Work Life Balance Goals: the Digital Nomad Ultimate Toolkit

Achieving work life balance goals is the dream, right? Whether you’re a seasoned digital nomad or just starting to explore this lifestyle, balancing work with the freedom and adventure of nomadic life is crucial. And let’s be honest, sometimes our quest for balance feels more like a tightrope walk above a bustling street in Bangkok. 🌆✨

Since hitting the remote work road in 2012, we’ve stumbled, adjusted, and discovered tools that genuinely make the digital nomad life smoother, more productive, and yes, balanced. So, buckle up and let’s dive into the ultimate toolkit that’s been a game-changer for us over the last decade!

To navigate the ever-changing landscapes of our nomadic lives, we’ve broken down our toolkit into categories, each addressing a key aspect of the digital nomad lifestyle. From organization and productivity to health, finances, and personal growth, this guide is your compass to thriving anywhere.

But first, let’s talk about a recent game-changer in our nomadic toolkit:

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: ZERO Deductibles!

SafetyWing has always been a cornerstone for digital nomads seeking a reliable safety net. Last week, they launched a significant update to their Nomad Insurance, enhancing the user experience and making policies more transparent and easier to understand—a move that’s already receiving thumbs-ups from the community.

Here’s the scoop on what’s new and exciting:

• Zero Deductible Option: You can now opt for a $0 deductible policy, meaning your claims are covered from the start. This highly requested feature ensures even more peace of mind as you journey across borders.
• Price Adjustment: To accommodate the $0 deductible option, there’s a slight price adjustment. Policies will now start from $56.26 (previously $46.50) for users aged 10 to 39 years old. If you’ve been sharing Nomad Insurance pricing with your followers, it’s time for an update to keep your content accurate and reliable.

Please note, Nomad Insurance 2.0 and the $0 deductible policy are currently not available to U.S. residents, but SafetyWing is hard at work to extend this option to everyone soon.

With our safety net securely in place, let’s explore the tools and practices that keep us productive, balanced, and free to explore the world.

Organization & Productivity – Work Life Balance Goals

✨ Why It Matters: Staying organized and maintaining productivity are the cornerstones of successful remote work. Finding tools that help manage tasks, track time, and streamline work processes is essential for any digital nomad.

Notion

Our digital workspace for everything from project management to personal journaling. It’s the one app we can’t live without for keeping our life in check, no matter where we are in the world. Here’s a link to one of favorite Notion templates and the idea of building a second brain with Notion!

Toggl

This time-tracking app has been invaluable for keeping us accountable and ensuring we’re making the most of our work hours. It’s simple, intuitive, and perfect for freelancers and digital nomads juggling multiple projects. What we love about it more? You can create time tracking reports for your clients and actually create invoices from Toggl directly. This is best when your working on projects and clients that are time based and to help you organize all these part of the work together.

Financial Management

✨ Why It Matters: Navigating the finances of a nomadic lifestyle, especially in multiple currencies, poses unique challenges. From international transfers to daily budgeting, having the right tools at our disposal simplifies these processes significantly. This allows us to spend less time fretting over finances and more time soaking in our global adventures.

Wise

Wise is our go-to for managing money across borders. It drastically cuts down on bank fees for currency conversion and international transfers, making it straightforward and cost-effective to access our funds, regardless of where we are in the world or what currency we’re dealing with.

YNAB (You Need A Budget)

YNAB takes the guesswork out of budgeting, especially useful for the unpredictable income streams and expenses that come with being a digital nomad. It helps us give every dollar a job, ensuring we’re living within our means while still setting aside money for future travels. YNAB’s philosophy extends beyond mere tracking; it encourages a mindset of financial responsibility and long-term planning, making it an indispensable tool for anyone serious about achieving financial peace of mind on their nomadic journey.

Health & Wellness

✨ Why It Matters: Embracing a life of travel and work doesn’t mean we should compromise on our health. In fact, maintaining physical fitness and mental well-being becomes even more crucial. Thankfully, a variety of apps can help us stay on top of our health game, ensuring we’re as fit and balanced mentally as we are flexible in our travels.

MyFitnessPal

When it comes to nutrition tracking, MyFitnessPal is unmatched. It’s our digital dietitian, helping us keep tabs on what we eat, no matter how varied our meals become across different cultures. It’s particularly handy for ensuring we’re getting the right balance of nutrients to fuel our adventures.

Strong App

For those of us who love lifting weights or engaging in structured workouts, the Strong App is a game-changer. It allows us to track our fitness routines, log exercises, and see our progress over time, even if our gym for the day is a corner of our Airbnb.

Running App (Strava)

Strava is the perfect companion for runners, cyclists, and anyone who loves outdoor activities. It not only tracks our runs and rides but also connects us with a global community of athletes. This keeps us motivated and allows us to explore new routes confidently, wherever we find ourselves.

Alo Moves

For a blend of yoga, meditation, and fitness classes, Alo Moves offers an extensive library to keep us active and zen. Whether we’re in need of a high-intensity workout or a calming yoga flow, Alo Moves brings the studio experience to us, even on the go.

Headspace

Mental wellness is a non-negotiable, and Headspace has been our anchor. With its guided meditations, sleep sounds, and mindfulness exercises, it’s a powerful tool in managing stress, enhancing our focus, and finding peace amidst our busy nomadic lifestyle.

Bonus: Integrated Health and Wellness Tracking

It’s worth noting that our smartphones have become increasingly adept at helping us manage our health and wellness. Most popular phones now come equipped with built-in health apps that can track everything from our daily steps and physical activity to our sleep patterns and meditation habits. These features offer a convenient way to stay informed about our overall well-being and make adjustments to our lifestyle as needed. Whether it’s setting reminders to move after long work sessions or monitoring our sleep to ensure we’re getting enough rest, our phones can be powerful allies in maintaining our health on the road.

Connectivity & Community

✨ Why It Matters: Building connections and finding communities are crucial for those living a nomadic life. These platforms help us find workspaces, meet fellow nomads, and even land our next gig.

Nomad List

The perfect tool for choosing our next destination, with insights into cost of living, internet speed, and more.

Meetup

Great for finding local events and networking opportunities, ensuring we’re part of a community, even when far from home.

Essential Gear

✨ Why It Matters: The right gear can make all the difference in a nomad’s life, turning any space into an office and keeping us comfortable and productive on the go.

Roost Laptop Stand & Logitech MX Anywhere 3: This combo is crucial for setting up an ergonomic workspace, wherever we decide to work.

Ember Travel Mug: Keeps our coffee hot for hours, a small but significant comfort of home, on the go.

Simplifying Taxes for Freelancers

✨ Why It Matters: As freelancers, navigating the maze of taxes can be daunting. However, with the right tools, we can demystify this process, ensuring we’re compliant while maximizing our deductions. After exploring numerous options and gathering feedback from the freelancer community, we’ve identified two standout tools that have made a significant impact:

TurboTax Self-Employed: TurboTax is a favorite for its user-friendly approach, offering tailored guidance that makes tax filing straightforward and efficient. It shines in identifying industry-specific deductions, ensuring you get every dollar back that you deserve.

QuickBooks Self-Employed: Ideal for year-round financial management, QuickBooks does more than prepare you for tax season. It tracks expenses, invoices, and even mileage, integrating seamlessly with TurboTax for a smooth transition come tax time.

By incorporating either (or both) of these tools into our workflow, we not only keep our finances in check but also approach tax season with confidence, knowing we’re fully prepared to tackle it head-on.

Unwind & Reflect

✨ Why It Matters: In a world where the lines between work and life blur, carving out time to unwind and reflect isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for our well-being. These tools and methods ensure that we’re living a life rich in experiences, not just work achievements, no matter where we set down our laptops.

Spotify

Music has the unique power to transform our mood, enhance our focus, or even transport us to different parts of the world with just a few notes. Spotify is our go-to for finding the perfect playlist for any moment—be it a deep-focus session, a meditative morning, or an impromptu dance break on a Tuesday afternoon.

Moleskine Journal

In our digital age, there’s something profoundly personal about putting pen to paper. Our Moleskine journals are more than just notebooks; they’re repositories of dreams, ideas, and reflections. Whether sketching a sunset viewed from a new city or jotting down thoughts that strike at midnight, this classic journal is a cherished companion on our journey.

Bonus: The Bullet Journal Method

For those looking to combine organization with reflection, the Bullet Journal Method offers a customizable and mindful approach to journaling. It’s not just about to-do lists and schedules; it’s a powerful practice for tracking the past, organizing the present, and planning for the future, all while encouraging you to pause and ponder your day-to-day experiences. This method turns your journal into a living document of your journey, helping you identify trends, celebrate progress, and recalibrate your goals and aspirations. It’s an invaluable tool for anyone looking to bring more intention and creativity into their life, making it a perfect addition to our unwinding toolkit.

Understanding Work Life Balance

✨ Why It Matters: True work-life balance starts with a clear understanding of your priorities and goals. It’s about knowing what you value most and allocating your energy and time accordingly. This balance isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula; it’s deeply personal and requires regular reflection and adjustment, especially in the ever-changing landscape of a digital nomad’s life.

The right balance for us begins with setting clear boundaries for work and play, ensuring we’re not just living to work. It’s about making time for those sunset beach walks or a midday café visit, without the guilt. Remember, energy is a finite resource. Directing it wisely towards what truly matters allows us to achieve the fulfillment and joy that prompted us to choose this lifestyle in the first place.

The Myth of Multitasking

✨ Why It Matters: We’ve all been there, toggling between tabs, convinced we’re the masters of multitasking. Yet, research and experience tell us multitasking is a myth that hinders more than helps. Focusing on one task at a time not only improves the quality of our work but also our overall satisfaction with what we accomplish each day.

Embracing this single-task focus means we’re fully present, whether we’re working on a project, exploring a new city, or enjoying a meal. This mindfulness in our activities ensures we’re living and working in a way that aligns with our values and goals, truly embodying the essence of work-life balance.

Our Final Thoughts on the Elusive Work Life Balance Goals as a Digital Nomad – Can you Really Have it?

As we wrap up this guide, it’s clear that the ultimate toolkit for a digital nomad extends beyond apps and gadgets; it’s deeply rooted in our approach to life and work. Embracing tools and practices that enhance our productivity, wellness, and connection to the world around us is just the start. The core of achieving work-life balance lies in understanding ourselves — our priorities, values, and the kind of life we want to lead.

Over the years, we’ve learned that balance is not a final destination but a continuous journey of adjustment and learning. It’s about making the most of the freedom this lifestyle offers, without losing sight of what we work so hard to achieve: a life full of adventure, growth, and fulfillment, both personally and professionally.

So, here’s to us, navigating the highs and lows of remote work, always striving for that balance that makes the journey worth every moment. Remember, in the world of digital nomadism, you’re not alone. We’re all in this together, exploring, learning, and growing into the best versions of ourselves.