6 Tips to Make You a Successful Digital Nomad

Working as a digital nomad can indeed be quite tempting, especially when you’re craving a major lifestyle change, which is exactly what you can expect if you do decide to turn your back on the traditional conception of having a job. It should be stressed though that becoming a successful digital nomad requires much more effort that it may seem to those who aren’t in the know.   

See if you have what it takes

This is truly a big decision so you really shouldn’t rush it. Be brutally honest with yourself. Do you think you’d be able to live with a significant amount of uncertainty every day… could you say goodbye to regular paychecks if you quit your office job… are you disciplined enough to persist with your obligations without having defined working hours? As it can be seen, there are several things to be taken into account. So, inform yourself on what it really means to be a digital nomad; make sure you do a lot of thinking, reading, planning, and research before saying “yes”.

Create a safety net

However eager you are to leave home and welcome your new lifestyle, don’t do it without having left a certain (generous) amount of money aside. You simply need to have some savings due to the unpredictability of your salary. That way, in case you don’t have any or enough work for a (short) while or you’re not earning enough, you can relax knowing that you’ve thought about the rainy days and have enough financial stamina to keep paying for your housing and other necessities during the tough phases.

Preparations come first

It’s a wise move to dedicate some time to preparations and planning before turning into a nomad. While you’re still home, immerse yourself into the remote-work regime by looking for work online so that you can get a taste of making money online while you’re still in a familiar environment. This can be immensely helpful, as you’ll already have solved a great problem when you move to a different place. You’ll already have a kind of routine developed, established contacts, and perhaps even a (smaller) circle of clients that you can then work on expanding throughout your adventure.

Let’s not forget that, at least at first, it’s better to live in places where the costs of living are more bearable, so you can start putting money aside more easily and take some pressure off yourself. Naturally, a good internet connection is a must for digital nomads, so bear that criterion in mind when deciding to settle somewhere temporarily.   

Finding suitable jobs

The range of jobs accessible to digital nomads is really wide: from selling photographs, offering translation or writing services, illustrating, to other convenient forms of earning money, such as doing paid surveys online, coaching and teaching, web design, and so on. Still, it’s important to bear in mind your interests, skills, affinities, and style of working when pinpointing jobs that will suit you.

Remain disciplined

Being your own boss surely has its merits, but setting limits to yourself is often very difficult to achieve. Since there is nobody else who will set the rules and say when and what things need to get done, you have to be sure you can rely on yourself when it comes to respecting deadlines and sticking to a schedule you’ve worked out. The numerous pleasant and unpleasant distractions of the nomadic lifestyle mean you need to be a bit more strict when it comes to saying “work now, have fun later”.  

Refrain from hasty changes of environment

Moving from one town to another too fast, however adventurous and exciting it may be, can be harmful to your online career. At times, it is easier to just stay put for a little while longer and direct as much of your attention as possible to a current project or a client you are trying to establish cooperation with. Focusing your thoughts on relocating and all the other decisions that entails may be a great distraction and therefore may interfere with your progress.      

With a safety net, skills, knowledge, and solid preparations, you can help yourself thrive as a digital nomad.

Author’s Bio:

Roxana is a Sydney based travel enthusiast with a passion for writing. She loves fashion and has an eye for anything visually appealing and aesthetical. She is all about the healthy lifestyle, loves to run with her husband and dogs and has fun cooking exotic meals for her family. You can find her articles on HighStyleLife.

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