{"id":14795,"date":"2022-11-04T17:05:26","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T17:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/?p=14795"},"modified":"2022-11-08T10:53:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T10:53:43","slug":"stay-productive-while-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/stay-productive-while-traveling\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stay Productive While Traveling Full-time: 10 Tips From a Digital Nomad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16.1&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16.1&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||6px||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; module_class=&#8221;postitro-text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;18px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.8em&#8221; header_6_font_size=&#8221;26px&#8221; header_6_line_height=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Working while you&#8217;re traveling full-time is a dream for many. While it isn&#8217;t suitable for everyone, it can be the most amazing lifestyle if it fits you. I&#8217;ve been a full-time traveler for 6+ years and, for now, I can&#8217;t imagine having it in any other way.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve experimented a lot with the work-life balance and different ways of performing at my best while living a life constantly on the move. Here are 10 tips on how to stay productive while traveling, based on first-hand experience.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; module_id=&#8221;one&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>1. Learn how to choose consciously<\/h2>\n<p>There will always be a good day for an adventure. You&#8217;ll be surrounded by temptations, but to do well long-term, learning how to say no is key.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth skipping an average happening, and even things that get you excited at times, to prioritize your career. You&#8217;re on your way to the top, after all. By saying no, you&#8217;ll have more time for those things that you really want to do.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Use that extra time on the go<\/h3>\n<p>You&#8217;ll often be on your way somewhere and find yourself with a few minutes of downtime in between destinations and activities. Use that time.<\/p>\n<p>I often finish tasks before the food arrives at restaurants. Commute time is great for writing and listening to inspirational podcasts, and you easily can check emails while you&#8217;re waiting in line.<\/p>\n<p>I also always carry a notebook with me, which I fill with ideas, notes ahead of meetings, outlines for new content, and just random thoughts. This is extra useful when you feel like taking a break from your laptop.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Combine work with sightseeing<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13487\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 910px;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_13490\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14615 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/photo-1563129927-e565acbd303f-1.jpg\" alt=\"how to stay productive while traveling\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" \/> Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@jonfu_creative\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jon Fu<\/a> on <a style=\"font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Context switching helps me to stay more productive. It&#8217;s also a great way to explore a place while you&#8217;re working. Bring your laptop and visit a neighboring town, head to a beach caf\u00e9, or just another part of the city you&#8217;re based in.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve worked in deserts, mountains, boats, vineyards, lodges, beaches, and hundreds of caf\u00e9s and restaurants. Replace that five-minute coffee break with a dip in the ocean. I promise that you&#8217;ll feel even more refreshed.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you prefer to work from home or in a more closed environment, you can divide your time into bigger blocks of free time and work instead.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>4. Get work done while you&#8217;re most productive<\/h3>\n<p>Use the luxury of being able to work at any time to your benefit by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonade.com\/blog\/how-to-be-more-productive-at-work\/#:~:text=some%20basic%20physiology.-,Find%20your%20productive%20period,-This%20is%20easier\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">experimenting and learning at what time you&#8217;re most productive<\/a>. Let this determine how you distribute your work throughout the day. <em>When you&#8217;re supposed to work, work.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There are many hacks out there on how to stay focused. Just reminding yourself to get out of your own way can help. <a href=\"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/quotes-to-inspire-in-every-area-of-life\/#twelve:~:text=%E2%80%93%20Lara%20Heacock-,Get%20Things%20Done%2C%20Commit%20and%20Take%20Action,-(bye%2C%20excuses)\">These quotes will give you a push in the right<\/a> direction to commit and get things done.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>5. Use tools that help you excel<\/h3>\n<p>I use apps to organize everything and to make sure that I focus my time on the right tasks. My most important criteria for productivity tools are that they should be accessible from anywhere, be available across devices, and save you time.<\/p>\n<p><b>These are a few of my favorites (all of them offer free versions):<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Asana: Project management, lists, and life management (<em>seriously, I don&#8217;t remember how I managed before!<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>Google Suites: Storage, work on the go, share work with others<\/li>\n<li>Hootsuite: Social media management<\/li>\n<li>Google Meet: Video meetings &amp; calls<\/li>\n<li>Canva: Professional designs (Make you feel like a designer even if you&#8217;re not. Sorry to offend you who are real designers ?)<\/li>\n<li>Meeting Planner: Schedule meetings across time zones<\/li>\n<li>Lastpass: Save all your passwords in one place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Schedule enough time in each place<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 910px;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_13489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 910px;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14616 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/photo-1559139061-28d9de44e40e.jpg\" alt=\"how to stay productive while traveling\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@joshhild\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Josh Hild<\/a> on <a style=\"font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Reduce unnecessary stress by scheduling enough time at each destination based on your workload, need for rest, and sightseeing wishlist. In this way, you&#8217;ll be able to focus on work and take that island trip you&#8217;re so excited about, without feeling bad about it. It&#8217;s also okay to not do everything at every place every time.<\/p>\n<p>I prefer to travel without dates and usually decide how long I&#8217;ll stay once I&#8217;m onsite. Even if I arrive with a rough plan, it always changes.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Let new friends know about your work<\/h3>\n<p>Talk to friends about your work, so they understand that you won&#8217;t be hanging around like a typical tourist. Most of my local friends work and understand that I need to do the same. It&#8217;s nothing wrong with being surrounded by people who are on holiday, either. You might receive extra questions about why you&#8217;re not going out everyday, but in the end, it&#8217;s all about your discipline.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Find out what else gives you energy<\/h3>\n<p>You usually perform better at work when you feel good about other areas in life.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to have fixed routines if you&#8217;re not that kind of person (I&#8217;m not), but it helps to figure out what else you need in life to stay productive. Set flexible goals based on these insights, such as &#8220;I&#8217;ll work out 3 times a week.&#8221; These can then be achieved in different ways, even if you&#8217;re traveling.<\/p>\n<p>For me, a comfortable place where I can work efficiently is important. I also make sure to schedule enough time for things that make me happy, such as training, good food, dancing, exploring, and meeting new people.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Evaluate and improve<\/h3>\n<p>Evaluate your productivity at the end of each day or week. Ask yourself questions such as; What worked? What didn&#8217;t? Did I finish everything I wanted to? If not, were my expectations too high? What can I improve? How did I feel?<\/p>\n<p>Keeping a journal makes this easier. <a href=\"https:\/\/2appstudio.com\/journey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My favorite<\/a> journal app works excellently as a personal journal, too.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t expect yourself to be perfect. It&#8217;s easy to feel as if one should be productive <em>all the time<\/em>. This can be stressful, which leads us to the last point\u2026<\/p>\n<h3>10. Take time off<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 910px;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_13489\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 910px;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14616 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/photo-1519338381761-c7523edc1f46.jpg\" alt=\"how to stay productive while traveling\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@vidarnm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vidar Nordli-Mathisen<\/a> on <a style=\"font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While it&#8217;s amazing to always be based in different, beautiful places, it&#8217;s as important to take proper breaks from work to stay productive.<\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re an entrepreneur, you usually have your own projects to think about, once you&#8217;re finished with your clients. Work will never end naturally, so it&#8217;s up to you to set the limits. It&#8217;s so easy to get trapped in some kind of in-between-work-and-vacation mode when you&#8217;re traveling full-time.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve become better at this. In addition to taking full days and &#8220;time blocks&#8221; off, where I&#8217;m trying to avoid everything work-related, I go for at least one trip where I disconnect completely every year. It helps me to reflect, and the feeling after is amazing.<\/p>\n<h3>Staying productive while traveling is <br \/>about creating a lifestyle that works long-term<\/h3>\n<p>In the end, staying productive while you&#8217;re traveling full-time is all about finding a lifestyle that works for you long-term.<\/p>\n<p>I love my relatively fast-paced life, but it&#8217;s not for everyone. Being a traveling digital nomad requires discipline, planning, energy, and a lot of drive. All of us are different, and the point is to get to know what works for you and use those insights to your benefit.<\/p>\n<p>Think about your ideal lifestyle. Set your tempo based on that, and make sure to include enough time for both work and other things that make you happy.<\/p>\n<p><em>What tips do you have for staying productive while traveling?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Working while you&#8217;re traveling full-time is a dream for many. While it isn&#8217;t suitable for everyone, it can be the most amazing lifestyle if it fits you. Here are my 10 best tips on how to stay productive while you&#8217;re traveling after 6+ years of full-time travel.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[224,239],"tags":[257,327,328,329],"class_list":["post-14795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle-design","category-featured","tag-digital-nomad","tag-productivity","tag-work-and-travel","tag-work-life-balance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14795"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14821,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14795\/revisions\/14821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiraholma.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}