Leaving the consolation and wage of a gentle workplace job for the uncertainty of life as a self-employed digital nomad is a large change, each personally and professionally. I did it myself in 2021 after I left my job as a lawyer in London.
General, it was an incredible choice and I’m infinitely happier than I used to be earlier than. However, it’s not all roses and sunshine. It may be onerous at occasions, however in the end, I believe the challenges are well worth the enormous upsides.
Listed here are the steps that helped me go from office-bound and depressing to location-independent and free. The following tips all come from my very own private expertise. I hope they’re helpful and assist you pull off your personal escape.
Learn how to Plan Your Exit: Going From Workplace Desk to Digital Nomad
Whether or not you’re craving freedom, journey, limitless journey, higher climate, or just a life exterior the company field (for me, it was all of these issues), right here are some things I extremely advocate you do first. This may assist set your self up for fulfillment, earlier than taking the plunge.
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Mirror on Your Why and Objectives
Earlier than you write your resignation letter, take a step again and ask your self why you need to turn into a digital nomad. What’s driving this choice? Whether or not it’s the liberty to discover new locations, the prospect to work by yourself phrases, or simply wanting to flee workplace life, understanding your motivation is vital.
For me, it was the frustration of being caught in a inflexible routine, and the stuffiness of the authorized career. I spotted I needed a life-style that prioritized flexibility and journey. This “why” nonetheless provides me readability and motivation to today, and helps me keep centered when occasions get robust.
Write down your objectives – each private {and professional}. Do you need to see particular nations? Study new expertise? A brand new language? Create a sustainable revenue on-line? Construct a mighty enterprise empire? Having clear targets will assist information your selections and preserve you motivated.
Construct Monetary Stability and Safety
Cash stress is among the worst components of being a freelancer. That’s why making a stable monetary security internet is crucial earlier than you hand in your discover. You’ll want financial savings to cowl a minimum of a number of months of residing bills, plus an emergency fund, and a plan for regular revenue going ahead.
My enterprise took nearly a yr to begin making any cash. Being in Central America for the primary few months of my nomad life actually helped make the cash I had saved go additional. However, if I hadn’t constructed up a pot of financial savings earlier than I give up my job, I’d’ve quickly run out.
Earlier than leaving your job, make a price range, reduce pointless bills, and attempt to save as a lot cash as attainable. You don’t must have already constructed up a enterprise to the purpose of profitability earlier than you hit the highway, however the nearer you might be to this stage, the much less dangerous will probably be.
Develop Distant Work Abilities
One of many issues I like most about being a digital nomad is the power to journey as a lot as you want. However, prefer it or not, you’ll nonetheless in all probability must spend a big chunk of your time working – even in case you can nip off for a cheeky surf between conferences.
As many people discovered through the pandemic, distant work requires fairly a unique mindset than working within the workplace. You want private self-discipline, stable communication expertise, and the power to handle your time successfully with out having a boss trying over your shoulder.
I discover this a lot simpler working alone enterprise that I care deeply about. However, don’t underestimate how completely different the expertise is. In the event you aren’t already, get aware of instruments akin to Slack and Groups, and take into account taking on-line programs or enrolling in a training program that will help you upskill.
Analysis Potential Locations
Not all locations are created equal for digital nomads. Some locations (like Thailand and Portugal) are identified for his or her low value of residing, lightning-fast web, welcoming angle to nomads, and thriving communities of distant staff. Different locations are tougher.
Choosing the right vacation spot to your life-style and price range could make or break your expertise. Consider your personal priorities. Would you like year-round sunshine? Easy accessibility to coworking areas? A low-key vibe or a busy social scene? Rural or city? Is the time zone more likely to be a problem?
Your first vacation spot doesn’t must be good. I spent a month in Chiapas, Mexico after I first began out. It’s a fully gorgeous place, but it surely wasn’t preferrred for distant working, with common energy cuts and ropey web. I additionally managed to catch dengue and the flu on the identical time – tough.
Begin With a Trial Run
Earlier than you give up your job and totally decide to the digital nomad life-style, strive dipping your toes within the water. A brief-term trial run can provide you a style of what it’s wish to work remotely whereas touring, with out the strain of creating all the pieces good right away.
I did this by spending a few weeks in Portugal whereas I used to be nonetheless working at my previous job. My work was tremendous with me doing it (it was the summer time of 2020, so distant work was the norm anyway), and I obtained a style of what digital nomadism can be like earlier than going all in.
This will not be attainable in your present circumstances, however, in case you do get the chance to do a trial run like this, I’d extremely advocate it. It’ll assist you determine what works (and what doesn’t), what tech and equipment you do (and don’t) want, and the way well-suited you might be to working in a non-traditional surroundings.
Plan Your Tech and Instruments
Having the best tech setup is essential with regards to engaged on the highway. You’ll want a setup that’s dependable, moveable, and retains you productive (and cozy) regardless of the place you might be on the planet.
My tech stack contains my MacBook Professional, wi-fi keyboard and mouse, foldable laptop computer stand, noise-canceling headphones, exterior onerous drive (for backups), common energy adapter, extension cable, and my iPhone (with an eSIM for whichever nation I’m in).
Don’t neglect software program subscriptions, too. I exploit Google Drive, Zoom, Microsoft Workplace, and varied web optimization and running a blog subscriptions on a near-daily foundation. Tailor your personal listing as wanted.
Construct a Assist Community
Being a digital nomad may be isolating at occasions, particularly in case you’re touring solo. I’m lucky to be sharing this journey with my associate, however nonetheless, it may be robust typically. Most of our mates are 1,000s of miles away, and so they usually don’t relate to issues we battle with on a day-to-day foundation.
That’s why constructing a assist community is so vital. Coworking areas may be nice locations to satisfy different like-minded folks. I’ve made mates at social occasions organized at coworking areas, each in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and I’m nonetheless in contact with a number of of them up to now.
Don’t underestimate the worth of those relationships. Fellow nomads can share insights about locations they’ve been, advocate instruments that work for them, and even collaborate with you on tasks. It’s additionally nice to have the ability to share your experiences with individuals who “get” it, as your mates from house may not.
Additionally: Dariece and Nick’s “Creator Kickstarter Program” is designed to information you thru the method of changing into a web based entrepreneur and making a location-independent life-style. I want I’d had that sort of assist after I began!
Take the Leap
Planning and preparation are important, however in some unspecified time in the future, you’ve simply obtained to go for it. Setting a agency exit date will help you keep centered and provide you with one thing to work towards. With out a clear timeline, it’s simple to get caught within the “planning” section perpetually.
It’ll possible really feel like an amazing leap of religion. And it’ll in all probability be riskier than staying in a secure salaried job. However, there’s additionally the danger of trying again in your life and regretting not having tried one thing like this. For me, that may be a far worse consequence than my enterprise not figuring out.
Belief in your planning, but additionally settle for that not all the pieces will go completely. And that’s okay – each nomad’s journey is exclusive. Embrace the uncertainty. And keep in mind, if it doesn’t work out, or in case you change your thoughts about what you need, the choice to return to a extra “conventional” life will nonetheless be there.
In Conclusion
Turning into a digital nomad is a giant choice, however with the best planning and mindset, it’s completely achievable. By breaking the method into manageable steps, and following the ideas I’ve shared right here, you’ll be setting your self up for fulfillment.
It’s not at all times simple, but it surely’s so price it. Leaving the conformist, hierarchical workplaces and fits of the company world to create a lifetime of freedom and journey was probably the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. It would simply be the identical for you, too. You’ll by no means know till you strive.
