At Keeping™, many of our employees are so-called ‘digital nomads’. They are not working from our office in Switzerland but instead remotely, changing location frequently.

Unfortunately, work Productivity can suffer when you’re a digital nomad.

It’s not easy being productive when you’re continually changing your workspace, which means that without careful planning, productivity can take a dive. In this post, we’ll offer some specific ideas on how to adjust to new places and spaces whilst still maintaining high productivity.

Here are some tips we’ve learnt throughout the years: 

It’s All in the Planning!

Our advice is to plan your day in sections. The bonus digital nomads have with working remotely is that they get to control their working hours. However, to do this successfully you must be organized. Create a schedule for yourself for the day, which should allow for normal daily activities in addition to work. Perhaps you like to exercise or take a walk first thing in the morning, followed by sight-seeing and lunch. The afternoon and evening might be dedicated to work time, leaving the evening free to spend socializing or other activities.

You may choose to break up your working hours, working (say) 3 to 4 hours in the morning or evening, with another 3 to 4 hours at night-time. Whatever suits you best, create a plan then stick to it! Creating a schedule ensures that you allow for important daily activities, such as exercising and spending time with others.

Plan for Tomorrow, Today!

Don’t waste time in the morning planning your day – this should all be done the night before. Prioritize the important events of the next day, like meetings, deadlines, and so on, and draw up your schedule before going to bed. This will save a lot of time in the morning and, in fact, many successful entrepreneurs consider having a “tomorrow” list one of their top productivity tips. It’s a good habit to get into!

Try Working with the Pomodoro Technique

In the 1980s Francisco Cirillo developed a time management technique known as the Pomodoro Technique. Using his technique, a timer breaks work down into intervals of (say) 25 or 30 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. The theory is that taking short, scheduled breaks whilst working prevents people from becoming overtired when pushing themselves too hard.

Join or Create a “Productivity “Club

We know that social accountability works, so why not use this to help with work productivity? When a group of friends are trying to exercise regularly and/or lose weight, social accountability is extremely helpful. And it can also be very helpful when it comes to work productivity. We strongly suggest you get together a group of other digital nomads, or friends, and create your own productivity club. Being accountable to others can be very motivating.

Turn Your Phone off and Close Your Facebook Tab

It’s so easy to get distracted by your phone ringing and constant notifications from Twitter and Facebook. It’s simply a matter of discipline: turn your phone off and close Facebook, just for now!

Use Travel Time Wisely

There are many tasks that don’t involve Wi-Fi that can be completed while travelling on a bus, boat, train, or plane; so, use your travel time wisely. There may be articles or stories you can write, or design work to complete. Whatever your line of work, consider all tasks that can be completed whilst travelling. Another great timesaver!

Are you also a digital nomad? What other tips can you share?