Balancing your traveling adventure and work can be challenging as a digital nomad, but it’s essential. Creating a harmonious balance between work and travel not only improves our physical and emotional well-being but is also important for our professional careers.
The life of a digital nomad appears to be exciting and full of adventure on the surface, but underneath, it could be rife with frustrations and stress. Remember, there’s more to the life of a digital nomad than glamorous photos and beaches. So what’s the secret to balancing work and travel effectively?
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead of your traveling escapades is key to finding the balance between work and travel. This means keeping your employer, clients, family, and friends informed about your travel schedule, needs, and expectations. Your planning should also include travel arrangements such as flights, transportation, and hotels in advance.
This would give you plenty of time to look for ways of saving time and money. For example, you could use apps and websites for comparing prices, booking online, and electronic checking-in. All of this should help you minimize last-minute changes that could lead to the accumulation of stress and frustration.
Finally, you should constantly check your daily routine and adjust it based on how things unfold during the day.
Pro tip: Try to wake up early in order to achieve those small goals while also setting aside time for breaks and other tasks.
Find a Work Arrangement That Helps You Live as a Digital Nomad
For obvious reasons, your entire trip falls apart if your employer or clients are not on board with the idea of you always traveling. This is why a key priority for you should be to find a job or work arrangement that doesn’t disrupt your schedule.
Most freelancers and entrepreneurs often have the luxury of setting up their own work schedule, but this also comes at a steep cost. For one, as an entrepreneur, you’ll have to wear many hats – as a marketer, client representative, and of course, your core job title. Sometimes, the life of a freelancer and entrepreneur works out nicely, especially if they have a way of delegating certain tasks. Don’t forget to check the local time zone to coordinate with clients and colleagues.
Pro tip: Try to create a peaceful environment where you are, whether it’s your hotel room, home, or even a beach mat during your seaside escapades. Listening to your favorite music to tune out the stresses of the day definitely helps.
Tune Out of Distractions
Having a life full of adventures can be rather distracting. You have endless sources of distraction, taking your mind away from the task at hand, whether it’s work or simply connecting with your family members. Remember, you only have 24 hours in the day and should try to get the most out of the tasks you have set out for yourself.
Don’t let yourself get distracted by activities. You can always set aside an hour or two for miscellaneous activities that you haven’t accounted for.
But never let yourself procrastinate because it will zap your energy levels, making it too difficult to concentrate on your work and other tasks in the day. Failing to snap out of procrastination could also make recovery difficult for you and make you more susceptible to stress and mental fatigue.
Find a Community Supportive of Your Lifestyle
Being able to join a community of digital nomads is perhaps crucial to helping you unlock that work, life, and travel balance. Although every traveler has a unique story to tell, their experiences as a digital nomad are very similar. It’s just a matter of connecting with them and learning from their experiences.
These communities will share their insights, experiences, and in some cases, their resources. Moreover, you could also seek support from trusted people who can provide emotional and practical support. Don’t be afraid of looking for counseling or coaching if you need more help.
Hint: Look for other digital nomads on social media. Use hashtags to find digital nomads near you and connect with them. You can also find other digital nomads on Facebook communities through the search feature.
Take Short Trips and Check Nearby Hotspots
There’s no rule telling you to explore a far-away tourist hotspot on the outskirts of the city. You can always minimize the stress of traveling by taking day trips to nearby places and see what they have to offer. Whether this means spending a day enjoying the local cuisine, listening to live music, or exploring the work of local artisans.
While a few short trips are not enough to get the most out of your trip, they should give you a taste of what’s to come. These ‘mini’ trips are especially useful if time is limited and you must get back to work quickly.
Look for travel destinations that are just a few hours away so you can head out on a Friday and have the entire weekend to yourself before the weekday starts.
Accept That There’s no ‘Perfect’ Balance Between Work and Travel
There’s no such thing as perfect, especially when it comes to life as a digital nomad. This is why you should never try to set up a perfect schedule. Instead, your goal should be to strive for a more realistic one. Set aside a few days for work, while others can be used to pursue your hobby or spend time exploring.
Remember, finding the perfect balance that works for you is a work in progress and highly specific to your specific goal. It is important to remain flexible and constantly assess your goals and priorities. You should be cognizant of the fact that you will likely need to experiment with your schedule and refine it over time.
And remember, the most important thing is to enjoy your adventure instead of worrying too much about maintaining harmony between work and travel.
If you’d like to learn more about what you can do to achieve a healthy work and travel balance as a digital nomad, consider checking out more helpful tips here.
