6 Traits of Burnt Out, Miserable and Lonely Digital Nomads

Avoid these behaviors and you can live a successful life on the road

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

The Digital Nomad lifestyle is about as different from a cubicle career as it is possible to get.

Gone are the office politics, presenteeism, and all the other corporate BS. Becoming a Digital Nomad was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all plain sailing either.

Whilst working remotely I’ve witnessed firsthand many Digital Nomads who have become burnt out, miserable, and lonely. And they all share these 6 traits. Avoid these to live a happy, successful, sustainable life on the road.

1. They’re suckers for FOMO

The most exciting part of the Digital Nomad lifestyle is constantly having new places to discover and people to meet.

But precisely because of this, the level of FOMO can become unbearable.

Every 5 minutes my phone pings with a message from one of the many Digital Nomad WhatsApp groups I’m in. Maybe today someone’s arranging a boat trip to an island I haven’t visited yet or a group hike up into the mountains. Or maybe it’s just a beautiful day and the last thing I want to do is spend the day inside working.

Successfully managing the Digital Nomad lifestyle means creating the right balance.

There’s no point in traveling somewhere incredible and then locking yourself inside for a month. But if you’re going to make the Digital Nomad lifestyle work long-term you’ll need to make some tradeoffs and sacrifices. You can’t say yes to everything, whilst still maintaining your work commitments.

So learn to live with FOMO.

2. Their work ethic is on vacation

Most Digital Nomads typically don’t have fixed working hours or a boss breathing down their neck checking their clock-in and clock-out times.

Which means if you’re going to successfully work as a Digital Nomad you’re going to need to bring a solid work ethic on the road with you.