---
date: 2017-09-02
modified_at: 2018-05-20
tags: [lifestyle, productivity, programming]
description: The relationship between possessions and freedom as a digital nomad - owning only what's necessary for work and happiness while traveling with 11 kilos.
---
# Possessions for happiness?

If you are a nomadic entrepreneur like me, you can't have much stuff. Lots of
people have external things that make them happy, but since your external world
is very unstable and constantly changing as a digital nomad, you can't rely too
much on these external things to make you happy. Possessions become a burden!
But there are still things you can possess that make you happy.

Of course, your laptop is one of the most important things you possess,
especially for me, as a programmer. I currently work about 50 hours a week on
this thing, so a good laptop is important - its where I earn money with! Also,
since I stare at this thing 8 hours a day or more, I better make it look good!

That's why, today I searched for some stickers to make my laptop look awesome.
Stickers of products I use, believe in and stand for. That's where RedBubble
came in. RedBubble is awesome. It lets you upload designs, convert them into
stickers, t-shirts and all other kind of stuff, and let others buy them in their
webshop.

As a nomad, you don't want to have too much to carry around - just the truly
necessary stuff and the stuff that makes you able to do your job better. I'm not
a hippie that says that you should throw all you have away. Yet, I strongly
believe that possessions and freedom have a strong correlation that isn't
necessarily positive. I think it's more like this (for me at least):



> If you don't own anything, you don't have any tools to produce and create. If
you own the bare necessities to do your job, you're most happy, because it gives
you the most freedom. With just 11 kilos I can do all I need to! If you own too
much stuff you don't really need it can become a burden and can give you stress
and unhappiness. A car needs maintenance, a garden needs gardening, and a house
needs upkeep. This all takes time and keeps you from doing your job and/or have
fun.


Things I have
I really think it is important that you should choose the stuff you do have
wisely. I invested wisely in my laptop, phone and other electronics, and, of
course, in my travel bag.

First of all, this carry-on bag of maximum size plus my laptop bag are the bags
I travel with. Because of this, I never have to check in anything again - unless
I take extra stuff with me like kiting-, camping- or hiking-gear.

Second of all, I have some electronics that I use for my work. I have a phone
and camera to take pictures, a gimbal to stabilise movies I make, and of course
a MacBook Pro to be able to develop great apps for both Android and iOS with
React Native. These things are a burden, but very necessary. I could just own a
cheap laptop and camera-stuff, but then my work would be less efficient and
probably also less good. Maybe I wouldn't be so motivated to do my work either.

After that my clothes and toiletries are the thing that take up the most space.
I still need to buy truly universal shoes that can be used for running and long
distance walking, but don't look bad when I wear them at conferences either.

Last but not least I have some small useful items that I always carry around
that can prove useful or fun in certain situations: a measure lint, a pack of
cards, two dices, a water filter, some elastics, some small transparent bags,
earplugs and some more stuff.

Happiness is relative. It adapts to your beliefs, surroundings and friends, and
also a little to your possessions.