As a dentist, it was my dream to travel the world as a writer.

But as an entrepreneur, I’ve struggled with the dance between focus and freedom.

When work feels like play, sitting in your flat 7 days a week has its own allure. The better business has gone, the more travel has scared me.

What if I fall behind?

What if I get lazy?

So last month, I set out to mainland Europe to run an experiment:

Can I build my writing business whilst exploring the world?

Here are 3 observations (and a big decision I’m making as a result):

1. What you lose in productivity you gain in creativity

My trip began with a bleary eyed 3am wake up.

Part of me didn’t want to go.

I’d just finished launching Productize Your Knowledge, which meant I could focus on my first book.

This trip felt like a distraction.

But after landing in Barcelona to surprise my best friend for his birthday, I quickly realised how wrong I was.

Because if you want to write, you need to live. And the world is the best source of inspiration.

Let me give you a 2-minute taste of what I got up to (whilst working 4-8 hours per day).

First, I spent a week enjoying the chaos of Barcelona.

I enjoyed mornings writing my book, afternoons building my business from coffee shops, and evenings strolling through cobbled alleyways —exploring the beautiful architecture of the Gothic Quarter.

I visited museums, cathedrals, and ancient roman ruins.

The different forms of art only inspiring me to think deeper and write more.

After overdosing on tapas and paella, I flew to Oslo.

I’ve never been to Norway. This is the 25th country I’ve visited.

It’s incredible how much a culture and environment can change in a 3-hour flight.

Oslo was clean, quiet, and reserved—much like the Norwegians I met. The crisp scandinavian buildings were beautifully juxtaposed with the lush green nature of the city.

It was perfect for someone who spends most of his life walking.

I visited incredible parks peppered with interesting statues.

And sat in saunas that floated on the sea.

I wrote to stunning landscapes of thick green forests spread like a blanket across the horizon (I almost fell off a cliff walking back down too—don’t go off-piste!).

After 3 days in Oslo, I took a train to Voss.

The train ride is one of the most beautiful in the world.

6 hours melted in a blur of rolling green hills that gave way to rugged mountains. Powerful rivers carved through the landscape.

Voss is a peaceful town nestled against a lake on a backdrop of mountains. And one of the adventure sports capitals of the world.

Funnily enough, a friend I met online 4 years ago moved there recently to spend his time kayaking.

Despite a monthly call, we’d never met in person.

We started our day diving into a powerful river. Then we hiked, BBQ’d, and spoke deep into the night (which ironically, was still ‘day’ because you get 20 hours of sun—a surreal experience as a Brit).

Then I visited Bergen, a seaside town on the west coast.

I used the next 3 days to focus.

But the sun was beating down, so I also went on a spontaneous hike.

It ended up being one of my favourite. I climbed to a sprawling view of the city and ocean (I also went off-piste again, getting stuck in several bogs. Eventually I’ll learn, but today is not that day. Life is best lived off the beaten path).

Finally, I returned to Voss with two entrepreneur friends I met when traveling last year.

We shared stories whilst sitting in a sauna by the lake.

The next day, we kayaked through the fjords.

The views were breathtaking.

Cliffs exploded upwards from the deep blue waters. Waterfalls crashed down on both sides as we glided across to our destination.

Eventually, we pulled up at our campsite—home for the next two evenings.

Each morning, I’d clamber out my tent to mountains sitting like curtains welcoming the morning sun.

We spent our evenings sat by the fire, enjoying each other’s company without the distraction of technology. Nature has an incredible recharging effect, and I was grateful to be ‘forced’ away from the computer.

We went on a 26km hike. It was hard to not feel inspired with views like these:

Monday evening, we flew back to the UK. Last minute I decided to stay in London. It was a sharp contrast to the wilderness, but I loved the hustle and bustle of the city.

Every evening I ate with entrepreneur friends—all talented in different areas.

Hearing about their life and dreams only made me more excited to keep writing and pursuing my own.

Which leads me to my point:

You don’t need to travel to feel alive.

But it certainly helps.

Yes, there’s a drop in productivity.

But freedom fuels your curiosity and creativity. You become more open-minded, more aware, and more grateful.

All important states for a great life.

And if you do it right, you can explore without your business exploding.

Which leads me to the second observation.

2. Leverage is the key to freedom

When I tried my hand at nomading in Thailand last year, my business stalled.

My problem was twofold:

Cheap Chang beer, and a poor use use of leverage.

This time, I came prepared.

• I built SOPs for every step of my business
• I know precisely what I’m doing every day
• We use AI and software to automate as much as possible
• My lovely VA Vim handles every non-creative task (including booking flights and hotels)
• We use systems to make every unit of input 100x more effective (like repurposing, reposting, and redistributing content)

With the right approach, it is possible to change environment without changing routine.

What I learned:

You can get more done with 4 hours of high-leverage, focused work than 20 hours of distraction and poor prioritisation.

It’s paradoxical, but the best way to enjoy freedom is discipline.

I knew if I nailed my first 4-8 hours of the day, I could spend afternoons and evenings exploring without guilt.

This contrast of structure and novelty is the most alive I’ve felt.

And I ended up writing 10x more as a result.

But it’s only possible because of this third observation.

It’s one of the most important ideas of success I’ve stumbled across. It’s changing my life— hopefully it will help you too.

3. Don’t focus on the drawbacks

The mistake I’ve made for most of my life is focusing on the opportunity cost of choices.

Instead of embracing what I have, I would always worry about what I lacked.

The result was FOMO and anxiety, which are two terrible states for thinking clearly.

So this year, I’ve pursued my wants without punishing myself. No guilt, no shame.

And one thing I’ve taken ownership of:

I f**king love to work.

Writing lights me up like a bonfire doused in endless gasoline.

I speak about freedom often.

But freedom isn’t a lack of commitments. It’s fully committing to something you love.

I feel such a deep purpose knowing I can make a real impact with my ideas.

But I used to feel guilty for ‘missing out on the fun of life’. Which only made me pull back from intensity.

During the summer, I dropped the resistance. I’ve never worked harder, yet never felt lighter.

And I brought the same attitude to my travels.

I didn’t see every tourist attraction.

I didn’t party. I didn’t date (except one terrible drink with a waitress—High Impact Dating is a long way away).

I spent most of my time in hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants, writing my book.

And damn:

I’ve never had so much fun.

My best advice to you (nomading or not) is to stop giving a shit about how other people live their life.

My hustle friends will say I am falling behind by moving around.

My chiller friends will say I am wasting my trips by staying inside.

But the only signal worth listening to is your heart.

Find what you love and let it light the way.

Have the courage to carve your own path,

Kieran

P.S.: So what about my conclusion?

I used this trip to decide if I wanted to nomad full time.

Well…

I handed in my notice for my flat as soon as I arrived in the UK.

I’m living out of a suitcase for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure how long, but I’m just gonna take life as it comes.

As someone who spent his first career tied down to a dental surgery, I can’t stop grinning at the fact I have a 7-figure business in this backpack:

I want to spend as much time as I can with my mum and best friends.

So my trip begins at the end of September.

I’m starting with Paraguay and Peru. I’m learning Spanish and I’ve been told the food and hiking in Peru is amazing.

But one important distinction from my Europe trip:

I am travelling slow.

I visited 7 places in 4 weeks during that trip. No bueno. I much prefer the idea of ‘slowmading’—no urgency, and more time to explore cultures.

Excited to share more of the journey with you.

Digital Freedom is worth every effort.