The Voluntary Life

This weeks episode is about how to manage your own productivity system for getting things done. It comes from an interview that I did a while ago on the Valiant Growth podcast. In the interview, I talk about various techniques for managing your own productivity system, including: The different components of a productivity system Undertaking regular reviews Choosing between different productivity tools, such a task-management apps and paper-based systems. Show Notes: Valiant Growth Podcast Episode 258 Getting Started With Productivity Systems (Valiant Growth Interview) All Previous Productivity Episodes

A response to this listener question: "From what I gather, for much of your 20s and 30s you worked very hard on building your business and for long hours each day. It has clearly paid off for you, as you've sold the business and enjoyed many years of financial independence. But is this something you'd recommend for younger people? What's the best way of thinking about the work/life balance at that stage of life? I find myself thinking, what if I worked extremely hard for many years and died in a freak accident before I'd got to have significant life experiences? It may seem like pessimism, but to focus almost entirely on ones work must require some delayed gratification, unless your truly love your work. Similar issues are involved with extreme saving. I thought you might have some good insights about the sort of questions to ask yourself to get a better understanding of how to approach this." Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Mr Money Mustache Early Retirement Extreme Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Simon writes for digital nomads, perpetual travellers, and location independent entrepreneurs on his blog Freedom Surfer. In this interview, he talks about his own journey to location independence and his thoughts on the pros and cons of this lifestyle. He explains how he tackles the practical challenges of perpetual travel, such as business formation, banking, and taxation. Show Notes: Freedom Surfer Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

In this week's episode, my guest Sebastian Kühn talks about the benefits and challenges of running a location-independent business. He shares his own experiences setting up businesses in Hong Kong and Estonia, as well as his thoughts on the Estonian E-Residency program. Sebastian Kühn is a the author of a website for digital nomads called Wireless Life. Show Notes: Wireless Life Recording of Sebastian's Webinar on Estonian E-Residency and Business Formation Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

This week's episode is a review of David Allen's book, Making It All Work. This book is about applying principles of productivity beyond work, to life as a whole. The review is a discussion between myself and Chris Stefanick taken from Chris' podcast, Choice Conversations. Show Notes: Choice Conversations Making It All Work by David Allen How To Read A Book by Mortimer Adler Other episodes on productivity Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

It is not often that Hollywood makes movies which explore real business challenges. The Founder is a movie about how Ray Kroc created a global restaurant franchise from a small business started by the MacDonald brothers. This podcast episode is about what entrepreneurs can learn from the ideas shown in the movie. Show Notes: The Founder (Movie) Fact Checking The Founder Grinding It Out by Ray Kroc Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Does becoming a parent mean giving up a minimalist lifestyle? In this episode Hannah and Jake discuss their experience of minimalism and parenting. Some of the topics covered include: Baby-wearing as an alternative to prams Co-sleeping as an alternative to cots Breastfeeding and baby-led weaning as alternative to bottle feeding and baby foods Buying second-hand stuff for babies How attachment parenting and respectful parenting fit in with minimalism Show Notes: Hannah Braime Examples of Baby Wearing (baby carriers) Co-Sleeping With Infants (University of Notre Dame) Breastfeeding and baby-led attachment Sleeping Like A Baby: Simple Sleep Solutions for Infants and Toddlers by Pinky McKay The Fourth Trimester by Susan Brink The Attachment Parenting Book by William Sears Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby to Love Good Food by Gill Rapley Brain Rules For Baby by John Medina Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber Information on risks of second hand mattresses Unruffled Podcast by Janet Lansbury The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnick Previous episodes on parenting Previous episodes on minimalism Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Jake is interviewed on The Sample Hour podcast with the host, Drew Sample. We had a wide-ranging discussion covering options for living a job-free life, productivity, minimalism as a parent, and motivation— including the fear that motivates me. Show Notes: The Sample Hour Job Free by Jake Desyllas Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

In this episode, I respond to listener feedback about peaceful parenting. Some of the topics covered include: Is spanking justified? What about minor kinds of aggression in parenting, such as confiscating possessions? One listener's experience of practicing peaceful parenting for 18 years. How come I argue against the use of psychotropic drugs on children? Show Notes: Previous Parenting Episodes The Myth Of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Although it might not seem like it, disagreeing is a skill. To disagree well is not only an important skill, but also a learnable one. Most people disagree so poorly that they fail to even make an argument. This podcast episode presents Paul Graham's excellent article "How To Disagree" and discusses the concept of a hierarchy of disagreement. Show Notes: How To Disagree by Paul Graham Graham's Hierarchy Of Disagreement Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Hannah and I discuss ways to design a life without regrets. Hannah talks about how to use journaling to stay conscious of what really matters to you. I explain my own journaling exercise inspired by her approach- Each week I complete the following sentence stems: The most courageous expression of my feelings at the moment would be… The best opportunity for quality time this week is … If I were to let myself be happier, I would … The most extraordinary thing that I can work on these days is … The best thing I can do to get more transparency in what I do these days is … The best opportunity for automation in what I do these days is … The thing am I doing regularly that I least inspired by is … We are at our best these days when … The thing I am most concerned about going wrong this week is … The way I would handle that is … The thing I am most resisting at the moment is … The most audacious goal that haven't fully admitted to myself is … Listen to the episode to find out more! Show Notes: Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware Journaling for a Life of No Regrets by Hannah Braime Paul Graham's Todo Items (in response to Bronnie Ware's article). Episode 269: Review of A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

This episode is about three principles of philosophy applied to parenting: Children own themselves (all people are self-owners). Parents have positive obligations towards their children (all individuals are responsible for their own actions). It is wrong to initiate aggression against children (initiating aggression against anyone is unjustifiable). Philosophical principles don't provide detailed prescriptions for parenting, but they do give a framework for understanding which parenting practices are ethical. If a principle is valid, then all its logical implications are valid too, even if those implications challenge widely-accepted practices. In the episode, I show how these principles can be applied to reevaluate many common parenting practices. Show Notes: TVL Episode 272 Why I Choose Peaceful Parenting Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

What will you do when you reach financial independence and job freedom? In this episode, I suggest some of the major opportunities that make this lifestyle worth striving to achieve, based on my own experience. Good luck on your journey, and let me know what you think! Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Episode 254 Perpetual Travel With Kids Part 1: Interview With Go Curry Cracker Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Paul Johnson's book, Intellectuals, provides many examples of the disastrous personal lives of intellectuals like Jean Jaques Rousseau, Karl Marx, Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Why do so many intellectuals—who famously argue for a better society— behave so badly in their personal relationships? Johnson suggests a few explanations, such as their need for attention and desire to post-rationalise bad decisions. There is also something about the way that these intellectuals think that leads them to neglect the people close to them. They share a faulty view of society, from which it makes sense for them to care so little about their personal relationships. In this episode, I argue that a correct understanding of society leads to investing in your personal relationships, because your society is your relationships. Show Notes: Intellectuals by Paul Johnson Episode 244 Thinking Rationally Part 2: Imaginary Creatures and Machines Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Jake's guide to the most helpful books on productivity, including why each one is recommend and what to expect from it. Show Notes: Getting Things Done by David Allen Making It All Work by David Allen Ready For Anything By David Allen The Power Of Less by Leo Babauta (Review in TVL Episode 253) Manage Your Day-to-Day edited by Jocelyn Glei The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (Discussion in TVL Episode 178) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler The Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo (Discussion in TVL Episode 120) The 80/20 Principle By Richard Koch The 4 Hour Workweek By Tim Ferriss Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Dan Pink Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying F-ck About You by Johnny B. Truant (Discussion in TVL Episode 141)

Personal freedom comes from individual choice and individual responsibility, as opposed to collective identity and collective responsibility. If you want to achieve personal freedom, don't join imaginary teams. Listen to the episode to find out more! Show Notes: TVL 244 Thinking Rationally Part 2: Imaginary Creatures and Machines TVL 245 Thinking Rationally Part 3: Anti-Rational Ideas

Jake's guide to the most helpful books on entrepreneurship, including why each book is recommend and what you can expect from it. As mentioned in the episode, if you want to get a free copy of Jake's book "Negotiate For Mutual Profit", sign up to the TVL mailing list here. Show Notes: Becoming an Entrepreneur: How to Find Freedom and Fulfillment as a Business Owner by Jake Desyllas The Lean Startup by Eric Ries The Founder's Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber The Goal by Eliyahu M. by Goldratt Critical Chain by Eliyahu M. by Goldratt The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufmann Getting to Yes by Fischer and Ury Negotiate For Mutual Profit by Jake Desyllas (free when you sign up to TVL email list) How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins Drive by Dan Pink Discipline Without Punishment by Dick Grote Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Briggs Myers Built to Sell by John Warrillow Finish Big by Bo Burlingham Anything You Want by Derek Sivers Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson How To Get Rich By Felix Dennis

I choose to parent without violence or aggression. This means I eschew various actions that a lot of parents still consider acceptable- actions such as spanking, hitting, yelling, psychotropic drugs, circumcision, and so on. In this episode, I explain my own reasons for choosing to practice peaceful parenting. Show Notes: What Is Peaceful Parenting? Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon The Milgram Experiment TVL Series Your Own Moral Compass Part 1 (E151), Part 2 (E152), and Part 3 (E153)

Jake's guide to the best books on pursuing financial independence. Some of the books are must-reads, whereas others are suggested for specific purposes or additional information only. No country-specific books are included, so the list is relevant regardless of where you live. Listen to the episode to find out why I recommend each book and what you can expect from them. Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Financial Independence Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley Stop Acting Rich by Thomas Stanley Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicky Rubin Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne (TVL Review) Why the Best-Laid Investment Plans Usually Go Wrong by Harry Browne The Permanent Portfolio by Craig Rowland and J.M. Lawson A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel (TVL Review) The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver by Michael Maloney Where Are the Customers' Yachts? by Fred Schwed The 4% Rule and Safe Withdrawal Rates In Retirement by Todd Tressider The Global Expatriate's Guide to Investing by Andrew Hallam What Has Government Done to Our Money by Murray Rothbard

A discussion of a very thought-provoking article by the late Harry Browne, called "A Gift for My Daughter". The episode includes a recording of Harry reading his own words. Harry's ideas had a huge influence on me, but I don't agree with him about everything. This article is particularly interesting because it explains an important truth, and yet I think it also demonstrates one of Harry's most significant blindspots. Show Notes: A Gift for My Daughter by Harry Browne TVL Episode On How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne Job Free by Jake Desyllas Episode 265: A Review Of Escape From Childhood By John Holt

In this episode I am joined by my wife Hannah Braime to discuss William B. Irvine's book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. This book argues that the philosophy of stoicism is relevant to modern life and can be used to help you live well, according to your own values. We recorded the episode for the Psychology Book Club. I am sharing it here because the themes are highly relevant to The Voluntary Life. Show Notes: A Guide To The Good Life by William B. Irvine Psychology Book Club Hannah Braime

A listener asks: "How do you cope with family and friend pressure to buy bigger and better and to have an expensive wedding and kids, which leaves you with no ability to save and get ahead in life?" What do you think? Listen to the episode to hear my response.

Why do people spend so much of their disposable income on consumption and save so little towards their own financial independence? This episode presents four competing theories that try to answer this question: Theory 1: People are brainwashed into consumerism by advertising. Theory 2: Spending escalates as people try to keep up with their peer groups. Theory 3: Central bank policies have undermined saving. Theory 4: Spending is the path of least resistance, so you won't save unless you have sufficient motivation. Which (if any) of these theories have merit? Is there a better explanation? Let me know what you think! Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas

Many people who write about financial independence emphasise the benefits of self-sufficiency and DIY as part of their lifestyle. Will it help your journey to financial independence to try to be self-sufficient? Does it make financial sense to do your own repairs and renovations? This episode provides a different perspective. Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas TVL Episode 225: Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing I, Pencil by Leonard Read How to Make a $1500 Sandwich in Only 6 Months

John Holt was a leading figure in the school reform movement, who became increasingly interested in how children learn outside of school—what he called "unschooling." He wrote many influential books about alternatives to schooling and he helped start the modern homeschooling movement. His book Escape From Childhood provides a thought-provoking critique of how most adults treat children, and a vision of how we could treat children with dignity, giving them greater freedom. Show Notes: Escape From Childhood by John Holt TVL Discussion of Instead of Education by John Holt Previous TVL Episodes on Unschooling

In his book Stop Acting Rich, author Thomas Stanley explained a way to calculate your relative net worth, taking into account both your age and your income. He used this calculation to create a wealth index, which you can use to judge whether you are on the path to FI, or whether you are burning more of your income than you should. In the episode I explain how the wealth index is calculated and provide commentary on how to use it. There is also a free website that does the calculation for you. Show Notes: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley Stop Acting Rich By Thomas Stanley TVL Episode 80: Financial Freedom Milestones Website To Check Your Wealth Index by Hugh Chou TVL Episode 242: Financial Pros And Cons Of Home Ownership

An historical overview of rational ethics, focussing on the revolution in moral philosophy that happened during the Enlightenment. Although there was amazing progress during the Enlightenment, the contradictions of enlightenment thinkers eventually led them to lose their way on ethics and abandon a rational approach to morality. Understanding this background is helpful if you want to use rational thinking to make sense of ethics for yourself. Show Notes: TVL Episode 151 Your Own Moral Compass Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 TED talk by Michael Huemer: The Progress of Liberalism Episode 227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series

Many ideas that have been debunked long ago nonetheless remain very popular. This episode highlights three popular irrational biases about economics, taken from Brian Caplan's book The Myth Of The Rational Voter. The biases covered are the pessimism bias, the anti-market bias, and the anti-foreign bias. Show Notes: All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series The Myth Of The Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan Episode 90 Rational Optimism Versus Doom Porn The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley Episode 227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker Entrepreneurship Part 4: Profit Is Sanity Episode 176 The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises Part 1 (and Part 2) Episode 225 Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing

Politics brings out the worst in people. As the economist Joseph Schumpeter put it, "The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field. He argues and analyzes in a way which he would readily recognize as infantile within the sphere of his real interests. He becomes a primitive again." This episode is about the problem of political irrationality. Why are political beliefs so irrational? How does this affect your life? Listen to the episode to find out more! Show Notes: All Previous Episodes in the Thinking Rationally Series The Myth Of The Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan George Carlin On Politics Michael Heumer on The Irrationality Of Politics

A review of Peter Breggin's book, Guilt Shame And Anxiety: Understanding And Overcoming Negative Emotions, originally published on another podcast hosted by Jake and Hannah, The Psychology Book Club Podcast. Peter Breggin's book is very relevant to many topics covered on The Voluntary Life. In the episode, Hannah and Jake discuss the challenging ideas presented in the book and how they can help you achieve greater psychological freedom. Show Notes Psychology Book Club Podcast Guilt Shame and Anxiety by Peter Breggin TVL 247 Thinking Rationally Part 5: Reason And Emotions

An interview with Jake by Fumnanya, host of The Limit Breaker podcast. The interview covers interesting questions on the topic of breaking limits in business and life, including Jake's influences, founding and selling a business, the path to a job free life, and much more. Show Notes: The Limit Breaker Podcast Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Job Free by Jake Desyllas Jake Desyllas Writing Website Getting Things Done by David Allen Getting To Yes by Fischer and Ury How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne OmniFocus

This episode is an interview of Jake on the Valiant Growth podcast about getting started with productivity systems. A lot of people want to start using productivity tools and systems, but feel overwhelmed by all the options, jargon, and complexity. This episode will give you clear pointers about how to start simple and achieve massive improvements to your productivity. Show Notes Valiant Growth Podcast Getting Things Done by David Allen The Power Of Less by Leo Babauta Other Productivity Episodes

One of my favourite productivity techniques is the Someday Maybe List— an idea from David Allen's book, Getting Things Done. Many people ignore this particular aspect of GTD, but I love it. This episode provides suggestions about how to get the most out of a kick-ass someday maybe list. Topics covered include: The Purpose of Someday Maybe List The benefits of managing your list in Evernote How tagging, sorting, images, and other Evernote features can make your Someday Maybe List more inspiring and useful. Show Notes: Evernote Getting Things Done by David Allen Episode 156: How To Unleash Your Creative Thinking Other Productivity Episodes

Youtube presenters Mike and Lauren are back to talk about travel with kids. We catch up about all the things that they have been up to since I last spoke to them back in Episode 164. Their adventures include having a baby in Costa Rica, buying an RV, transitioning to life on the road, and planning to buy a barge to live on in Europe! Show Notes: Episode 164— We Plan To Retire At 30: Interview with Mike and Lauren Mike and Lauren Website Mike And Lauren Youtube Channel Episode 254— Perpetual Travel With Kids Part 1: Interview With Go Curry Cracker

Jake was interviewed on World Wanderers Podcast about he sold a business, an apartment, and all of his stuff except one bag, to move to Panama. Jake shares what it has been like to live with less, and what the path to permanent travel has been like, including what has been done and what still needs to be done. He tells us what life has been like in Panama, and the pros and cons to life on the road. Show Notes: The World Wanderers Podcast Job Free by Jake Desyllas

A fun conversation with Jeremy and Winnie from Go Curry Cracker. Back in Episode 162, we talked about their path to financial independence through extreme saving, and their lifestyle of perpetual travel in early retirement. In this episode, they talk about their experience of perpetual travel as a family. Their son Julian makes makes a guest appearance too! Show Notes: Go Curry Cracker TVL 162 Spend Little, Save More, Travel the World: Interview with Go Curry Cracker

Leo Babauta's book, The Power Of Less, is about using habits to help you focus on what matters in life. In this review, I talk about some of the most helpful ideas in the book, especially the suggestions about establishing a productive morning routine to kickstart your day. I also talk about some of the limitations of the book, and make suggestions for other useful books on this topic. Show Notes: The Power Of Less by Leo Babauta Getting Things Done by David Allen The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg TVL Episode 178: Upgrading Habits All Previous Episodes On Productivity

Back in episode 217, my wife Hannah and I spoke about the beginning of our adventure moving to Panama. In this episode we talk about a lot of big changes that have happened since then! The episode provides an insight into our story, but it also touches on many themes important to The Voluntary Life. We discuss travel, minimalism, and adapting to big changes in life. Show Notes: TVL Episode 217: Panama Our Adventure Begins TVL Episode 77: Internationalising Yourself Becoming Who You Are

Entrepreneurship is not just about building a business, it is also about building yourself. I see entrepreneurship as an intensive personal development program. This episode is from a recent interview that I gave about this topic on the Valiant Growth podcast. Show Notes: Valiant Growth Podcast Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Job Free by Jake Desyllas Drive by Dan Pink

This episode contains the introduction of the audiobook version of Jake Desyllas' latest book, Job Free. Whether you want to achieve financial independence and retire early, or simply never work for anyone else again, this book provides an essential guide to the different lifestyle-design strategies open to you. You can get hold of the audiobook on Amazon and Audible, and it will shortly be available on iTunes. If you prefer reading, you can also get a paperback or e-book version on Amazon. Show Notes: Job Free audiobook, paperback, and e-book on Amazon Job Free audiobook on Audible.com

If you are interested in minimalism or a travel-oriented lifestyle, moving to a digital-only book library is a great benefit. Even if you don't plan to travel, switching to e-books has a ton of other advantages over maintaining paper books. This episode is all about the tools and techniques for managing an e-book library, including: Making the transition from a physical to a digital library. Choosing a database application for managing e-books. Organising an e-book library with tags and other metadata. Having a system for keeping your own notes about books. Show Notes: TVL Episode 115 How To Go Paperless Part 1 TVL Episode 157 How To Go Paperless Part 2 Free e-books at the Mises Institute and Online Library of Liberty Calibre (Free e-book management App) Evernote

This episode is about the role of rational thinking in life. Rational thinking is a discipline of self-mastery, similar to the discipline of achieving physical fitness. I tackle some misconceptions about rational thinking and answer these questions: What does cognitive science tell us about thinking rationally? What are the costs of thinking rationally, and what are the benefits? Show Notes: How To Think For Yourself Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure They Live

If you want to think rationally, what role do your emotions play? Is there a conflict between thinking rationally and experiencing feelings? In this episode, I explain the history of ideas around reason and emotion, and provide an overview of how to think rationally about feelings. Although the Enlightenment was a revolution in thinking rationally, Enlightenment philosophers never resolved their contradictions about the relationship between reason and the emotions, leaving a legacy of confusion about this topic. Instead of slavishly following feelings or repressing and ignoring them, rational thinking gives you a deeper, richer emotional life. Rational thinking enables you to pay attention to your feelings and make use of their valuable information. Show Notes: Othello by William Shakespeare The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks Episode 189— Envy: A Theory Of Social Behaviour by Helmut Schoek

So far, the Thinking Rationally series has generated more listener feedback than any previous episodes! In this episode, I respond to feedback on the topic of faith versus reason. Here are the questions covered: Can reason be accommodated within religious faith? Don't we all live by some kind of faith, anyway? Do I argue that we are "nothing more than matter in motion"? Did I present a fair history of Christianity? Show Notes: Episode 243— Thinking Rationally Part 1: Faith Versus Reason How To Think For Yourself Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Job Free by Jake Desyllas How To Leave A Review on Amazon

Rational thinking transforms your life, by giving you autonomy and the freedom of the individual. Since it spread during the Enlightenment, rational thinking has also transformed society and created the modern world. Yet many influential philosophers explicitly rejected rational thinking, because they understood where it would lead and did not like what they saw. This episode is about anti-rational ideas. I cover how these ideas emerged as a reaction to the Enlightenment, and why such anti-rational ideas are so popular today among contemporary philosophers. Show Notes: Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen Hicks (free pdf and audiobook on author's website) Intellectuals by Paul Johnson

The biggest challenge of thinking rationally is not learning new techniques, it is overcoming irrational and anti-rational ways of thinking. In Part 1 of this series, I talked about how religious faith conflicts with your rational faculty. This episode is about a secular way of thinking that will derail your rationality. It is a way of thinking about society that seems to be very rational, but is in fact an abuse of reason. Listen to the episode to find out more! Show Notes: The Counter Revolution Of Science by Friedrich Hayek

Rational thinking is the engine behind all the great achievements of the modern world. It is the vital tool for making your own choices and for freeing yourself from prejudices and indoctrination. This series of episodes summarises all the best ideas that I've found about how to think rationally. Part 1 uses the example of the history of Christianity in Europe to explain the conflict between religion and rational thinking. Show Notes: The Closing Of The Western Mind by Charles Freeman If A Then B: How the World Discovered Logic by Michael Shenefelt and Heidi White

Home ownership is often touted as a financially savvy choice, but is it? This episode explores the financial pros and cons of buying your own home for those interested in financial independence. Show Notes: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

As part of adopting a minimalist lifestyle and becoming expats, we sold everything that would not fit into one suitcase each. The biggest part of our downsizing was selling our apartment and all the furniture in it. This episode is about the practical and psychological lessons from selling the flat, getting rid of all our stuff, and changing from being homeowners to travelling renters. Show Notes: Home Inventory App (mac) Episode 217— Panama: Our Adventure Begins Other Episodes on Minimalism Job Free by Jake Desyllas

Kevin Koskella from the Freedom Lovin podcast interviews Jake about the ideas in his book, Job Free, as well as life in Panama, entrepreneurship, and the permanent portfolio. Show Notes: Freedom Lovin Podcast Job Free by Jake Desyllas (now in paperback and kindle)