Working remotely for international clients can be exciting. You’re in Lagos, but your clients are in London, New York, or Berlin. Meetings, deadlines, and project updates don’t always happen during regular Nigerian work hours. 

One day your calls are early in the morning, the next they’re late at night. It can feel like your schedule is constantly chasing the clock.

I spoke with Chinedu, a designer who works with clients in Europe and the United States. Some days he stayed up until 3 a.m. just to finish a project or join a call, only to feel completely drained the next morning. Coffee became a constant companion, and focusing on daytime tasks felt impossible. Sound familiar?

It doesn’t have to be this way. With a few adjustments, you can handle multiple time zones without feeling drained or losing work quality.

Plan your day around your energy

Instead of forcing yourself to stay awake for early or late calls, map out your peak productivity hours and communicate them to clients. If you are most alert between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., try to schedule meetings in that window. It might mean negotiating deadlines or adjusting minor overlaps, but your energy and focus will thank you.

Hydration and meals matter

Skipping meals or eating heavy, oily food while working late nights makes fatigue worse. Drink water consistently and aim for balanced meals. If you have a late-night call with a client in New York, try light protein snacks and fruits instead of relying solely on coffee. Even small changes help your body stay alert during odd hours.

Use natural light to reset your clock

Sunlight is a simple but powerful way to adjust your body clock. Step outside in the morning to start the day, and avoid bright screens before bedtime, especially when you have late calls. Your body associates natural light with wakefulness and darkness with rest.

Smart naps instead of sleeping in

If you need rest between calls or after working late, short naps of twenty to thirty minutes can refresh you without making it harder to sleep at night. Long, late-afternoon naps can disrupt your schedule even more.

Organize your tasks around time zones

Make use of tools that help you visualize deadlines across time zones. Calendar apps, reminders, and task managers can prevent you from scrambling at odd hours. And when international payments are part of your workflow, make sure you’re using platforms that simplify transfers instead of complicating them.

Myaza lets you handle invoices, payments, and even multi-currency conversions directly from your phone. That way, financial stress doesn’t creep into your workday and you can actually focus on producing your best work.

Time zone challenges don’t have to slow you down. With a bit of planning, smart hydration, sunlight, naps, and reliable tools like Myaza to handle payments, you can stay productive and healthy while working across borders