What we’re talking about: The complex question of whether or not to have children, focusing on how this decision can impact individuals' sense of agency, particularly in relation to aspects of health, wealth, and time.

Why it matters: This topic is essential in pursuing agency as it involves a life-changing decision that requires careful consideration of personal circumstances, societal constructs, and potential future regrets.

What actions to take:

👪 Consider having children under certain conditions: when you're married, financially stable, and when both parents are under 40.

💰 Understand that while raising children can be expensive, married parents often end up wealthier due to factors such as home ownership.

🧘‍♀️ Realize that having children can be enriching and fulfilling in the long term, contributing to overall life satisfaction and happiness.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The concept of 'Optimal Agency', emphasizing the importance of balancing health, wealth, and time, and how these three metrics contribute to our overall personal freedom and ability to impact the world.

Why it matters: Understanding and properly balancing health, wealth, and time is crucial in pursuing agency as they collectively enhance our capacity to achieve personal freedom and maximize our positive impact on the world.

What actions to take:

🏋️‍♀️ Exercise first thing in the morning as it serves as a keystone habit that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

💰 Set up automatic transfers from your savings to your investment account to ensure consistent wealth building.

⏰ Plan your actions and commitments to make sure you're using your time effectively.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The importance of prioritizing exercise, particularly doing it first thing in the morning, and how it is a keystone habit that sets off a cascade of beneficial behaviors throughout the day.

Why it matters: It emphasizes the essential role of physical health and wellness in enhancing cognitive ability, mood regulation, and overall performance in various areas of life.

What actions to take:

🏋️‍♀️ Prioritize exercise and make it the first activity of your day, either literally or philosophically.

📝 Have a well-defined exercise program ready before you start, ensuring it includes strength training, cardiovascular exercise, mobility work, and elements of play.

👥 Involve a partner, friend, or family member in your exercise routine to keep you motivated and accountable.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The importance of diet and nutrition, focusing on sustainable, health-focused, and imperfect guidelines, and how to manage these aspects amidst a busy lifestyle.

Why it matters: Maintaining a balanced and healthy diet directly impacts one's overall health, energy levels, and cognitive function, which in turn affects one's ability to act on the world with impact.

What actions to take:

🥦 Prioritize eating unprocessed and minimally processed foods for maximum health benefits.

🍳 Cook your own meals whenever possible for better environmental control.

🚫 Limit or avoid consumption of sugar and alcohol to prevent adverse health effects.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The importance of self-development as permanent wealth and the need to diversify and amplify skills in various areas of life.

Why it matters: Self-development is important in pursuing agency because it allows individuals to future-proof themselves, maintain their sense of identity, and have a wider range of skills to rely on in different situations.

What actions to take:

🔨 Diversify vocational skills by learning new skills that make money and applying them in real-world scenarios.

🎨 Build or make something outside of work for personal growth and to diversify identity.

💪 Improve physical skills by training in areas such as cardiovascular conditioning, strength building, and proper nutrition.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: Strategies for a listener named Nicole, who is a music teacher struggling with finances and seeking ways to earn extra income while balancing her responsibilities.

Why it matters: Finding creative ways to generate income is important in pursuing agency because it enables individuals to have more control over their financial situation and create opportunities for personal and professional growth.

What actions to take:

💡 Create time by reducing job responsibilities or finding efficient ways to handle child care to allocate time for income-generating activities.

💰 Explore different models of income generation, such as moving from time-for-money to time-for-output or money-for-others-output, to increase earning potential and leverage.

📚 Consider developing and selling digital products, such as music lesson plans in Nicole’s case, to decouple income from time spent, creating passive income streams and expanding market reach.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: Living as though the world is clay, emphasizing the importance of having a clear vision, understanding the role of people and resources, and taking action to deliver value.

Why it matters: Recognizing the world is clay allows us to shape our lives according to our vision and goals, empowering us to take control of our actions and create meaningful impact.

What actions to take:

💡 Clearly define your vision for different areas of your life, including specific goals and desired outcomes.

🙌 Build a network of people who share your vision and can support you in achieving your goals.

🚀 Take initiative and deliver value, even if you lack traditional credentials, as a way to showcase your competence and create opportunities for yourself.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we're talking about: The significance of responding slowly and thoughtfully to communications, avoiding hasty emotional reactions, and prioritizing progress to foster agency and retain control in professional relationships.

Why it matters: Responding slowly and carefully enables us to maintain control over our communications, avoid emotional triggers, and ensure our responses contribute to progress. Ultimately, this empowers us to make decisions in alignment with our priorities and goals.

What actions to take:

🚫 Don't respond to FYI's and CC's that don't require a specific response.

📬 Allow the deliverable to be your response instead of engaging in unnecessary back-and-forth.

⏰ Gap your replies to non-urgent communications and use schedule-send to reinforce boundaries and set expectations for response times.

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Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The importance of exercising agency in a work environment where priorities are unclear, distractions are constant, and control feels limited.

Why it matters: Exercising agency is crucial in pursuing autonomy and personal impact in a work environment, allowing individuals to prioritize tasks, establish boundaries, and maintain focus amidst distractions and competing priorities.

What actions to take:

🏃🏼‍♀️ Leave peripheral tasks and conversations that do not align with goals or skills.

🎯 Establish clear priorities and focus on one or two key tasks that move the needle.

🎧 Set aside uninterrupted focus time and eliminate interruptions to drive completion of important tasks and maintain psychological balance.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.

What we’re talking about: The practice of avoiding unnecessary purchases by creating pause, asking questions, and prioritizing agency.

Why it matters: Because it allows us to take control of our choices, prioritize our health, wealth, and time, and avoid being influenced by external factors.

What actions to take:

🔍 Assess if a purchase is truly necessary or if you already own something that serves the same purpose.

🔄 Consider if you are replacing something that still has useful life before making a new purchase.

⏰ Pause before buying something new and ask yourself if you had planned to purchase it before that day.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Optimal Agency aims to help you own your life so you have the freedom to impact the world, pursue work you love, and spend your hours how you want. Be sure to subscribe or follow the show so you don’t miss any new episodes.