During my soul-sucking 9-to-5 life, I struggled a lot with the Sunday Scaries.
I’d party nearly every night to escape my mundane reality that by Sunday, I was exhausted, hungover and anxious.
To feel better, I’d order pizza, binge-watch Sex and the City and hide under the covers, fantasising about living on a tropical island.
Fast forward 5-ish years, and I finally got to live out my dream.
Life isn’t as simple as eat, beach, sleep, repeat
Officially my new favourite island, Koh Lanta is located in the southwest of Thailand between the Phi Phi Islands and the mainland.
Some would say it was fate that I found this island, others would say it was purely Google.
Since I started my digital nomad journey 2.5 years ago, I’ve been looking for the ultimate destination that effortlessly blends wellness and productivity.
Because, despite what people back home think, my life isn’t as simple as eat, beach, sleep, repeat.
I’m balancing two separate aspects of my business along with life’s daily challenges while trying to maintain a healthy relationship and social life. And let’s not forget about carving out time for myself and planning my next steps.
The laptop lifestyle can get pretty exhausting.
For that reason, I need to make sure I have a healthy and consistent work-life balance to help me avoid burnout.
Finding my ideal nomad location
I’m all for designing my environment to work for me.
I need to be able to thrive. Not just mentally but physically and emotionally, too. That’s one of the main reasons why I left the UK. Because it failed to motivate and inspire me.
I’ve since been on a mission to find an environment that stimulates me in all aspects of my life — health, fitness, social, work and travel.
I spend a lot of time in Greece, and although it’s where I go to 10x my health, I find my productivity dips while I’m there due to a lack of consistent workspaces.
Bangkok (my unofficial second home) has a bunch of amazing co-working spaces which help me perform at my best. I also have a group of friends in Bangkok, so my social life thrives.
Unfortunately, city life takes a toll on my wellness. I don’t have a regular place to exercise and the food borders on unhealthy.
I came very close to finding my ideal harmony between health and productivity in Bali, but there was still something missing.
Turns out it was the social aspect that comes with being a member of a co-working space. Although B-Work was my favourite place to work in Indonesia, I found it lacked community.
Enter Koh Lanta.
It had everything I needed — beach, sea, fresh air, good food, coconuts, yoga, like-minded people and the best co-work space yet.
I’d officially found my ideal location.
The perks of living on a tropical island
Before I dive into life on Koh Lanta, let’s first take a look at the overall benefits of living on a tropical island.
If you already follow me on Instagram (you can find me here if not), then you’ll know I’m a huge advocate for island life. In a nutshell, it’s my favourite kind of life.
You get to wake up, head over to the beach, feel the sand in between your toes, drink a coconut and inhale all the goodness of sea air.
But of course, these are just the lifestyle perks.
Living on a sunny tropical island can positively impact your mood, health and well-being.
Other benefits include:
- Helps reduce the stress and overwhelm that comes from living in a busy city
- Increases serotonin and vitamin D levels
- Helps maintain good physical and mental health
- Promotes an active, outdoor lifestyle from swimming in the sea to hiking in the rainforest
- Naturally boosts your happy hormones and helps ease depression
- Boosts daily inspiration and creativity
- Increases mental clarity, productivity and focus
- Improves sleep quality
Can life really get much better than that?
This is why I fell completely and utterly in love with life on Koh Lanta. Because it had all this and more!
P.S. Island life isn’t always as glamorous as it might seem on social media.
Like with anything, living on an island has its downsides, from mosquitoes and tropical storms to a lack of medical attention. I’m choosing not to focus on these things as, for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
If you are planning on visiting a tropical island for remote work or vacation, I encourage you to do plenty of research first to find out whether it’s right for you.
How I achieved peak work-life balance while living in Koh Lanta
1 | I did yoga 3x per week in nature
I have a tendency to feel anxious and overwhelmed in the morning, especially if I scroll on Instagram as soon as I wake up.
So, I’ve built a morning routine to help break bad habits and keep me occupied.
I’m also not the type to jump straight out of bed and crack on with work, as I need time for my mind to fully adjust. So, I use my mornings to find clarity and ease myself into the day.
This looks like naturally waking up around 8 am and reading for half an hour before doing a gentle workout.
Depending on where I am, this is usually a swim in the sea or yoga. In Koh Lanta, it was morning yoga in an open-air studio in the jungle.
I did a total of 10 sessions during the month I lived there. These were every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. 90 minutes of intentional poses to help build balance, strength and flexibility.
Yoga wasn’t just great for my physical health but my mental and emotional health, too.
Spending an hour and a half focusing purely on my breath and the way I was moving my body reduced those pesky anxious thoughts and helped calm my mind.
Not to mention, being outside in nature helped me feel grounded and present.
2 | I had a consistent routine
John Maxwell wasn’t kidding when he famously said, “The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
A good daily routine keeps you on track. It ensures that what you decide to do daily is aligned with your overall goals and vision.
In short, a good daily routine allows you to perform at your best every single day.
And yup, you guessed it… I managed to 10x my productivity while living on Koh Lanta by simply keeping a routine.
But this wasn’t just any routine — this one was consistent, meaning every week was the same. I know, yawn, wasn’t that one of the reasons why I left the UK to escape a mundane reality?
The funny thing is… when you live on a tropical island with the beach at your doorstep and a vibrant nightlife, routine doesn’t get boring.
In fact, it’s essential.
Especially when all you want to do is sunbathe on the beach and swim in the sea.
You need structure so you can show up every day and be intentional with your actions. Plus, because I was following the same routine as the week before and knew what to expect, this meant that I didn’t get FOMO.
I knew that every other Tuesday was for going on a boat trip.
I knew that Thursday was date night and for getting sunset drinks.
And I knew that Saturday was for exploring the island and getting a massage on the beach.
3 | I joined a co-working space
Since making use of co-working spaces abroad, my productivity has tripled.
It’s so much more efficient than working in a coffee shop as:
- a) You don’t need to worry about ordering your 5th coffee
- b) You don’t need to play music at full volume to drown out a screaming child
Plus, watching other people work on their laptops motivates me to work more. No one wants to be that person twiddling their thumbs!
I now plan where I’m travelling to next based on whether there is a co-working space or not. And this is what originally led me to Koh Lanta — the co-working space.
Kohub is officially the best place I’ve ever worked.
Not only do they have an indoor space with air-con, but they also have an outdoor space where you’re surrounded by nature and the sound of birds. This is where I chose to sit most days. I felt a little like David Attenborough — going to work and watching lizards and other tropical animals in their natural habitat.
There’s also an on-site restaurant where you can order directly from and to your desk to save you precious time.
The thing that I love most about Kohub and feel lacks in other co-working spaces is the community they’ve built of like-minded people.
Every day, there is a different event, whether that’s a community lunch or dinner, games night or heading to the local bar for a quiz. It felt so refreshing to finally be able to socialise and make new friends (which is one of the hardest things I find about being a digital nomad).
In a nutshell, I will 100% be returning to Koh Lanta purely for the coworking space and digital nomad community there.
4 | I took slow living to a new level
Since I quit my toxic 9-to-5 in 2017 and left London for good, I’ve been living slowly.
I embrace a quieter, more gentle morning routine that involves waking up naturally and reading a fiction book. My schedule is no longer full to the brim with pointless tasks, engagements or things I don’t want to be doing.
I’m no longer constantly thinking about what I’m doing next but instead allowing myself to just be. To live in the moment.
And Koh Lanta strengthened this ethos for me.
No one is in a rush to get anywhere. Sure, things still run on time and eating in a restaurant doesn’t take hours. But there’s no stress. Things are smooth and efficient without the constant pressure to hurry or hustle.
Everyone takes breaks at the co-work space to chat with other members or to walk around the grounds. It was refreshing to be in a place where people were actually prioritising their well-being over the hustle.
It inspired me to be better. And, I truly found my healthiest, happiest self while living on Koh Lanta without sacrificing my productivity.
5 | I went on a sunset beach walk every day
Saving the best for last because there really is nothing quite like sea air.
Being by the sea is extremely freeing. There are no buildings between you and nature. It’s just you and the big open sea.
I’m all about finding moments of calm in a busy world, and I always feel at my most relaxed when I’m by the sea. This isn’t just down to the soothing sound of the waves but because the sea is blue.
I know it sounds “woo-woo”, but the colour blue is actually associated with calmness and tranquillity. I mean, have you ever looked at the blue sky on a clear day and instantly felt more relaxed and happier than on a gloomy day?
Because blue is serene.
In short, being by the sea is my therapy.
And while living on Koh Lanta, I made sure to take advantage of it every single day.
No matter where I am in the world, I always try to shut down by 5 or 6 pm and get out for a sunset walk.
It helps me wind down, switch from work mode to rest mode and clear away the cobwebs from the day. It’s a non-negotiable.
And Koh Lanta took this to a whole new level because the sunsets were stunning.
The sun does this thing in Thailand where it turns from yellow and orange to big and red. And when you’re by the sea, that big red sun melts away into the horizon.
I have to admit, it was the most idyllic way to end the day.
Final thoughts
Freedom to me looks like working and living anywhere. Especially when it involves a tropical island.
When I lived in London, I used to fantasise about this life. Obsessively.
But I knew deep down inside that my 9-to-5 job couldn’t give me the lifestyle I craved. So I went out and created it for myself.
I now get to work on what I love (this blog and my coaching business) while travelling the world.
So here’s your sign to never settle for anything that makes you unsatisfied and unfulfilled. The world is full of opportunities and possibilities that go far beyond the mundane 9-to-5 living.
Create a life you’re in love with. It’s more than achievable, and you’re more than capable.
You’ve got this,
Thalia xx
