There is not really a definition of "digital nomadism", which brings together different jobs and categories of people. Let's just say that being a digital nomad means being able to choose one's place of work every day, to be geographically independent. It is therefore the ability to create one's life as one wishes! Do you want to play sports this morning? Don't worry about it. Getting to an incredible festival halfway around the world this week? Come on, let's go!
We can travel as we wish. Change countries every week or enjoy a city for longer.
But it's also a new way of working!
As a nomad, you work remotely and therefore far from your team. Which means you don't have to be at the office. You work according to your tasks, not schedules.
Being a digital nomad almost always means working on the Internet. It doesn't matter the job or the status. You can be independent by starting your own project, be freelance, but you can also be an employee of a company that accepts to travel all over the world. There's plenty of possibilities!
Let's discover a little more about nomadic life :)
We manage our time as we wish
The main asset of digital nomadism is to work on productivity. We no longer work on the time spent in an office, but on the job. The more efficient and productive you are, the more free time you can have, it's that simple!
Organizing oneself and being productive is therefore important to be a good digital nomad, without being distracted by one's environment or the Internet. There are many tools - quite valuable - that allow you to stay focused and not be distracted by your notifications. Saent is an app that allows you to use the Pomodoro method effectively. And for those who are addicted to their phones, Forest is an app that, if you leave your phone alone long enough, grows trees on your screen.
You can concentrate on your work whenever and when you want. Some prefer to work at night; others, on the contrary, will get up early in the morning to have their afternoons.
Distance learning has never been easier
The question of learning arises as a nomad. Indeed, not being surrounded by colleagues means that you learn less from your peers and boss. And learning is vital in a career. Learn new skills, improve, become more efficient to work better.
Fortunately, training alone today has become simple. You can train yourself on any subject via the Internet and it is even recommended that you do so. As a nomad, it is important to keep abreast of developments in digital technology so as not to be overtaken by technological progress and remain talented.
Different cities, different energies
Travelling regularly allows you to discover different aspects of yourself. Depending on the cities, climate, environment and people, we will be different. This influences productivity and creativity in particular. You can even become a better entrepreneur by travelling, according to this article :)
When you travel regularly, you break the daily routine and become naturally curious. You are then more creative and you find ideas that you would not have had by staying at home. The brain reacts much better when stimulated by novelty. On the other hand, people tend to lose sight of everyday things when they go through the same places every day and do the same things over and over again. Travelling stimulates creativity:)
In the last episode of the podcast, Rodolphe explains:"It gives me a lot of energy to change places and it also allows me to create social bonds.”.
When you are nomadic and work alone on a daily basis, it is often difficult to challenge and question yourself and even motivate yourself. That's natural. Through the journey, meetings stimulate productivity by exchanging ideas with others, but also by discovering the projects of newly met people. You become more motivated to surpass yourself, to go and draw new resources from the bottom of your body, and to set new goals. People from other cultures also have different points of view from yours and this brings a touch of novelty, necessary to open-mindedness, imagination and understanding of the world.
Arthur, the founder of NomadHouse - a startup to meet nomads during retreats organized all over the world - explains that "we are led to live experiences that we would not live in France and it allows us to remain dynamic as we leave our comfort zone".
The encounters are undoubtedly the most important aspect of the journey: they forge character, ambition and leave behind unique memories. They allow you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city, to make friends, sometimes for life. The Nomad Show dedicates a full podcast/episode to understand how to make friends all over the world :)
Conclusion
We're freer than we think!
Indeed, nothing or almost nothing prevents us from travelling! I made my first solo trip when I thought I had too many things to do to go a full week without my Macbook and this trip was really great.
It's easier to get started than you think, even if at least at the beginning, you exchange your comfort of life for the unknown and the unexpected. :)