In today’s episode, Lindsay interviews author and digital nomad, Kayla Ihrig.
Kayla works from all over the world.
She shares three tips to maintain trust with colleagues and clients when we work outside the office.
Listen in now for these amazing tips!
Kayla Ihrig, digital nomad
Kayla Ihrig bought a one-way ticket out of the U.S. in 2017 and has spent most of her time abroad ever since.
She is a writer for Hubspot and GoDaddy.
The online business she built supports she and her partner as they drift around the world.
She authored the book “How To Be A Digital Nomad” that is now available for everyone to read and enjoy.
Why did Kayla leave the U.S.?
Kayla is originally from Pennsylvania.
She decided to become a digital nomad because she wanted to experience living in new places.
Additionally, she was enticed with the lifestyle of freelancers traveling and working remotely.
With her corporate job, she was worried she would be trapped in a 9 – 5 job.
She took a leap of faith and traveled to another country and worked remotely.
Rise in working remotely
Before the pandemic, work-from-home positions were rare.
It is now much more common, and individuals are able to work remotely while traveling the world.
However, there are still challenges that must be overcome.
Trust is vital and additional effort is required to ensure productivity doesn’t get questioned due to proximity bias.
Risks of being a digital nomad
Nomads don’t stay long in one place.
Digital nomads work remotely while traveling from place to place.
Kayla shares that there is a natural tendency for coworkers to feel that digital nomads are always on vacation.
Therefore, it is important to stay organized and communicate clearly.
It’s essential to keep commitments and be reliable when moving from place to place.
She prefers working in an Airbnb rather than the typical cafes or co-working spaces.
This way, she has more control over the space and WiFi connection, and deals with less distractions.
Tips to maintain trust
This lifestyle is not new and digital nomads have exited for decades.
Kayla shares tips to ensure you don’t break trust with your colleagues and clients if you want to try out this type of remote work.
#1: Impeccable communication
You need to lay a foundation of excellent communication from the start.
One example is to respond to emails as soon as possible.
This way, your colleagues won’t feel that you are out of touch or slacking off.
To do this, form a habit of checking your communication channels often.
It is important to give feedback or a notification that you’ve received a messages and you’re actioning it.
This helps make up for the fact that you are physically away from your team.
#2: Work proactively
With this type of work setup, there will inevitably be technological issues.
You need to plan ahead and make sure you have a plan B for whatever mishap may happen.
If you’re a digital nomad, you have to be ahead of your schedule or else you’ll miss deadlines when something goes wrong.
Traveling exposes you to a dynamic environment so you may face internet issues or you may get sick before a deadline.
Kayla recommends maintaining productivity by being proactive and planning ahead.
#3: Don’t postpone small tasks
Whenever you’re moving around, it’s especially important to avoid procrastination.
If there are tasks you can get done in less than 25 minutes and you have the time, do them immediately.
It’s easy for tasks to fall through the cracks if you let them pile up.
Kayla plans out her week and shifts her time around.
She completes work tasks as soon as she can so they don’t pile up and disrupt personal plans.
The life of a digital nomad is very enticing.
and if this is something you are interested in doing, do it.
Kayla has built a life that she enjoys and makes a living that gives her the flexibility to enjoy the digital nomad life.
Communication and being honest with who you are, how you live and how you work will definitely help in ensuring you keep the trust with your colleagues and clients.
This will help you thrive in the career you enjoy and be happy in the life you want to live.
Just try it and see what happens.
Takeaway
Kayla encourages everyone who is interested to try being a digital nomad.
It could be the best adventure you’ve ever had.
Today’s tips can ensure you are successful and a valued part of your team.
You can check out more resources from Kayla Ihrig through her website www.writingfromnowhere.com.
You can also grab a copy of her book “How to Be a Digital Nomad: Build a Successful Career While Travelling the World.”
Are you currently working remotely?
Share with us your digital nomad stories in the comments below.
Kayla’s bio
Kayla Ihrig bought a one-way ticket out of the U.S. in 2017 and has spent most of her time abroad ever since. As a writer for publications like HubSpot and GoDaddy, she built an online business that now supports both her and her husband as they drift around the world. Her book “How To Be A Digital Nomad” is now available.
