5 Remote Work Essentials For Digital Nomads

Who doesn’t love to travel and work at the same time? You can work as a digital nomad if you love to travel and work simultaneously. As a digital nomad, you can carry your work anywhere you go. 

Many people these days like to carry their work while traveling so that they can work while traveling. This minimizes employees’ absence rate, and employees can refresh their minds by visiting new places. 

A digital nomad can work smoothly if the right tools and equipment are carried while traveling. When the right tools and equipment are used, you can improve your performance even if you work from some new location. 

Therefore, carrying your necessary remote work essentials tools and equipment when working as a digital nomad is essential. 

Here, I have mentioned the top five essential remote work tools you must carry if you are working as a digital nomad.

NoteBook

While working, many important ideas come to your mind. And sometimes, when you do note them down, you might forget them. 

Sometimes, there might be a virtual conference and meeting that you need to attend, and when you are having a hectic day, you may forget about your meetings.

Likewise, it is essential to take notes when some critical discussion takes place in the meeting. 

When you are working from your office, there is always a paper and pencil where you can list your ideas, thoughts, and to-do list.

But while working as a digital nomad, you may not instantly get a pen and paper. Therefore it is better to make a separate notebook for work.

Keeping notes helps you remind yourself about important information, ideas, events, and more. It is essential to take notes while working. 

Note-taking helps you keep focused on your work and be attentive at your job. It helps to improve your organization and prioritization skills. 

When you keep a note of an essential to-do list, there are less likely to forget. Sometimes, you may stress when you forget some about your important events, ideas, and tasks.

And due to stress, you may not be able to perform your job smoothly. Therefore, it is better to take notes to enhance work performance.

You should make a separate notebook for taking notes of your workplace. When you make a workplace notebook and personal notebook, the same things might get mixed up.

And when you search for some important topic in your workplace notebook, you may not get it quickly. And you will have difficulty understanding the topic in your note.

To make your notes organized and easy to understand, you need to do the following things:

Dos’ for Note Keeping

• Write in the language you feel comfortable with.
• Add small comments in the note to make it more clear.
• Write an acronym for words that enables you to write faster and note more information. 
• Add headings to your notes.
• Review your note to understand them better.

Here are some don’ts that you should not do:

Don’t for Note Keeping. 

• Don’t try to write everything.
• Use a good notebook instead of a computer notepad. 
• Don’t write notes on random pages.
• Don’t panic if you miss any important topic.

Lap Desk/ Laptop Stand

While working as a digital nomad, you may work from anywhere or any new place. And sometimes, you want to keep your laptop at an adjustable height. 

When you work on a laptop continuously, you will likely face back problems, neck problems, eyestrain, and more. We can see many employees who work continuously on the computer are facing posture problems. 

For example, when you keep your laptop at your work desk, you need to bend to a certain degree. When you bend every day, there is more possibility of you facing back and neck problems. 

The laptop Desk comes in different designs, some can be of adjustable heights, and some may not be. You can tilt an angel with some laptop stands, but some lack this feature.

While selecting a laptop desk, you need to look at all these features. 

Here are some laptop Desk designs that you can select for yourself:

Wooden Laptop Desk

It is suitable when working on a hotel bed, couch or beach as it works as a tray. Some wooden laptop desk has an adjustable height, while some may not have an adjustable height. 

It has a good finishing and most importantly it is eco-friendly. Some wood laptop stands have foldable legs, while some laptop desks are challenging to make changes. 

One of the Wooden Laptop Desk advantages is it can be used for multi-purpose activities like using a laptop, reading, and writing. 

However, some wooden laptop desks can not be foldable and are a bit heavy, while it can be difficult for you to carry around.

Pros:

• It can be used on both the bed and couch.
• It can be used for multiple purposes.
• Has adjustable height.

Cons:

• Heavyweight
• Rigid to adjust.
• It might not be travel-friendly. 

Slanted Laptop Desk

This laptop desk is slightly slanted, and you can easily move around. You can carry it anywhere you are traveling.

It is a cost-friendly laptop desk and can be used for any laptop. It is easy to set up, and it requires a small space. 

Slanted Laptop desks are readily available in the market. You can also get it on Amazon. However, its height is not adjustable, but you can keep it on some books or tables to adjust the size. 

Pros:

• Requires small space
• Cost-Friendly
• It can be used with any laptop.
• Travel friendly.

Cons:

• Lacks adjustable height
• The angle cannot be adjusted.

Foldable Laptop Stand

Finally, the best option is a foldable laptop stand, with many more features than the former two. You can easily adjust the height, tilt the angle, and use it by standing or sitting on a work chair. 

It is available in different sizes and shapes. Some foldable laptop stands also come with fans that cool down the laptop. 

However, setting up a foldable laptop stand may take some time. If you do not set it up correctly, you might face shakiness while using the stand. 

Pros:

• It provides many features.
• Offers different sizes.
• It is travel-friendly.
• It can be used while standing and or at the work desk.

Cons

• It can be tricky to set up.
• It is quite costly.

Some Benefits of Using Laptop Desk:

• Maintains employees position
• Comfortable in typing
• Prevent laptop overheating
• A better way to organize your cable
• Easy to move
• Provide adjustable viewing angle

Portable Second Monitor

Another must-have work essential that a remote employee need is a second monitor. Suppose you need to run multiple windows while working. With a second monitor, you can work on various projects at once. 

For example: if you are a graphic designer, you may want a bigger screen to work on. And while working as a digital nomad, i.e., working from anywhere, either from some new countries or from your home, you may not have a bigger desktop to work on. Therefore, you will need a second monitor. You can also visit Graphics Maker for innovative software solutions that can optimize your design process, ensuring seamless efficiency no matter where you’re working from.

Instead of purchasing a desktop with a big monitor, which can be costly, you can buy a second monitor. You can use a portable second monitor to carry around anywhere you travel, and it is lightweight. 

You can efficiently work with a second monitor, increase productivity, and enhance your work performance. 

Whether you are working at a hotel desk, cafe, or from the terrace, you can easily carry the monitor around. 

The second monitor comes with a USB cable that you connect and disconnect any time you want. 

Things to consider while purchasing a second monitor:

Resolution

It is essential to have a screen with high resolution; higher resolution provides a quick view. If you are a graphic designer, you would like a monitor with a higher resolution. 

You can use a monitor of resolution 1080p; higher resolution displays more information on the screen at once. 

Size

While purchasing a second monitor, its size is another thing to keep in mind. The size of the screen depends on what job you are using. 

Monitor with a bigger size provides ample space to work on. It can be suitable for editing pictures, videos or working on some data like the stock market.

But if you are using it for general purposes, you can use a small monitor. However, if you use a larger screen, you should use a spacious work desk, which might not be available everywhere you go.

Weight

Another essential factor to keep in mind while purchasing a second monitor is its weight. If you buy a heavyweight monitor, it won’t be easy to carry anywhere you want. 

While purchasing a lightweight laptop, you can carry it anywhere you want. While purchasing a monitor, this is one of the essential factors you should look at. 

Connectivity

The second monitor is connected with a USB cable or HDMI cable. You will need these ports to connect with your second monitor.

Some laptops have HDMI ports, while others have VGA ports, so you should look for connectivity before buying a laptop. Most of the second monitors have HDMI ports, and if your laptop has a VGA port, you need to use an adapter. 

Adjustable height and size 

It is better to buy a second monitor whose size and height can be adjusted. You should be able to increase, decrease, and tilt the screen as per your requirement. You do not need to stretch your neck too much with an adjustable screen. 

Portable Wi-Fi Device

With the advancement of technology, you can carry your internet connection anywhere you want. 

If you travel a lot and have to take your work with you, you need to use portable Wi-Fi. It is small and lightweight, making it easy to carry it anywhere you travel. 

Portable Wi-Fi is a small portable device with any laptop and smartphone. It is a wireless device that uses batteries and is like an internet box. 

When traveling, you do not need to worry about any weak internet connection. You can use the best internet connection and work from any corner of the world. With a portable Wi-Fi device, you can work by connecting to a secured network.

Phone internet connection might not be strong every time. Therefore, to have a strong internet connection, you should use pocket Wi-Fi no matter where you go.

Who uses Portable Wi-Fi?

Portable Wi-Fi is useful for anyone traveling either for work or for personal reasons. 

For example, if you are a remote employee who loves to travel and work simultaneously, you will need portable Wi-Fi to work without any disturbance. 

Likewise, you can use portable Wi-Fi even if you are traveling for your vacation and want to stay connected with your family members to use Portable Wi-Fi.

Therefore, Portable Wi-Fi is suitable for anyone traveling anywhere and for any reason. 

How Portable Wi-Fi works?

Portable Wi-Fi works like a mobile hotspot that converts your mobile internet connection into private Wi-Fi, i.e., 3G, 4G, or 5G.

Wi-Fi can be connected up to 10-15 meters and will not need any wires or cables to connect to the device. 

To use Wi-Fi using Portable Wi-Fi, you will need a SIM card that has an internet connection. It allows you to connect with 10 devices and provides you with a good internet connection. 

How Expensive is Portable Wi-Fi?

Portable Wi-Fi is affordable, but the costs of using it depend on your mobile data. Here are some of the best portable Wi-Fi you can use:

• Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router AT&T: It costs $169.99. 
• Skyroam Solis X WiFi SmartSpot: It costs $119.99.
• MiFi 8000 Mobile Hotspot MiFi: It costs $240.
• 5G MiFi M1000 Hotspot Verizon: It costs $649.99.
• Or 4G LTE Advanced Tri-band Router: It costs $359.99.

Wireless Mouse

Wireless mouse is another essential tool that remote workers should have. Most of us find the mouse more comfortable than using our laptop touchpad while working.

It might not feel easy to handle your mouse cursor using a touchpad when working continuously. 

Sometimes, you might randomly touch your touchpad and move your cursor somewhere else. 

Another drawback of the touchpad is it provides you limited space to move your finger. While working continuously on the touchpad, your hand might get sweaty and moist. 

If you have a cold hand during winter, you cannot work wearing gloves. And while working with a touchpad, your hand might get tired after some time. 

Using the mouse, you can overcome these drawbacks and have great control over the mouse cursor. You will have more area to move your hand and freely move the mouse cursor with a mouse.

While using the mouse, you can move your hand on the mouse and make your work faster. Mousepads offer working flexibility for remote employees to work efficiently. 

The mouse helps to increase your work performance and eliminates accidental touch that happens like in a touchpad. 

Similarly, the mouse makes it easier to scroll, which comes in handy while reading any PDF or editing pictures or videos. 

The mouse comes as a wireless mouse, mechanical or optical mouse. A Wireless mouse is better than a mechanical or optical mouse. 

A Wireless mouse is more versatile than a mechanical mouse and provides more freedom for the mouse’s movement. It gives you more comfort in moving your mouse, and you should not stick in one position while using your mouse. 

Another advantage of using a wireless mouse is it travels friendly as you can take it anywhere.

Tips to Enhance Performance For Digital Nomads 

Digital Nomads have more flexibility in work schedules and help to enhance employees’ performance. Here I have mentioned some tips to improve performance for digital nomads:

Maintain Schedule

Digital Nomads have the flexibility to maintain their work schedule by themself. You can create your work schedule anytime you feel most productive. When you work in your most productive hour, you will perform well. 

When employees set their work schedules, they can easily balance their work life and personal life. While traveling, you can set specific hours as your work hour, and the rest of the time, you can enjoy your traveling. 

When you work from the office, you will have a fixed time working even if you do not want to work. And sometimes they may not be able to give their full efficiency. 

Do One Task At A Time

There are many tasks employees are assigned and provide you a deadline for the assigned tasks. 

When assigned a task, it is better to divide the task into manageable units. Once you divide your tasks, you need to prioritize them and set a deadline for each task.

You need to complete one task first and then move to another task. If you move to another task without completing one task, you might mix up all your ask and not complete tasks on time. 

Take Regular Break

As Digital nomads work, sometimes you may work continuously for a specific hour and then enjoy your travel. And most of the time, you forget to take a break, which can reduce your work performance. 

When you work continuously, you will start to feel monotonous, and your work performance will reduce. 

Therefore, you must take a short break frequently. Breaks will help to refresh your mind and energize you to do better.  

You can also set a Pomodoro timer to remind you to take a break when you have a hectic schedule. 

Set Rules

As a digital nomad, you work from any part of the work. Sometimes, you might work from some cafes, the terrace, or even your hotel room. 

When you work from the cafe, you might get distracted by other customers in talks or cafe music. 

Therefore, while working as a digital nomad, you must work in a peaceful environment. You should work from places with less distraction, and you can perform your work smoothly. 

Know your Work Limitation

While working as a digital, you may work continuously to complete your work faster. And sometimes, you might mix up your work life and personal life. Sometimes you might keep thinking about your work even when not working. 

When employees work continuously, they will have work stress and reduce work pressure. Therefore, when you set work limitations, you will balance your work life and personal life.

Conclusion

Working as a digital nomad is fun, as you can travel and work simultaneously. When you travel and work, you can refresh your mind and improve your work performance.

However, your work performance depends on the tools and equipment while working. Sometimes, while traveling, you may not work smoothly when you have a weak internet connection. 

Likewise, you will need many other equipment and tools while working. While working as a digital nomad, there are some essential tools and equipment that you should carry. 

Thus, these are the top remote work essentials you need to carry while working as a digital nomad. I would love to know your top five remote work essentials that you carry while working as digital nomads.