Leaving the consolation and wage of a gentle workplace job for the uncertainty of life as a self-employed digital nomad is a big change, each personally and professionally. I did it myself in 2021 after I left my job as a lawyer in London.
General, it was a tremendous 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 instances, however in the end, I feel the challenges are definitely 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 enable you to 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 suggest you do first. It will assist set your self up for achievement, earlier than taking the plunge.
Are you able to dwell a distant life-style?
Take the quiz and see if we can assist.
Our Creator Kickstarter Teaching Program can be accepting a most of 10 individuals to start out constructing their dream distant life-style. Study extra & see if we can assist you obtain your targets!
Replicate on Your Why and Objectives
Earlier than you write your resignation letter, take a step again and ask your self why you need to develop 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 occupation. I spotted I wished a life-style that prioritized flexibility and journey. This “why” nonetheless offers me readability and motivation to at the present time, and helps me keep centered when instances get robust.
Write down your targets – each private {and professional}. Do you need to see particular nations? Study new abilities? A brand new language? Create a sustainable earnings on-line? Construct a mighty enterprise empire? Having clear aims will assist information your selections and hold 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 important earlier than you hand in your discover. You’ll want financial savings to cowl no less than just a few months of residing bills, plus an emergency fund, and a plan for regular earnings going ahead.
My enterprise took nearly a 12 months to start out 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 might’ve quickly run out.
Earlier than leaving your job, make a price range, lower 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 street, however the nearer you might be to this stage, the much less dangerous it is going to be.
Develop Distant Work Expertise
One of many issues I really 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 most likely must spend a big chunk of your time working – even when you can nip off for a cheeky surf between conferences.
As many people realized throughout the pandemic, distant work requires fairly a special mindset than working within the workplace. You want private self-discipline, stable communication abilities, and the power to handle your time successfully with out having a boss wanting 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 acquainted with instruments corresponding to Slack and Groups, and think about 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 recognized for his or her low price of residing, lightning-fast web, welcoming angle to nomads, and thriving communities of distant staff. Different locations are more difficult.
Choosing the right vacation spot in your life-style and price range could make or break your expertise. Bear in mind 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 prone to be a difficulty?
Your first vacation spot doesn’t must be excellent. I spent a month in Chiapas, Mexico after I first began out. It’s a fully beautiful place, but it surely wasn’t ideally suited for distant working, with common energy cuts and ropey web. I additionally managed to catch dengue and the flu on the similar 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 prefer to work remotely whereas touring, with out the strain of creating every part excellent right away.
I did this by spending just a few weeks in Portugal whereas I used to be nonetheless working at my previous job. My work was positive 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 is probably not attainable in your present circumstances, however, when you do get the chance to do a trial run like this, I’d extremely suggest it. It’ll assist you determine what works (and what doesn’t), what tech and kit you do (and don’t) want, and the way well-suited you might be to working in a non-traditional atmosphere.
Plan Your Tech and Instruments
Having the precise tech setup is important on the subject of engaged on the street. You’ll want a setup that’s dependable, moveable, and retains you productive (and comfy) regardless of the place you might be on the earth.
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 take advantage of Google Drive, Zoom, Microsoft Workplace, and numerous search engine marketing and running a blog subscriptions on a near-daily foundation. Tailor your personal record as wanted.
Construct a Assist Community
Being a digital nomad could be isolating at instances, particularly when you’re touring solo. I’m lucky to be sharing this journey with my associate, however nonetheless, it may be robust generally. Most of our mates are 1,000s of miles away, they usually typically don’t relate to issues we battle with on a day-to-day foundation.
That’s why constructing a help community is so essential. Coworking areas could be nice locations to fulfill different like-minded individuals. 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 to this point.
Don’t underestimate the worth of those relationships. Fellow nomads can share insights about locations they’ve been, suggest 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 residence won’t.
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 type of help 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 can assist you keep centered and provide you with one thing to work towards. With no clear timeline, it’s straightforward to get caught within the “planning” section endlessly.
It’s going to probably really feel like an amazing leap of religion. And it’ll most likely be riskier than staying in a steady salaried job. However, there’s additionally the danger of wanting again in your life and regretting not having tried one thing like this. For me, that will be a far worse end result than my enterprise not understanding.
Belief in your planning, but additionally settle for that not every part 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 when 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 an enormous choice, however with the precise 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 achievement.
It’s not at all times straightforward, but it surely’s so price it. Leaving the conformist, hierarchical places of work and fits of the company world to create a lifetime of freedom and journey was among the finest selections I’ve ever made. It’d simply be the identical for you, too. You’ll by no means know till you strive.
