Why should you prioritize living a healthy nomadic life?

Beyond the charming photos shared on social media, the nomadic lifestyle demands strategic moves from its followers to maintain mental and physical health | Photo: Austin Distel at Unsplash

It's no secret that remote work allows greater geographic freedom for people. This is, in fact, one of the key factors that a digital nomad needs to have well-sorted in their life if they want to explore the map and discover new destinations.

Although it seems that these professionals simply grab their laptops, sit in a beach chair, and complete their tasks in less than 2 hours while sipping a drink and admiring the scenery, their routine can be more chaotic than that of a worker who works on-site, with a typical 9 to 6 weekly schedule. One of the reasons for this, according to Bloomberg, is the time zone difference.

According to Remote Year’s CEO, Tue Le, approximately 15% of exchange program participants who travel in Asia strictly adhere to the U.S. schedule. This means that if the company is based in California and the employee is living in a Southeast Asian country, the working hours will be between midnight and 10 am. If it’s a Brazilian company from São Paulo, workers will start after dinner, at 7 pm, and finish around 5 am.

Considering that this analysis is focused on just one aspect, it's possible to identify that there is room for professionals to work flexible schedules of 6 to 8 hours, which implies sleeping at night but being available at different times of the day. Freedom is, in fact, associated with one of the workers' fears: meetings.

Exchanging well-rested nights of sleep to appreciate beautiful scenery, whether in nature or historic cities, comes at a cost. According to an article published in Nature in 2022, shift work, and in particular night shift work, is associated with increased health risks, such as cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, increased susceptibility to infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.

Moreover, there is also the profile of digital nomads who, despite the advantages of this lifestyle, feel they need more connections, whether due to the difficulty of getting close to certain places or the constant moving. Individuals will adapt in different ways, whether they are more methodical with their routines or more detached.

Far from wanting to discourage those who would like to live this life, even if only for a few months, here are some hacks to consider:

• Organization from start to finish: it's not just about abandoning everything, grabbing the guitar, and disappearing; it requires strategic and financial planning;

• Consider evaluating the possibility of scheduling all meetings for the same period of the day;

• Consider evaluating a preliminary shift in roles for those that require fewer meetings and more production;

• Pay attention to opportunities that are closer to the time zone of the country or region you intend to live in;

• Take care of your health to the fullest, to compensate for possible losses caused by night shifts.

Allow yourself to reach your goals, but don't let it become a nightmare.