Blueprints for Life

In the tenth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward dig into batching: grouping similar tasks so you pay the cost of starting and stopping once instead of ten times. They cover flow state, why a dishwasher is a batching machine, emailing on Mondays, queueing posts and books so a system does the regular releasing, overstocking the unfun things (clothes, dishes) so laundry can wait, a game-design cruise as a three-day batch, the limits of batching (friendship, sleep, fatigue), and why removing roadblocks between idea and execution makes you more productive. Plus follow-up on what a "giraffe person" is (and isn't), and a Rules Brain Corner about misremembering movie scenes.

Chapters

0:00 Intro and follow-up (giraffe people, "name three people you please")

3:47 Rules Brain Corner: the Ted Lasso video essay and false memories

5:36 What is batching, and why we now record two episodes a session

8:00 Flow state: laundry, prototyping, video games and social media

10:10 What we batch: dishes, social media, Patreon writing, scheduled releases

14:32 The Four Hour Work Week and emailing on Mondays

15:42 Short-term memory, Wave bookkeeping and why scale makes things cheaper

18:55 Handymen, assistants and the 32-hour work week

23:00 Overstocking clothes and dishes; "you can, but you won't, so you can't"

24:46 Batching careers, and the game-design cruise

29:47 Waiting mode, errands and consultants

31:09 The shared-car gas tank story

33:01 What doesn't batch: friendship, sleep, burnout

36:20 Meal prep

39:11 What to batch (and what not to) is personal

39:28 What's on our desks: LongPack dice and Heckadeck

41:26 Removing roadblocks: prototyping tools and fast tests

44:58 Obligations vs. working on what excites you

47:00 Quote of the day: Bojack Horseman

Links

What is a Giraffe Person? (episode 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bglnulOTqHA

How to be a Giraffe Person (episode 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uuc5-gdTwk

Rules Brain (earlier episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXAuOrC9uhg

Scarcity Mode (earlier episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KTtxjGp_nI

Fun Problems (Peter's previous podcast): https://funproblems.podbean.com/

Critter Kitchen: https://cardboardalchemy.com/critter-kitchen/

Heckadeck: https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/heckadeck

Beasts by Clarence Simpson: https://pandasaurusgames.com/products/beasts

LongPack dice: https://www.longpackdice.com/

The 32-hour workweek proposal: https://takano.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-takano-sen-sanders-reintroduce-32-hour-workweek-act

Peter's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@peterchayward

Peter's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PeterCHayward

Peter's Ted Lasso video essay, "Ted Lasso was Perfect. What happened?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JawSzLhKhgw

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/books/

TickTick (daily habit list): https://ticktick.com

Monarch (personal finance): https://www.monarchmoney.com

Wave (small-business accounting): https://www.waveapps.com

BoJack Horseman: https://www.netflix.com/title/70300800

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Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the ninth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss how learning how you process (externally, internally, a combination thereof) can benefit your thinking and make you better at everything, including kung-fu.

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Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the eighth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss how "inside thinking" and "outside thinking" can transform the way you pitch creative media, and help you find success (and jobs) (and LOVE) in various aspects of your life.

Adam in Wales: 

Allplay: https://www.allplay.com/

Joe's podcast, The Bits: https://rb.gy/53dzlf

Rolling Deep: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/rolling-deep-and-eureka-dice-adventure-roguelike-and-campaign

Ryan Laukat / Red Raven Games: https://www.redravengames.com/

Unhelpful Advice: https://youtu.be/CpqWAOtR5z4

Do Go On: https://dogoonpod.com/

Do Go On — Burke and Wills: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/5-burke-and-wills-australian-explorers/id1057458646?i=1000357767897

The Cracking the Cryptic podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y6BUidg2eQ&list=PLK-l8O0YikOm_s7DgInHZxYZm8hyrODUJ

Peter's viral TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@peterchayward/video/7627563844382067989

Cortex: https://www.relay.fm/cortex

Jamey Stegmaier's blog (which pushes the Slice much less than I remembered): https://stonemaiergames.com/10-more-indispensable-tools-for-every-kickstarter-creator-and-entrepreneur/

Slice parcel opener: https://amzn.to/4qy2mHg

That Time You Killed Me: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344258/that-time-you-killed-me

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Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the seventh episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the ridiculously helpful discussion concept of "Zooming Out", and how you can use it to improve literally every single relationship in your life.

Yes, even THAT one.

Make a List TikTok song: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefemalelead/video/7306189367863676192

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

Nicole and Peter talk through Scarcity and Abundance mode: when you can use scarcity thinking to motivate you, and how most great creative work comes from a place of abundance.

Mentioned in this episode:

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the fifth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the concept of having a "rules brain".

Monarch (finance app): https://monarch.com/referral/sl1uv058wb

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the fourth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the red flag rating system: feather, brick, truck.

Original blog post: https://nik.art/feather-brick-truck/

Monster Rehab: https://amzn.to/4eBZLI0

Old Man Pill Organizer: https://amzn.to/3RaHjx8

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the third episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the best ways to become someone that the people in your life can rely on.

Peter met John Cleese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0oHGT6ChRE 

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward 

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames 

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the second episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the concept of a Giraffe Person, a simple way to determine how much you can rely on the people in your life.

Podcast where Peter discusses The Intern: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guilty-treasures-the-intern-with-peter-c-hayward/id1809274829?i=1000760456395

Help! – Peter's old puppet show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GmgIqB3meU

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://amzn.to/4vhmLS0

Peter's glass bottles: https://amzn.to/4uPVUwD

Flamecraft: https://amzn.to/3RDuhrY

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames

Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the first episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward introduce themselves, and talk about how to make friends.

Question for us? Email [email protected]

Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward

Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames