How to (Really) Achieve Work-Life Balance as a Digital Nomad

So, you’ve finally escaped the rat race and achieved your long-held goal of becoming a digital nomad. There’s just one problem – the more freedom you have, the more you struggle to set boundaries between your work life and your personal life.

You start to find yourself working crazy hours to minimise the disruption of your ever-changing timezones; you feel guilty about taking time off to explore your new surroundings; and now you’re stressing about work even when you should be disconnected…

And just like that, the digital nomad dream is fast becoming a burnout nightmare.

For digital nomads across the globe, balancing work and leisure actually gets harder, not easier, once you embark on your remote way of life. So, is it even possible to achieve this sought-after balance?

The answer is yes, but only with some distinct boundaries and a clear sense of what you want your balanced life to look like. If work stress and overwhelm are threatening to derail your digital nomad dream, check out the following guide to finding your work-life balance.

1. Redefine what work-life balance means for you

As a digital nomad, the traditional, ‘9-5 office job’ concept of work-life balance no longer applies. Instead, you have the freedom to redefine what work-life balance looks like in your situation – and what kind of equilibrium you want to achieve.

Whether you’re aiming for the Tim Ferris ideal of a 4-hour workweek, only want to look at your laptop in the morning, or are striving for the perfect division of work and adventure, it’s up to you to decide what work-life balance means in your world.

Tips for defining work-life balance as a digital nomad

  • Identify your short-term priorities

    If you’re aiming for a particular financial goal or business milestone over the next 12 months, be realistic about the number of hours you’ll need to work and build your lifestyle around that.

  • Shift your mindset

    If you’ve recently escaped the rat race, it can be difficult to shake off the feeling that you should be working during traditional office hours. Remember, you now have the freedom to set your own rules – and they don’t have to fit the conventional worker narrative.

  • Design your ideal work day

    The beauty of digital nomadism is being able to build your work around your life – not the other way around. Map out your ideal day – what time you get up, how you split your work and leisure time – and put that plan into action.

2. Use time blocking to separate work and personal tasks

One challenge many digital nomads face is the blurring of work and personal time. As a result, you may find yourself answering work emails at midnight or squeezing in tasks while sightseeing.

Time blocking – a time management strategy that involves scheduling every part of your day using blocks of time for each activity – can help ensure that both work and leisure time are represented in your daily calendar, so you don’t overlook one or the other.

How to use time blocking for your digital nomad schedule

  • List out the day’s activities

    Jot down everything you want to do on a particular day, including work tasks, personal errands, leisure activities etc. and assign a time allocation to each.

  • Batch related tasks

    Group similar tasks into a single batch, e.g. individual email responses into a batch called ‘Email’, allowing you to tackle a set of tasks without needing to context switch.

  • Add everything to your calendar

    Create time blocks for each batch of tasks or activities, e.g. a 9am to 10am block for emails, a 10am to 11:30am block for working out, and so on.

3. Embrace the 90-minute productivity cycle

You’ve probably heard of circadian rhythms (our body’s 24-hour cycle of wakefulness and sleep), but have you heard of ultradian rhythms? This theory suggests that our brains work best in 90-minute cycles and cease to function as effectively after this point.

The ultradian rhythm approach involves leveraging your natural productivity flow by working in 90-minute blocks, rather than pushing yourself to work for long, uninterrupted hours.

Working smarter with 90-minute cycles

  • Divide your tasks into 90-minute sprints

    Create 90-minute sprints in your time-blocked calendar and allocate each one to a specific work task or batch.

  • Insert breaks between 90-minute cycles

    Group similar tasks into a single batch, e.g. individual email responses into a batch called ‘Email’, allowing you to tackle a set of tasks without needing to context switch.

  • Experiment with ultradian rhythms

    You could take the theory further and experiment with dividing your entire day into 90-minute cycles. For example, a 90-minute deep work cycle could be followed by a 90-minute adventure around your city.

4. Set digital boundaries to protect your personal time

As an ‘always-on’ digital nomad, constant connectivity can erode your work-life balance, especially when notifications, emails, and social media are within reach 24/7 (unsurprisingly, a study from the American Psychological Association found that people who check their phones for work during off-hours report higher stress levels).

Applying your own digital boundaries can help restore the balance between work and personal life, giving you the headspace you need to reset and gain clarity away from screens and messages.

A study from the American Psychological Association found that people who check their phones for work during off-hours report higher stress levels.

Creating digital boundaries for work-life balance

  • Use Do Not Disturb effectively

    Use built-in notification blockers on your phone and laptop by switching to Do Not Disturb any time you don’t need to be constantly available. This is essential to maintain your focus during deep work sessions and can also help reduce stress when you’re not working.

  • Set up email auto-responders

    Let your clients or team members know when you’re offline to create clear boundaries. You could even have set times for checking and responding to emails, which can be communicated via an autoresponder, i.e. ‘Please note, I only check emails between the hours of 11am and 1pm’.

  • Create a tech-free evening ritual

    Establish a nightly routine where you disconnect from all devices an hour before bed. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that screen time before bed can disrupt sleep patterns, so aim to skip the screens at least 2 hours before bed.

5. Make a list of ‘non-negotiables’

Between work and travel, it can be easy to let certain activities slip – even those that are essential for your physical and mental wellbeing. Things like exercise, cooking healthy meals, or meditating can quickly become overlooked when a busy schedule is given priority.

By creating a list of non-negotiable activities, you can identify the elements of your life that you aren’t willing to compromise on. Prioritising these areas by making sure they’re scheduled into your daily or weekly plan can make a huge difference to your levels of contentment and wellness.

Building your personal non-negotiables

  • List your essential activities

    It could be an hour of yoga in the morning, an afternoon walk, or a 10-minute meditation each evening. Write down 3-5 activities that you simply can’t forgo in order to feel balanced.

  • Schedule them into your calendar

    Treat these non-negotiables like meetings—schedule them into your calendar with the same importance as work tasks (time blocking is a great way to ensure they make the cut!).

  • Track your progress

    Use a spreadsheet or habit-tracking app to monitor your progress and make sure you’re sticking to your non-negotiables. Seeing your progress visually can motivate you to prioritize personal time.

6. Embark on daily micro-adventures

Chances are, you embarked on a life of digital nomadism so you could indulge your love of exploration and adventure. So what happens when a lack of work-life balance means you spend most of your day stuck in your accommodation working instead of discovering your destination?

This predicament is far from uncommon – and one way of restoring the balance is to carve out time in your day for micro-adventures that allow you to get your exploration fix without neglecting your work.

The micro-adventure strategy

  • Identify fun local activities

    Rather than trying to find time for multi-day tours, focus instead on simple activities that allow you to immerse yourself in the local culture; sample a nearby cafe, explore a new neighbourhood, or check out a local museum.

  • Book in your mini adventures

    By keeping your adventures short but sweet, you can slot them in around your work priorities. A quick 30 minutes of experiencing something new and fun can be enough to scratch your adventure itch.

  • Make it part of your routine

    Plan out all the activities you’d like to undertake in your local area and make sure you schedule these into your weekly or monthly plan. When you’re out and about, make a note of any new experiences you can add to your list.

7. Schedule free days and reset periods

While including breaks in your daily schedule is an essential part of creating a balanced approach to work and personal life, it’s also crucial to carve out time for longer periods of rest and relaxation.

If your digital nomad job allows, consider scheduling additional free days each month that allow you to switch off from work and fully embrace your global freedom. By giving yourself a chance to refresh and reset, you’ll likely find both your creativity and cognitive function is higher when you return.

Scheduling time to slow down

  • Set designated ‘focus’ and ‘free’ days

    Organize your week with a mix of focus days (dedicated to intense work) and free days (where you minimize work to explore, relax, or connect with others). For example, you might find you can work Monday to Wednesday and leave Thursday and Friday free for personal time.

  • Consider swapping a weekend day for a free week day

    If you’re a digital nomad who sets their own work schedule, you might find it beneficial to take time off in the week when popular attractions, restaurants, and sites are less busy.

  • Schedule regular mini retreats

    Taking a few days off on a regular basis, e.g. every couple of months or each quarter, can increase productivity and help prevent burnout. You can use these mini retreats to disconnect, explore, plan, and reflect.

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