My Tips from working wherever and whenever I want since 2007 will help you balance work and play as a digital nomad.

Work hard and play harder. As a digital nomad for over eight years now I admit that I sometimes struggle to balance my work and hobbies. It’s a difficult balance especially because my major interest is travel: a time consuming, physically and mentally draining, but overall immensely rewarding hobby.

I consistently built, developed, and even sold businesses since high school from different countries in South America, Europe, and Asia. But more recently and specifically, I have been operating an online publishing business while having lived and traveled in more than ten different countries in 2015 alone. Whether in modern cities in Asia or exotic small towns in Colombia, the temptation to slack off is always present. Why not instead pursue of the highlights of each country’s culinary scene, nightlife, outdoor adventures, and culture instead. These temptations can overwhelm even the most experienced digital nomads or corporate business travelers.

That’s why through years of experience, I have developed several ‘Workation hacks’ that has helped me create an effective system to keep both work and play in sync.

What exactly is a ‘Workation’?

The Pullman Global Nomad Campaign inspired a new Workation Campaign to highlight the concept of Work + Vacation = Workation! The Pullman Workation Campaign explains it perfectly through this video that represents the brand essence behind the Pullman Hotels. It amounts to the perfect blend of business and leisure accommodation.

How exactly do you pull off a perfect Workation?

These are my three personal Workation hacks that I swear by.

Set Your Alarm in Every Way Possible. Sticking to a schedule is infinitely crucial to sustain your work-play balance (i.e. Workation). Treat every work day with as much importance as you would in a corporate setting. I make sure that I wake up on time by setting three alarms via my alarm clock for an early start, another through my cell phone, and also one hour later. The extra hour is for those days (mostly fun nights out to be honest) that-) I need a get-off-your-ass wake-up call from the hotel or a friend. This helps me start my morning with a purpose and is my key to getting things done throughout the day. This is crucial so I can work hard, efficient, and fast enough to enjoy the mid-afternoon cerveza by the pool.

Do Activities That Are Both Fun and Inspiring. Hitting two birds with one stone is the name of the game when it comes to enjoying the location independent lifestyle. I am mindful when planning activities during my stay. Going hiking with a group of new friends? Get to know your fellow travelers without being too aggressive. Listen to what they do and take note of how you can work with them in the future. Exchange contacts whenever possible. Going on a cultural adventure? Write or record by audio your experience in a journal for a future blog post or just to implement the observations you made into your everyday work life. Take pictures for work and for memories. Embrace each moment as a creativity process. Every experience can help you grow both as a person and as a professional.

Be battery savvy. Make it a habit to go on battery saving or airplane mode when not working and out having fun. Enjoy that D.J. Tiesto concert. Admire that waterfall hugging the border of Brazil and Argentina. Sip on that icy cold beer at the rooftop bar overlooking Manila. Your phone apps do not have to send you loud or buzzing notifications the entire time. Getting yourself some tech downtime not only lets you savor the moment, but also saves you battery life. If you are working with a team, let them know that you will be out for X amount of time and when you will be back to answer any calls or messages. This is a habit that has helped me many times in the past. When everyone else’s batteries are dead and gone, I still have mine to enjoy on the ride back to the hotel.

Pullman Hotel’s Workation Campaign encourages everyone to find their perfect balance between work and leisure sourcing the advice from the experts (you and I). Even if that means playing some putt-putt by your laptop at the office. Pullman’s creative little suggestion is just that – making work fun through little hacks like a mini golf pop up.

You can see my during a short break below attempting a hole-in-one.

Pullman’s Workation contest allows everyone to both share and vote for their favorite workation hack, and I hope that you can vote for mine! It’s actually a fourth tip that I have not shared on Aspiring Gentleman. Click here find out how to be productive anywhere and vote for me!

Want to see more Workation hacks and up to date info on the Pullman Hotel Workation Campaign? Check out #PullmanWorkation on the following channels: