Love Your Work

A 10-year-old kadavy.net classic, this "mini-episode" (or is it just an "episode?") distills eight rules of living that make me feel like I really have an edge on the world.

The original post is here: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/life-hacks/

Below is the content of the post:

I've noticed in my short existence that I tend to do many things differently from most people. Some of those things probably work just as well, whereas others make me wonder "why doesn't everyone do this?" Here are eight things that may make you feel like you're cheating the system, too (in no particular order):

1. Walk – No, I'm not saying "go for a walk," I'm saying design your life so that you walk more. Live close enough that you can walk/bike/razor scooter to something that you frequent whether that's work, a grocery store, a friend's house, a bar, or preferably – all of them. Why spend 15 minutes driving to a gym to spend half an hour on a treadmill? If you're fortunate enough to have legs that work – use them. Thomas Jefferson on Walking.
2. Smile – All of the time. Even when the cashier gives you the wrong change. People's intentions are usually good, especially when they're dealing with someone who isn't being a dick.
3. Drink Water – Or I could say "don't drink soda orcoffee." It's a waste of money, health, and teeth. Save your caffeine tolerance for when you really need it.
4. Buy Used – I've already told you about my philosophy as this applies to music. Buying my clothes at a thrift store yields items that are not-so-watered-down versions of what I would get at my other favorite clothing store, and that are a fraction of the price. This strategy transfers well to books and furniture. When you buy used you get the adventure of discovery, and avoid the flat artistic experience that comes with only consuming the contemporary.
5. Underorganize – There are a number things you can apply this to, but I can't give a better example than my "inbox/outbox" method of doing laundry. Should you keep all of your financial documents etc. in a filing cabinet? Probably, but recognize when your organizing reaches the point of diminishing returns.
6. Live Small – What's that, you can't afford a three-bedroom, three bath house with a huge yard and garage in a neighborhood where #1 is possible? Good. Then you won't buy so much crap. You'll save money in the long run, and you'll be happier, too.
7. Remember How Adaptable You Are – How long could you live if you were transported to the middle of a forest? You would probably surprise yourself, so don't be afraid of perceived "big" changes in life. It's a part of human nature to do what is necessary to reach at least previous levels of happiness, but risks succeeded will get you there and then some.
8. Don't Make Lists of Rules – or Follow Them (They All End This Way) – Such things are only made by bloggers hoping to get lots of del.icio.us bookmarks. The world is too complex to be condensed into a list of rules.

How do you cheat the system? What are your Eight Life Hacks?

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-17-eight-life-hacks-for-health-wealth-and-happiness/

This is a mini-episode based upon a previous post here on kadavy.net. The original post is over here: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/earnit/

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-15-earn-it/

Paul Bennett (@contextpaul) ran his business while sailing around the world with his whole family. He's CEO and co-founder of Context Travel. Context Travel organizes high-quality tours around the world, given by historians, authors, and PhDs. I took a Context tour myself when I was at The Acropolis in Athens a few months back, and it was orders of magnitude better than any large group tour I've been on.

I met Paul through a friend recently, and instantly felt he was exactly the type of person I'd want to have on my podcast, were I to ever have one.

In this conversations, you'll find lots of lessons about overcoming your fears, and turning nebulous dreams into actionable steps. Chances are there are some dreams you have that aren't nearly as crazy as sailing around the world while running a business, and you may find some parallels there. We also wax about some of the benefits of travel (corollaries to this can be find in the "mini lives" mini episode that I did awhile back.)

Sponsors: http://kadavy.net/wpengine

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-15-sail-around-the-world-while-running-a-business-with-three-kids-w-paul-bennett-of-context-travel/

I'm a pretty dedicated "solopreneur" – an entrepreneur who goes it on their own: no cofounders and no investors. This is a mini-episode in which I introduce the tenets that distill the power of solopreneurship, and which help me remain confident as I move forward as a solopreneur. The content of this episode is also in this blog post: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/the-solopreneurs-manifesto/

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/audible

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-14-the-solopreneurs-manifesto/

Maneesh Sethi (@maneesh), is the founder of Pavlok. Pavlok is a wrist band that gives you an electric shock that helps you break bad habits. It's a crazy idea, so it's definitely gotten a lot of attention. Pavlok has been featured on Good Morning America, The Colbert Report, and Jimmy Fallon. In our discussion we talk about how I used Pavlok to break my bad Facebook habit, and I can tell you, it's extremely effective.

Maneesh is a great example of someone who has taken what he used to consider his weakness, and turned it into his superpower. He has always struggled with focusing, but he's found ways to cope with that, and harness the creativity that is a product of that lack of focus.

You'll find relatable things in this conversation if there's anything you've felt was your weakness. Maneesh has learned to surround himself with people who fill in his gaps, and Pavlok is an obvious product of his struggle with his attention.

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/audible

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-13-your-weakness-is-your-superpower-w-maneesh-sethi/

Have you ever been really excited about a book you were reading, only to realize – as you tried to describe it to someone – that you had NO IDEA what it was actually about? This happened to me all of the time, until I realized I was reading the wrong way. This is a mini-episode in which I introduce the "layered" reading approach that changed the way I read books. Now I read more books than ever, while retaining more of what I read. This is a reading of my Observer article Reading for Scatterbrained People With Neither Patience Nor Respect for Authority.

Article: http://observer.com/2015/04/reading-for-scatterbrained-people-with-neither-patience-nor-respect-for-authority/

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-12-stop-reading-books-straight-through-start-reading-in-layers/

Nick Gray (@nickgraynews) is the founder of Museum Hack. Museum Hack makes super fun museum tours such as the "Un-Highlights Tour," the "Badass Bitches Tour," and the "Big Gay Met." You've heard in previous episodes such as "Transform Stuff into Things" that I think the world moves forward when someone explores the hidden sources of value that are out there, & gives them form. I've always found Nick to be great at doing just that, not only with Museum Hack, but also with everyday things like sharing an inventive Facebook birthday greeting, or throwing a very rapid but worthwhile cocktail party. We explore this tendency for extracting hidden value in our conversation, in the context of upgrading your social life, using virtual assistants to take care of email while going for a walk, or getting yourself to read more books.

This will also be a useful discussion for anyone who has struggled with whether to turn a hobby into a business, or anyone who has felt the discomfort of charging money for something they enjoy doing.

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-11-hack-hidden-value-w-nick-gray-of-museum-hack/

Many people think their productivity struggle is one of managing their time. In reality, it's more a struggle of managing their mind. In this mini-episode, I introduce my framework for Mind Management: using knowledge from behavioral science, psychology, and neuroscience to work with the subtle fluctuations of your mind. Check out the article here: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/mind-management-intro/

Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-10-stop-managing-your-time-start-managing-your-mind/

Laura Roeder is the founder of Edgar, which is (or maybe I should say "who is") a social media automation tool (no offense, Edgar, but you are a tool). Edgar helps you create a library of social media updates that you can schedule to repeat. Laura has been honored at the White House, and spoke at the White House for being in the Empact 100, which is a list of the top young entrepreneurs in the US. I've personally known Laura for about 8 years now, and I've always admired her decisiveness. I've never seen her really agonize over a big decision. In this interview I try to dig into the source of that decisiveness, and the philosophy that drives it. One note in here is that I ended up abandoning a story about how it is – as Laura puts it – I'm responsible for her meeting her husband and CTO. First of all, she's giving me more credit than I deserve, but secondly, wait until later on in the interview, and we do eventually pick that story back up. So be patient. Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-9-be-decisive-laura-roeder-of-edgar/

Can neuroscience make you creative on command? Dr. John Kounios is the Director of the PhD Program in Applied Cognitive & Brain Sciences at Drexel University. He's also co-author of the book The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain. Dr. John Kounios, studies the neuroscience of insightful thinking. It turns out that insightful or creative thinking is, in fact, a different type of thinking than analytical thinking, and there are conditions that will encourage insightful thinking. In this lengthy discussion, Dr. Kounios unpacks what is unique about insight, and what conditions will encourage insight. We also share specific techniques that each of us uses to get ourselves into an insightful state, including sleep, nutritional supplements, and sensory deprivation. Sponsors http://kadavy.net/treehouse http://kadavy.net/audible Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/love-your-work-episode-8-creating-aha-moments-with-neuroscientist-dr-john-kounios/