Hey Digi backpackers! 

If you’ve dreamed about becoming a digital nomad, I guess you have thought about the social aspect as well. Not having to go to the office from nine to five is something that gives you a lot of freedom and flexibility, but it could be hard at times: not having a routine, a fixed timetable and a place to go to everyday. Maybe you’ll object “Who would even miss routine or going to the office?” but after doing some research we have found out that working from home (or in another country) can create sometimes a feeling of loneliness, creating boundaries can be difficult, too, on a working hours kind of level. It will take a lot of willpower to respect the alarm even if you don’t have a boss waiting for you, but as you will either be your own boss or still be working for someone else even if you’re abroad you will have to respect your duties. Maybe you will have the opposite problem and you won’t be able to disengage from your job and will be eating quick snacks in front of the pc from morning till midnight and this wouldn’t be healthy either. So, what are the solutions? Keep reading. 

Consider finding a co-working space 
Co-working are places where you can go to when you are a free-lancer, or a digital nomad and you don’t want to work alone. They are workers-friendly offices where you can go by paying a fee if the struggles of working from home or from a hotel become too many, because of various factors (loneliness, distractions, motivation and so on). Having a place to go to gives you a reason to set an alarm, gives you motivation as you see other people working as well, while if you stay at home you might be tempted by the tv or the chores. On the other hand if you’re staying in a B&B or a hotel you might find it frustrating to see people enjoying their holiday while you need to keep focused on a computer and you need silence and quietness. 

Stick to a timetable 
I know, if you want to be a digital nomad it’s probably because you are fed up of getting up at 7 o’clock everyday, starting at 9, eating from 12 till 1, finish at 5 and then go home for shower-dinner-tv-bed. But having set times helps, because otherwise you could feel lost, not knowing where to start, overwhelmed by the things you have to do, feeling guilty if you lose time and not being able to say “ok, at that time I’ll finish working and I’ll relax, because I deserve it”. Of course, you don’t need to respect the classical office hours, if you find working in the morning difficult, you could start later, same for the opposite. You can decide the rules but try to stick to the same habits in order to have a regular, healthy life. 

Avoid alienation 
Working from home or abroad as a digital nomad could be alienating at times, because when you have colleagues you get the chance to have a chat on the train or during the coffee break or lunchtime, updating about the latest news or the best tv-series. You also can get quick face-to-face help and advice if you need it, this is not the case when you’re alone. How to overcome this? To go back to the first tip, find a co-working in order to meet other free-lancers or digital nomads who could become your friends for life and who understand your struggles. If co-working is not your thing, get a membership in a gym, to de-stress and to meet people, or get out for a walk and a coffee in your local bar to exchange a couple words with that fun waiter. You could also start regular yoga or salsa classes or whatever you like. Be sure not to make your home a prison and fill your agenda with meetings with your friends or relatives (especially if you’re not living with a partner and you don’t have children, so that you don’t have someone that comes home from work or school in the evening to keep you company and...busy).  

This is it, my Digi backpackers, hope you find this post useful and please tell me your worries, hopes or suggestions in the comments!

Till the next blogpost, 

C.