Digital nomad's guide to surviving quarantine
Over the past 7 years, I've followed a lifestyle that has led me to travel to over more than 50 countries.
Traveling has become a crucial part of my life.
If it's that the case for you too, you know how hard is to stay put in order to be a good world citizen.
Being a digital nomad in current global situation is nothing but yearning for the days of travel and fun activities.
But y'know what? Let's not forget about the "digital" side of being a digital nomad.
We have to be thankful that everything that we do is online and therefore can be done anywhere, at anytime.
I'd like to think that these days are just a break from our lifestyle; a new opportunity to breath fresh air and do things differently.
Now you have more free time than ever and how you spend your time determines how you'll come out on the other side when it's all said and done.
That's why I'd like to share some of my suggestions on being proactive in lockdown.
- Give the news a break. Yes, it’s important to be informed, but most of us don’t need minute-to-minute updates on this pandemic, so try “virus-free news day”, especially if we are staying indefinitely in our houses.
- Get to know your quarantine fellows. You are in this together. Literally. So, if you’ve moved back in with your parents or share the space with roommates, schedule some quality time where you get to know them better.
- Attend virtual coworking. If you can't go to a coworking space or a coffee shop, then get some friends on a videocall and work together. It can help you feel connected to likeminded people even from afar.
- Get your productivity together. If it's your first time staying home for a long period, I'm sure you'll face new challenges so you better set up your workspace, try different routines or create new habits.
- Have guilty-free activities. I know how hard is to be productive when the world is on fire, so it's ok to wind down; feel free to binge watch or play video games here and there without remorse.
- Limit screen time. Most of your day is already spent by looking at the screen, so why not try different activities at home? Read some physical books, finish some challenging puzzles or play board games.
- Clean your gear. Have you wiped your screen lately? Or remove the dust in your keyboard? You'll be surprised to know how dirty our gear gets, so you better clean them now to start off fresh.
- Get some digital errands done. I'm sure there are some important activities for your online work that you left behind, so try to organize your computer files, update your portfolio or add a 2-layer security to your login accounts.
- Learn something for your future. If you’ve always wanted to start a blog, a youtube channel or learn to code, now is your opportunity. Get back to those courses you bought once but never ended up taking.
- Work on your inner thoughts. We usually avoid getting to know ourselves, so let's take of advantage of this solitude by meditating, practicing breathwork or journaling.
- Help from your couch. There are still many ways to help even if you are at home; support your favorite digital creators, buy online from any local business, teach something for free or refer someone to a remote job. donate, volunteer online
- Plan your next trip. Now, I know, you won't be able to travel tomorrow. But you will eventually. It's just nice to have something to look forward. So plan away by watching some travel videos, browsing through an online museum or saving money.
- Keep calm. We're all anxious and nothing can change that, but remember that everything is temporary, even suffering. During this time try to lookout for others and not worry about things you can't actually change.
- Connect with other nomads. We are all in this together, whether you have own favorite community or not, I'll recommended the Facebook group made by my friends at Nomads Giving Back. It's a platform for ayone to gain access to credible information and updates on the Coronavirus pandemic.
So there you have it.
There are many other obvious suggestions, like working out or calling your family, but I hope reading these ones can help you face this global current situation with positive action.
Yes, it can feel like the world is ending and we’re stuck in our homes watching it all unfold through the internet.
But there's always hope, this won't be forever. We just have to take advantage of the extra time we have.
The best of all is that we are not alone.
Luckily we have all the tools to be connected so let's support each other to survive this crisis together!