How to Become a Digital Nomad in 12 Months’ Time
7 practical steps to bring you closer to the laptop lifestyle
“If you want meaning, stop worshipping freedom…
“Those ‘laptop warriors’ traveling around the world, blogging about their lack of commitments.
“I’m sure they mean well, but what are they building? What is their legacy? What roots have they planted?” — John P. Weiss
John is one of my favourite writers, and I respect his opinion. It seems freedom can wear thin after a while.
The thing is, I want to try stuff before jumping to conclusions. I want to travel. I want to scratch the itch.
Then I’ll settle down.
(Maybe.)
Here are seven steps I’m taking to become a digital nomad.
#1: Part-Time Job + Part-Time Hustle = Full-Time Bliss?
Louise Croft has built a passive income of five figures a month. She works from a laptop and travels the world with her husband.
She’s one of 67 entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed for my podcast. When I started, I wanted to learn the following:
- How can I make money online?
- What should I know before I quit my job?
One topic that comes up time and time again is how to quit your job.
You can say f*ck it and quit without a plan. This is what Lana did. She grew impatient and quit on a whim.
“In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t done this.” — Lana Dingwall
She scraped by for months, and life got easier. She’s now a successful coach.
Another option is to build on the side. This was Ariana’s approach. She owns an FBA business that sells flashcards about wine.
Ariana had been running her business for a couple of years, alongside her day job. However, she reached a point where she couldn’t commit as much time as she wanted.
She squirreled away six months of savings before taking the leap. Her business is now thriving.
Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, offers this advice:
“You will hear stories of people who risked everything to achieve this or that goal…
“But I do not believe your best creative work is done when you’re stressed out… Just the opposite.
“You should set up your life so that it is as comfortable and happy as possible… It should accommodate your creative work.” — Susan Cain
I’m trying a part-time job + part-time hustle from November onwards.
Working two days a week will pay my bills and give me structure. I also get to work in a team.
Three days a week on my own side-hustles (creating courses and writing content) gives me license to fail.
I’m hoping this could be the perfect blend.
Even if things don’t go to plan, Travis reminded me of this when we spoke on my podcast:
“The 9–5 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s very likely you’ll be able to get another job if things don’t work out.” — Travis Marziani
#2: Follow a 6-Month Plan
Last November, I had doubts about making money online. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to make more than a dollar without trading time for money.
Things have changed. Since January, I’ve made nearly $10,000 through online courses, coaching, and other income streams.
I credit this turnaround to my 6-month plan. It’s taken from Tom Kuegler’s “Design Your Dream Life” course.
One of the lessons was to attend Google University. He believes if you want to learn a new skill, Google can teach you how.
Another lesson was to write a 6-month plan based on goals you’d like to achieve. The plan should detail steps to take, when to take them, and why you’re taking them.
Ideally, you should choose five goals,
“…based on five different categories: Work, Relationships, Location, House, and Hobbies.
“Let’s take a look at some of my goals for a second.
“Go on a road trip out West with my Dad. That’s relationships.
“Go to Europe. That’s a location.
“Get 1,000 email subscribers. That’s work.” — Tom Kuegler
Creating a plan gives you clarity. You can prune back projects and remove distractions.
Before you jump into a new project, though, consider Pat Flynn’s question: Can I commit to this project for three years?
If the answer’s no, it may be best to save it for another day.
#3: Put Out Content, Week In, Week Out
One of my favourite YouTubers, Ali Abdaal, preaches consistency. He says you should put out weekly content on one platform for two years.
In fact, he goes one step further. Ali says you shouldn’t think about making money until you’ve put out one video a week for two years.
It’s different for other platforms. For podcasting, you can secure partnerships before releasing a single episode. This is what Sam did.
However, it’s worth noting she’d already built an audience on Instagram and Facebook.
If you’re just starting out, Ali’s advice is golden.
Produce, improve, repeat.
I started podcasting towards the end of 2018 but I didn’t know what I was doing. 18 months later, I launched my second podcast, Entrepreneurs Can Party.
Six days after launch, it reached number ten in the Apple Podcast charts. I’ve since been releasing at least one episode a week.
Fast forward 18 months, and I now get paid to help others launch their podcasts.
#4: Slash Living Costs & Build a Savings Buffer
For the last 12 months, I’ve lived in a two-bedroom flat — and I’ve loved it!
The thing is, it’s expensive. Half of my wage goes towards rent.
This is why I’m soon to be sharing a flat with one of my friends. My expenses will be chopped in half.
Here are four other ways I’m slashing my living costs.
“When we become successful, we forget how strong we used to be. We are so used to what we have, we half believe we’d die without it. Of course, this is just the comfort talking…
“Your actual needs are small. There is very little that could happen that would truly threaten your survival…
“Adjust you worries and fears accordingly.” — Ryan Holiday
#5: 10X Your Output With the Help of Systems
I outsourced to a virtual assistant in April 2020. Her name’s Lou and I pay her to produce podcasts, email guests, and complete other tasks. We’ve been working together ever since.
She easily saves me 10 hours a week, and we spend less than one hour a week communicating.
Best of all? Because she lives in Vietnam, I wake up to an email detailing the tasks she’s done.
I’m effectively working in my sleep!
Other systems to increase my output include building a second brain and outsourcing my worries.
#6: Act Like You Don’t Need the Money
“I did a lot of stuff for free in the beginning.” — Erin Constantine
Erin’s a DJ with over 1 million Tik Tok followers. Before the pandemic, she toured across America. She now streams on social.
As she explained on my podcast, she didn’t need to make money from gigs. She worked two jobs to pay her bills. This gave her the foundation to do free events, gain experience, and improve her skills.
After a couple of years, opportunities came her way. She released her first single and collaborated with the global DJ company, Serato.
Punchline? Act like you don’t need the money and give your best stuff away for free.
“If you set up your business like you don’t need the money, people are happier to pay you.
“When someone’s doing something for the money, people can sense it, like they sense a desperate lover. It’s a turnoff.
“When someone’s doing something for love… it triggers this law. We want to give to those who give.” — Derek Sivers, Author of Anything You Want
Curtis Jackson also applies this principle. In Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, he writes:
“One of the secrets to getting what you want in life is creating the perception that you don’t need a thing.
“That can be a difficult energy to project — especially when you’re struggling — but committing to that perception will make you more attractive professionally, personally, and even romantically.” — Curtis Jackson
#7: Schedule “Me Time” Appointments
In Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, she details a practice of going on Artist Dates. She describes them as “assigned play”.
They’re a means to devote time to your creative self, and they should be done solo.
Dates may include walking through an art supply store or visiting a museum. It doesn’t matter. It’s simply anything you find creative and enjoyable.
I put “me time” appointments into my calendar, along with “thinking times”. These are usually once a week on Wednesday evenings.
I often begin these “thinking times” by typing into my 6-month plan. If anything interesting comes up, I stew on the ideas.
I also think about getting closer to my “ideal ordinary week”.
Takeaways
I intend on settling down and building something meaningful one day. Before then, though, I’d like to travel.
Here’s a quick summary of how I’m working towards the laptop lifestyle and how you can too:
- Work two days a week for someone else and work on personal projects for the rest of the week.
- Follow a 6-month plan.
- Put out quality content, week in, week out.
- Slash living costs & build a savings buffer.
- 10X your creative output with the help of systems.
- Act like you don’t need the money.
- Schedule “me time” appointments.
Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)