How to Avoid Distraction When You're a Digital Nomad

Working as a digital nomad can give you the entire world as the view from your cubicle. But how can you manage the temptation to vacation when you have work to do? With careful balance and planning, you can enjoy all the freedom that comes from working remotely in different locations while delivering on your commitment to your work and teams. Consider these six remote work hacks to keep yourself on task while living the digital nomad life.

Have a Transparent Calendar.

One of our best tips on how to work remotely and prevent unwanted distractions is to share your calendar publicly with your team. In addition to listing standing meetings, due dates, and reminders, consider adding your office hours for each day as well as open times for your team to book meetings with you. This can help to set expectations on your availability, which helps your team stay productive and helps you plan time to relax and explore your home away from home.

Know Yourself and Be True to This.

Will you really be able to focus on that spreadsheet while sitting in a beach chair? If so, be sure to put the sunscreen on before you dive into those numbers. But if you know that you'll be distracted by the blue sea, don’t put yourself in that position as it will only cause stress. Instead, think about spending an hour at the beach and then go work on the task. Reward yourself later by unwinding back in your favorite beachside chair.

The key to making this digital nomad tip work is to be honest with yourself about how you work best and plan your days around that. If you're a morning person, focus most of your work first thing with a break in the middle of the day. Your working style likely won’t change just because your location has. Aim to work with your style and strengths to be the most productive.

Think About Your Team.

How will your schedule and location affect them? The less impact you can have on the convenience of your team, the better. If you're in another time zone, be sure to have time open your day that works for the team. Depending on the flexibility you have in your role, you might compress your week into fewer but longer days. When scheduling deadlines for both yourself and for collaborative projects, build in extra time for your tasks. This will help in the event of a delay in getting updates due to time zone differences, interruptions in internet service, or other things that could derail your timeline.

Honor Your Schedule, but Be Flexible.

Your schedule is meant to give you a framework for keeping yourself on track and getting things done. It's also a guide for those who need to connect with you. It's tempting to blur the lines between work and leisure time, especially when you're not in a brick-and-mortar location. You want to be flexible for those times that require it, such as an important internal or client meeting. However, part of staying organized is managing your time wisely to ensure you meet deadlines and expectations. Aim to stick to your schedule, and when those times arise that you want to flex, weigh the tradeoff, whether it is personal or work, and choose wisely.

Build in Extra Time to Take Advantage of Your Location.

Part of the nomad worker lifestyle is checking out new places. Sometimes work is busy and overwhelming and you might not have the time or energy to go out to dinner or hiking at the end of your work time. An advantage of this lifestyle is that you are in the right location and don’t need to travel for some downtime. So take a day off! Use some PTO to really disconnect and enjoy where you are. Being a remote nomad brings new meaning to “staycation.”

Take Some Time Offline.

Working remotely, whether at home or as a digital nomad, means a lot of online time. This connection is key to the ability to be a digital nomad but can also result in burnout. Being connected doesn’t mean being available 24 hours per day or answering emails around the clock. Resist the urge to take a call or send an email because it will only take a few minutes. Really unplug when it is time to unplug. This will help you to stay focused when you need to and can lead to greater productivity. Use your off time to make friends, explore, and engage in the off-screen world. It is all about balance.

With all this planning, you’ll want to protect your investment in your trip. As a digital nomad, it could also be considered an investment in your career. The great news is that Seven Corners offers travel insurance to help protect the money you spent for your trip and your health when traveling.