More and more people are moving away from the 9-5 job grind, and embracing the digital nomad lifestyle—and why not? It provides a sense of freedom that the status quo simply doesn’t provide.
Working as a digital nomad means choosing your own hours; working from anywhere in the world—not being bound to an office, or even city, and truly experiencing some of the wondrous sights the world has to offer.
However, the lack of structure the lifestyle provides compared to a more conventional career can be problematic—it can be a struggle to find a balance between work and life when you are in charge of your own hours and you don’t have a specific place to go to work every day.
Below is a list of ways a digital nomad can find that work/life balance.
Keep a Schedule
One of the greatest benefits of the digital nomad lifestyle is the freedom to set your own hours. Don’t feel like you’re most productive between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.? Then you don’t have to work those hours. Do you find you get all your work done in a short period of time, leaving you with nothing to do for hours? As a digital nomad, you can choose when you work and for how long.
However, this can also be a double-edged sword. For some, not having a person breathing down their neck and ensuring they are using their time productively means they simply won’t do it.
It’s vital to make sure you are using your time effectively. It doesn’t so much matter when you decide to get your work done, as long as you do get it done. Set out a daily schedule of a certain amount of time where you know you can be productive and focused and make sure to follow that schedule.
Take Time for Yourself
On the flip side, for some, not having a supervisor managing your hours means you might continue to work until you fall asleep at your desk. This isn’t sustainable either—while it might allow you to get a lot done in short spurts, it also significantly increases your risk of burning out.
Once you’ve found a schedule that works for you make sure you don’t go over it either. Once you’re done for the day, you’re done for the day! Don’t keep pushing yourself to finish that next assignment—take some time to enjoy yourself, and your surroundings.
Prioritize Relationships
As we get older, our circle of friends inevitably dwindles. Think about how many people you were close with in high school and college. Are you still in touch with the same number of people? For some people juggling multiple relationships is easy, but for many of us, it becomes a casualty of building a successful career.
It’s important to ensure we nurture the relationships we do have and take time to enjoy the company of our friends and family. Not just for finding balance in our lives either; having a stable relationship that we invest in can actually help us when it comes to our work lives.