Hey Insider, well we’ve wrapped up the last week of April. I don’t know about you but for me, May is the start of summer ☀️ So I’m curious, what are your plans for this summer?

Respond to this email with your summer plans and we may share your answer in a future edition of the newsletter.

How cool would it be to see where all around the world Insiders are going to be?

Today’s email is a 5min 30sec read:

• 🏡 How Airbnb hosts could be deceiving you

• 🇺🇸 The best US states for remote workers

• 🗾 Japan’s new digital nomad visa

But before we get to that we are wrapping up Productivity Week with a simple update to your to-do list that studies show can have a huge impact on your performance…

💡 TIPS & TRICKS

Science Says Your To-Do List Could Be Missing One Crucial Element

To-do lists are the bread and butter of productivity, but according to recent research, you’re most likely doing it wrong…

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that students who spent a moment writing down WHY a particular task had to be done.

My favorite to-do app is Todoist (support remote-first businesses) and it’s super easy to do this by writing the task in the main line, then adding a “why” line in the description of the task.

Try it out for yourself and let us know how it affects your productivity!

🔬 DEEP DIVE

Tech Giants Aren’t Just Cutting Jobs, They’re Making Them Extinct

Since 2022 more than 250,000 tech workers have been laid off.

This may not be a momentary trend, but a new normal for the tech industry which until recently was seen as untouchable in terms of employability.

On Wednesday, Meta announced its 2023 Q1 earnings and they shocked even the most bullish investors, reporting a 3% revenue growth since last year. Markets reacted favorably with Meta stock increasing by 12%

And Big Tech is happy to continue this trend…

This is on the heels of massive layoffs. In April alone Meta laid off nearly 10,000 workers. So how are they able to create so much growth with fewer workers?

There are 2 main answers:

1. They never needed so many people

2. AI

Many tech companies, Meta included, went on massive hiring sprees over the last 2 years and the honest truth is that they didn’t need so many workers long-term.

However, the real reason why we shouldn’t expect these jobs to return is AI.

Generative AI is hitting developers particularly hard since AI assistants are now helping developers ship more code and allowing tech companies to maintain the same level of output with fewer developers.

Insider Take: We are currently in the early stages of a difficult period for tech. As AI continues to advance and 10X the productivity of knowledge workers, those workers will need to find new work.

I believe that the byproduct of this will be a rise in solopreneurship.

The jobs lost in the tech sector will be replaced by massive numbers of freelancers, fractional experts, and creators who are able to have the best of both worlds, the stability of a long-term client, and the freedom to control their own schedule and income.

We just need to survive the next few years of turbulence.

💬 FAV TWEETS

“Working towards a goal and not achieving it is not failure, it’s the steps to success.”

While I rarely (never) watch sports, this quote by Giannis Antetokounmpo who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, is relevant in all areas of life, not just sports. Listen to his full comment below 👇

I’m sure many of you can relate to this. Maybe you’ve done interview after interview in search of that perfect remote position, or you’re struggling to build a business.

Whatever your goal is don’t forget, the setbacks you’re experiencing are only the steps to success!

🚨 WORD ON THE WEB

🇺🇸 Study finds the top 10 US states to live in as a remote worker

• A new study conducted by WalletHub recently found the best & worst US states for remote workers based on work & living environment, internet quality & cost, and the cost of living.

• The top 5 states were Delaware, Utah, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Jersey

• The bottom 5 were made up of Alaska, North Dakota, Montana, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

🏡 Not illegal, but misleading: Here are all the ways that Airbnb hosts can deceive you

• Airbnb has become a necessity for many remote workers & digital nomads, and for those of us working & traveling, it’s even more important to have high-quality housing

• However, Airbnb hosts can make their properties seem nicer than they really are

• Top things to look out for include carefully staged/edited photos, omitted listing details, and certain “wording” that stretches the truth of the property.

🇨🇦 Why Canadian workers want to enshrine remote work in their contracts

• Earlier in the week we reported about how Canadian workers are currently on strike over remote work

• The language of the new bill, if passed, would “enshrine” remote work for over 150,000 civil servants who say remote work is good for their well-being & the environment.

• Financial savings are another big reason why these workers want to protect their right to work remotely. A recent study found that remote workers could save up to $1,800 CAD per month

📉 Biggest startup failure of all time, WeWork has fritted away $46 billion in value

• WeWork’s stock has sunk below $0.50 and NYSE is now threatening to delist the company’s stock

• Many of WeWork’s problems stem from its crippling debt. The coworking giant did strike a deal to restructure its debt, cutting obligations by about $1.5 billion, but it may still be too much.

• In the meantime, ex-CEO Adam Neumann who was ousted from the company, has launched a new startup that raised $350M Andreessen-Horowitz - its largest investment check ever, called Flow which wants to be the WeWork of coliving… we think?

🇯🇵 Japan plans to launch a digital nomad visa

• This week the Japanese government announced that it plans to release a new visa to help talented workers move there.

• Japan has one of the fastest aging populations and sees digital nomads as a way to bring in young talent and stay competitive in the global field

• We do not yet have details on the visa but expect it to be heavily focused on people who want to stay in Japan long term & to carry a steep price tag.

📆 UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 25-26: Running Remote [📍 Lisbon, Portugal] - Largest remote work conference in the world for enterprises and SMEs

May 24-28: Vivel [📍 Multiple Locations, Turkey] - networking meets music at this one-of-a-kind conference for location-independent professionals

May 28th-June 3: Nomad Cruise 11 [📍 Mediterranean Sea] - The original conference at sea is back! Join 250 digital nomads on board a cruise ship in the Med to discuss remote work, business, and personal growth

May 28-June 4: Porto Santo Nomad Fest [📍 Porto Santo, Portugal] - A festival celebrating the digital nomad community, on a beautiful island off the coast of Madeira. Limited attendance.

June 16-19: Camp Indie [📍 Kent, Connecticut] - adult summer camp & conference for digital nomads & those living an unconventional life

June 25-July 2: Bansko Nomad Fest [📍 Bansko, Bulgaria] - for digital nomads, freelancers, and founders in the mountains of Bulgaria

🗺️ TRAVEL

Heading to the South of France This Summer? Check Out These Hidden Gems

France is much, much more than Paris.

If you’re planning on visiting the country of croissants 🥐 and wine 🍷 this year check out this guide to find dozens of (incredible) destinations you’ve probably never heard of before.

🌍 WFA JOBS:

Looking for a job that’s not just remote, but that you can work from anywhere in the world? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Check out these awesome WFA positions 👇

⭐️ Remote HR Leader @ Rapid Seedbox

⭐️ Personal Content Manager @ AirDAO

⭐️ Social Media Manager @ The Otaku Box

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That's it from us this week, hope you have an amazing day!