Working as a freelancer and living as a digital nomad have their fair share of perks: the choice of when to work and how to manage one’s workload, the joys of location independence, and the feeling of having escaped the 9-5 grind and the workplace politics that come with it. You can’t complain about any of it!
But this kind of work comes with added responsibility. Not only do you have to structure your time in order to keep up with your tasks, but you also have to structure your time in order to live a good life, whatever that means to you.
Every digital nomad has a different way of dealing with these responsibilities and achieving a decent work-life balance. We are all individuals with our own preferences and opinions on how much and when to work, when and how to play, and how to grow and live our lives to the fullest.
My first piece of advice is to make the most of location independence. For some, this could mean constantly traveling from place to place. Freelance work becomes a way of funding the movement between places and cultures. Others may prefer to settle down in one place and make a base, perhaps for several months or years.
Obviously, you have to move to a place where you can comfortably afford to live. It might not necessarily be the cheapest place on earth, but somewhere close to it. I would say that this is fairly important, in that you will have a pretty hard time balancing work and life if you can barely afford to eat. If the place you live is too expensive, you will spend all of your time trying to earn money for rent and other basics and have little left over to pursue hobbies and interests. This is hardly the definition of freedom that you promised yourself.
At the same time, you shouldn’t make this decision based only on affordability. If you want to live as a digital nomad, why not choose locations that actually excite you? Move somewhere that can give you that sense of purpose, whether it be the beach lifestyle you always wanted or the ideal country for your hobby.
For example, Costa Rican poker player Federico ‘majagua66’ Quevado locates himself on Jaco beach with a community of fellow online grinders, where he can pursue his surfing lifestyle while still focusing on his profession. Digital nomads Sarah and Nigel are choosing Bansko in Bulgaria for their 2018 base, attracted by the hiking and skiing in the mountains.
Finding the right balance between cost and what the country can offer in terms of richness and depth of experience may well be the key to successful travel or relocation as a digital nomad. You could choose a Spanish-speaking country if you want to learn the language, go to a Thai island to learn to dive, study martial arts in China, or learn about the cultures and spirituality of India. Let your interests and passions in life guide you, and use your freelance work to make it happen.
If you really want to go off the beaten path, be daring and take a couple of weeks off work to realise your dreams. You can’t always access the internet when you are staying with a tribe in the Sahara Desert or roaming the Amazon rainforests. For these little treats, slam your work hard beforehand to get ahead, take the time off, and then get back to civilisation to catch up after (and, of course, you should always make your clients aware of your plans).
A final consideration is the availability of co-working spaces and/or digital nomad communities. You may enjoy travelling and working alone for a while (or forever, if you’re the type), but many people find it rewarding to join up with other people who are living similar lives. It normalises the situation and makes you feel more professional and involved with work life. Co-working and co-living spaces allow you the simple pleasures of worktime interaction and inspiration, which are often missing during individual freelance work.