Lessons That I Have Learned Being a Digital Nomad

Securing fast internet speed for work is more important than the air you breathe.

Finding a quiet internet cafe or similar space where people aren’t talking loud or without kids running around is not that easy.

Your back will be a wreck sitting long hours in an uncomfortable chair at a small table with just enough space to fit your laptop. It is a privilege to have a real office.

If you work at home in a shared apartment you probably don’t know how to negotiate around chatty roommates. How do you nicely convey that you are concentrating on work and can’t talk at the moment?

It is difficult to separate work from your personal life. You seem to be always checking on your work email.

Having a work space with personal items, family photos, office supplies is a thing of the past. Your laptop is everything.

You become an expert in changing Time Zones. Your family is in Brazil, your company is in the United States, your clients are in England, but you live in Cuba.

Procrastination is your worst enemy and besides you still may have to work 12 hours per day. Scheduling becomes essential.

If your computer stops working there is no such thing as IT assistance. You need to solve computer problems quickly whether you have to buy or borrow another from a friend on short notice.

Working temporarily from a friend’s computer where the keyboard is in another language is nerve-wracking. Typing takes twice as long.

Securing visas can be a challenge. Proving that your are employed and have a specific reason to visit a country is trying. A ‘Digital Nomad’ visa should exist.

Renting apartments unseen you can soon learn that the pictures provided are different than the reality. Checking out on arrival is impossible since you must begin work right away.

Your passport is the most precious asset in the world — more precious than money itself. Keep it safe!

On immigration forms it is always perplexing how to fill out the ‘residence address’ as you don’t necessarily have a fixed address.

Routine? What exactly is that? Everything is always unexpected in a new location. Even something as simple as buying bread in a bakery is a new experience. The one routine that exists is your work and nothing else. It is a problem to explain when someone asks “What do you do in your free time?” It seems I am always working. However, somehow I manage to discover daily simple pleasures outside of work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *