Breaking free from the constraints of workplaces, commutes, schedules, and bosses looking over your shoulder sounds like a dream come true.

For more and more people these days, it is. Working remotely as a digital nomad allows people to have the freedom to travel, live anywhere, and spend most of their days as they wish.

However, nomad life is fraught with challenges, too. This type of lifestyle is not for everyone. Although working from a remote location is becoming more and more popular, some people struggle with this type of work.

Working as a digital nomad may be the wave of the future, though. Today, 66% of companies allow remote work and another 16% are fully remote. Whether you are someone who works for a company outside of the office or if you are a freelancer traveling the world, here are five tips to help find success in this new career frontier. 

1. Seek Work-Life Balance

In a traditional job, work-life balance is often rather easy. You go to work and do work there. When you leave, you go home, and you try not to think about work again until you go back the next day.

When you are a digital nomad, you have to be very careful to respect this balance. You have no set hours, and that means you can work–or not–at any time. If you struggle with this aspect of nomadic life, consider setting a schedule for yourself until you get the hang of things–and stick to it.

2. Choose an Effective Schedule

With that said, a schedule can be a great help to you, but center it around the hours during which you work best. Everyone’s internal clock is a little different. Try several different schedules to determine what is best for you.

3. Pick Your Best Office Space

Some people work well in busy spaces; others need absolute silence. It may seem attractive to you to work in a chair on the beach, but your computer may not enjoy the sand. Sitting on a park bench may be great for some, but others might find that they become uncomfortable there after a short time.

When living a nomadic life, your “office” may change every day, but find an office that is conducive to productivity for best results.

4. Prepare to Work Hard

Traveling the world with your laptop sounds like it’s all fun and games, but you will soon realize that’s not always the case. You will have a lot of good times, you will meet wonderful people, and you will see amazing sights, but remember: you’re still working.

Keeping track of your income can help keep you on task; you can create a stub at pay stub creator to do so. Focus and producing output may sometimes be a struggle, but the harder you work and the better you become at what you do, the more time you’ll have for the fun stuff.

5. Be Flexible 

When working remotely, flexibility is key. Your flight may be delayed, the internet at your hotel may be down, or there may be a loud parade – with fireworks – in the street right outside your window. Be ready to do work on the go, relocate when you need to, or go watch that parade and move your work block until later.

When you’re a digital nomad, your environment is always changing – but that’s what you wanted, right? Embrace it.

Living the Nomad Life

No matter where your nomad life takes you, these tips will help you along the way. It’s possible to become a very successful digital nomad–people are doing it all over the world right now!

Working remotely isn’t always easy, but becoming a digital nomad may just end up being the best challenge you ever took on. 

If you want to read more about becoming a digital nomad, check out the Lifestyle Design section of our site.