Digital Nomadism?
It’s pretty much the dream, right? Being digital nomads, traveling anywhere you want, free from the shackles of a soul-crushing 9-to-5.
Nowadays, it’s just so much more accessible to work from a laptop and actually become a digital nomad.
It used to be that the digital nomad lifestyle just felt like something that was just so far from the reaches of anyone who was considered “normal.”
So where do you start, right? What’s the first step in getting your first-class ticket to the digital nomad lifestyle?
I can only go off of my own experience, but I’ll get into a couple things I learned trying to make it in the world of digital nomadism and content creation.
How Do I Choose What Content to Create?
When it comes to thinking about what type of content you want to create, the best approach is to start with something you already enjoy.
Many up-and-coming digital nomads tend to gravitate towards making content centered around travel.
Which makes a lot of sense, and (obviously) I’m no different.
However, for me, solo travel is something that’s strongly connected to many of my personal life experiences.
So even though travel is considered a very saturated niche to create content in, I create content in the travel niche because it’s something that’s a bit more personal while also being something I enjoy writing about.
Now for others who don’t have such a strong connection to travel as myself, it might be better to create content within another niche.
Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that future digital nomads shouldn’t make travel content. It’s just that creating content within a subject that you’re already invested in is going to be much easier.
I know that sounds like something everyone should know, but when beginners usually think about being digital nomads, they usually think about creating travel content.
Not really considering the fact that you can still be a digital nomad while creating content within another niche.
Creating Content For Two Different Niches
Another option, if you’re dead set on creating travel content, is to create content for travel while also creating content for another subject.
The only problem you would run into as a beginner is managing content creation for two different niches.
As someone who’s still “fresh” to the whole idea of content creation, this might be a bit much to handle, but it’s definitely possible if you think you’re up for the challenge.
There’s no harm in giving it a shot, and if your successful at it, then you would basically have two different platforms from which you can benefit.
Combining Niches to Create Something Unique
If taking on two different niches seems like something a little too much for you to manage, you can also try combining two different niches to create something more unique.
Doing this would make your content stand out more and possibly make it more successful compared to creating content with only one subject in mind.
The only downside to this approach is that you may end up creating content that’s labeled as too niche.
Which might actually work against you, as there might not be many people interested in something that may be seen as a little too “out there.”
Although you’ll never know until you try, being a juggling digital nomad may be that golden idea that launches you into wealth and fame.
Plan Ahead and Keep a Steady Pace
One of the first things I did when I first started creating content was have these short bursts of motivation where I was completely focused on working on my site and then these long periods of doing nothing for my site at all.
I had a really hard time keeping a consistent pace. If you google tips on how to start blogging, everyone always recommends that you at least post once a week as a beginner.
Easy right? I thought to myself, “That’s it? Anyone can do that; I can probably do two or three posts a week!”
Well, I soon found out that it just wasn’t as easy as it seems (at least for me anyway).
Unless you have actual experience in writing for work and aren’t a complete beginner, it would most likely take some practice before you get used to putting out content on a regular basis.
Especially if you have a normal job or other responsibilities like taking care of family or have other hobbies that you’re passionate about.
So How Do You Create Consistent Content?
The way I fixed this was through planning ahead and writing a number of posts before publishing them on my blog.
Most beginners tend to create content and decide to put it out immediately after the fact. There’s nothing wrong with being excited about your creation and wanting to show it off to the world.
However, if you want to hit your goal of putting out content regularly as a complete beginner, you’ll have to create the illusion that you consistently put out content on a regular basis.
I recommend creating your content in “batches.” Create something like ten pieces of content, then put them out one by one (or more) on a weekly basis.
So if you decide to create ten pieces of content and release one every week, that gives you ten weeks to create another “batch” of content.
This gives the illusion that you’re doling out consistent content on a normal basis.
As a beginner, using this strategy will give you time to learn and practice your craft while also getting into the habit of putting out content at a faster rate.
Whether that be writing blog posts or creating other types of content, using this strategy is highly recommended, as this will give you a much-needed head start as a complete beginner.
Stay Focused and Don’t Procrastinate
When creating content, whether that be for a blog or some other project, it’s all about being disciplined and not getting distracted.
When I started my first site, I kept getting distracted by other things going on in my personal life.
I had no problems when it came to ideas and topics to write about, but I kept putting it off, telling myself that since I already had the idea, it would be easy to write about it later.
If you have this same problem, you need to find a way to kick the habit. No one is going to hold a gun to your head and force you to create content or die.
It’s hard to give advice on something like discipline; there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to a problem that varies from person to person.
Trying to fix this problem requires a different solution for different people. Especially if your dealing with it on your own.
I don’t have any motivational stories about how I overcame my issues with procrastination.
I just got tired of how my life was going and realized that if I really wanted to reach my goals, I needed to really put an effort into getting things done, or else I’d never reach the heights of digital nomadism.
It gets to the point where you really just have to ask yourself, “How badly do you want to be a digital nomad?” “How badly do you want to create content?”
I honestly think these questions are some of the most important, if not the MOST important, factors in determining if someone will be successful at creating content as a digital nomad.
If you have any doubt in your mind about creating content, it might be better to find other ways to become a digital nomad.
Think About The Future
Many travelers want to create content to pay for their travel expenses, not thinking if they actually want to create content at all.
Which is understandable, but you have to think about whether or not you actually like creating content, or is content creation really just a means to an end?
The reason I ask this is because, depending on your answer to that question, you’ll be able to know whether or not creating content is something that you’ll be able to do or not.
Will you be able to do it for an extended period of time? (I’m talking years into the future) or is it something that you would eventually just give up on?
Of course, you won’t know what you like doing until trying it out yourself, but if your sole motivation is to make money to fund your travels, you’ll burn out before ever making any real progress towards your goals.
More Accessible, But Not Easy
If you made it this far into the post without giving up, then I hate to say it, but creating content as a digital nomad doesn’t get any easier.
It’s definitely more accessible to become a digital nomad nowadays due to the number of jobs in the tech industry, not to mention all the opportunities that the internet provides.
The only caveat to this is the fact that it isn’t easy to create original content.
People usually suffer from either not having enough of that creative “flare” that feeds that inherent desire to see their ideas or vision come to life.
Or they just don’t have the drive or motivation to keep going without giving up.
That being said, I honestly believe that motivation and discipline tend to be more important than being considered highly creative (as far as sustaining the success of your project goes anyway).
Not saying it isn’t important at all; you do at least have to like the process of thinking of ideas and actually working to make those ideas come to life.
You do have to be the type of person who finds some satisfaction in the creative process.
There are alternative ways to create content, but they usually involve spending large amounts of money. (Not to mention it would make things a lot more complicated.)
Where most people fail at is the motivation, the drive, the discipline, etc.—that sort of feeling that you just don’t want to give up until you see results.
Having these types of characteristics will take you far in not only content creation but in many things that life throws at you, including your goals in becoming a digital nomad.
Finding Inspiration
When thinking about ideas and topics to write about, I used to think that every idea I came up with had to be a completely original idea that no one had thought about before.
I used to think that if I wrote about something similar to what someone else wrote, I would be copying their work, and that basically turned me off from wanting to write about that specific topic.
As you can imagine, being this picky about what topics to write about severely handicapped my ability to put out content in a timely manner.
Is Originality Dead?
Many people out there will say that nothing is original anymore and that every idea has been used and thought about already.
Basically accepting the belief that originality is completely dead, but I don’t believe that at all.
I don’t think originality is dead; it’s definitely much harder to come across, but completely dead? I don’t believe that at all.
We could both decide to create the same exact type of content, but because we’re different people, the result will come out differently.
Even if it’s slight, if you’re being your authentic self when creating content, your personality and style will reflect in whatever content you decide to create.
So if you’re worried about creating something that isn’t original, that might mean you’re either unconfident about yourself or you aren’t completely being your authentic self when creating your content.
More on Traveling Solo as a Digital Nomad Creating Content
I really believe the points above are where solo travelers aspiring to be digital nomads should start when it comes to content creation.
I left out many of the technical requirements for creating content, like starting websites, YouTube, website hosting, domain names, and a lot more.
This post was more for people looking into content creation as a digital nomad and what they should consider before even getting started.
Whether you choose to make videos, write blogs, or use any of the other creative outlets to make digital content, it’s always good to seek advice, think about what you’re really getting into, and plan accordingly.
Looking for more advice on solo travel? Visit the blog at Traks&Paks.com.
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