The quickest road to failure for digital nomads is falling behind. The cliché of working on the beach is what brings many people into this alternative lifestyle, but the truth is, it’s better to work from home and relax at the beach. Otherwise you run the risk of losing your income.
After two years of life as a digital nomad family, we’ve seen quite a few nomads forced to exit the lifestyle. The main reason is simple: they lose their income. It’s easy to lose your motivation to work when living in paradise.
Co-worker jealousy is another real danger. Your co-workers will probably begin scrutinising your work after you leave the 9-5 hustle behind.
That’s why you need to have a plan and follow these easy tips steps to stay productive.
Keep Strict Working Hours
It’s tempting to work whenever inspiration strikes, especially for self-employed digital nomads or artists. Don’t fall for that trap! Setting clear work times is the easiest way to stay productive and protect your precious time off of work.
I’m self-employed and don’t work with other people. I don’t have deadlines, meetings, or any other form of external structure helping me get work done.
Before giving myself a set time to work, I would wake up and see how I felt.
Surprisingly, I rarely felt motivated to miss out on a morning at the beach to work. While my enjoyment skyrocketed, my productivity plummeted.
My husband has client-based work. His clients and co-workers need to know when he’s available, and when they can expect and answer to their e-mails. It’s crucial to demosntrate how seriously he takes his work, despite his wandering lifestyle.
Set Clear Boundaries on Work
Contrary to corporate culture, working long hours doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll accomplish more. Building regular breaks into your workday and workweek recharges your brain, keeping you motivated, creative, and productive.
Taking time off from work can be extremely difficult for digital nomads, especially those of us who are self-employed or working with coworkers in a different time zone.
That’s why it’s super important to set clear boundaries on work times for yourself and your employers/clients.
This will reassure your employers and clients that you take your work seriously. It also helps you overcome any motivational hurdles that may stand in your way!
You don’t have to set boundaries that follow traditional corporate values. You can make them fit your personality. For us, this means working on weekends and giving ourselves a shorter workday during the week. We typically work 4 to 5 hours a day, even on Saturdays, and take a day off once a week as needed.
Communicate Openly with Your Employer/Client
I’ve encountered more than a few digital nomads who are secret nomads, meaning they haven’t told their employers about their travels. This is a huge mistake. Not only does it typically violate your contract, allowing your employer to terminate you immediately (and without paying a severance package), but it can also be illegal and lead to criminal charges. It also makes it challenging to create an enjoyable work/life balance – I find it difficult to enjoy my workday when lying to my colleagues. This communication applies to self-employed or freelancing digital nomads as well.
I know a digital nomad who chose to secretly work from abroad, relying on NordVPN to log into his company server.
His employer, unfortunately, discovered the use of an unauthorised VPN service and changed the server settings, locking this nomad out of the system.
He had two choices: either he took two days off and secretly returned home, or he could confess to his employer and risk termination. Sadly, he chose to take two days off and mistakenly told a coworker he was traveling, leading to his immediate termination.
If you’re looking for a new remote job or wanting to become a freelancer, check out this blog with the best websites for remote work:
The Best Websites for Finding Work As A Digital Nomad
NORDVPN is our go-to VPN for streaming movies on Netflix, logging into foreign bank accounts, and booking flights at cheaper prices.
Here’s a link for three free months!
Bring Your Own Mobile Work Station
When we first became digital nomads, we dreamed of working outside on a balcony, preferably overlooking the ocean, while sipping a delicious fruity beverage. That reality came crashing down relatively early in our journey as we discovered the impracticality of doing so.
We travel with a suitcase that we call our mobile office. This gives us the ability to set up a designated work space in any accommodation.
By sitting down at the workstation, I tell my partner to let me work, and I tell myself to focus.
Here’s an Amazon List of everything we use in our Mobile Work Station:
If working from home isn’t for you, or your current accommodation isn’t conducive to productive work, try finding a local coworking hub or cafe to work from. Co-working hubs are a great way to meet like-minded digital nomads and build your social network.
Create A Routine That Works For You
Let me start this section by saying; I hate routine. My dislike of routine is one of the reasons my family and I travel so often! But, when talking about staying productive, it’s essential to create a routine that works for you (and your family)!
We adapt our routine to our current location. In the tropics, we wake up early to beat the heat. In cooler climates, we’ll stay in bed a little longer, but work longer hours during the day. We’re lucky; our most productive times of day complement each other. I typically wake up motivated and ready to work, so my husband takes the baby until lunch, when we switch.
Another way to adapt your routine is to figure out how you work best. As a student, I studied best in a cafe or library. Packing my things up and traveling somewhere specifically to work helped me maintain focus and remain productive. As a digital nomad, you can utilize co-working spaces to get the same effect. Some co-working hubs have amazing perks, like this one in Koh Tao with complimentary tea, movie nights, yoga classes, and beachfront working spaces. Checkout Working.co for a list of coworking hubs in your area.
Be Consistent and Intentional
No matter what you do, do it intentionally. And consistently! If you’re working, work in a space that allows you to be productive, has fewer distractions, and you enjoy working in. When you’re not working, close your laptop and stop working! Don’t try to mix work with pleasure – that rarely leads to productive work or play.
Life as a digital nomad brings an unparalleled amount of freedom with it. But this freedom comes with a hefty price.
You’re going to have to motivate yourself to work, even when the weather is amazing. Even when the snorkeling is once in a lifetime. Even when the perfect swell has arrived.
You’re not vacationing, you’re living where others vacation.
We’ve noticed a remarkable uptake in our productivity since becoming nomads; honestly, we’re more motivated to finish our tasks early, even if that means earning less.
This uptake in productivity took time. Our first months were very unproductive. Now, three years later, we’ve taught ourselves discipline.
We like to use our days off as mini vacations, since we don’t need to travel anywhere! This means taking the occansional day off, but spending it entirely for ourselves. It’s a small mindset change that’s made a huge difference in our lives.
Keeping our work and play time strictly separated helps us understand when it’s time to turn our brains into Mami and Papi mode, and when it’s time to hunker down and get some work done. Our colleagues have gotten used to the incredible zoom backgrounds we bring into meetings, and co-worker envy is no longer a problem.
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