I started my first trip as a remote worker or digital nomad since the beginning of January, at the beginning of trip was not easy as I thought, but it’s good to have first time experience otherwise I would always just imagine and never give it a try.
For other people or friends, they can only see my stunning pictures but they may have no idea the pain I experienced to keep me being productive on the road. It’s not as easy as it’s cracked up to be. Sure you’ve let your imagination run wild and have had only nice pictures on your head and your fantasies especially when you never experience by yourself, that’s what I used to think myself when I saw the digital nomads lifestyle.

Since I am a newbie in this nomadic lifestyle, I might not have capabilities yet to say a lot of things related to this but I just want to share some hacks that I have done and work with me which I think can work for others as well.

FIND YOUR BEST HOURS TO WORK IN DAILY BASIS

work when you work best, I personally feel very fresh when I wake up in the morning and start doing my prioritized works and reply important emails. when I wake up usually around 5 or 6 AM and then will start my morning drink which is tea or other traditional drinks but not coffee as I personally don’t drink coffee a lot while doing some works, I can work up to 11.30 AM before having mid day break.
After getting some works done, I try to take shower prepare my things, get breakfast and going out to explore the new places where I am at the time. my exploration will end usually till 7.00 PM and then I will have a rest for about half an hour then continue working till 11.30 or 12 AM mid night and continue sleeping. this is not fixed hours that I always do, but this is the ideal routine that I usually do, it doesn’t matter how long you are working in front of computer, what matters the most is how productive you use your time in daily basis.

CARRY YOUR MOBILE TOOLS EVERY WHERE

While exploring new places in new cities or countries, don’t forget to carry your most used tools to work such as your laptop, chargers, power bank, mouse phones, headset etc. buy a small backpack that can carry your laptop so that it will not feel so heavy on your back.
bring  your most important and used tools and leave the things that you think are less useful when you walk or drive around. be efficient and effective and as mobile as possible. to me personally having my phone, laptop, charger, power bank, mouse, headset, passport and of course money when I am moving around, it’s more than enough to me to start my productive day.

DISCIPLINE YOURSELF 

Indeed and no doubt that it’s easy to become distracted.
This is very true especially for those of you who have got used to working in a traditional 9-5 job or in an office for the majority of your career. Your new found freedom can become overwhelming at first.
To help you eliminate distractions, and help you get more work done, you need to have a schedule and write them down or write and save it on your phone. there is no other way than to execute all plans and schedule that you have prepared to do. you need to stick to them and learn to say no for unexpected invitation from your friends especially it’s very tempting when you have just arrived in new place make new friends and being asked all the time to hang out which can distract your focus on your works.

FIND YOUR BEST WORKING ENVIRONMENT

I bet you have an image of beach, sun, and stretching your legs on a chair with your laptop working right next to beach. that might be your image about living the lifestyle of a digital nomad.
Let me tell you the truth, that kind of position of work is not comfy and you will most likely not be able to get your works done, just imagine when your laptop is running out of battery how can you charge your laptop on the beach ? where to find plug or even WIFI ? in Dubai I heard that they have Wifi on the beach but still, what about plug ?  😀
Perhaps you’re picturing the sun in your face, the sand beneath your toes, and a blue ocean just over the cover of your laptop.
Or maybe you’re picturing yourself working remotely in a sparsely populated section in forest as wild life and sitting on the hammocks tied between 2 big trees.
It indeed sounds too good to be true. Doesn’t it?
The truth is, while some of us can do this and become productive, a majority of us cannot. We still need an environment that is more conducive to work. I personally like to work from coffee shop with proper desk where I can sit properly with position of my laptop being on the table and I can type comfortably so that I can focus on my works and get the things done.

Conclusion

Being a remote worker or digital nomad comes with responsibilities and a certain element of freedom at the same time that most of the world will never know.
the good thing of freedom is that you work when and where you want.
You get experience to see exotic places and meet interesting people.
But in order to make those things happen, you need to have a certain measure of productivity.
It’s almost impossible to have fun all the time and even if you do so, I believe that with having fun itself you will sooner or letter get bored and tired.
So take these 4 hacks from newbie digital nomad like me for working on the road and increase your productivity while seeing another part of the world, meeting new interesting people and the most important one is to live the life you want.