts.

Read Article
Choosing Myself ~ Even When It Hurts
JournalsFamilySelf-LoveApril 8, 20255 min read

Choosing Myself ~ Even When It Hurts

I always see the good in people. But I'm learning that seeing the good doesn't mean accepting the bad. A letter about family, fear, and choosing yourself.

Read Article
Season of Waiting: When God Says Not Yet
JournalsWaiting SeasonFaithFebruary 28, 20253 min read

Season of Waiting: When God Says Not Yet

At 28, I told myself I'd have kids by 30. Now here I am, thirty. Still without kids. Still without a life partner. Too bad? Maybe. But maybe, good.

Read Article
Weekly Dispatch

The builder's diaries.

What I'm building, breaking, and figuring out ~ from Madrid, with Wi-Fi and too much coffee.

  • AI tools I actually use to build faster
  • Behind-the-scenes of growing a business in Madrid
  • Community plays, client wins, and real revenue breakdowns
  • Grounded dispatches from someone building roots

Growing Community

Drop your email.

Unsubscribe any time. No spam, ever.