My Thoughts On the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Special thanks for interviewer Emily Walker for inviting me to self-reflect on my digital nomad solopreneur years so far.
What does “remote working” mean to you?
Remote working should keep light and.. remote! Throughout my personal experience, I have often forgotten that huge privilege, and then, I have experienced some tiresome working and living in the same place.
That monotony can be more perceptible than in traditional workplace. As long as we are digital nomads, it is important to take advantage of our freedom and flexibility!
What are the downsides of working remotely?
Let me suppose that I honor my reputation as a nomad freelancer, I won’t be bored, but there are still some risks. Being my own boss means being accountable for my own time planning. It can be tempting to underestimate tasks and deadlines.
Unless I keep an eye on my calendars, plus a realistic day-to-day planning, I can find myself overwhelmed by deadlines I promised myself, unread emails, unfinished courses, energy draining activities I could postpone or limit in time, etc.
Employed people stick to a strict planning set for them. Self-employed people, however, should be their own managers.
Finally, is this really a downside? Maybe compared to traditional jobs, but this should be a great opportunity to develop awareness about our own cognitive biases (estimating deadlines) and our unstable emotions and energy all over the day.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
I have learnt to say No to working weekends. I make it clear to clients that if they brief me by late Friday, they should not expect my work to be ready next Monday morning.
Working by night has also become a red line, since I need to allocate my evenings to entertaining activities and social life if there is any good plan. This routine keeps me fresh and enthusiastic for the next early morning.
