The Art of Charm

283: Ari Meisel | Less Doing, More Living


Listen Later

"Have things come to you at the time that you can best deal with them." Ari Meisel 
What would you do if you were given a diagnosis and put on 16 pills a day? Would you accept your fate or would you biohack your way to health and wellness?
Ari Meisel chose the latter and he spends time talking with us about how he cured his Crohn’s. He also shares how that process led to his “Less Doing” brand, which is devoted to helping men do less and live more through optimization, outsourcing and automation.
MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW:
Ari’s journey began at the age of 20. He had the brilliant idea to renovate some old cigar factories into lofts and he set about doing so. What he had expected to take six months, turned into three years and over $3 million in debt. He spent those three years learning every construction trade he could and invested every bit of himself in that development.
And in the process, he destroyed his body. He was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, drinking every night and eating fast food a few times a day. Within a month of finishing his construction project, he was given the diagnosis of the incurable Crohn’s Disease and handed prescriptions for 16 different pills, 16!
Never one to be thwarted by circumstances, Ari decided he wasn’t going to settle for all the misery and discomfort associated with Crohn’s. Instead, he set out on a journey of self-tracking and self-discovery to finding out what would heal his body. Within four months he was off ALL his medications and six months later he was competing in a triathlon.
The finer details of this show include:
What is Crohn’s Disease and what led to his diagnosis?
How he defines being "cured" of Crohn’s.
The two main things that were the most helpful in curing his Crohn's.
What's the Zeigarnik Effect and what does it have to do with To Do lists?
His $8 biohack for better sleep in one night.
And so much more!
Though he learned much about the body and he’s since applied that knowledge to help others treat and cure their Crohn’s, the most profound lessons he learned through his healing process were on the topics of being more effective and more efficient in using your time. He discovered he had times of the day and days of the week when he was more effective. By taking that knowledge and using it to schedule corresponding tasks, he was able to be most his most efficient.
For example, he found he is most creative after 8pm and he gets the most done on Tuesdays (the least on Fridays). So now when he has to do something creative, like write a blog post, he knows not to try to write it until 8pm or later at night. And if he has a lot to get done, he schedules the bulk of it for Tuesday.
From that experience and with those practical lessons under his belt, he created the Less Doing brand. Now he works with clients, about half are men, to help them do what he has done: optimize, outsource and automate. He believes, and has proven in his life, that by becoming more efficient and effective, you create the head space to come up with amazing ideas that have been obscured by all the other crap you’re focused on.
Another fascinating topic we talk about is why “To Do” lists don’t work and why they’ll destroy your productivity. There’s an actual psychological effect that proves his theory and we talk about in this show.
Ari was a truly fantastic guest and it was awesome to have him here. He teaches so much about making the most effective use of our most precious commodity: time. He suggests some great tools and even an awesome biohack technique for better sleep, one I’ve never heard before. So tune in, check it out and get more living with less doing!
Resources from this episode:
Ari's web siteAri on TwitterLess Doing BookFollow UpBoomerangEvernoteAqua NotesBlueblocker SunglassesMarried Man Sex LifeAthol Kay on the Art of Charm 
You'll also like:
-The Art of Charm Toolbox
-Best of The Art of Charm Podcast
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!
If you dug this episode, please subscribe in iTunes and write us a review!  This is what helps us stand out from all the fluff out there.
Ways to subscribe to The Art of Charm
Click here to subscribe via iTunes
Click here to subscribe via RSS
You can also subscribe via Stitcher
FEEDBACK + PROMOTION
Hit us up with your comments and guest suggestions. We read EVERYTHING.
Download the FREE AoC app for iPhone
Give us a call at 888.413.7177
Stay Charming!
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Art of CharmBy The Art of Charm

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

10,468 ratings


More shows like The Art of Charm

View all
The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

The Look & Sound of Leadership

1,156 Listeners

Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

Coaching for Leaders

1,460 Listeners

The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes

The School of Greatness

21,285 Listeners

Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields / Acast

Good Life Project

3,285 Listeners

Negotiate Anything by Kwame Christian Esq., M.A.

Negotiate Anything

673 Listeners

Women at Work by Harvard Business Review

Women at Work

1,404 Listeners

Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style by Laura Camacho

Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

80 Listeners

The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Wondery

The Daily Stoic

4,743 Listeners

A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

A Bit of Optimism

2,188 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,366 Listeners

Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Coaching Real Leaders

635 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,326 Listeners

The Daily Motivation by Lewis Howes

The Daily Motivation

899 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

150 Listeners

Leap Academy with Ilana Golan by Ilana Golan

Leap Academy with Ilana Golan

203 Listeners