4 basic principles of the digital nomad

“If you constantly check how many times a person touches their keyboard, you will eventually be replaced by control algorithms” (Koen Blanquart, author and digital nomad).

Working from home is back. It never completely disappeared. For digital nomads—who work all over the world—working independently from a fixed location is a daily occurrence. “When I was in Mexico, I would go scuba diving in the morning and be up and running with my team in New York by late morning.”

“Please don’t ask me where I live,” reads the first chapter of the book by Koen Blanquart, a management consultant and entrepreneur. He is often on the road, with New York as his home base. In his book, he explains how you, as an employer and employee, can make a difference in your workplace, especially in terms of people and processes.

1. Mindset: Transnational

Koen Blanquart also mentions the transnational company, namely an organization that can operate across borders. "A company that can operate independently of time and a fixed workplace is flexible enough to operate in a global world," he believes.

"Such an organization can be implemented in New York, Belgium or Kazakhstan without practically changing its structure or way of working. He takes the example of the Belgian start-up Datacamp, which has already provided technology courses to more than six million professionals around the world.

2. Trust: No micromanagement

Koen Blanquart says that as a consultant, he was fortunate to meet clients who embraced his way of working. “They agreed that I could play a strategic role in their organization, even if I wasn’t in the office every day or every week. They are visionary business leaders who allowed me to work remotely.”

Trust and goals are paramount. “Micromanagement is a thing of the past. If you constantly monitor how many times a person touches their keyboard, you will eventually be replaced by control algorithms. Such measurement methods are detrimental to knowledge workers. Imagine if software developers were paid per line of code instead of per goal achieved…”

3. Time management: asynchronous

During the coronavirus, another way of working has taken off: asynchronous working, meaning that you no longer have to be limited by your working days in the office. To compare with cultural professions: a symphony orchestra works synchronously. For example, a violinist cannot decide to work from home on a concert evening.

In contrast, the film editor, who gathers the contributions of others, can work perfectly asynchronously and - whenever he wants. "The manager of the future is more of a contact person or a diplomat who supervises partially autonomous workers.

4. Balance: Stop in time

Routines help employees work independently of a fixed location. “Plan your day, do the most important tasks first, and consciously take breaks, ” he recommends. After all, in a transnational environment, you will always find someone working.

“My phone doesn’t sleep next to me. As soon as you close the door to your office, or whatever space you use as your workplace, your workday is over. People who work remotely and manage to separate work and private life will therefore be happier and more productive.