Navigating boundaries: daily boundary dynamics and work–life balance among digital nomads: a 9-day diary study

Digital nomads represent a growing and highly mobile workforce whose blurred work–personal boundaries may pose risks to occupational well-being and psychosocial health . The fluid nature of their work, characterized by frequent changes in location and the absence of traditional workplace boundaries, can blur the lines between professional and personal life. Drawing on boundary theory and Conservation of Resources Theory this study investigates how daily changes in the digital nomads’ workplace environment moderate the relationship between boundary violations and the ability to maintain work– life segmentation. Moreover, we explore how companionship can moderate the relationship between work-personal life segmentation and work-life balance. A total of 96 participants (50% women; majority aged between 21 and 35 years ) completed a 9-day intensive daily diary study, resulting in 864 day-level observations. Participants created a unique personal code to ensure data matching across the daily questionnaires. This resulted in 864 data points at the within-subject level. Multilevel modeling was used to examine within-person associations between daily boundary violations, segmentation, and work–life balance. Our analysis reveals that daily boundary violations negatively affect work–personal life segmentation, with this effect amplified for individuals experiencing greater instability in their daily work environment. Moreover, higher levels of daily work–personal life segmentation are associated with higher levels of daily work–personal life balance. Additionally, results indicate that work–personal life segmentation partially mediates the relationship between boundary violations and work–personal life balance. Notably, our findings highlight the moderating role of companionship, showing that the positive relationship between segmentation and balance is stronger when individuals are alone and weaker when they are accompanied. These findings highlight the importance of daily boundary management processes in protecting daily work–life balance and psychological resources among digital nomads. Supporting structured work environments and fostering social connectedness may represent relevant strategies to promote occupational well-being and prevent stress-related resource depletion in increasingly mobile workforces, aligning with broader public health efforts to address emerging forms of flexible work.