What I have learnt as a Digital Nomad

Several lessons I have learnt after 1 year of being digital nomad.

Time

It takes time to settle down after traveling. For first few days you don't want to work. You will want to look around. Find a grocery. Visit interesting places around you or go swimming in the sea. It took me around 2-5 days to find some routine to fully focus on work after every relocation. Give yourself one week of vacation before the work. You wanted to travel at the first place, so don't feel guilty about it. That is one of the reasons it is good idea to stay at one place for at least three weeks.

Friends

Majority of digital nomads are traveling alone. Only few have a partner who can work remotely. One of the aspects of this lifestyle is that you are leaving your friends at home. I strongly recommend to stay in touch by some social media. Also don't hesitate to be friendly and make new intercultural friends. Without people around, you will feel lonely. New friendships are totally worth going out of the comfort zone so you are not alone on your dream journey.

Self-Discipline and Progress

You have to be your own boss. Especially if you have left your corporate job. There are no universal tips. Find habits that work for you. For me it's to do at least one thing on my project so I am one step closer towards my dream. Often when I start something, I continue for several hours, because of the enthusiasm and adrenaline, that my work gives me.

Internet connection and offline work

If you are digital nomad, good internet is a must. At least for few hours a day. However there are days, when you would like to travel to places without connection. That can be great to get uninterrupted period of time with pure focus on your work. You won't be tempted by mails or social networks, nor the online reading. What you need to know is that you really need to prepare beforehand. You need to plan what you will be doing to be sure you don't need to google something out or that you won't be stuck at some problem.
For example as a programmer when I am going to code some new features outside, I have backup plan to review and clean old code, in case I will be stuck without internet. In the end I have several hours of deep focus work.

Social requirements and minimalism

After several months of being digital nomad I had to fight urge to find a job. Recruiters are contacting me frequently. Every time I think, whether I should get back to well-paid fulltime job. One of the reasons is that at the beginning, startups are not earning a lot of money. I am developing android apps. For example Intermittent fasting. However with the huge market, it's difficult to earn a monthly income.
Social pressure of having a normal job, saving money for pension or family is unexpectedly strong. I didn't count with it before. I often feel like doing something bad. I feel guilty about working this way. Our society created urges like this in us. Our schools don't prepare us for real life. Schools didn't give us space to experiment with our own passions and project ideas, nor startups before leaving to real world jobs.

However, I just cannot give up on my project so soon. I would rather live with little money, than to know that I didn't try or gave up easily. After fully accepting my decision, it is now much easier to continue.

My determination to succeed with my project is one of the strong reasons I am such a passionate minimalist. Minimalism gave me a freedom and money to go after my dreams. It simplified my life so I have better progress on my goals.

---

If you would like to get inspired and read about minimalism and simplicity, you can check out my series Adventures Of Simplicity: https://steemit.com/@ladywoodi :)