If you are now working from home due to COVID-19, you are not alone. According to research, more than 88% of organizations have required their employees to work from home to flatten the curve of the coronavirus.
In other words, you have now become a digital nomad, which is a term used for remote workers who can work from anywhere with a good WiFi connection.
The digital nomad lifestyle is famously known for freedom, as most nomads have migrated to live in warmer climates for the majority of the year.
As much as the digital nomad lifestyle seems very appealing, there are some strategies you need to have if you want to make the most out of your experience.
So the problem is, how can you make the most of the digital lifestyle and keep your productivity levels high?
Thankfully, we’ve created this article to answer those questions, so keep on reading to learn more!
Set Up a Workspace
To live the digital nomad lifestyle efficiently, you must keep your personal and home life separate from your work life. This means that working from your bed will not only ruin your productivity, but it will also prevent your mind from completely relaxing when you head to bed at night.
Designate an area of your house/apartment for work, and set up a “work station”. Mimic your actual office as much as possible, and make sure you have some privacy.
This trains your mind to turn the work switch “on” when you arrive at your work station, and “off” when you are done for the day.
A bonus is your transportation to and from work has become much easier!
Set Up a Schedule
When working out of the office, you have designated hours of work that you and your employees must follow. For most remote employees, they still need to follow those hours from home. If you do not have specified work hours, you will need to assign yourself a schedule.
This helps to boost your productivity levels and become much more efficient with the time that you have.
Dress for Work
When you are new to working from home, staying in your pajamas can feel very tempting. However, psychologically, it is doing more harm than just “staying cozy”.
The way we dress completely affects our mood and well-being. If you are allowing yourself to appear unkempt, this will affect your work ethic.
While you may not need to dress to impress by wearing an uncomfortable suit or applying a bunch of makeup, you need to put an effort into how you look.
A great way to keep accountability for your appearance is to set up a zoom call with a coworker before you begin your workday. This forces both of you to be presentable and not slack on your integrity.
A bonus is that you will not have to spend your day working in a face mask; check out this great post to learn more.
Keep the Connection
Working from home for the first time may cause you to want to slip into a funk where you alienate yourself from connecting to others. Avoid this tendency to become a hobbit and schedule work calls throughout the week to keep the connection.
Keeping in connection with coworkers will help you to stay in touch with those who you usually collaborate with, and help everyone to stay accountable while they are out of (physical) reach.
This will also help those who are struggling during these hard times to have someone to talk to and share their experience.
Invest in the Right Gear
Having the right equipment will make your life much easier while living the digital nomad lifestyle. A make-shift desk will only serve you for a temporary time. Eventually, you will need to invest in something more long-term.
This includes having an ergonomic work chair, a sitting or standing desk, fast wifi, a laptop stand, or even a desktop computer.
Set Boundaries
Having children can make the digital nomad lifestyle a bit more difficult, but not impossible! If your family is not used to you working from home, they may get excited having you around more often and interrupt you frequently throughout the day.
Set up a family meeting and explain to them that just because you are around more often, does not mean that you are available every hour. Establishing boundaries will not only help your work-life, but it will also teach your children about respecting others’ boundaries too.
Set Your Family’s Schedule
In addition to establishing boundaries, you can also create a schedule for your family to follow for their well-being.
If your kids are used to being at school and socializing, it will be very hard for them to stay at home and let you have peace.
Sit down with your children and create a school-like schedule for them to follow, with lunch breaks, snack breaks, and assignments for the day and week.
Take Breaks
The “work hard” mentality days are over, as taking breaks is essential for a productive workday. Studies show that people who take short, frequent breaks are more refreshed, willing to work, have more energy, and an overall better mental well-being than those who skip their breaks.
You no longer have a boss looking over your shoulder every minute, so take advantage of having less pressure and take some breaks throughout the day. Your mind and body will thank you.
Schedule 10-15 minutes at periods during the day where you get out of your desk and move around your house. Even better, go for a walk around the block and get your body moving and your blood pumping!
Learn More About the Digital Nomad Lifestyle
There you have it! Follow these tips to take full advantage of the digital nomad lifestyle. The coronavirus may not go away anytime soon, so you may as well get comfortable and make the most of your experience.
If you found this article helpful, check out more like this under the business and productivity sections of our blog!
