What Does a Digital Nomad (Who Writes) Do All Day?

6 pm — 7 pm: Swim in the pool

Last December, I started writing full-time, and I’m building my freelance business whilst travelling the world.

Since then, I’ve spent two months in Budapest, and I’m currently in Chiang Mai. I work around 20 hours a week. The rest of my time is spent exploring, relaxing, and speaking with friends.

Alright, that’s enough backslapping!

In this post, I want to show you a specific Monday. This will give you an idea of how I break up my time. I’ll also include a general description of what I do here in Chiang Mai to show my typical digital nomad day.

By the end, you should have a solid idea of what being a digital nomad is like. (Special thanks to Zulie Rane for the inspiration.)

Let’s go!

Sunday morning tasks

I mentally prepare for the week ahead on Sunday mornings. The following tasks take me around 40 minutes:

• I go through my inbox and put emails into folders
• I tip out my in-tray (a plastic tub) and sort through items. There’s often a collection of dates, article ideas, and books to add to my reading list

• I plan the week ahead on a sheet of A4 paper. This tells me things I want to do each day and three goals I have for the week. As you can see, it soon gets messy!

• Finally, I write down my Monday tasks on a yellow Post-it note. I do this every day. What can I say; I’m old school:

7:30 AM — 8:00 AM: Start the day

A typical morning

Since living in Chiang Mai, I’ve experimented with no alarm clock to wake me up. (I didn’t pack it, and I try not to use my phone in the morning.)

I’ve found waking up with my body’s natural clock is *a chef’s kiss*.

After drinking some water, I take a shower, get dressed, and spend 10–20 minutes meditating with 1 Giant Mind. I’ve been using the app since 2018, and it’s a godsend.

I would 1000% pay for it if it wasn’t free.

A specific morning

This morning, I followed my typical routine to a tee (minus the meditation). I spent the night before journalling — and I went deep — so I didn’t feel the need to meditate.

8:00 AM — 11:30 AM: Deep work

A typical morning

I hop back into bed (it’s comfy) and start my deep work for the day: drafting content, outlining posts, or doing SEO research.

A lot of what I do is content writing for tech companies, with the aim of ranking their websites on the first page of Google. Prior to freelancing, I spent four years as an SEO specialist, so it’s nice to use the skills I developed.

It’s not just client work I do. If I’m ahead of schedule, I’ll work on my own projects. I also do the sh*t I’ve been putting off, like monthly bookkeeping.

A specific morning

This morning, I drafted two articles for one of my clients, edited an article, and responded to messages in an SEO Discord channel (for my online course).

I was in the zone, so I smashed some SEO research whilst listening to my Spotify Repeat playlist.

I love Coldplay’s earlier albums and recently discovered their Live 2003 set in Australia (which I’m now obsessed with).

11:30 AM — 12:30 PM: Eat!

A typical morning

By this point, I’m famished, so I duck into the kitchen and rustle up some brunch.

I like the simple things in life. A healthy bowl of cereal, a banana, and yoghurt set me right. My girlfriend has also hooked me on OJ.

In the winter, I opt for something warmer — like porridge.

Whilst eating, I’ll casually watch some YouTube (usually Premier League or Champions League football) and respond to WhatsApp messages.

A specific morning

Since living in Chiang Mai, it’s been hard to find cereal. So I ate a mishmash of stuff I snagged from my local 7-Eleven last night: a roast chicken sandwich, a croissant, and some mini vanilla cookies.

I still felt hungry, though. After applying suncream, I walked to the noodle bar at the end of my street and ordered fried rice with squid.

I’m a bit of a local now.

12:30 PM — 1:30 PM: Admin and light work

A typical afternoon

Depending on how I feel after brunch, I usually do a bit of light work or admin (i.e. things that don’t require me to think too much.)

I’m a little sluggish around this time, so sometimes I take a nap. If I’m alert, I might do some writing for Medium.

A specific afternoon

You got it! I’m currently writing this Medium article. I’ll probably finish it tomorrow or Wednesday.

1:30 PM — 6 PM: Explore or chill

A typical afternoon

If I’m on track with work and don’t feel like doing more, I carve out time to explore. There’s so much to see and do, which is one of the reasons I like the “slomad” approach to travelling.

Rather than flying through countries at break-neck speed, I’m trying to spend 1–2 months in one place.

A specific afternoon

Yesterday (I told you I’d finish this article later), I booked a ride to Chiang Mai Zoo using the Grab app.

Public transport doesn’t really exist in Chiang Mai, but the Grab app is INCREDIBLE! Think of it like Deliveroo, Uber, Amazon, and Airbnb — all in one 😍

At the zoo, I got up close to some of my favourite animals.

I’m not sure how I feel about zoos in general, but the animals seemed well cared for. Chiang Mai Zoo is also doing some great conservation work.

6 PM — 7 PM: Swim in the pool

A typical afternoon

Okay, I didn’t spend afternoons in the pool in Budapest, but you can bet your life I have here in Chiang Mai!

It’s a glorious way to unwind, and I’m lucky that the Airbnb apartment I’m staying in has a pool downstairs.

A specific afternoon

I worked out in the gym next to the pool for 30 minutes before going for a dip.

7 PM — 9 PM: Food and unwind

A typical evening

After drying off from the pool, I cook some food, go out to eat, or order something from the Grab app.

I then unwind by watching Netflix or reading a book. I also love evening walks.

A specific evening

I walked to the local mall and ate vegetable fried rice with mushrooms. I then made the trip back to my apartment to watch Hells Kitchen.

The pace at which I’ve burned through the All-Stars season is a little frightening.

9 PM — 11 PM: Chat with friends and call it a night

A typical evening

This doesn’t happen every night. Sometimes I’ll do Teleparties with friends on Netflix so we can watch things together, and sometimes I’ll just watch a movie.

Other times, I force myself to go out and meet people. I say force myself. It’s not that I dislike it, but I enjoy my own company. So going to meetups can feel onerous.

A specific evening

I spent the evening chatting with my girlfriend. She lives in New York, so the Chiang Mai time zone has actually worked surprisingly well for us.

After we jumped off our WhatsApp call, I head to bed to journal and finish reading Nine Lives by Peter Swanson.

FAQs about a day in the life of a digital nomad

Hopefully, you’ve got a good view of what it’s like to be a digital nomad who writes.

I’m very intentional with how I live my life, and it’s been a blast sculpting it. But looks can be deceiving. I started putting out content in 2018. This has been five years in the making.

“You can only work smart if you’ve done the hard work first.” — Sinem Günel

A lot of digital nomads say the repeatability of their work is one of their biggest headaches, and I totally get it. I’m fortunate to have two steady clients (soon to be three), and this takes away a lot of the stress.

But again, this didn’t come straight away.

Two months ago, I was sending out 10–15 applications/proposals a week in the hope of landing new clients. And I had many sleepless nights during this time. Have I made the right decision? Will I find high-value clients who respect my work?

On and on it went.

But I got through it. You can too.

This is just one digital nomad’s day, but I hope you have a better picture of what you can expect if you become a digital nomad as well.

And if you’re still curious, here are a few FAQs:

How many hours do digital nomads work?

This depends on what they do.

Most digital nomads I know put in the work. In fact, most of them work harder now than when they were working a 9–5.

Depending on yourself to thrive — rather than an employer — is a real motivator.

I don’t track my hours religiously. It stresses me out, and I go on the occasional YouTube binge. I do know that I spent around 3–4 hours a day (Mon-Fri) doing client work, so let’s call it 20 hours a week.

I also don’t class writing on Medium, recording videos and podcasts, or replying to student messages as work. If I did, it would be closer to 30 hours a week.

What do digital nomads do on a daily basis?

We work! I’m a content writer that gets to work from anywhere, so I do a lot of writing and SEO research.

Can I make $1,000 a month from freelance writing?

I make just over $6,000 a month from freelance writing, Medium, my online courses, and affiliates.

It’s taken me a few years to get here, but it’s definitely possible to make $1,000 a month from freelance writing. If you’re looking for tips on how to get started, I’ve got a guide for you (see below).

TL;DR: The best thing you can do is build a portfolio, sign up for WriteJobsPLUS+, and start applying for jobs.

What is it like to be a digital nomad?

Zulie used this line when describing freelance writing:

“Very fun, very freeing, and very chaotic at times.”

I agree. I’d also say that travelling can get a little lonely at times, particularly if you’re solo travelling (like I am).

Solo travelling is great in so many ways. You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, and every day is an adventure. Where should I eat? What should I see? How should I do my laundry?

But I do miss my friends and family. I miss home comforts. I miss Sunday roasts, watching football, and countless other things.

I don’t think I’ll be a digital nomad forever, and I understand where John is coming from with this:

“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

This being said…

Is being a digital nomad worth it?

You tell me. Are you reading this list and thinking, “Oh lord, what a nightmare! That sounds awful!”?

If so, then no, being a digital nomad isn’t worth it.

However, if you read my typical day and think, “Hey, I like the sound of that!” Then it’s worth giving it a shot.

Of course, I’m biased, but I truly believe it’s the best job in the world.

Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page blueprint: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)