The Voluntary Life

In this episode, special guest Hannah Braime talks about how to free yourself from a life of drama and move to a life of empowerment. Hannah is a coach, author, and host of Becoming Who You Are. We discuss some powerful concepts from the field of psychology that Hannah uses in her coaching. She explains how easy it is to get stuck playing a series of roles in your life— acting out a script written by someone else. These roles are all too familiar: "the victim", "the persecutor" and "the rescuer". Hannah explains how to empower yourself to leave such roles behind and live life according to your own plans. I really enjoyed the discussion and I think you will find it both interesting and helpful. Show Notes: Becoming Who You Are Videos about The Drama Triangle Joseph Campbell Transactional Analysis Games People Play by Eric Berne Karpman Drama Triangle The Power of TED by David Emerald

Here is how you reach true conclusions about any question in life: start with undeniable premises and use valid logic. Logic— used in reasoned argument— is the universal, impartial method that humans have for finding the truth together peacefully. Yet very few people use logic consistently. I discuss some reasons why it is so hard to be logically consistent. The most important reason is that it takes courage to follow an argument to its logical conclusion, especially if the conclusion is not accepted by the majority of people around you. If you want to think for yourself, you need more than just valid logic— you also have to have the courage to follow it. Show Notes: Ad Populum Fallacy If A, Then B: How the World Discovered Logic by Michael Shenefelt & Heidi White The Right To Ignore The State by Herbert Spencer Why I Don't Vote by George Carlin Murray Rothbard Hans-Hermann Hoppe

In the last episode I suggested two key challenges to resolve if you want to think for yourself: How do you tell truth from falsehood? How do you know what you can be certain of? This episode is about how the scientific method can help address the first of these challenges: determining truth. I provide a summary of the philosophy of science and the rules for deciding whether a theory qualifies as scientific. However, there is a huge problem with the philosophy of science when it comes to addressing the challenge of certainty. The scientific method—as defined by leading philosophers of science—is self-contradictory. It's not even an accurate representation of what practicing scientists do (which is why scientists tend to ignore philosophers and just get on with it). In the episode, I explain how rationality is the necessary foundation of science—more fundamental even than empiricism—and how it provides the certainty that makes the scientific method possible. Show Notes: Karl Popper This Lecture by Hans-Hermann Hoppe about the philosophy of science provides a deeper discussion of many ideas covered in this episode with reference to economics. Image Source: Bruno Gilli/ESO

You can't be free unless you can think for yourself. If someone else is doing your thinking for you, then it's not your life that you are living. When you know how to think of yourself, you cannot be controlled or manipulated. Your life is truly in your hands and is up to you what you do with it. This episode is part one of a new series on how to think for yourself. The episode introduces the two biggest problems you have to overcome if you want to think for yourself: How can you tell truth from falsehood? How do you know what you can be certain of?

This episode is part two of an interview with Joshua Sheats, host of the Radical Personal Finance podcast. Joshua shares his insights on tax strategies for those pursuing financial freedom. In part one of the interview (last week's episode), we covered tax strategies for employees. In this episode, we discuss tax strategies for entrepreneurs. Joshua describes his own experience developing a lifestyle business and the tax advantages that this provides. Show Notes: Radical Personal Finance Podcast As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

Tax is the biggest expense category for most people. It is crucial for everyone interested in financial freedom to understand tax and develop a tax strategy. Yet many of the leading books on financial independence hardly mention tax. In this interview, Joshua Sheats provides a wealth of insights on this topic. Joshua trained as a financial planner and now runs the Radical Personal Finance podcast. In part one of the interview (this episode), Joshua discusses tax strategies for employees. In part two (next week), we discuss tax strategies for entrepreneurs. Show Notes: Radical Personal Finance Podcast Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley IRA and Roth IRA Mad Fientist Go Curry Cracker Laurence Kotlikoff As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

If you want to quit your job to pursue a more freedom-oriented lifestyle (such as entrepreneurship), there are many challenges to overcome. Some challenges are practical, such as replacing the job income that you no longer have. This episode is about the psychological challenges. Even an unfulfilling job has a psychological "pull" that is easy to take for granted because it provides: A sense of purpose Structure for your life A ready-made community Part of the fear that many people feel about quitting their jobs relates to losing the sense of purpose, structure, and community that comes from a job. To live job-free, you have to create your own sense of purpose, your own structure for life, and your own community. You can hear more about this topic in the podcast episode. Show Notes: E136 Your Purpose In Life E101 How To Dream Big E185 How To Set Meaningful Goals All Previous Episodes On Productivity (for creating structure) E139 How To Build A Network

If you are an entrepreneur, you might want to sell your business one day (or at least have that option). There are many issues to tackle in order to make selling a real possibility. For one thing, you need to identify a potential buyer. This podcast episode provides an overview of the two main groups of potential buyers: strategic and financial. I suggest some issues to consider when looking for each kind of buyer and I explain why I would always prefer a strategic buyer. Show Notes: Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top by Bo Burlingham

Are successful entrepreneurs just "lucky"? This episode is about the role of luck in business. Here are some of the ideas discussed: The main job of the entrepreneur is to minimise chance and uncertainty. "Luck" is not the basis of success, it is the enemy. People confuse the success or failure of a business idea with the success or failure of an entrepreneur's career—they are not the same thing. Successful entrepreneurs have many failures behind them. A business is not static. It is not a matter of chance whether it succeeds or fails. You can adapt and change everything about your business as you go, and thereby improve your chance of success with every step. There will always be influences that are entirely outside your control. But even those things outside your control can be managed and adapted to.

This episode is about the most powerful tool that I know for planning anything. A process map is a tool for visualising a workflow. It's also called a workflow map or a network diagram—there are many different names for this tool. It's a way of clarifying exactly what has to happen to in order for you to get all the way from where you are now, to your final goal. The map shows the dependencies between all inputs, processes, and outputs. This identifies the logic of all the work ahead of you. You don't need to be involved in project management to benefit from creating workflow maps. Visualising your workflows can help you achieve your goals in any aspect of life. However, a workflow diagram is also the basis of many useful project management tools, like a PERT Chart or Gantt chart. If you want to get more into project management, you can use this tool to identify the critical path and critical chain. Show Notes: TVL Episode 120 Eight Tools That Will Free Your Mind The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two InShort Diagramming App (Mac)

This episode is about making sense of two important concepts: frugality and minimalism. Frugality means to be economical or sparing with regard to money, but this definition prompts the question: what are the criteria for deciding if a choice is economical? Similarly, the definition of minimalism (to own the minimum amount of possessions) also prompts a question: what are the criteria for deciding what the minimum is? Both these ideas only make sense if they are defined in relation to your goals and purpose in life. Using examples from entrepreneurship, I suggest ways to define frugality and minimalism in relation to your goals. Show Notes: TVL Episode 136: Your Purpose In Life TVL Episode 116 (for discussion of the 4% rule) The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Eliyahu M. by Goldratt

In this interview, Sarah tells her early retirement story and talks about life after quitting the rat race. We discuss why she has chosen housesitting both as a lifestyle choice and as a great financial benefit. She discusses the pros and cons of housesitting and provides some advice for people thinking about making the jump to early retirement. Show Notes: Honoring My Compass

In order to gain self-knowledge, you have to reduce the gap between what you think about yourself and reality. Although this is often an uncomfortable process, the truth is always liberating. In this episode, I share two theories from social psychology about why we sometimes lie to ourselves and fool ourselves, as well as suggestions for overcoming these tendencies. I describe some of my own approaches to overcoming self-deception by getting objective data about my life. Show Notes Trivers' Theory of Self-Deception The Better Angels of Our Nature by Stephen Pinker The Dunning-Kruger Effect TVL E200 Quantified Self TVL Episode The Unexamined Business Is Not Worth Building

Jake shares his own tools and systems for independent learning. These are the hacks for proactive learning, rather than being an uncritical consumer of ideas. Topics covered include: Making objectives for your learning and capturing them in Evernote Coping with the information firehose Filtering your search for learning materials using reading lists and subject tagging in Pocket app. Capturing learning resources in databases using apps like Calibre and Evernote Effective note taking with mind maps, highlights and written notes Critical thinking Habits to support learning Automating parts of your learning system Show Notes: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter Diamantis Evernote app Jeffrey Tucker interview Pocket App Mind Mapping, Mindmaps and Mind Maps: Tutorials, Information and How-tos iThoughts Mindmapping App Voicedream app Drafts app Calibre app IFTTT GoodReads How to Effectively Read and Implement Books TVL 178 Upgrading Habits

This episode is about using technology to automatically collect and analyse data about your life. I share some examples of my own automated tracking of health and productivity data. I'm using various apps to analyse the data in the background and compile all the results into an automated, objective journal. It's getting easier all the time to quantify your life with minimal effort. Doing so can give you objective data and meaningful analysis about whatever matters to you. This can help you to live a more conscious and fulfilled life. Show Notes: Quantified Self Fitbit One by Fitbit Timing App (mac) RescueTime ifttt.com GiftttDy Day One Journal App Applescript Keyboard Maestro

Is owning a car really worth it? This episode is about the financial and lifestyle benefits of deliberately choosing not to own a car (I'm in my early 40s and I've never owned one). Topics covered include: Why owning a car is often a waste of money The health and lifestyle benefits of living car free, especially walking and cycling Alternatives to car ownership including car clubs, peer-to-peer transport (e.g. Uber and Lyft), public transport The problem of car dependency and why it exists Challenges of not owning a car Suggestions for how to live car free Show Notes: The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs Life Between Buildings by Jan Gehl TVL E74 City Air Will Make You Free Walking 10,000 steps per day

We are all subject to a psychological process called decision fatigue: every choice you make depletes your willpower and lowers your ability to self-regulate. This is true for trivial decisions as well as life changing ones. By designing trivial decisions out of your life, you can retain decision making capability for the things that really matter to you. In this episode I share some of my own experiences with avoiding decision fatigue and explain why I think minimalism is a great way to help you focus on the things that really matter. Show Notes: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Article: Decision Fatigue Exhausts Self-Regulatory Resources But So Does Accommodating to Unchosen Alternatives Image Credit: mylerdude

Brett Veinotte is an educator and host of School Sucks Podcast. This episode is an interesting discussion with Brett about the power of conformity and how to resist it. Topics covered include: How conformity to "normal" spending habits prevents people achieving financial independence Solomon Asch's conformity experiments and what we can learn from them How conformity can alter your perception The importance of allies in resisting conformity The role of privacy in reducing conformity The danger of conforming to a subculture (and still being a conformist) How exposure to different views can increase your independence of thought Show Notes: School Sucks Podcast School Sucks Facebook Group Solomon Asch Conformity Experiments Opinions and Social Pressure by Solomon Asch Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiments Berns' study of conformity The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden Doug Stanhope on Nationalism

In this episode, I interview life coach and author Hannah Braime (my lovely wife) about the relationship between self knowledge and entrepreneurship. Hannah is the host of the personal development website Becoming Who You Are. As a coach she helps people to develop their self knowledge and live a more authentic, fulfilling life. She is the organiser of an upcoming online symposium, The Entrepreneur's Inner World. Topics we cover include: The role of self knowledge in entrepreneurship Key themes that came up when Hannah interviewed 24 entrepreneurs The benefits of entrepreneurship for personal growth Show Notes Becoming Who You Are The Entrepreneur's Inner World Symposium The Ultimate Guide to Journaling by Hannah Braime (free sample chapter here) Anything You Want by Derek Sivers Ep. 142 Extraordinary Time: An Interview With Augusto Pinaud Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years or Less by Cameron Herald The VIA Survey (Online Strengths Questionnaire) The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor Becoming an Entrepreneur: How to Find Freedom and Fulfillment as a Business Owner by Jake Desyllas

Cherie and Chris live on a converted vintage bus that they have packed with technology. They call themselves technomads (technology-enabled nomads). The bus has a solar electric system, lithium ion batteries, a mobile internet setup, and lots of other fun gadgets. Cherie & Chris work online whilst travelling and visiting new places. In this interview they share their inspiring story, including both the highlights and the downsides of life on the road. Show Notes: Technomadia Website

This episode is a review of the classic personal finance book Your Money or Your Life. Topics covered include: The inspiring story of the author Joe Dominguez—an early retiree who devoted his life to promoting financial independence for everyone An overview of the 9 steps to financial independence suggested in the book Strengths of the book, especially its focus on actionable steps that you can take to change your life Weaknesses of the book, especially regarding the discussion of investment. Show Notes: Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

This episode is a review of the book Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35 by Paul Terhorst. Paul and his wife Vicky have been living the early retirement lifestyle successfully for the last 30 years, as perpetual travellers. This book was written back in the 1980s and was one of the first books to suggest a strategy for financial independence. The book is aimed towards employees (rather than entrepreneurs) and especially people in well-paid jobs. Paul discusses how to tackle the challenges of quitting a lucrative career and radically changing your lifestyle. His strategy is an early example of the extreme saving approach that I discussed in my presentation on four ways to quit the rat race. The investment suggestions in the book are out of date now and all the numbers have to be doubled for inflation, however it still contains a lot of useful ideas that will be of interest to anyone aiming for financial independence. Show Notes Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35 by Paul Terhorst Paul and Vicky's Website Article about Paul Terhorst now Four Ways To Quit The Rat Race presentation

I got rid of my TV about 15 years ago and I have never regretted it. In this episode, I provide suggestions for how to upgrade your media diet using far better sources than broadcast media. Here's a summary of the system that I adopted for my media diet: I got rid of my TV (and radio and newspapers too). I did this because vegging out in from of the TV was an addictive path of least resistance for media consumption. I didn't want my choice of what to watch to be limited to what TV channels would broadcast. I actively collect things to watch later from the internet, from streaming services and social media. Everything goes into my media queue. This is very easy to do with capture tools like pocket, instapaper, WatchLater app and Evernote. I also collect things to listen to later and read later in the same way. I tag everything in my media queue with my own tags, so that I know why I have collected each media item. These tags allow me to organise my media queue by projects I am doing, topics I am interesed in, or just different moods I am in. When I want to watch something, I look at my tag lists and make a conscious decision about what to watch. Having a media queue helps me be more discerning about what media I consume. I end up deleting many of the videos before watching them because they don't seem interesting after all. I highly recommend trying life without a TV. Show Notes: Business Insider Article on TV use TVL Episode 120: Eight Tools That Will Free Your Mind Pocket App Instapaper App WatchLater App Evernote Voice Dream App Photo Credit: jason a. cina

Whatever you want to get done in life, a task management app is the most valuable productivity tool that I can recommend to help you. In this episode, I explain what a task management app is and outline why it is so useful. I provide examples of how I use a task management app to help reach my goals, as well as some tips for power users. Topics covered include: Origins of task management apps and some current examples The benefits of a task management app over simple "to do" lists. The inefficiency of switching tasks and the value of focussed work How to use an app to create well-defined tasks that are easier to complete The power of filtering your commitments by context The value of checklists and how a task manager can store them creating your own "perspectives" on tasks The most valuable feature to look for in a task management app: filtering by availability Show Notes: Omnifocus App by Omnigroup Things App by Cultured Code The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Comedian Rosie Tran interviews entrepreneur, financial freedom advocate, and author of Becoming an Entrepreneur, Jake Desyllas. They discuss the psychology behind financial freedom and the baggage that many people have associated with money, the importance of being on the same page as your significant other, and why less is always more! Great tips on breaking out of the employee mindset and becoming a free thinker! Show Notes: Out Of The Box Podcast

Why are "haters gonna hate"? This episode is a review of a fascinating book called Envy: A Theory of Social Behaviour by Helmut Schoek. Here are some of ideas that are discussed in the review: What envy is and how it differs from jealousy or a desire to emulate The key feature of envy being strongest where status differences are small Why envy exists in every society and why it could never be completely eliminated Why envy is camouflaged The link between envy and irrational thinking Schoeck's theory of why envy exists and how it might have some positive role (as well as being highly destructive) You can cure yourself of envious feelings by turning it into creativity instead of destructiveness Why you must never let haters stop you from doing something wonderful Show Notes: Envy: A Theory Of Social Behaviour By Helmut Schoeck

This episode is about how personal relationships can either be the most important source of support in achieving financial independence, or the biggest hinderance. Topics covered include: Romantic relationships Friends and neighbours Family Show Notes: E166 Retired at 33: Interview with Justin from Root of Good E164 We Plan To Retire At 30: Interview with Mike and Lauren The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley E162 Spend Little, Save More, Travel the World: Interview with Go Curry Cracker E147 Rosie Tran Interview: Financial Freedom and Personal Development Trading Up: Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods by Silverstein and Fiske The Overspent American by Juliet Schor E171 From Million Dollar House To Tiny Home: Interview With Jacki Rigoni 118 Decluttering And Community Selling: Interview with Jorja Leavitt Financial Independence From Parents Image Credit: Charlie Foster

This week's show is a discussion with my lovely wife Hannah Braime about how to read more than 50 books per year (Hannah reads over 100 per year!). Hannah is a life coach and the host of the website Becoming Who You Are. In the episode we talk about why reading matters and share all the hacks we know for getting more reading done. Show Notes: Becoming Who You Are How many books can you read in a lifetime? from Cosmos by Carl Sagan Calibre free e-book library management application Voice Dream iOS App Kindle Highlight Feature MacJournal GoodReads Drafts iOS app Evernote

As an entrepreneur, I wanted to learn more about the project planning because I needed to delegate and collaborate with others. I now see project planning as integral to getting things done in all areas of life. This episode is my own take on an approach called the natural planning model. These are the three minimal steps I use in planning every project: Naming the outcome Identifying the next action Reviewing each project regularly If I am stuck on a project, the more detailed planning I do includes: Mindmaps Creating a project documentation template in Evernote Writing down more details about the purpose and mission to clarify this for myself Journaling and brainstorming Identifying project components and milestones Scheduling and programming tasks in a task management app (I use Omnifocus) Show Notes: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen Omnifocus Evernote Image: Kamil Lehmann

For many years I wanted to set meaningful goals for the year ahead, but struggled with the process. I never knew quite where to start and I often felt like I was just making goals up, without any real emotional connection to them. Consequently, I wasn't really committed to my goals and I found the whole process of making annual goals frustrating. I often gave up and didn't bother with the whole thing. Over time, I've developed a method of setting annual goals as part of my overall productivity systems. Now that I have a method, I find setting and meeting goals much easier and, best of all, the goal-setting process has many other benefits, regardless of whether I meet a goal. In this episode I explain my method of goal setting. Here is a very short overview of the steps: Divide up your life into all your Areas Of Responsibility. I have 15 of them with names like Finances, Health, Relationship, Friends, Writing, Podcasting etc. Make a page for each Area Of Responsibility. I use Evernote, but use whatever works for you. On each AOR page, work out what this aspect of your life means to you. I do this using Mindmaps, unstructured journalling, and some structured writing (details are in the podcast). Add a section to each AOR page where you write down all your specific aims: what you want to change, implement, improve, or enhance about this aspect of your life. For inspiration, review your vision board for each AOR (If you don't know about vision boards see episode 101 on How To Dream Big). Put all your list of aims together and read through to get an overview of everything you want from all aspects of your life. From your list, choose 4 or 5 Big Hairy Audacious Goals for the year ahead—whatever you feel most emotionally committed to. I also choose some Less Hairy goals for the year ahead too. Set yourself a reminder to review your list of goals regularly throughout the year (at least quarterly). Tick off the goals as you reach them. Celebrate reaching your goals. Be supportive to yourself- if you only got to 70% of an original goal at year-end, celebrate the 70% win too. Rinse and repeat at the end of the year. Show Notes: Episode 101 How To Dream Big Getting Things Done by David Allen The Simple Way To Achieve Your Big Hairy Audacious Goals by Hannah Braime Photo Credit: kmillard92 cc

This week's episode is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of my book, Becoming an Entrepreneur. If you prefer reading, you can get the ebook and paperback editions on Amazon. The paperback edition is the perfect christmas gift to encourage your friends to become entrepreneurs! Show Notes: Audiobook on Audible.com Audiobook on Audible.co.uk E-book, paperback, or audiobook on Amazon.com E-book, paperback, or audiobook on Amazon.co.uk

This episode is about the main barrier to financial independence: consuming for status instead of investing for wealth. You have a choice: you can either buy status symbols or your can buy financial freedom, but not both. Topics covered in the episode include: Why everything you think about "the rich" is probably wrong How most high income people blow their chance at financial independence How you can buy financial freedom instead of getting caught in the culture of capital consumption Show Notes: Stop Acting Rich by Thomas Stanley Image Credit: Jonas Nilsson Lee

There are many different routes to financial independence. In past episodes I've interviewed people who have achieved financial independence through extreme saving as a salaried employee. My own route was through entrepreneurship—growing and selling a business. Whichever route you take, you need a strategy to address common challenges. There are three core questions that your plan needs to address: How do you plan to make good money? How do you plan to save a huge amount of what you make? How do you plan to invest what you have saved? In this episode I suggest important things to consider for each of these three components of your plan. As always with money topics, you will need to do your own research. I'm not a financial advisor. Show Notes: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne Image: Sylwia Bartyzel

Understanding your personal finances is crucial if you want to achieve financial independence and gain more freedom in your life. Most people don't learn anything useful about personal finances growing up and are not taught about it in school (I certainly wasn't). It took me a long time to work out what I really need to know about my personal finances. I hope that by sharing what I've learned, I can help you acquire financial literacy faster than I did. This podcast episode covers the three most important things that you need to get in place immediately: Tracking and categorising of all your expenditure and income Calculating and tracking your net worth Using a budget to stay on track with your financial goals In the episode I provide an overview of these three topics and explain how you can use personal finance software to help automate the process of tracking them. As always, you are responsible for your money and you will need to do your own research. I am not a financial advisor. Show Notes: ibank for mac Mint The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley Image credit Tracy O via Compfight cc

We're selling our apartment, selling all our stuff, and leaving England behind to travel the world indefinitely. This means taking minimalism to the next level, since we'll only take with us those few possessions that will fit into two bags that we can fly with. To help with the task of getting rid of so much, I've created an inventory of everything that I own. This is a useful tool that I first heard about from the blog Man Vs Debt and read about in Your Money or Your Life. I'm convinced that making an inventory of all your stuff can benefit everyone, not just those who plan to sell it all as we do. In this podcast episode, I explain some of the advantages of making an inventory of your stuff. An inventory can help you- get an overview of what you own (most people have lost track of all the stuff they have accumulated) identify the value of your possessions, as part of calculating your net worth. develop a more conscious ownership of your stuff, so that you can get rid of all the clutter that you are not using. make money by selling what you don't need. I used a dedicated application called Home Inventory to create my inventory. In the podcast I suggest some of the useful things you can do if you use a database or dedicated inventory app. Show Notes: Episode 133 Going Minimalist All Previous Episodes on Minimalism Pictures of Every Single Item We Own by Adam Baker (Man Vs Debt) Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicky Rubin Home Inventory App for Mac

Everyone knows that to succeed as an entrepreneur (and just to be productive) you have to learn to delegate. However, in this episode I make the case for why it's preferable to automate a task rather than delegate it, when possible. I provide some examples of how I use automation to help my own productivity, such as: Text expansion (automated reuse of blocks of standard text) using TextExpander File manipulation (automating your own procedures for naming, changing and filing documents using Hazel Dictation and transcription using Dragon Dictate and Siri Scripting using AppleScript, Automator and Keyboard maestro for mac. I also provide links to some resources that I use for learning about automation: Mac Power Users podcast Screencasts Online (tutorials for mac software) Show Notes: Episode 108: Three Ways To Delegate

This episode covers everything I've learned about upgrading my habits to improve my life. Here's a brief summary of the points covered: Habits are the most important demonstration of your character: you are what you do repetitively. By consciously upgrading your habits, you have an opportunity to implement your vision of who you want to be, in your day-to-day life. Habits are powerful because steady persistence always beats the mad dash. Habits dramatically reduce the amount of willpower and brainpower required to get things done. Once you have implemented a habit and can do it on autopilot, you conserve willpower and brainpower, helping you get more done. Habits are easiest to adopt when they are simple to understand, when you minimise any friction at the start of the action, when there are clear environmental triggers that tell your unconscious to start the habit, and when you have feedback (rewards) for completion. I recommend the use of a habit tracking app like lift.do. In the podcast, I provide some examples of habits that I am currently working on and describe how I use this app to help me implement them. The episode covers the best books to read more about habits (listed in the show notes below) and I talk about many of the tips that I've gathered from these resources. Show Notes: Previous episodes on productivity Interview with Augusto Pinaud Lift Habit Tracking App Interview with Lift CEO Tony Stubblebine The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind) edited by Jocelyn K. Glei Photo credit: Todd Quackenbush

Why is there a lot of resentment towards entrepreneurs among intellectuals, white collar workers, extended members of successful business families, and artists? This episode is Part 2 of a discussion of "The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality" by Ludwig Von Mises. In this episode, I explain Mises' own theories about resentment towards entrepreneurs from specific groups. Show Notes The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises (free ebook) Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas

Why do some people hate entrepreneurs? This episode explores some answers to this question put forward by Ludwig Von Mises in "The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality". Show Notes: The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises (free ebook) Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas

In this podcast episode, I outline the mindset that is most conducive to becoming a successful entrepreneur. This mindset is the culture of entrepreneurship. I provide a contrast with the culture of politics, to show what's special about the culture of entrepreneurship. Show Notes: Becoming an Entrepreneur: How to Find Freedom and Fulfillment as a Business Owner

This is part 2 of my review of Harry Browne's book Fail-Safe Investing. It contains a discussion of the rest of Harry Browne's rules for financial safety: Rule #11: Create a bulletproof portfolio for protection. Rule #12: Speculate only with money you can afford to lose. Rule #13: Keep some assets outside the country in which you live. Rule #14: Use tax reduction accounts. Rule #15: Enjoy yourself with a budget for pleasure. Rule #16: When in doubt, err on the side of safety. Show Notes: Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne Episode 173: Fail-Safe Investing Part 1 Episode on Financial Preparedness (discussion of the different economic conditions) Permanent Portfolio Historical Returns As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

This episode is the first in a two part review of my favourite investment book, Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne. In this episode I discuss the background to this investing approach and provide an overview of Harry's top 10 rules of financial safety: Rule #1: Your career provides your wealth. Rule #2: Don't assume you can replace your wealth. Rule #3: Recognize the difference between investing and speculating. Rule #4: No one can predict the future. Rule #5: No one can move you in and out of investments consistently with precise and profitable timing. Rule #6: No trading system will work as well in the future as it did in the past. Rule #7: Don't use leverage. Rule #8: Don't let anyone make your decisions. Rule #9: Don't ever do anything you don't understand. Rule #10: Don't depend on any one investment, institution, or person for your safety Show Notes: Fail-Safe Investing by Harry Browne As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

There are many aspects of life that you can work to improve, in order to create the life you want. In this episode, I make the case for prioritising your personal finances, before focussing on other personal development goals.

This episode is an interview with Jacki Rigoni, who blogs at Post-Consumer Life. Jacki and her husband realised that their million dollar house was really just a million dollars of mortgage debt which they would have to work like crazy to pay off until the age of 75. So they decided to sell the house, get rid of the debt, buy a plot of land, build their own tiny home, and live off-grid. Listen to the episode to hear Jacki describe her inspiring story.

This episode is an interview with Bobby Casey, founder of Global Wealth Protection and many other internationalization businesses. Bobby talks about his own background as an entrepreneur, how he became interested in the internationalisation field, and his life as a perpetual traveler. He explains some of the key ideas of asset protection, such as the role of offshore trusts and companies. He also discusses the opportunities for establishing residency in different countries for tax benefits, as a place to live and in some cases to gain a second citizenship.

An episode about two inter-related questions that are crucial to your happiness in life: How will you achieve financial security and/or independence? How will you find fulfilment? It's your responsibility to find your own answers to these questions, repeatedly throughout your life. Nobody can answer them for you. This episode provides some suggestions about how to think about these questions, to help you develop a more conscious strategy to address them. Show Notes: Episode 124 Four Ways To Quit The Rat Race Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Dan Pink

This episode is about the most powerful technique I know for overcoming deadlock in negotiations and resolving disputes, both in business and in personal relationships. The technique involves a very straightforward concept that everyone understands, but it is often ignored or usually only tried when it is already too late. Show Notes: Episode 144 Win-Win Negotiation Part 1: Communication Episode 145 Win-Win Negotiation Part 2: Strength and Value

Joshua Sheats invited me onto the Radical Personal Finance podcast to discuss the Permanent Portfolio investment strategy for individual private investors. In this episode we talk about many aspects of the PP strategy including: my own reasons for choosing this investment strategy the design of the portfolio the philosophy behind the approach strengths and weaknesses of the PP Show Notes: Radical Personal Finance Episode 30 Recordings of Harry Browne's investing radio shows Permanent Portfolio discussion forum "Wild About Harry" – article by William Bernstein about the Permanent Portfolio Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne The Permanent Portfolio: Harry Browne's Long-Term Investment Strategy by Craig Rowland and JM Lawson As always regarding investment, do your own research. I am not a financial advisor and this isn't advice, it's my own experience and opinions. My intention is to encourage you to think for yourself.

Justin retired at the age of 33. He writes about his journey to financial independence on his blog Root of Good. In this interview, he discusses his path to financial independence from intensive saving. Topics covered include: Saving all salary increases and avoiding lifestyle inflation Cost-effective housing, transport and food choices The importance of having agreement with your spouse towards your financial goals Children and financial independence Show Notes Root of Good

Joshua from Radical Personal Finance Podcast invited me on his show to talk about entrepreneurship. We talked about learning entrepreneurial skills, voluntary versus compulsory education, the importance of selling in life, the ethical nature of business, and the positive power of entrepreneurship. Show Notes: Four Ways To Quit The Rat Race Presentation Radical Personal Finance Podcast Becoming an Entrepreneur