9 Helpful Books For Digital Nomads

Digital nomad (n): a person who earns a living working online in various locations of their choosing (rather than a fixed business location).

With the rise of globalisation and opportunities to work virtually, virtual jobs are on the rise. Being a digital nomad comes with a lot of benefits, like the ability to work wherever you want, independence and – hopefully – fewer meetings!

But we understand that being a digital nomad can be challenging as well: constantly being on the lookout for new clients, work overload, an unpredictable demand in job markets, and uncertainties with paychecks.

In other words, even though the opportunity to work virtually is attractive, people should know how to manage it to avoid the stress that comes with it. To ease the life of our potential virtual teachers and digital nomads, we came up with a list of books for digital nomads to help you get started.

Read more: 7 Challenges To Becoming A Digital Nomad

But before we begin, do you know what is one of the easiest ways to become a digital nomad?

Teaching English online!

All you need is a TEFL qualification and you can teach students all over the world from anywhere in the world.

This is why more and more of The TEFL Academy graduates are now digital nomads! Sign up for one of our TEFL courses and it could be you too!

Anyway, back to business…

9 Helpful books for digital nomads:

The Wealthy Freelancer by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia

Being a digital nomad often means being a freelancer.

Managing your finances aa a freelancer is tough, especially when you’re not sure of the size of your paycheck each month.

Moreover, living the life you want comes with costs. There is an unlimited amount of stuff you can spend money on and just one limited paycheck.

To live your best life and at the same time be able to save up and pay your bills, you need to know your worth as a freelancer.

The Wealthy Freelancer shows you, using real-world examples, how you can get the clients, income and lifestyle you want as a freelancer.

The One-page Financial Plan: a Simple Way to Be Smart about Money by Carl Richards

Making money is one thing, but what then?

In this book, Carl Richards, a Certified Financial Planner, explains what to do next and what your options are if you do not want to just save.

Right from the start, Richards challenges his readers with a question of WHY they need money.

With his simple sketches, he leads them through all the steps of budgeting money, from managing debts to investing.

There are no scary and difficult words about the financial stability of the market, nor is there a requirement to use Richard’s advice from this book. Just two things you need to do: read it and apply it.

Mindfulness for Stress Management by Dr. Robert Schachter

We don’t know about you,  but even talking about money and investments stresses us out!

Becoming a digital nomad comes with a lot of responsibilities, accompanied by stress and exhaustion.

Often people feel the need to work 24 hours a day to bring stability into their lives. While stability is great and all, this can very easily lead to exhaustion and burnout.

Sometimes we just need to stop.

That is exactly what Dr Robert Schachter’s book, Mindfulness for Stress Management, offers. His book is filled with many science-backed techniques for managing stress. He differentiates the sources of stress and tackles them individually, giving a diverse guidebook to making sense of chaos in our souls and hearts.

Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson

Managing stress is important, but you cannot get better if you don’t sleep.

With the rise of the sleepless mindset, where adults believe catching up on their work is worth getting only four hours of sleep, we want to underline the importance of adequate sleep.

Sleep is not just about lying in bed for eight hours.

It stabilises your hormones and lets your body process information, rest, build strength, and mprove the neural system. That is why it is so crucial to get your needed hours of sleep.

Shawn Stevenson understands the importance of sleep.

In his book,  Sleep Smarter, he talks about how sleeping changed his body and health. He suggests his readers experiment and see for themselves what a difference a good night’s sleep will bring to their lives.

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Being a digital nomad can bring with it its fair share of distractions.

This book shows us four principles we can use to hone in our focus and immerse ourselves in our work.

By harnessing these skills, you can make the most of your work-time and have more time to spend on travelling the world guilt-free!

 

Ten Years A Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home by Matt Kepnes

You may have heard of Matt Kepnes, or Nomadic Matt as he is also known.

Matt spent ten years as a nomad travelling the world. In this book he shares his philosophies and insights into wanderlust and what travel can teach us about ourselves.

Along with his other bestseller How To Travel The World On $50 A Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter, this book is a must-read for those hesitant about taking the leap to becoming a digital nomad.

The Lost Art of Doing Nothing: How the Dutch Unwind with Niksen by Maartje Willems illustrated by Lona Aalders

Stop!

Breathe in and out!

Now let’s move on.

The Lost Art of Doing Nothing is a simple but revolutionary concept.

With beautiful illustrations and a sense of humour, Lona Aalders cuts through the belief of the need for constant productivity and encourages us to stop just for a little bit.

Her book is a breath of fresh air in the crowd of self-improvement and high-productivity books. If not for the message, you should read her book just for illustrations, which already offer calmness and peace for your frazzled mind.

The Kama Sutra of Public Speaking: 10 chapters on how to give and receive maximum pleasure from a public performance by Radislav Gandapas

The Kama Sutra of what?!

Yes, you heard right – of public speaking!

As an English teacher especially, you cannot run away from being the centre of attention. Always in front of the class, always trying to capture the attention of students to share your knowledge with them.

The Karma Sutra of Public Speaking is a book that explains how to become more successful at grabbing the attention of people, how to translate joy through your words and how to become a better communicator.

Radislav Gandapas shares his knowledge on how to be more confident, interesting,  and intriguing as a public speaker. Believing that everybody should know how to effectively communicate in front of a crowd, he educates you on how to juggle with the attention of people.

With his book, you can make sure that even the most disagreeable and disengaged student/parent/client will listen to you.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

We could not talk about improving your life and not mention Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

You cannot take a handle on your life if everything around you is a mess.

Kondo’s approach not only makes sure that you clean up a messy environment but at the same time her philosophical technique works on ordering the values in your life.

And a bonus book for you:

A Beginner’s Guide To TEFL

[Okay so it’s not really a book but more of a digital resource!]

Here at The TEFL Academy we are  firm supporters of becoming TEFL-qualified for the purpose of teaching English online or abroad. Check out our Beginner’s Guide To TEFL to find the answers to any questions you may have about teaching English as a foreign language.

Happy reading!

Read more: The Digital Nomad Visa: A Ticket to Your Best Life