Digital Nomads

 
 
 

Vocabulary

own	cottage	waste (2)
rent	literally	truck/lorry
stuff	commute	add that up
labor	lifestyle	entrepreneur
squish	goal (2)	rush hour
Arctic	rat race	adventure
nomad	consider	Arctic Circle
digital	access	real estate
result	innovate	nine to five
virtual	basically	laborious
norm	tube (2)	straight (3)
hunk	infinite	headquarters
decide	instead	traditional
stuck	balance	opportunity
mode	embrace	no longer
norm

 
 
 

 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Sue Ten Brummeler, Owner, Online Cottage Rental and Marketing YYZ: My commute to work was an hour and-a-half I would spend in my car.

Jay Shapiro, CEO Infinite Monkeys: I had to fly—literally a million miles a year. You add that up, that’s a lot of wasted time.

Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur: My commute to work was quite laborious. I was living in London. I had to walk to catch the tube. And I’d be squished on the tube. Every single other person was stuck in the rat race. And I had to repeat it all on the way home. Always in rush hour.

Deb, Professional Blogger: It’s exciting. Every day is a new adventure. Ten years ago I never thought I’d be able to do this, but actually we can be in the middle of the Arctic Circle in Greenland and doing our job.

Jay Shapiro, CEO Infinite Monkeys: I would consider myself a digital nomad: someone who has the freedom to work anywhere in the world, where we want, when we want, based on digital tools.

Ezequiel Vidra, Head of Google for entrepreneurs Europe and Campus London: People need access to a computer and internet to have an office; and not too much real estate.

Jim Michels, CEO The Creative Foundry: It’s no longer about 9 to 5—it’s about results. The more freedom my team has, the more work they got done.

Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur: I do believe that you can build your work and your business around your lifestyle. I basically live out of my suitcase, travel the world and run my online business with the help of a virtual team around the world.

Benny Lewis: I’ve been traveling the world for ten years straight. And everything I own comes with me.

Jay Shapiro: The Eco-Roamer is a huge hunk of a truck we live in the back of. And it’s the global headquarters of my company, The Monkeys.

Sue Ten Brummeler, Owner, Online Cottage Rental and Marketing YYZ: I left my traditional job when I had my son. Instead of going back, I wrote my goals and decided what my work-life balance would look like and what was best for me and my family and that’s how I came up with being a digital nomad and being able to work for myself.

Digital Surfer: It gives me the opportunity to work when I like to work and I can go surfing when I like to surf.

Ezequiel Vidra: And it shouldn’t be only the most innovative companies embrace this mode.

Jay Shapiro: Ten years from now it will absolutely be the norm. There are so many reasons why this is a great way to work.

Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur: Freedom in my world means buying experiences — not stuff. And that makes you feel rich in ways that money can never buy.
 

 Questions

1. Do people feel positive, negative or neutral about commuting? How do they describe it?

2. Can working online be fun and exciting?

3. People can work anytime and anywhere in the world. True or false? What sort of lifestyle do they have?

4. What do people need to work?

5. Sue had a son. Did this change her life? How did it change her?

6. If e-workers have more freedom, are their performances and results better, worse or the same?

7. What does Natalie say about freedom? What does she say about buying material goods versus experiencing stuff?

8. What will happen in the future? What is Jay’s prediction?

 
 
A. I work online. I work from home. Yes or no? Are you or do you know any digital nomads?

B. If no, would you like to be a digital nomad? Would your friends and colleagues like to be digital nomads?

C. If you could work online and make lots of money, where would you live?

D. What might happen in the future?

E. Should more people, or should everyone be a digital nomad or remote worker?