Inside My Day-in-the-Life as a Quarantined Digital Nomad
Digital nomads are known for traveling while working, but what happens when we can’t travel any more? The short answer is, we work more, but we also have more time for rest, relaxation, and fun. (Travel is pretty time-consuming, after all).
Before the coronavirus pandemic, I spent 400-500 hours per year traveling. Now? I’m re-investing that time in new hobbies and side projects.
Do you want to learn more about my day-in-the-life while traveling? If so, comment below.
How my day is organized as a digital nomad under quarantine
My Daily Schedule and Quarantine Routine
7–8am: Wake Up
Every morning, the first thing I do is go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and drink 10–12 ounces of water before I make coffee. Then, I meditate for up to an hour. I’ve been meditating for over 1,000 days now, and it’s changed my life. More on that here.
9am: Workout
I don’t have to tell you it’s important to exercise right now. Hopefully you’ve found something that works for you. I take a Pure Barre class online or do a Tracy Anderson Method workout. I also go for a walk every day (usually in the evenings).
10am: Breakfast
I always make breakfast while listening to a podcast or audiobook because it helps put me in a good mood and generate motivation to start working.
I eat eggs every day with veggies or potatoes, coffee, and a side of fruit. Sometimes I splurge on oatmeal or paleo pancakes on the weekends. After I eat, I read or journal for about thirty minutes.
11am: Work Block #1: Deep Work (3 hours)
I do my deep work first every day, while I’m high on coffee and feeling focused. Deep work activities include writing, editing, research, or other content creation.
If I have a client project to work on, I’ll also do it in the morning while my brain is fresh. Examples of client work include planning a relocation, ghostwriting for a company or website, producing videos, creating a lesson for my course, or developing a content marketing strategy.
I also theme my days for productivity purposes. For example, Mondays are for mastermind calls, Email, and promoting and distributing my podcasts. Wednesdays are for writing. Fridays are for phone calls and interviews, and the weekends are for passion projects.
2pm: Lunch
I always eat something light, like a salad, and sit outside to clear my head and take a break from my screen.
3–5pm: Work Block #2: Shallow Work (3 hours)
My lowest energy hours of the day are between lunch and dinner. This is when I’ll check Email and answer messages, comments, and social media notifications.
If you don’t know when your peak hours of the day are, you should find out. It makes life a lot easier. Track your mood for a few days and re-arrange your work-from-home schedule accordingly.
6pm: Stop Working — Leisure Time
By 6pm, I’m usually completely burnt out on mental tasks, which is fine because it’s time to stop working (for the love of God). Around this time, I’ll go for a walk/run around my neighborhood while FaceTiming with friends and family or listening to music or a podcast. If I couldn’t go outside at all, I think I would go crazy.
I also sometimes run essential errands in the afternoons, like going to the grocery store or post office and doing laundry. Then, I come home, take a shower, and get ready for dinner.
8pm: Dinnertime
Like breakfast, I eat almost the same thing every night: protein, veggies, and a gluten-free carb, like squash or sweet potatoes. I love cooking and don’t miss eating out that much. I completed two rounds of Whole30 this year, and I’m feeling great, so I’ve continued eating mostly whole foods. Since I live alone, I usually watch a show, FaceTime my sister, or read while I eat. The Daily Show, A Closer Look with Seth Myers, and Last Week Tonight are always good for a laugh.
Confession: I haven’t ordered any takeout or deliver since the pandemic started.
9pm: Hobbies and Passion Projects
At night, it’s time to relax. I’ll work on my DJ skills, edit a video for fun, watch more YouTube, or do other miscellaneous stuff.
If I’m on a project deadline, I’ll also squeeze a third work block in during this time, although I don’t recommend it. One of the biggest struggles for remote workers is working too much. In that sense, quarantine conditions can be very dangerous for workaholics. I haven’t taken a day off in at least three weeks. I’m not proud of it, but I’m working on unplugging more. Being single and living alone probably contributes to my workaholism, but it is what it is. Although, I recommend a healthier work-life balance.
12am: Go to bed
I wish I went to sleep earlier, to be honest, but my body seems to like this 12am-8am schedule. I’ve tried for years to wake up at 5–6am, but it never sticks (probably because of my constant jet lag).
Total Hours Worked Per Day: 6–9*
*Sometimes up to 12 if I’m editing or in a flow state.
The Pros & Cons of Working From Home
During the Coronavirus Quarantine
My home office in Miami, FL (April 2020)
The Pros:
Digital nomads are resilient because we’re so used to economic uncertainty and concern for our physical safety and well-being. We are also accustomed to spending a lot of time alone — whether we’re working from home or solo traveling. To that end, we are prepared to weather a pandemic, which you can read more about in this Medium Blog: Why Digital Nomads are Coping Better with the Coronavirus Pandemic.
I also talked about it with Johnny FD in this recent episode of Travel Like a Boss podcast:
The Cons:
All of the above being said, remote workers are vulnerable to loneliness and overwork. Many of us are also single. So being quarantined for too long isn’t good for us, either.
Closing Thoughts
Many digital nomads identify as world citizens who feel a connection with others no matter where we are. We’ve also witnessed a lot of poverty, suffering, and injustices during our travels, which makes us acutely empathetic to and aware of what others are going through.
As the pandemic eventually wanes, I’m looking forward to arriving at a new sense of normalcy for the world. I hope that people find a greater sense of purpose in their careers, a healthier work-life balance, and a renewed focus on what’s most important in life.
If you’re working from home right now, make sure to set consistent work hours, unplug when possible, and reach out to people if you feel lonely.
Whether you’re a digital nomad yet or not, we’re all part of one interconnected global society, and we’re all in this situation together.
For more about my day and how I make money online as a digital nomad, check out this YouTube video.