As a travel blogger and writer, mixing work and travel has become a lifestyle. I have chosen a life where I do decide where and who I work with, but that comes at a price too. It’s difficult to realize when should you go back to work when you’re traveling, and sometimes one gets so bogged down by work that I don’t see the sunlight for days. Both are bad, obviously. So, as a digital nomad what can you do to strike a perfect balance?
Here are some proven hacks by me:
Make a flexible schedule:
By this I mean every day make a list of things to do and make sure you complete it at the end of the day. I have a habit of writing down my list of things to do every day in my diary. You can either do that in an app like Evernote, or use your phone Notes app, whatever floats your boat.
Being a digital nomad is tougher than it sounds. Planning your day becomes an essential part of your work life. Even though you might be working at odd hours of the day, make sure you stick to your deadlines. Be firm with yourself!
Choose the right projects:
Often as a freelancer one tends to take all the work that comes to us. We underestimate the kind of work and even the work burden. This later has us all worked up and when we are unable to either work with that particular brand or we don’t have much knowledge about that work.
Have a clear chat with the client about what the project entails and then go ahead with the project. The number one priority as a digital nomad is to choose your work wisely.
Isn’t that why you chose to be free from the corporate world? Hmm, something to ponder about.
Make your close ones understand your work:
As a freelancer/ blogger, I often have difficulty telling people what I do. It becomes even more difficult when you are a digital nomad. I’d admit my family is flabbergasted by my long travel schedule. Take time to talk to your family about work. Once my loved ones understood my career, it made my life is so much easier. A supporting family or life partner adds so much ease to your life.
Don’t limit your workspace:
As freelancers, we end up getting holed up in our homes and forgetting the outside world. While it’s okay to focus on your work and meeting your deadlines, it’s also important to interact with your friends and family. So go outside once in a while, Work out of a café or a co-working space. A change of scenery works wonders!
As a blogger, I never have a weekend that’s off or a holiday where I am not working. Of course, I’m traveling most of the times, but that’s a part of my work too. Hence, it’s important to mix travel and work the right way. Even when you’re traveling make sure that you set aside some time of the day to work.
If you’re exploring the beach during your holiday, just take your laptop with you! Take out time in your day to work while also enjoying your holiday.
Stay organized:
Being organized becomes very tough when you’re travelling from one city to another. But nowadays there are so many tools that can keep you organized. Instapaper is an amazing app to let you save important articles in one place and read them later.
If you’re a team, then you can use Slack to communicate with your work buddies easily. You can also use tools like Buffer to stay organized and schedule all your social media at one time.
Are you a digital nomad too? Which tools do you use to stay organized? Tell us in comments below!