First of all, who are the Digital Nomads? How is it possible to travel and work at the same time? How do the two fit together? Many ask.
Digital nomadic travelers use a simple rule to balance work and leisure: conscious time management. In this article, we will break down the main four approaches that can lay the groundwork for the right schedule for anyone traveling as a digital nomad. Before reading onwards, keep in mind one thing: the digital nomad lifestyle is not equal to being on an eternal holiday.
1. Adapt to the weather and geographical conditions of the area where you are located.
The fact that how digital nomads share their time between work and the discovery of beautiful places, are often set by the geographical conditions of the area determined by where they are.
For example, if your current station is in southern Asia, in addition to the monsoon, and you can expect it to start raining around 3 to 4 p.m. we should go on sightseeing in the morning, and then we can even work until late at night.
Or if you are in Northern Europe in late autumn or early spring and it gets dark quite early, it is also worth dedicating a daylight period to the city programs, and you can fill the seemingly endless Scandinavian nights – which start as early as 5 pm – with work. And if you’re in a place where the heat is unbearable at noon – say in the Mediterranean in the summer – you can spend the morning on the beach, then work during the siesta, and finally late in the afternoon and evening when life turns on on the beach we can join them for a party.
2. Divide the daily workload in half.
If the climate doesn’t shape our schedule, we can safely apply another simple rule. Most people spend the middle of their day working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., possibly 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. But even if we travel for work, we understandably want to organize some exciting program every day. The simplest way to do this is to work in two stages: from early morning to late morning (around 6 to 10 a.m.) and then from late afternoon to evening (6 to 10 p.m.).
It can take that kind of willpower since by default we’re used to watching a movie around 9-10 in the evening or otherwise relaxing, rather than puffing on the keyboard. But if we had some kind of recharge program during the day, chances are we’ll still be mentally fresh for work in the evening. And knowing that we are funding the maintenance of a traveling lifestyle from our work is likely to provide enough motivation for both early waking and late work.
3. Work intensively!
If you have already worked in an office environment, put your hand on your heart and answer honestly: how much of the eight hours of work a day was meaningful work? Six hours? More realistic companies already reward their employees who work six out of eight hours with bonuses… And what do the remaining two (three…) hours take? With coffee, Facebook, and office chat? (The latter is useful in some ways anyway.)
As a digital nomad, we swell our daily working hours by two to three hours because, say, we take too many coffee breaks in the meantime or can’t come down from the news portals – a waste of time. If you want to have time for exciting programs as well, do your job with full force and efficiency!
When you’re working, don’t keep an eye on social sites (unless you just don’t need it for your job), don’t chat, don’t read the news. Focus on your work! You will be surprised that in 5-6 hours you can do in high quality what you previously provided for 8 hours.
4. Plan your free time
The whole point of being a digital nomad is to be able to see experience new things, like new places or people. But to do this as efficiently as possible you should organize your free time. How to this? Check your social media, if there’s an event near, if there’s one make sure you will be free at that point.
If there is no event you should attempt to, and the weather won’t let you go out either don’t stay at home. Find a nice indoor place where you can meet new people. Most people would think about a cafe, but to be honest, nobody goes to a cafe to meet new people. It would be a better idea to find a more social place, like a casino. You have multiple opportunities at a place like this. You can talk to others while playing blackjack, roulette, poker, etc. Or if you’re not into games, then you can settle down at the bar, and meet new people there. Make sure your free time is well spent.
In summary, this is not a vacation, but a way of life
A digital nomadic lifestyle is not the same as a vacation. While during a vacation we take part in programs for 8-10 hours a day and concentrate on exploring a place for a week or two, as a digital nomad we can organize half-day programs for ourselves and take longer (up to 1-2-3 weeks) before we visit wherever we want in one place. We move at a slower pace and accept new experiences into our lives. The journey, which takes several weeks and months, thus becomes a way of life.
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