Interview with Marian, a nomadic social media manager and day trader

I started my remote lifestyle four and a half years ago, and it was by chance. I was looking for a job opportunity, and I found out about stock trading.

I invested $50 on stock trading, and I had a mentor that worked with me every time I traded.

I enjoyed, and loved the idea of working and making money at home.

I was a day-trader for over five years. I still sometimes trade, but nowadays, I am focusing on building my own digital marketing skills.

On June 2019, I discovered the idea of the digital nomad, and I joined a Facebook group for entrepreneurs. Within the group, they focus on hiring each other to help further their businesses.

I discovered that I can help other business owners manage their time, as well as schedule and manage their social media business accounts as a virtual assistant.

My first client was an American entrepreneur, and I learned a lot through the experience, like working with Google Sheets and Docs.

Right now, I am building my marketing skills, and I work for a few clients. I also work as a Day trader on binary, which allows me to work from anywhere.

I don’t use any paid tools; I use popular ones, like Google Calendar, and Google Drive, which includes the sheet and document features. They are very useful, and I recommend it for new digital nomads/remote workers.

I have two remote jobs, and I use these tools in different ways for each job. Like my trading job, I use my Google Calendar to remind me of the market hours that I like to trade, and I use Google Sheets for my weekly money management. I also use this tool for my daily to-do-list.

And for my social media management job, I use other tools. I use Google Docs to make weekly plans for the clients and to make sure I know what I am going to do.

Google Calendar also reminds me of when I have to schedule social media postings, make phone calls, and send emails.

I really don’t know what my life would be without the right tools.

I advise new nomads to search out the best free tools.

So far, I am enjoying my time in Addis Ababa, but I love the vibes in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

It felt good to know that I could make money without going to the office every day.

I am my own boss, especially when I work as a trader. Working from anywhere is a great thing.

I am answering these questions while I am trading and staying at a beautiful hotel in Addis Ababa.

That’s why I decided to be a digital nomad, I can work from any place with good Wi-Fi.

Currently, I am in Addis Ababa, and I am willing to stay for a long time, maybe until the end of this summer.

It helps when a space has the right vibes and gives off good energy. This reason is why I always look for a solid workspace when I arrive in a new city/county. But to be honest, I am not always in a productive mood every day.

Some days, I just want to finish the work and close some deals and go back to bed.

I love it to share my routine, I normally wake up very early, between 5:00 am, and 5:45 am.

Before I get out of my bed, I like to meditate and visualize for ten minutes. I then do my morning stretch and cardio workout at home.

After these activities, I head to the bathroom, drink coffee, have breakfast, and then I start to schedule my time. I write my to-do list, look at the news for trading information, read, analyze the market, and look for my daily opportunity.

At 8:30 am to 9:00 am, I start my work outside or head to my indoor workspace. From there, I start my social media work and keep at it until lunchtime.

Once I finish my work after lunch, I like to go out and discover the city I am in, or head to the gym.

In the evening, I start trading until 1:00 am.

My trading job comes second, as I like to work with my VA clients first.

Once I finish my social media management tasks, I start my trading job.

But before all that, my number one priority is my health, especially my mental health.

If I don’t feel good some days, I don’t like to push myself to work, because the work will not be perfect.

So my health is top of everything.

I try to eat healthily, drink more water, and balance my sleep.

One day, when I was having a tough time, my twin sister told me:

"Believing in yourself is the key to get what you want."

Be positive, and apply for every job you feel that you can do. Tell yourself that you can be a remote worker even if you haven't done it yet. Be friendly, know your skills, and be proud of what you can do.

I want to go to places like Cuba to learn about their culture and learn how to salsa. Then, I want to create a travel blog that explores and discusses cultural things like this.

I also want to go to every country in Africa and talk about their hundreds of types of dances, and share my experience with the world on the blog.

I can get tired while I travel, and this can keep me working late. So, I need to take days to feel well enough to start working.

I get to decide when and where I want to travel while also deciding how long I will stay. It's the best.