012: Staying Productive While Traveling

Hey friends,

With all this bouncing around between countries I thought it would be a great chance to talk about finding that balance between travel and productivity. I'm not going to lie, traveling every few weeks or monthly is tricky. And in all honestly I do think that in order to get your best work done it's better to be in 1 place longer term. But I also believe that during the year there are different seasons - sometimes you can be in deep work mode and other times you might be prioritising your health, family & relationships etc.

But all this doesn't mean you can help yourself while on the road in order to make the most of your current work & travelling set-up.

So here are my most important tips to make sure you can be as productive as possible while travelling.

1. The Room - Your Personal HavenYour accommodation is more than just a place to sleep; it's your space of solitude. Whether it's a rented apartment or a boutique hotel room, make sure it resonates with your vibe. I've learned that it's best to have at least a table & chair there so you it can be a base for you. This is your primary space.

2. Coworking Spaces - A Love/Hate RelationshipOver the years, I've used these less and less (I can't really sit in one space for a whole day working). But some of my best Digital Nomad memories happened right in those coworking spaces. Including meeting my girlfriend! Coworking spaces can be the perfect 2nd space. It's a play to work, socialise and they often run events which is great for meeting new people. Aside from that having a 2nd space has been important for me to keep productive due to the people I've met and even just getting out of the house is super helpful.

3. Cafes - The Unsung Heroes of Remote WorkI love working in a good coffee shop. But not all cafes are created equal. A casual vibe, a chill space where you can tuck away, plug sockets, and decent internet - that's my recipe for the perfect work cafe.

4. Environment - The Soul of ProductivityThis might be my biggest learning. Before I'd think. Just give me fast internet and a place to work, and I'll be super productive, right? Wrong. I'm human, not a robot. Great nature, vibrant cities, art galleries, healthy food - these things matter. They're like fuel for my creativity. It's also the main reason why I keep going back to Bali.

5. Creating Home Everywhere - Little Things MatterYou know, small things make a place feel like home. Incense, a speaker for our music, little lamps, my trusty steam deck for gaming with my mates at the weekend, and even guitars stashed away in go-to locations. These might sound trivial. But they create "home" everywhere I land, allowing me to feel settled faster so that I focus more on creating.

6. Activities - The Spice of LifeNever underestimate the power of activities. Things to do outside work keep the mind fresh. Whether it's a gym session, playing football with the locals, or exploring a hidden monkey jungle, activities inject joy into my everyday life.

So that was my little list of productivity tips for travel. I've come to realise that productivity isn't just about work; it's about harmony. Balancing values of travel, creativity, relationships, and personal growth in a way that's uniquely me. And I believe that this is true for most people.

Find what sparks joy, embrace the chaos, and create your own work and travel rhythm. Because at the end of the day, it's not all about being super productive; it's about enjoying the process and doing it your way.

Here are a few things that I've found interesting this week.

1.  Habitica

Over the past 2 years, I created & helped run a guild/community in @habitica . The guild was called Weekly Accountability - Start Designing Life.

It ran weekly challenges where people could kickstart a habit and get accountability and support from other people. I started it to scratch my own itch. It was during covid lockdown and I was trying to stay on top of my own habits and to kick-start new ones. I found Habitica and liked that it gamified the whole experience! I took it a step further and decided that I'd like the idea of shared accountability. So that's how  the guild was born!

Over the past 2 years, we ran weekly challenges with rewards (in-game currency) to a random weekly winner. It was super cool to watch this little community grow and that it actually helped people in started or maintain habits. This could be anything from walking X steps each day, studying, and daily water drinking.

It really didn't matter. What was most important was that you did your best to turn up each day. Unfortunately today Habitica shut down all their guilds. Opinions aside. It's sad that these spaces don't exist. So instead I set up a Discord server. I actually set it up last year as I knew there could always be platform risks! Over the past 24hrs, the channel has grown 100+ people.

I'm still going to try and run these weekly accountability challenges and keep the community spirit alive. This is more of a side passion project than anything as I do love the idea of Lifestyle Design.

Here's the Discord channel: https://discord.gg/JcAEaQhJ But this is actually not to share to grow it

Just sharing a random little thing I've been doing in the background for a few years. But if you'd like some accountability - feel free to join and hang out.

2.  How I manage $25,000+ of Amazon Ads

Last week I got around to writing my first article for Mastering Modern Entrepreneurship on this site.

What originally started out as a tweet I decided to expand it a bit more to share exactly what I do behind the scenes.

It's a short article which might only be relevant to a handful of readers but I'd say that it mostly proves a point (for myself more than anything). That some tasks actually sound bigger or more complicated than they actually are. The more I work online the more I realise that most things are actually just small little simple tasks in the end - but maybe this can be a topic for another newsletter.

Will end with my own little quote at the end of this article.

But that's it for now I'll chat with you next week :)

Matt

xx

P.S there's been a little bit more imagery in this week's update be interested to hear if you like having a bit more visuals with your newsletter or keeping it entirely text based.