One of my themes throughout these Digital Nomad discussions has been that the rules are not drastically different just because we work from home and coffee shops, and not a cubicle. That does not change with this subject. That said, there are certainly specific actions that I take to help me stay focused on work when I’m sitting in my home office with the windows open and it’s 72 degrees outside.

I have found that I need a morning routine that is very similar to what I would do if I went into the office. I know digital nomads that work half a day before they shower and shave. I can’t do that. I get up at a set time, shower, have breakfast, brew a cup of tea, and then head upstairs to my home office. Likewise, I can not drink during the workday. I know some people that do and I don’t know how they do it. The last thing I want to think about after the proverbial two martini lunch is work! Also, I have found that I can not work from the deck or front porch. When home, staying in the home office helps foster a productive focus on work. It all comes back to personal discipline.

As a digital nomad in a sales position, I am subjected to all the usual measurements of sales productivity that apply regardless of what you sell or where you sell it. Revenue quotas and activity quotas certainly help to keep me productive. This really should not change based on your office situation. In sales, your job is to sell, and if you are doing that it really should not matter if you do it from a cubicle or the bridge of your boat! The digital nomad lifestyle actually helps me be more productive. Not spending 2-3 hours commuting makes it easier for me to be flexible to my client’s scheduling needs. I have clients nationwide and a 7 PM EST software demo with a prospect on the West Coast is much easier after I’ve had dinner with my family, as opposed to coming at the end of an exceptionally long day with the drive home still to come.

Our sales team is comprised of 5 people, of which only two regularly works from the corporate office. (Both of them are free to work from home as needed too). I have found that staying connected to what is going on with my fellow sales executives helps foster my productivity. Within our team, we blind copy each other on virtually every email that we send. This usually exceeds over 100 per day. I filter them to a folder and skim the subject lines when I have a spare minute while on hold or during a particularly boring conference call. Seeing what my coworkers are working on, what deals they are winning or losing, what objections they are hearing, and just seeing the general flow of their work helps keep me in the loop and motivated. In a way, the blind carbon copies are a surprisingly effective substitute for the water cooler chatter that might happen in the office. I’m in tune with what the rest of the sales team is doing without wasting a lot of time in the process.

In summary, staying productive as a digital nomad really isn’t any different than it is for my office bound coworkers.

• Know what is expected of you and act accordingly. Of course, this does require clear communication of those expectations.

• Stay connected and in the loop to what is going on in the company.

• Act like a professional, even if you are wearing a bathrobe while you are on a conference call.