How I tried being a digital nomad

People often tell me, “Lucky you. Pack your computer and you can work from anywhere in the world.” Or they say, “Let's go on a trip somewhere. You can take your computer and work.” I didn't believe in the idea for a long time, especially when you work in a team or someone depends on your availability. That happens for lots of reasons: you're starting a project, someone has less experience, or you need to pass on what you know. This year I had a chance to spend fourteen days in Cape Verde, where we went kiteboarding. You might call it the ideal sport to combine with work. You ride three or four hours a day if the weather cooperates, especially if the wind is strong enough, since you can't do it without wind. You can spend the rest of the time “with a laptop on the beach” or just lying around. I also had plenty to do on a personal project. It was a good opportunity to combine pleasure and work and try being a digital nomad. I needed to train a bit for a marathon too, so I packed my running shoes in case I didn't already have enough to do.

A collision with reality

You make plans and life changes them. I planned to set an alarm for early morning, go for an hour's run and do a bit of exercise. Breakfast, two or three hours of programming, then out to the beach for three or four hours of riding. Back to the apartment to make dinner, then another two hours of programming. As they say in Cape Verde, above all, no stress. Of course, you also plan to fill the gaps by programming at the airport, on the plane and so on.

At the airport I got nothing done, of course. All my ingenuity went into repacking our bags to meet the 32 kg weight limit. We spent most of the seven-hour flight watching movies, talking and planning which new tricks we'd learn.

On the first day, after we arrived and tried the local spot, I felt quite tired. Never mind. Tomorrow is another day.

On the second day the alarm went off and I went running, shopped, went to the bank, looked into internet access and got out on the water. By nine that evening I was out cold. Fine, I'm getting used to the place. Tomorrow will be better. Around the third day I managed to start programming after breakfast while the rest of the group went into town. In the evening it was more or less hopeless because I was tired. Around day four the wind died. That was a disaster for the rest of the group, but it let me get deep into work. While everyone else went down to the beach, I stayed in the room and programmed, stopping to eat.

It was interesting to watch the mood of the group change. Everyone around me was fed up with the lack of wind and the bad weather in general. It rained and was mostly overcast, so even lying on the beach was out. Sal, the island where we stayed, doesn't offer much entertainment. I was happy because I had peace and time to work. I wasn't much fun, though, and looking back I may have annoyed them a little. I was constantly at the computer and my evening life came down to a can of the local lager, which reliably put me to sleep.

Internet access was dreadful, which turned out to be one of the biggest advantages. Going online meant going for a coffee at the café by the hotel. With the internet harder to reach, I could concentrate fully on work without distractions. If some people think they can program under a beach umbrella or, heaven forbid, by the pool, I'm not one of them. Besides the heat and, in our case, the wind, the atmosphere just doesn't put you in the mood to work. Incidentally, it's similar for me at home. My brain switches to relaxation mode. Unless you count browsing the internet as work.

In the end I got quite a lot of programming done in those fourteen days. I didn't finish everything I intended, for a few reasons.

• It took me a while to find a daily rhythm that let me balance everything the group was doing (getting out to the spot, cooking, cleaning and so on), my programming and my rest. I'm an early bird, so expecting to get anything done in the evenings was a fantasy. The main work had to happen in the morning.
• I missed having someone to give me feedback every day, say. You probably know the feeling from experience: you get too deep into an unnecessary detail and burn time on it when the main work is elsewhere.
• The ergonomics of the workspace. I sat at a dining table with only a laptop. A more comfortable place to work might have helped me get more done.

By chance a programmer friend was there too, and I sometimes talked through problems with him. The funny part is that by the end he was so bored he programmed a few little things for me. If he'd brought a computer and we hadn't had to share mine, he could have helped a lot more. The idea of a team going somewhere and working together might have worked in this case and makes sense to me. A team also motivates you and helps keep you on track. You'd feel at home among geeks when you spend most of your time at the computer.

A parting thought

Digital nomadism isn't for everyone. If you think you'll make your first million on a lounger under a parasol with a drink in hand, you're badly mistaken. In the end, what matters is how much time and energy you put in, whether you're here or in Africa. There's a flip side to nomadism. You can break out of your daily routine. Nobody disturbs you and you can throw yourself into programming, writing or anything else that takes time and peace. On the other hand, you might miss parts of your routine, such as friends, family or the comforts of your work setup. If you want to combine useful work with something you enjoy, in my case sports and entertainment, you need some self-discipline. Otherwise you won't get anything done, because your brain is on vacation. The trick is to set up a working day in which the fun is the reward for the work. Unfortunately, you'll be doing a bit more of the work. On the other hand, you have the wonderful freedom to set the balance yourself.

If I went away for those fourteen days again, I'd certainly do better, because I've found a routine that lets me combine both things. Would I recommend it? I don't know. It really isn't for everyone, especially if you don't have enough self-discipline. Otherwise you end up having no fun and getting no work done. By the way, I recommend the article by Dan Tržil, The flip side of digital nomadism.