3 Reasons to Become a Digital Nomad

 

The working trend goes by several names, as do the people who take part in it: they’re known as digital nomads, telecommuters, and, perhaps most popularly, remote workers.

The concept, however, remains the same across the board: with the huge strides in technology we’ve seen in the last couple of decades, there is no longer a need for a physical office building. This leaves employees free to work whenever, however, and from wherever they’d like.

The result? A “remote revolution” that includes workers spread throughout the world, collaborating from different time zones and operating with increased freedom.

With perks like the eight benefits, we’ll look at here, it’s no surprise the work-from-anywhere trend is growing so quickly in popularity.

1. You want to live and work anywhere

One unfortunate side effect of being employed at a company that doesn’t allow its staff to work remotely is that housing options become severely limited.

Employees who have a job that requires them to come into the office daily feel locked into a particular location or region. Their two options are a) live close to the workplace, or b) face the soul-sucking daily commute to work.

Employees whose companies are based in locations with a high cost of living, such as San Francisco or New York, have an especially difficult time, and those that can find housing close enough to work pay dearly for space.

Remote workers, on the other hand, face no such problem. Because they rely on an internet connection and software as their “virtual office,” the possibilities for where they live and work are nearly endless.

Some worry about the social implications of such a transition: What will it be like to work from home and be alone for a good portion of the day? Will it be hard to collaborate with teammates, and will you miss the in-person interaction?

What digital nomads often find, though, is that teams can work quite well around different locations and time zones. It’s not easy: teammates must be extra proactive about good communication, even more so than their non-remote peers.

When walking over to a co-worker’s desk isn’t an option, team members have to work harder to reply to messages and stay on top of projects while also staying aware of when teammates are and aren’t available. Getting into the habit of replying quickly and consistently comes with the territory of using tools such as Slack, Skype, and email as your main forms of communication.

As for the social aspect, co-working spaces are a popular option for remote workers who like to have some company while they work. There are also communities and resources like Nomadbase, Nomad  List, and Remote Year that help remote workers meet up and work together.

2. You’re looking for a less stressful work environment

Getting to choose your own workspace results in a quieter, less stressful environment than that of the typical office. A 2011 study from Staples Advantage concluded that Remote workers Experience as much as 25% than stress than their office-bound stress.

But less stress isn’t the only benefit of ditching the office. The study also revealed that 86% of workers surveyed were more productive working from a home office, while 80% agreed that working remotely enabled a better work-life balance.

Why the discrepancy between these two working models? If remote workers tend to be calmer, happier, and more productive, why might this be, especially given that working remotely presents its own unique challenges?

The answer could involve several factors, such as spending less time commuting and stuck in traffic, which comes with its own assortment of negative side effects. Another hypothesis is that more freedom and the flexibility to set your own schedule make for happier, less stressed employees.

When employees can choose when they work and take breaks, they can customize and optimize their schedule around their own productivity patterns, rather than being forced into the 9-to-5 routine.

3. You want a healthier lifestyle

With a less stressful, more balanced routine, it should come as no surprise that remote workers also tend to be healthier overall.

A healthier mental state isn’t the only benefit. The Staples study cited earlier also found that 73% of respondents reported eating healthier when working from home. That’s most likely because working from home means more cooking from homeless rushing out to lunch to grab something fast but unhealthy, or warming up a frozen meal in the break room microwave.

Another facet of the healthier lifestyle of digital nomads is their opportunity to work a little more physical fitness into their daily schedules. It might be easy to write off going to the gym after a long day at the office, but when you have control over your schedule, you’ll be able to work out when you actually feel motivated to do it. You can do some yoga, take a run, or lift some weights whenever you’d like to take a break and rest your mind.