Amy helps exhausted overworked professionals get their energy back so they can live their lives rather than watch it go by from the couch. She provides information of stabilizing blood sugar so you have even energy throughout the day and helping people transition off processed food and if they want, a transition to Paleo or do dairy, wheat and sugar elimination diets.
Seeing as Amy has just hit the road as a digital nomad, I thought she would be able to bring a fresh insight into what it would take to achieve this lifestyle.
I hope you enjoy this post dudes and dudettes!
It’s your time to shine Amy! Take it away…
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If you’re like me the idea of living and working abroad plays like a video montage in your head. I see myself working in an exotic location, getting tons done and meeting entrepreneurs from all over the world. Eye of the Tiger plays as the super motivating soundtrack.
Let me stop you right there. While that’s the dream, reality can be something entirely different. You might think it will be easier to work away from the distractions of your everyday life, but it can be much harder once you are out of your familiar world.
Lisbon, Portugal
Here are a few things to consider as you begin to plan your adventure.
1. How you work at home is how you work abroad.
I struggled with motivation to work on my nutritional coaching practice as I transitioned from the corporate accounting world. Even when I had the time, my day lacked structure and I would work on the easy stuff rather than the meaningful. This can be even harder when you relocate. All familiarity is gone and it’s up to you to create structure.
If you are self-motivated and can easily tackle the hard stuff then you are good to go (can you teach me how to do that?). But if you share the same struggles as I have, it’s very important to create structure in your day because before you know it 3 months will have passed and you will have little to show for it.
Here are a few ways you can add more structure to get things done.
– Create a daily calendar. Schedule out how much time you’re going to work and when each day. I mean literally, put it on the calendar and commit to that time. You’re in a new locale so I don’t think you are going to spend 16 hours a day working. Go out and see the world a bit, who knows when you’re going to find yourself back here again.
– Use the Scrum system. This is a must for everyone if you want to keep track of what needs to be done and what you are currently focused on. This is especially helpful when you are inundated with new stimulus when living in a foreign country. It’s too hard to keep track of what you need to get done so get it out of your head and onto post-its to put on the wall or use an app like Trello (https://trello.com/).
If you haven’t heard about Scrum, check out this podcast from our friends at Screw the 9 to 5 (http://screwtheninetofive.com/scrum/)
– Schedule tomorrow the night before. Getting started each day can take some time so knowing what you’re going to work on when you start your day removes the roadblock of wondering what you’re going to do and can motivate you to get going. It’s easier to keep moving than to get started and it incorporates very nicely with Scrum.
2. If you are shy and have a hard time meeting people start practising before you begin your travels. This is another great skill to have whether you stay local or go abroad.
Go to meetups or networking events. See if there is a Startup Grind (https://www.startupgrind.com/) in your area. These are great events to meet like-minded people and get practice talking to people you don’t know.
What’s nice about the expat and Digital Nomad communities popping up is going to those areas ensure that you are already around like-minded people and there is infrastructure in place to run your business.
If you are travelling alone you want to make friends with these people fast. They can help you get the lay of the land.
3. No matter where you go there you are
They say that becoming an entrepreneur is the fastest path to personal growth. All the limited beliefs and personal issues come up quickly when you begin building your own thing. This is kicked into overdrive when you leave the familiar distractions behind.
Everything you’ve been able to sweep under the rug or keep hidden in the closet come rushing at you and smack you clearly in the head to tell you it’s time to start dealing with it.
If you’re lucky, you’ve already started working on this and have some tools in your toolbox. If not, here a few things to try.
– Start meditating. Just 5 minutes a day has been proven beneficial to increase focus and bring peace of mind. You don’t have to do anything crazy like sit in lotus and chant om. Just sit comfortably in your chair, take slow deep breaths, filling and expanding your low belly, then exhale the same length as the inhale. Focus on your breath, when your mind wanders notice it and bring the focus back to your breath. It’s that easy.
– Begin a gratitude practice. Take a few minutes every day and write what you are grateful for. Hey! You are living in another country building your dream, it should be easy.
The purpose of this practice is to train your brain to look for what is going right in your world. The brain wants to focus on what’s wrong to keep us alive and that is a wonderful skill to have. But we don’t live in a world where we need to ever diligent to sudden dangers. We just need to teach the brain that we are in a safe place. The gratitude practice does this.
While you are writing, make sure to cultivate the feeling of gratitude and appreciation and really dwell in that feeling as long as you can. This will turbocharge the practice.
– Remember to move your body. We sit at our computers way too long without taking breaks. It doesn’t take much movement to keep depression at bay and help you sleep better. John Lee Dumas has a great 7-minute workout. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOwO56QfFr4). Set an alarm for 25 minutes and move around when it goes off. Take a quick lap around the block, grab some water or do a mini-workout. Just move a bit. This works great if you are using Pomodoros (http://pomodorotechnique.com/) for productivity.
4. Know yourself.
Before you head out on your adventure make sure you know yourself when it comes to working and travelling. It seems like it’s THE dream to be an entrepreneur and travel the world. But make sure it’s your dream before you invest in the plane tickets and give up your rent controlled apartment.
Budapest
If your idea of a great adventure is binge watching Game of Thrones, hitting the road may not be for you. How can you know before you go? Do you explore the area where you already live? How do you handle situations that don’t go your way? If you easily go with the flow than travelling is wonderful. If you have very specific ideas about how your world needs to be organized, you might find it a bit more challenging.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from becoming a digital nomad, whether it’s for a few months, a year or more. I just want to give you some things to consider before you embark on what can be a totally fabulous adventure.
