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.
Total, it was a tremendous resolution and I’m infinitely happier than I used to be earlier than. However, it’s not all roses and sunshine. It may be arduous at instances, however in the end, I feel 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 enable you to pull off your personal escape.
Easy methods 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 outdoors the company field (for me, it was all of these issues), right here are some things I extremely suggest you do first. This may assist set your self up for achievement, 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 wish to turn into a digital nomad. What’s driving this resolution? 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 way of life that prioritized flexibility and journey. This “why” nonetheless offers me readability and motivation to today, and helps me keep centered when instances get powerful.
Write down your objectives – each private {and professional}. Do you wish to see particular international locations? Be taught new expertise? A brand new language? Create a sustainable revenue on-line? Construct a mighty enterprise empire? Having clear aims will assist information your choices and hold you motivated.
Construct Monetary Stability and Safety
Cash stress is without doubt one of the worst elements of being a freelancer. That’s why making a strong monetary security web is important earlier than you hand in your discover. You’ll want financial savings to cowl at the very least a couple of months of dwelling bills, plus an emergency fund, and a plan for regular revenue going ahead.
My enterprise took virtually a 12 months 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 stop my job, I might’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 doable. You don’t have to have already constructed up a enterprise to the purpose of profitability earlier than you hit the highway, however the nearer you’re to this stage, the much less dangerous it is going to be.
Develop Distant Work Abilities
One of many issues I like most about being a digital nomad is the flexibility to journey as a lot as you want. However, prefer it or not, you’ll nonetheless in all probability have to spend a big chunk of your time working – even for those who can nip off for a cheeky surf between conferences.
As many people discovered in the course of the pandemic, distant work requires fairly a special mindset than working within the workplace. You want private self-discipline, strong communication expertise, and the flexibility 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 totally different the expertise is. For those who aren’t already, get conversant in instruments equivalent to Slack and Groups, and take into account taking on-line programs or enrolling in a training program that can assist 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 dwelling, lightning-fast web, welcoming perspective 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. Take into accout your personal priorities. Would you like year-round sunshine? Quick access to coworking areas? A low-key vibe or a busy social scene? Rural or city? Is the time zone more likely to be a difficulty?
Your first vacation spot doesn’t must be good. I spent a month in Chiapas, Mexico after I first began out. It’s a completely beautiful place, but it surely wasn’t splendid 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 stop your job and totally decide to the digital nomad life-style, strive dipping your toes within the water. A brief-term trial run may give you a style of what it’s prefer to work remotely whereas touring, with out the stress of creating the whole lot good immediately.
I did this by spending a few weeks in Portugal whereas I used to be nonetheless working at my previous job. My work was high-quality with me doing it (it was the summer season of 2020, so distant work was the norm anyway), and I bought a style of what digital nomadism could be like earlier than going all in.
This might not be doable in your present circumstances, however, for those who 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’re to working in a non-traditional atmosphere.
Plan Your Tech and Instruments
Having the precise tech setup is crucial in the case of engaged on the highway. You’ll want a setup that’s dependable, moveable, and retains you productive (and cozy) irrespective of the place you’re on this planet.
My tech stack consists of my MacBook Professional, wi-fi keyboard and mouse, foldable laptop computer stand, noise-canceling headphones, exterior arduous 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 varied web optimization and running a blog subscriptions on a near-daily foundation. Tailor your personal listing as wanted.
Construct a Help Community
Being a digital nomad will be isolating at instances, particularly for those who’re touring solo. I’m lucky to be sharing this journey with my accomplice, however nonetheless, it may be powerful typically. Most of our mates are 1,000s of miles away, they usually typically don’t relate to issues we wrestle with on a day-to-day foundation.
That’s why constructing a assist community is so essential. Coworking areas will 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 so far.
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 initiatives. It’s additionally nice to have the ability to share your experiences with individuals who “get” it, as your mates from house won’t.
Additionally: Dariece and Nick’s “Creator Kickstarter Program” is designed to information you thru the method of turning 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 bought to go for it. Setting a agency exit date might help you keep centered and offer you one thing to work towards. With no clear timeline, it’s straightforward to get caught within the “planning” section endlessly.
It should seemingly 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 might be a far worse final result than my enterprise not figuring out.
Belief in your planning, but additionally settle for that not the whole lot will go completely. And that’s okay – each nomad’s journey is exclusive. Embrace the uncertainty. And bear in mind, if it doesn’t work out, or for those who change your thoughts about what you need, the choice to return to a extra “conventional” life will nonetheless be there.
In Conclusion
Changing into a digital nomad is an enormous resolution, 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 value it. Leaving the conformist, hierarchical places of work and fits of the company world to create a lifetime of freedom and journey was the most effective selections I’ve ever made. It’d simply be the identical for you, too. You’ll by no means know till you strive.
