Most of us have heard of the term ‘digital nomad’, but maybe haven’t really understood what it means. A digital nomad is somebody who works remotely for entrepreneurial causes or clients, travelling the world and being paid online. We have written this blog post to answer some of the questions that you might have about becoming a digital nomad.
What Does It Mean To Work Remotely?
If you’re reading this blog post, I assume that you’re also somewhat of a digital nomad. What does it mean to work remotely?
In a nutshell, working remotely means that you complete all of the work from home, and you don’t have to be tied to a desk. You can work remotely for hours, days, or even weeks at a time.
While there are countless benefits to working remotely, there are also some pitfalls that you should be aware of.
One of the most important things to consider if you are to work remotely successfully is to find a way to seamlessly integrate working remotely into your daily life. You should be able to set your work hours, determine how you will meet each requirement, and know that at the end of the day, your work will keep your career moving forward. Inevitably, you will have some unproductive days or weeks, but you should try to mitigate these as much as possible. Regular breaks, healthy meals, and a good night’s sleep all contribute to reducing your stress levels and improving your wellbeing. Finding the right work space is also important. Make sure that you have a clean working environment with all of the essentials for effective and pleasurable work. Some tools that you might find helpful when hunting for a remote work space are a VPN, a digital nomad checklist, and a notebook.
Why A Website?
One of the most common questions that we receive when people discover that we write about digital nomads is, “Why do you need a website for this?”
The answer is that we don’t need a website for this. In fact, we don’t even have one yet. What we do have is a blog, which has been incredibly beneficial to our business. Since we launched our blog, we’ve received over 30,000 downloads of our PDF workbooks. In a nutshell, a blog acts as a very effective ‘foot in the door’ strategy; somebody, somewhere, somehow finds your blog post about digital nomads, or listens to your podcast, and eventually, they decide to buy your product. Somebody, somewhere, somehow.
How Do You Market A Product Or Service Through Blogs?
Do you market a product or service through blogs? If so, how do you go about doing this?
We don’t market our product or service directly through our blog. Instead, we use a variety of methods to attract potential customers to our site. Most entrepreneurs use a mix of SEO, social media, and PPC (pay per click) advertising. Some of our favorite blogs that we use to attract potential customers are:
- Entrepreneur
- Inc.
- Forbes
- Hacker News
- Product Hunt
- Medium
- Squidoo
- Bloglovin
The advantage of using a variety of methods to market a product or service is that you can test different approaches and see which one produces the best results. If you keep running tests and analyzing the data, over time, you’ll develop an insight into the ‘playbook’ that works best for your business.
What About The Money?
Another frequently asked question is, “Is it possible to make money as a digital nomad?”
The answer is yes, and it’s something that we’re personally very grateful to be able to do. Before we started traveling and working remotely, we were working a 9-5 job that we hated. Working remotely has given us the flexibility to work when we want and don’t have to worry about the clock ticking. It’s also allowed us to try new things that we might not have been able to do if we were still tied to a desk. One of the biggest complaints that we heard while traveling was, “I wish that I could do this, but I haven’t been able to make it work because of money.” Inevitably, many digital nomads end up taking on some sort of side project or working for free to keep the gears turning. Money is no object when you’re traveling the world and enjoying every minute of it. Make sure that you have a savings account that you can access whenever you need it. As with most money issues, situational awareness is key. Know what you’re spending and where your money is going. If you aren’t watching your spending habits closely, you could find yourself in financial trouble when your travels come to an end.
Do You Need To Work Full-time To Travel The World And Be A Digital Nomad?
This is a common question among people who are just discovering the existence of a digital nomad lifestyle. Many travelers will tell you that working remotely is something that they do on the side, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be. If you want to travel the world and be a digital nomad, you can certainly do so without having to work full-time. There are countless examples of digital nomads that are able to make a living from their travels. However, it’s usually the case that these individuals have had a lot of prior experience. If this is your first time that you’re attempting to work remotely, it’s going to be quite the adjustment. Working remotely full-time is quite different from working remotely on the side.
Working remotely full-time is a great way to travel the world and be a digital nomad. If this is something that you’ve been dreaming of, take the time to learn HOW to do it effectively and know that you’re making the right decision for your personal life. There are numerous health benefits to traveling, so it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor. Make sure that you fully commit to this decision, and don’t hesitate to put in the necessary legwork. Working remotely is a distinct possibility, but only if you’re able to effectively integrate it into your daily life. Begin with the simplest tasks, and work your way up. There’s no rush to get everything done in one day. Take the time to gradually add flexibility to your schedule and see how it impacts your enjoyment of life. Before you know it, you’ll be running around the globe with a backpack in search of a better life.