11 Productivity Tips for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers

The Importance of Using Time Wisely

In the digital nomad world, productivity and time management are two key components of a successful lifestyle. When you are always on the go and spending your time on your screen, you need to maximize your opportunities and exposure. Keep in mind that you don’t always have to be productive every day. It is okay to take a break – not doing anything is part of being productive too. If you don’t have pauses between your work, it may end up harming your results and health. Just ensure to keep going forward as small steps still matter. In this article, we suggest some time management methods and productivity tips for digital nomads and remote workers.

Time Management Methods

Managing your time wisely is important for digital nomads because the better you get at it, the more freedom you will have to do other things. So the first 3 productivity tips for digital nomads talk about time management. There are hundreds of studies about time management and increasing focus and productivity. We collect a couple of time management methods for digital nomads.

1. Time blocking

When juggling multiple responsibilities, your focus easily gets spread out too thin. You may get bombarded with meetings or struggle to find time and mental space for retrospect thinking.  Time blocking is a time management method that divides your day into periods of time. Each block is designated to achieve a task. At the end of a workday, review any incomplete and new tasks to adjust your time blocks for the rest of the week accordingly. It helps you accomplish urgent daily tasks – e.g. paperwork, responding to emails and phone calls and it pushes you to recognize how you spend your time.

2. The Most Important Task Method (MIT)

Overwhelm is a common problem for freelancers and entrepreneurs. There are so many things you need to do but your time is limited. Using the MIT method, you will focus on what is essential by prioritizing 1-3 tasks at the top of your to-do list. By completing your most important tasks every day, productivity will become a habit. For this to work, you will need to organize your work and have a plan in place so it requires some project management and organizational skills.

3. The Pomodoro Technique

This is a popular productivity hack for digital nomads. By breaking down a large task into manageable intervals, you create uninterrupted periods of focus. These moments are short, like 25 minutes, and basically fast bursts of work with breaks in between. During those 5-min breaks, you will move your body, drink a big glass of water or at least leave your chair. , then a break After every four Pomodoro cycles you will take a longer break to disconnect so you have fresh eyes on your next task.

Productivity Tips

Aside from the 3 time management tips, there are also productivity tips for digital nomads that are an absolute game changer. We talk more about this in the chapter for our book Digital Nomads With Confidence. We collected some of the best productivity tips for you below so you can have more freedom to explore the world.

4. Start your day with a morning routine

Wake up early and go through your morning routine as if you were commuting to the office. This will signal you to view your home environment as a workspace.

5. Embrace the outside and take your breaks there

The perks of a digital nomad lifestyle are that you can go outside and enjoy nature. Getting a taste of fresh air and hearing the chirping birds may help you recharge. Outdoor breaks can also help you reduce stress and this is a very important productivity tip for digital nomads. 

6. Make the most out of online classes.

Participate in online training for professional development. You can find some for free on the web, or your company might offer some courses. These will help you develop new skills and advance your career.

7. Keep your work organized

Avoid cluttering as this can halt your work progress and overwhelm your workspace. Use storage apps and project management tools such as Asana to sort out important files and projects.

8. Prioritize your wellness 

It is important to be physically active throughout the day, especially when you are constantly stagnant and staring at the screen. Ensure you are also getting sufficient sleep and doing your self-care activities. Being healthy can impact your work results and increase productivity. 

9. Communicate effectively

Stay connected with your colleagues, friends, and families with the internet. Set aside some time at least once per week to communicate with them. When you are not working in person, it is imperative to express yourself clearly each day as there is no face-to-face interaction.

10. Designate a comfortable workspace

One of the most challenging productivity tips for digital nomads is to choose a workspace where you can minimize your distractions and conduct your tasks by not intervening with everyone else’s activities. Having a stress-free environment will allow you to deliver your best work performance.

11. Travel slow and stay longer in digital nomad locations

It will become increasingly challenging to reach a high level of productivity if you are constantly on the move. There are a lot of factors also to consider when you travel such as living costs, transport, places to visit, and more. Traveling slowly means you can allocate time to explore and enjoy different places while having enough time for work. Don’t lose your rhythm and routine especially when you’re trying to achieve productivity. 

Learn to Cut Yourself Some Slack

People often think that productivity means you have to constantly keep working. This is false. You need to give yourself some breaks to recharge and refresh. Digital nomad Micaela shares on the podcast the importance of this as an entrepreneur living the digital nomad lifestyle. So the best and final ​​productivity tip for digital nomads is not to be afraid to incorporate a small workout into your routine and to explore the outdoors – these will all boost your overall wellness, work performance, and motivation. If you want to learn more about this make sure to get a copy of Digital Nomads With Confidence and keep an eye out on The Digital Nomads Daily Podcast