Happy Monday,
I actually hate the term “digital nomad” but idk what else to use.
I’m heading off today for an extended trip around Europe (inb4 “oh, must be nice..”)
The plan is to spend at least 6 months travelling, while still working.
I have no delusions about this. For most people—including myself—travelling and working is not a good way to be productive.
Despite this, I want to see just how productive I can be anyway.
My goal is to hit as close to 100% of my normal “at home” output.
Here’s how I plan to achieve it…
#1 – Weekday/weekend schedule
I plan to work 6am to 3pm Monday to Friday.
Afternoons (past 3pm), evenings and weekends will be leisure time.
Travel will be scheduled in weekends to avoid disrupting this routine.
I get the impression that most digital nomads don’t discipline themselves to stick to a formal routine like this, and their productivity suffers greatly.
The problem with this is that when your productivity suffers, you don’t really enjoy your travels either because you feel guilty for not getting enough work done. So it’s the worst of both worlds—you might as well just book a vacation and forget about work entirely.
#2 – Minimize responsibilities
I’m currently narrowing my scope of responsibilities when it comes to work (less projects, done better).
Having multiple projects on the go at once is a great way to feel stressed. Add travel into the mix, and you’ve got even more variables.
#3 – Only book hotels/AirBnBs with a good work setup
I don’t like coworking spaces.
Cafés are good but you can’t spend 8 hours at one.
As much as possible, I plan to book hotels & AirBnBs with a solid work setup. Ideally this means office chair and dedicated desk, but that’s often hard to find with AirBnBs. A dining table will do.
#4 – Keep a consistent routine
My at-home habits must continue. That means:
- Morning sunlight
- No breakfast
- Post-lunch walk
- Gym after work
- In bed by 10pm
That’s the plan.
If you’ve done this yourself, or you’re currently doing it… got any tips? Reply to this email and let me know.
What I read/watched this week:
- I finished reading MJ DeMarco’s book Unscripted and really enjoyed it. I read The Millionaire Fastlane when I was around 18 and it definitely had an impact. Unscripted is a good follow-up. I recommend it, especially if you want to start a business but haven’t yet done so.
Tweet of the week
I’ve been following Justin for a while now and his growth has been incredible—thanks to his daily writing habit.
That’s it for this week!
-Sam
P.S. I turned my viral tweet thread on building an automation consulting business into a longer-form YouTube video. Check it out here.
