Transitioning from Backpacker to Digital Nomad: the changing use of time

It’s been two weeks since I arrived in my first destination as a digital nomad. After nearly three years of travel, rarely having my own space or staying put for more than a month at a time, I’ve been excited to make the change to a different way of living. It’s an interesting shift, one I’m chronicling here on Medium when I want a break from projects that I hope become lucrative and those I’ve undertaken for reasons of personal growth and well being.

My first few days on the island I’ve landed in were spent searching for a home, learning my way around, adjusting to tropical heat and humidity, and beating jet lag. They weren’t particularly fun but they were necessary. Once I had all of that sorted, I was eager to get to work. I made lists of tasks to accomplish and prioritized within each category I’d created. I made a schedule with deadlines and intermittent goals. My brain raced with ideas for all the things I could do to build my business. I woke up excited about what I could accomplish each day. And I was doing it. I ticked off one item after another. It felt great to be so productive.

But then I got distracted. It wasn’t diving or hiking or a trip to some awesome waterfall that broke my rhythm. Nope, it was a dog. One that bit me then charged at me when I tried to return home later that day. I’ve written about the day itself already so won’t rehash that here. The bite itself wasn’t that bad; it’s the aftermath that’s causing me so much trouble.

My new fear of dogs has changed my schedule, keeping me home when I’ve tried to leave and seen the dog that bit me; delaying my return when other dogs have behaved aggressively. It also has me wondering whether I should move to a different house. I’ve only committed to being in my current place for a month and I’m nearly two weeks into that time. I’d like to stay put but I’ve spent hours distracted by the idea of moving. I’ve looked at options and exchanged Facebook and WhatsApp messages with landlords and people with leads on places to live. I’m afraid to count up the time I spent on that in the last 24 hours alone.

It’s also accelerated my need to drive a scooter, something I’ve struggled with in the past. This afternoon, I’ll ride a bus for nearly two hours in order to take a lesson with a proper instructor. And when the lesson’s done, I’ll take the bus two hours back and still have to pay someone to drive me home past all the dogs in my neighborhood. As a backpacker, that would have meant the entirety of my day. A full afternoon plan was the perfect excuse to stay in bed reading until 9:30 or 10 followed by a leisurely brunch before heading to the bus.

Now, I’m looking at a task list that hasn’t changed in nearly five days. The list is not going to finish itself and I’m happy to take care of it. Because I’m excited about the projects I’ve undertaken, I enjoy doing the work to bring them to life. Yet no one is paying me for doing anything on that list. No will fire me if I fail to do the work. It’s entirely up to me when — or even if — I do those things. I could choose to take another day off.

When last I worked, it was nothing like that. My time was absurdly valuable. I billed clients in 6-minute increments. I had so little time to myself that I had to make the most of it: cramming in sleep, exercise, time with loved ones, and all the things that I enjoyed doing on a personal level. If I’d been bitten by a dog then, I’d have gone straight from the clinic to the office and stayed late to finish whatever needed to be done that day. I wouldn’t have allowed my new fear to change my schedule. I also wouldn’t have made time to mentally and emotionally recover from the incident, something I’m conscious of working on now.

So how do I find the balance between the busy schedule that made me miserable but put money in the bank and the laid back lifestyle of a backpacker who found happiness while going broke? How do I get back on track after the dog derailed me?

I don’t have a good answer for the first question yet. I may never have one. As for the second, I’m working on it. I hopped out of bed this morning and powered through two items on my task list. If I had any other short tasks left on the list, I’d take care of those, finish this post, then head off for the bus. Since the many remaining tasks all look pretty long, I’ll give myself the freedom to read a few emails and have a decent meal.

Maybe this attitude — the one that allowed me to take time to face what happened, change my schedule and priorities, and now says “enough, get on with it” will guide me to a functioning balance of work and life. For now, it’s the best I can do.