The Tools You Need to Work as a Digital Nomad

The internet has revolutionized the way we work, allowing us to work from anywhere and at any time.

And people have leveraged this ability for a few decades now. The term 'digital nomad' is quite established now.

However, recent technological changes and the forced remote work during the pandemic has made the digital nomad lifestyle more realistic than ever.

Being a digital nomad means the freedom to work remotely and live a location-independent lifestyle.

It allows you to explore the world while still earning a living, and it has its own set of benefits, such as flexibility, autonomy, and a better work-life balance.

But in order to survive as a successful digital nomad, there are certain tools and resources you should know about.

This post will guide you through the essentials of digital nomadism so that you can be productive and successful while working remotely. Let's get straight to the tools you need to kick-start your digital nomadic journey.

Essential Tools For Digital Nomads

Working as a digital nomad means you need to have a reliable and efficient setup that allows you to work from anywhere in the world.

Here are some must-have tools for aspiring digital nomads

1. Laptops

A good laptop is the backbone of being a digital nomad. It allows you to work from anywhere. Be it a beach, a café, or a co-working space - having a lightweight and powerful laptop makes all the difference.

Whether you're a website builder, graphic designer, or into writing blogs or coding, you want to invest in a quality laptop that can handle your work demands. Some features of a good laptop:

• It should be lightweight so that it's easy to carry around
• It must have a long battery life - 8 hours and more so you can work on the go without having to plug in to recharge
• At least 8GB RAM for speed and SSD storage which makes your laptop faster
• Invest in a powerful processor - the latest
• And a good brand that offers insurance and servicing

And to keep your laptop safe while on the go, make sure to invest in a good laptop case or bag.

Ultimately, you cannot skimp out on a laptop. This is what will fund your lifestyle and it needs to function well.

2. Smartphone

A laptop isn't enough. You need a functioning smartphone with strong capabilities to manage multiple things like:

• Apps to manage and book flights and hotels
• Communication apps to stay in touch with work and family
• Social media for social connections and networking
• Productivity apps, email apps, and other features essential for working as you go
• Apps to manage your email marketing, online business, Amazon seller store, or any other platform relevant to your job.

Smartphones serve as a mobile office. There will be times where you cannot access your laptop or will need to access specific apps only available on mobile - so, your smartphone is essential.

For example, if you need to share an urgent file with your team while your flight is about to take off - you can easily do so using cloud storage apps like Google Drive or Dropbox on your smartphone.

Similarly, your phone will help you get in touch with the police, your hotel, hospitals, and find key information while abroad - ensuring you're safe.

3. Earphones

Having a call or a virtual meeting while working as a digital nomad can become tricky. You'll likely take meetings while working in a cafe, the airport, your hotel room, or other spaces.

Investing in good quality earphones with noise-cancellation features is a must for digital nomads, especially if you're constantly shifting between different workspaces.

You also want to ensure that it has a mic functionality and is very high-quality to help you communicate well.

This is especially true if you're in virtual customer service or sales or have to do meetings frequently. You can also use these earphones to listen to music while working, which has been known as a proven way to increase productivity.

4. International Internet Access

Working as a digital nomad means you never know where your next workplace might be located, and relying on public Wi-Fi is not always the most secure and reliable option.

You need to ensure that you have a good internet connection wherever you go, giving you peace of mind and uninterrupted work hours.

One way to do this is to use an e-sim that your carrier service might provide (this is also another reason to invest in a modern phone). You should also check for international internet packages.

There will be times where you can't control your internet access. So make sure you download a map of the area you're in using Google Maps. It gives you the option to get an offline map of an area.

Also, ensure that your Google Docs for your account are set to work offline - this means you can open, edit, and save content even without the internet.

5. External Drives

My advice is to have an extra backup using a physical drive for important content.

Suppose you work as an online image creator or a video editor; the files you work on can be quite large in size. Obviously, there is cloud storage, but having an external drive as a backup is always recommended.

What happens when you don't have stable internet access or your cloud storage service is down for maintenance?

In such cases, it's always a good idea to have external drives to store all your important data and backups. Usually, having a 1TB external hard drive should suffice your storage needs. Such drives are no longer prohibitively expensive and are accessible today. Just make sure you password protect your files.

6. Productivity Planners

Working remotely can sometimes lead to a lack of structure and productivity.

Having a productivity planner or a daily planner can help you stay organized, set goals, and track your progress.

You can use a physical planner or digital ones like Trello or Asana to keep track of your tasks and deadlines.

Suppose you're a marketer handling multiple clients; you can use a productivity planner to plan your marketing strategies and campaigns for all your clients in one place.

And even use them to seclude and keep track of each client's progress separately.

You can find various digital planners and templates online that are specifically designed for digital nomads - by the way.

7. Time Tracking Tools

You may be working remotely, but your clients will still expect you to track and bill your time to the minute.

Investing in a time-tracking tool can help you keep track of the hours spent on each project and invoice your clients accordingly.

You can use tools like Toggl or RescueTime to monitor how much time is being spent on various tasks and projects. This not only helps you accurately bill your clients but also helps in improving productivity.

When you know how much time you're spending on each task, it becomes easier to identify areas where you can improve and be more efficient.

8. VPN Services

Since you'll be working remotely, it's important to prioritize online security and privacy.

Using public Wi-Fi networks can expose your data to potential hackers.

Investing in a good VPN service can help protect your online activities by encrypting your internet connection and keeping your data safe. Cyber security is crucial for digital nomads, and a VPN can provide an extra layer of protection.

There are many affordable and reliable VPN services available that cater to the needs of digital nomads.

Moreover, VPN services also come in handy when traveling to countries with strict internet censorship laws, allowing you to access restricted websites and content.

9. Automation Tools

It might happen that you have limited resources while working remotely and being a one-man show. Managing everything from marketing, client communication, project management, and invoicing can become overwhelming.

You can use email marketing automation tools like Mailchimp or Hootsuite for social media management, freeing up more time for other important tasks.

You can also use project management tools with automation features like Asana or Trello to streamline tasks and workflows.

Or social media automation tools like Buffer or Later to schedule social media marketing campaigns in advance.

Investing in automation tools can help you streamline and automate many of these tasks, freeing up your time to focus on other important aspects of your work.

Conclusion

Being a digital nomad is all about freedom, flexibility, and the ability to work from anywhere in the world.

However, having the right tools and equipment is essential for maintaining productivity and success while working remotely.

Investing in these essentials might seem like a financial burden, but in the long run, they can greatly improve your work efficiency and help you achieve your goals as a digital nomad.

So, don't hesitate to invest in these tools and make the most out of your digital nomad lifestyle!