Lessons for a Digital Nomad
This is a guest post by Nico Jannasch
My name is Nicolaus Jannasch. I’m a 22-year-old digital nomad who left college last year to travel the world, build location independent businesses, and go after the lifestyle I wanted. Of course, this hasn’t been easy, but it’s been so rewarding. Running a business is always a challenge, but this is even more so the case when you are doing it whilst travelling. I have staff all over the world as well, all working remotely. This in itself poses many challenges, but I use things like a remote work survey to keep track of everybody. At the end of the day, it’s all worth it for the experiences I am having. During the past twelve months, I’ve travelled across three continents and lived in five different Asian countries. I’m now headed to Mexico and South America! I’ve had a good deal of experience balancing adventure with work, and there are a few lessons I’ve picked up along the way I wish I knew when I first flew to Bangkok.
We’re just entering 2016 so you can read these lessons as New Year’s resolutions you can implement in the coming months. They have drastically improved my experience as a digital nomad and using them will be useful to you if you’re living this lifestyle or considering taking the leap.
1. Build A ‘Travel Friendly’ Workout Routine
Most people get into the ‘vacation’ mindset when they travel. This means as little physical exertion as possible mixed with heavy drinking and tons of unhealthy food. Don’t let this happen to you! This is only ok if you’re traveling for 2 weeks max.
If you’re travelling full time, you’ll need to build a workout you can do without fail at least every other day. I didn’t miss a single workout all last year, and that’s because I focused on exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and planks that I could do anywhere. (For ‘pull’ exercises I used 6-litre water jugs!)
2. Talk With More Strangers
I wanted to meet people who were radically different than those I could talk with back home. This wouldn’t have happened, however, if I hadn’t decided to take action and proactively say ‘Hello’.
One Vietnamese man I met in Ha Long Bay brought me with him to his village to live with his family for a week (I’ve gone back many times since then) and by visiting Meetup.com I’ve gone on beautiful hikes, networked with entrepreneurs, and even brushed up on my German with expats and travellers like myself! One of these expats recommended Malta to me as a travel destination when I get the chance. But before I go venturing to Malta I’ll probably want to read some Malta Guides so I have an idea of what to expect and to decide if I can work it somewhere into my current schedule.
When you’re travelling you’ve got a unique opportunity to meet a wide variety of people. Take advantage of it, get over your fears, and say ‘Hi’ to new people around you!
3. Create A Daily Routine
Life as a full-time digital nomad can be hectic. Your ‘home’ is always changing, the people around you never stay the same, and your schedule can easily get knocked off-track. Because of this inherent instability, it’s important to build a daily routine you can use to ‘lock in’ beneficial habits.
My morning routine involves working out, practising German and Spanish vocabulary, connecting with entrepreneurs in my mastermind group, reading an educational resource relating to business, and a few other activities that I know will lead to my long-term success.
If you think about what activities move the needle for your life and business, write them down, and commit to doing them every day, you’ll gain stability as a digital nomad that will increase your ability to achieve your goals!
Ready To Start The Year Off Right?
Taking on the New Year’s resolutions to build a travel-friendly exercise routine, open up to more strangers, and create a ‘must do’ daily routine will drastically improve your enjoyment of the digital nomad lifestyle.
These are just a few examples of the lessons I wish I knew when I started my journey, however, and I’ve packed much more into my course How To Become A Digital Nomad! (Discounted 50% through this link)
Inside this course, I’ll show you how to build up a location independent career, optimize your living situation, and connect with other nomads. It will give you the right mindsets, tools, and strategies to thrive and the confidence to actually take the leap. If you’re serious about becoming a digital nomad it could be exactly what you need to get started, so check it out!
Bios:
Nico Jannasch is travelling the world fueled by his multiple location independent businesses. Just 22 years old, he is on a mission to empower others to gain the freedom to live wherever they want and work on projects they are passionate about. He blogs regularly at Nicojannasch.com and you can connect with him on Twitter @Nico_Jannasch
Lars King has worked at some of the world’s highest impact companies, travelled to 24+ countries, given talks internationally, and started multiple online businesses all by the age of 21. He has a passion for learning about and teaching topics that are not usually taught in school in a relatable, fun, and accessible way. Connect with him on Twitter @larstheking.