How to build a flexible and productive routine working from anywhere?

A laptop, a heavenly setting and you working in sunglasses and slippers (of course!). This image has already become a real cliché when talking about digital nomads. But does it really reflect the reality of who work and live from anywhere?

Leaving the Instagram filters behind, what I realize is that most of the people who embraced this lifestyle are more concerned with productivity, than with looking beautiful in the photo. After all, the more efficient you are with your work, the more free time you have to enjoy the places you are, right?

In the end, it doesn’t matter if you're on the beach, at home, at a coffee shop or at a coworking. What really matters is to get the sh&#@ done! From anywhere!

However, if you've already dig deep into productivity, you may have heard that the key piece of the most productive people in the universe is ... TAAAADDDDÃÃÃÃÃ! THE ROUTINE! And you, jumping around the world, probably won't have one! At least, in the conventional style, we can say so...

I confess that, for a long time, I've been testing formulas to be more productive without routine. And, what I discovered is: yes, it is possible!

But before going for the tips, properly, my spoiler: being productive without routine has no prescription! There are several methods and we all have an internal war against procrastination. I think the biggest (and best) tip for anyone who is trying to get the things done is: go try different methods until you find the one that is best for you! For me, those are the ones that work the most! Check it out!

Organize your tasks the day before

I think most people who work and live from anywhere don't have a very stable routine. Changing from place to place, probably many things change too. However, it is possible to be productive without routine. The secret is to get organized the day before, no matter where you are!

Before bedtime, separate the activities you need to do the next day. This helps you get out of bed and not spend too much time thinking about "what I need to do exactly?". When you already know it, believe me, you start your day with much more energy to finish your tasks.

I particularly don't like schedules, so I use Trello to organize my next day. Every day before bedtime, I leave separate cards with all the activities I need to do. I also include some personal tasks that help me organize the day.

Choose a good place to work

In a nomad life I have discovered that I am not productive anywhere. I'm not productive every day also. For me, places with silence help me to concentrate better and accomplish the tasks faster. So, most of the time I prefer to work from home or libraries. Often, not to stay at home for a long time, I work in cafes where the music is not so loud. I also use white noise and a noise cancelling headphones, which helps me concentrate. Another thing that works for me is working from places that have natural light. I realize that helps me a lot!

Being productive directly from a boat in Croatia!

For those who want to be truly productive, I think the trick is to find those characteristics that make a place better for you to work. Again, I think these characteristics are very unique for each one. There are people who feel extremely inspired to work in cafes. I confess that I'm not this person. So it's an individual's choice! The cool thing is to go testing until you find the place and conditions that are perfect for you.

My home office delights in Serbia, with furniture directly from old Russia

Bet on simplicity

If one day in your life you embrace the mission of being more productive, the next step is to download thousand of productivity applications on your mobile. And that's where your productivity begins to turn into procrastination. Imagine how much time you lose by noting the time of work, creating schedules or appointments. Yes, these things take time and can make you more unproductive in the end.

For me, the secret of productivity lies precisely in this: simplicity. The tools are useful and can give you good results as long as they are not in excess. So choose a tool, test and then see if it worked. If it worked, stay with it. If not move on, and try the next one!

For me, two tools are fundamental: Trello and Toggl, where basically the first one is to mark what I have to do and the other, to control the time I spend working. I also use Google Calendar to make appointments with clients and events.

Eliminate Distractions

One of the best (and most efficient) productivity tips, in my opinion, is: don't try to be multitasking! Yes, trying to do everything-at-the-same-time-right-now and not giving the time to accomplish each one of your activities can end up in many unfinished things.

But being multitasking is only not being able to do one thing at a time. If you are doing one task thinking about another, you probably won't finish your activities either.

When you stay unfocused, physically or intellectually, you're just leaving your brain more and more tired. At the end of the day, the chances of you being stressed out and having done half the things you needed, is huge!

Try to focus on one thing at a time. And, no, your cell phone beeping to warn you that the message arrived or your email jumped on the computer screen, won't help you with this. So airplane mode, one, two, three and ... start!

There are tasks that are easier, others not so much. In any case, whenever you beat discouragement, do not forget: the hardest part is to start! Often after overcoming this barrier, even the most difficult tasks flow.

Believe me, meditation can save you!

I work writing. It means that my head doesn't stop until I type on my keyboard. Me, like many writers who do a lot of mental work, suffers from a restless mind. There are several times when I get caught up with an open World sheet, but my head is somewhere else...

A lot of people live so much in this jump of the mind that it can't even identify how much it disturbs. I, I confess, meditate was very difficult for me (and sometimes it's still is). But with time, you can see that it really works.

This is a kind of holy remedy, which helps me to bring my attention to what I am doing, besides entering what many people call the "flow" of work.

Even if it's hard at first, try! I think nothing helped me to be more productive (and happier!) Than meditation!

I think it's super possible to be productive without routine, working and living from anywhere. The key is to go looking for tools, testing until you reach the best stage of your own "high performance". Productivity is one of the topics that I love most and every time I'm testing new techniques! More tips, I'll share with you here!

How about you? What's your best tip for being productive without a routine? Share it in the comments! I would love to hear from you!