Next month I’ll be entering an interesting new chapter of my life.
I’ll be leaving the corporate world and traveling around the world full time as a “digital nomad.”
Although – I do have mixed feelings about that term (digital nomad).
Anyways, one of the challenges that I’m facing is balancing work and play.
Obviously, I want to have fun, but I don’t want my work life to suffer as a result. Even though I have passive income coming in, I still have a few projects I’m passionate about.
But let’s face it, it’s hard to work sometimes when you’re having fun traveling, experiencing new cultures, and checking out all of the cool sights.
So here’s my take about balancing work and travel as a digital nomad.
Get Your Mindset Right
The great thing is as a digital nomad, your schedule is flexible.
You can work whenever you want and wherever you want. The money comes in as long as you’re still busting your ass.
You can work during the morning or into the wee hours of the night. All that counts is getting your hours in.
However, setting a work schedule can be tough
Personally, when I travel I get really excited. I love walking around a new city, eating all these new foods, and just visiting all of the historic sights.
And this can take quite the physical toll on your body.
But at the same time, this is really dangerous as your productivity will decline significantly if you don’t have focus and discipline.
After all, why would you want to do any work if you could visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris or visit the Kremlin in Russia!
As a result, I’m trying to not let myself get too excited.
I need a very specific mindset to focus.
But the good news is, I’ll no longer be working a corporate job, so I’ll have a lot of free time on my hands.
Previously, I worked 8 – 10 hour days and spent 2 – 3 hours per night on my side hustles.
Now, I’ll be able to devote more time to my side hustles. Although I don’t foresee myself working 8 – 10 hours a day on them.
I’m not disciplined enough to concentrate like that (and I don’t think many people are).
In fact, it’s much better to spend a few very concentrated hours a day actually doing work. It’s much more efficient than spreading it over 10 hours a day.
My general goal is to set aside 4 – 4.5 hours of work every day.
Most of it will probably be done in the morning and then I’ll set aside about an hour every night to plan out the next day.
The point is you need to get your mindset right so you don’t get distracted.
Morning vs. Night?
Morning vs. Night?
Ah, the classic debate!
Personally, I could go either way. I work great in the morning, able to crush any task I set my eyes on.
At the same time, my mind is also very active at night. In fact, that’s where I get some of my best ideas!
One of the best ways to get the most work done as a digital nomad is figuring out when you are most active throughout the day.
Are you a morning person? Or do you kind of like to chill out in bed and enjoy the morning exploring the city?
Or maybe you’re a night person and like to work at night before hitting the town.
In general, I’m a morning person.
As a result, I want to get most of my work done in the morning so I can hit the gym, get lunch, and enjoy the rest of the day.
I can’t speak for everyone, so experiment around to see when you are most active mentally throughout the day.
That’s when you should focus your time and crunch out that work.
Finding Time For The Gym As A Digital Nomad
One of my New Years resolutions for 2019 was to get in better shape.
And I’m proud to say that I’ve kept that promise. I’ve been hitting the gym or doing yoga at least 5 times a week in 2019.
But, working out while traveling is pretty difficult.
Depending on how many cities you are visiting, you could be paying a lot for day passes or week passes at new gyms.
That’s why I recommend staying in a city for at least 3 – 4 weeks at a time if possible.
Hitting the gym is important for your health, especially if you’re going to be eating out a lot while on the road.
One of the things that will be hard to fit in my schedule will be the gym.
I haven’t decided if I should hit the gym early in the morning and then start my work day or work first and then hit the gym.
But I’m leaning towards going to the gym around 11 or 12 before lunch.
Moving Around
One of the things I see people do all the time is spending just a short week or two in a city.
But here’s the thing….
I don’t want to move around too much. That just causes a lot of stress and lost hours.
And fellow blogger, Jake from Nomadic Hustle says the same thing!
Every time you have to move to a different city, you have to purchase a flight, go to the airport (which is a 2 – 3 hour process), find a new apartment, and get accustomed to your new city.
This is super disruptive to your work environment.
Plus, many apartment owners offer great discounts on people renting for 4 weeks instead of a week or two.
So you’ll save a bunch of time and money by staying in a city for at least 3 – 4 weeks.
The hardest part of traveling as a digital nomad is just getting accustomed to the city.
It takes time to find a grocery store that you like, to find a gym worth your money, and to find your favorite bars and restaurants.
Don’t disrupt that process by traveling every 2 weeks.
Getting Your Schedule Right
A few days ago, Dennis Demori shared his ideal schedule on Twitter.
And now I want to do the same thing based on everything I’ve discussed in this blog post.
Here’s my planned schedule when I’m traveling throughout Russia:
Monday – Friday:
7: 30 – 11:30 AM work
12:00 – 1:30 Gym
1:30 – Lunch
Saturday/Sunday:
8: 30 – 11:30 AM work
12:00 – 1:30 Gym
1:30 – Lunch
Obviously, this schedule will be fluid depending on what’s going on and when I’m traveling.
For example, when I hit the Trans Siberian Railway, I expect my work hours to increase pretty dramatically for obvious reasons (being stuck on a train for a few days at a time).
Anyways, I think this schedule works out well for me. I’ll be able to get up pretty early in the morning and get some work done.
Most tourist attractions don’t even open until the late morning anyways, so I’m not missing much.
Plus, once I get my work done for the day, I’m able to basically take the rest of the day off and explore.
Creating your own personalized schedule is important too. I encourage all of you to create one.
And the schedule doesn’t have to be cemented in stone. Think of it as a rough guideline to follow.
Final Thoughts On Balancing Work And Travel
Overall, life as a digital nomad can be super exciting.
You are able to make money on the road and travel across the world. What could be better than that?
We really are living in the greatest time to be alive.
But at the same time, you need to have discipline and the right mindset to separate work and play.
The good news is you don’t need to spend 8+ hours at the desk like when you worked a corporate job.
Nope, you can work just 4 hours a day and still be able to make enough to support yourself.