The Inforium

Buying a home is already a big enough decision. You don't want to be surprised the first time you see the bill. We talk about the real cost of owning a house.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 83 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.

Todoist: If you're a student or educator, you can get Todoist's awesome Premium features - like project templates and automated reminders - for 50% off at https://todoist.com/education

Things mentioned in this episode:

College Info Geek Discord Server

College Info Geek Merch

Thomas’ budget modeler

Zillow

A Master Class on Buying a Car - Part 1 (Ep. 69)

A Master Class on Buying a Car - Part 2 (Ep. 70)

How to Buy Your First House, Pt. 1: The Research Process (Ep. 205)

Listen Money Matters

PMI chart

Credit Karma (iOS | Android)

How to Budget Your Money Without Cutting Coffee (Ep. 174)

Insurance.com

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:04:40 - Determining the cost of a house and its monthly mortgage payments

0:25:15 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:27:19 - Sponsor: Todoist (Managing your tasks)

0:29:49 - Dealing with PMI (private mortgage insurance)

0:38:05 - Property taxes, homeowners insurance, monthly repair costs and maintenance

0:47:39 - Recap and conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Social media doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. In this episode, we're talking about how to grow your following so you can make the most of it.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Hover: Hover: Your personal brand is important, and it starts with your domain name. Get 10% off your first domain name purchase by going to hover.com/cig.

Todoist: If you're a student or educator, you can get Todoist's awesome Premium features - like project templates and automated reminders - for 50% off at https://todoist.com/education.

Things mentioned in this episode:

College Info Geek Discord Server

Gary Vaynerchuk

So You Want to Start Your Own Blog (Ep. 125)

How to Build a YouTube Channel (Ep. 134)

How to Start Your Own Podcast (Ep. 133)

How to Become a Published Author (Ep. 102)

How to Give a Killer Speech (Ep. 212)

Martin's Nighttime Flower photo

Martin's Ant photo

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland, by Catherynne M. Valente

Ansel Adams on Wikipedia

Ira Glass on Wikipedia

This American Life podcast

Study Advice From a Medical Student (Ep. 26)

Weapons of Influence #1: Reciprocation (Ep. 186)

Charisma on Command on YouTube

Charisma on Command's The Rock video

Charisma on Command's Chris Pratt video

Matt Shirley on Instagram

Lewis Howes on Instagram

Display Purposes

Anti Parallali on Instagram

Taylor Swift on Instagram

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:05:09 - Why grow your social media following

0:19:24 - Bad ways to grow you following

0:29:34 - Thoughts on posting daily and maintaining quality

0:35:15 - Sponsor: Hover (Buying a domain name)

0:37:48 - Sponsor: Todoist (Managing your tasks)

0:39:25 - Doing behind the scenes and over the shoulder content

0:40:25 - Celebrating your wins and interacting with your audience

0:43:16 - Figuring out which hashtags to use in your posts

0:52:00 - Understanding how the social media algorithms work

0:53:48 - Asking people to follow you and what makes us not follow someone

0:59:11 - Interacting with other people and being patient

1:01:50 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this five questions episode, we talk about getting ready for college, starting your own business, building your self-esteem, and more.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Audible: Get a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial by going to audible.com/CIG or texting “CIG” to 500-500 on your phone.

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you're one of the first 83 people to use this link, you'll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Thomas on Instagram

Thomas on Twitter

Martin on Instagram

Martin on Twitter

Thomas on Wisecrack’s THE SQUANCH: A Rick & Morty Podcast

Thomas' budget modeler

Why You Aren't Successful Yet (Ep. 219)

How to Set Goals You'll ACTUALLY Stick To

Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh

Zappos

Principles: Life and Work, by Ray Dalio

Powlyglot

Audio Technica AT2035 Microphone

Complexly

Scarlett 18i8 Audio Interface

Listen Money Matters

Shure SM7B Microphone

SAARA on YouTube

Audio Technica ATR2100 Microphone

Charisma on Command's Chris Hemsworth video

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:04:22 - Going to college in the United States

0:13:10 - Growing a business from scratch

0:25:30 - Building up your self-esteem

0:29:48 - Sponsor: Audible (Listening to audiobooks)

0:32:20 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:34:14 - The value of helping people in person rather than remotely

0:39:01 - Recommendations for audio recording gear

0:48:21 - What Thomas and Martin aren't that good at

0:56:04 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Taking a bit of a break from the norm, here's part two of a conversation between Thomas and fellow YouTuber and podcaster Sara Dietschy.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Setapp: A new way to try and use over 120 best-in-class Mac apps for one low monthly fee. Get a 7-day free trial by signing up at https://stpp.co/cig - and if you sign up with a .edu email address, you'll unlock a 50% student discount!

Things mentioned in this episode:

Sara Dietschy on YouTube

The Creative Exchange on YouTube

The Creative Exchange on Apple Podcasts

The Creative Exchange on Google Play

The Creative Exchange on Spotify

CaseyNeistat on YouTube

Adobe Creative Residency program

Becky Simpson

Gary Vaynerchuk

Flume

Mosaic

Unibox

CGP Grey on YouTube

Focus

Squarespace

Nerdwriter1 on YouTube

Peter McKinnon on YouTube

yungtown on YouTube

John Hill on YouTube

Emma Chamberlain on YouTube

David Dobrik on YouTube

Liza Koshy on YouTube

Tim Ferriss

TierZoo on YouTube

Primitive Technology on YouTube

Steve Carell on Wikipedia

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:38 - Being a part of the Adobe Creative Residency program

0:14:48 - Don't strive for the bare minimum

0:17:40 - Being independent and making a career out of YouTube

0:32:29 - Sponsor: Setapp (Suite of Mac apps)

0:35:40 - Don't stress yourself by trying to do too many things

0:40:34 - Sustaining the YouTube career as a full-time job

0:49:55 - Reaching out and forming relationships

0:59:59 - Finding your creative niche

1:06:35 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If we're going to be stuck walking around with our phones all day, we might as well put them to good use. Here are ten apps worth unlocking your screen for.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you're one of the first 83 people to use this link, you'll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Evernote (iOS | Android)

Scanbot (iOS | Android)

Scannable (iOS)

Daily Budget (iOS)

Daily Budget alternative for Android

Mint (iOS | Android)

Qapital (iOS | Android)

Digit (iOS | Android) - Requires a monthly payment

Dashlane (iOS | Android)

LastPass (iOS | Android)

1Password (iOS | Android)

KeePass

How to Not Get Hacked: 9 Tips for Securing Your Digital Life (Ep. 187)

Authy (iOS | Android)

Google Authenticator (iOS | Android)

Brain.fm

The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor, by Gabriel García Márquez

RecUp (iOS)

Smart Recorder (Android)

Yousician (iOS | Android)

Scrivener (iOS)

Martin's Ant Photo on Instagram

Strava (iOS | Android)

Tom’s budget modeler

Habitica (iOS | Android)

Greenshot

ScreenFloat

Just 6 Weeks (iOS | Android)

FitBod (iOS)

Fitocracy (iOS | Android)

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:06:44 - Scanning documents with Scanbot

0:10:59 - Tracking expenses with Daily Budget

0:20:56 - Managing your passwords with Dashlane

0:29:43 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:32:13 - Focusing and relaxing with Brain.fm

0:36:27 - Recording your thoughts with RecUp

0:39:34 - Apps for doing creative work

0:42:27 - Tom's budget modeler

0:57:42 - Tracking your habits with Habitica

1:00:08 - Taking screenshots with Greenshot

1:03:44 - Working out with Just 6 Weeks

1:07:09 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nutrition research can be overwhelming, but that doesn't mean you can't start eating healthier today. Here are some less confusing tips to get you started.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Hover: Personal brand is important, and it starts with your domain name. Get 10% off your first domain name purchase by going to Hover.com/cig.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Our Exercise Habits and Fitness Goals (Ep. 216)

Staci Ardison on Instagram

Blue Apron

Freshly

Freshware Meal Prep Containers

Leangains

James Clear's Intermittent Fasting article

Nerd Fitness's Intermittent Fasting article

How to Get Into Tea (Ep. 207)

Slowcooking subreddit 

Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain

Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes

Great Depression Cooking on YouTube

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:01:12 - Cut out sugary foods and beverages as much as possible

0:18:16 - Making smoothies

0:26:41 - Preparing meals ahead of time

0:28:53 - Sponsor: Hover (Buying a domain name)

0:31:29 - Preparing meals ahead of time (continued)

0:34:00 - Trying out intermittent fasting

0:37:50 - Getting into tea

0:40:14 - Don’t aim for a perfect diet

0:47:32 - Using a slow cooker

0:50:19 - Learning to cook with basic ingredients

0:56:53 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's easier than ever before to feel like a failure. Anywhere you look, you can find scores of people half your age but twice as successful. What happened?

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you're one of the first 83 people to use this link, you'll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Sara Dietschy on YouTube

Learned Helplessness (Ep. 99)

Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman

Collection of Short Works (inc. Harrison Bergeron), by Kurt Vonnegut

Weapons of Influence #2: Commitment and Consistency (Ep. 189)

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini

Steve Carell on Wikipedia

Breakthrough Advertising, by Eugene M. Schwartz

16 Personalities Test

Derek Sivers on Wikipedia

The Dip: How to Know When to Quit (Ep. 202)

The Dip, by Seth Godin

5 Questions (Ep. 218)

Music Theory 101, by Marc Schonbrun and Brian Boone

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:02:24 - Success is often circumstantial and being more optimistic

0:28:26 - Try to be patient and keep striving for success

0:31:32 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:34:07 - Being more selective with your ideas and sources of information

0:39:48 - Blaming the wrong things for your lack of success and being envious of others

0:51:38 - Giving up too early and not finishing your projects

0:56:38 - Defining what success means to you and putting effort into it

1:02:40 - Recap and conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this five questions episode, we talk about video game addiction, time blocking, 14-hour work days, living off campus, and finding your purpose.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Hover: Personal brand is important, and it starts with your domain name. Get 10% off your first domain name purchase by going to Hover.com/cig.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Listen Money Matters

Freedom

How to Make Your Life Seem Longer (Ep. 217)

Cal Newport's Time Blocking article

Timeboxing: Elon Musk's Time Management Method

Gary Vaynerchuk

The Dip: How to Know When to Quit (Ep. 202)

The Dip, by Seth Godin

The Naked Roommate, by Harlan Cohen

Nerd Fitness

The Smart Passive Income Blog

Internet Archive: Wayback Machine

CGP Grey on YouTube

CGP Grey's Time Management video on YouTube

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:09:08 - Quitting a video game addiction

0:18:42 - Not being able to finish something that you planned

0:22:42 - Being very productive is not always a good thing

0:25:38 - Sponsor: Hover (Buying a domain name)

0:28:09 - Survivorship bias and looking at what successful people do

0:34:34 - Getting more work done and persevering when it gets hard

0:41:54 - Making it easier to attend classes and events

0:48:37 - Making progress on your goals

0:58:24 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Time flies when you're having fun. Also when you're not. We talk about how to slow things down and fit more life into the one you have.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Mack Weldon: High-quality clothing basics for guys, featuring premium materials and smart design. Get 20% off your first order when you use the promo code ‘CIG’ at checkout.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Tom on Instagram

Tom on Twitter

Martin on Instagram

Martin on Twitter

BBC - Why does walking through doorways make us forget?

Tom's Impossible List

Why You Shouldn't Tell People About Your Goals

A Darker Shade of Magic, by V. E. Schwab

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, by Catherynne M. Valente

Tor.com

How to Find Books That are Actually Worth Your Time

The Story of the Human Body, by Daniel Lieberman

Notion (iOS | Android)

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:03:57 - The different ways we perceive the passing of time

0:10:51 - Making your daily commute more compelling

0:15:29 - Trying to live more in the moment

0:23:10 - Sponsor: Mack Weldon (Premium men’s clothing)

0:25:07 - Setting smaller challenges instead of big, overwhelming ones

0:29:39 - Documenting your accomplishments and ways travelling can motivate you

0:45:01 - Make sure you’re not neglecting your health

0:48:58 - Conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Someday we'll all have cool cyborg bodies, but until then we should probably take care of the ones we have. Here's how we've been trying to stay in shape.

Full show notes

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you use this link, you'll also get 20% off your subscription.

Things mentioned in this episode:

How to Create an Exercise Routine... and Stick to It (Ep. 158)

Morning Routines (Ep. 208)

Evernote (iOS | Android)

Notion (iOS | Android)

Asana (iOS | Android)

Trello (iOS | Android)

Airtable (iOS | Android)

How to Build Strong Habits (Ep. 214)

Essentialism: How to Do More by Doing Less (Ep. 171)

Starting Strength

Kinobody

Bodybuilding.com

FitBod (iOS)

Strava (iOS | Android)

Fitocracy (iOS | Android)

Habitica (iOS | Android)

Yes4All Deluxe Chin Up Bar Doorway

Fitness subreddit

Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.

You can also get a free copy of my book, 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less), by staying up to date with the College Info Geek newsletter.

Timestamps:

0:13:05 - Martin’s simpler workout

0:24:13 - Tom’s fitness goals

0:32:26 - Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)

0:34:59 - Tom's more complex workout

0:45:18 - Aspects that complement the main workout

0:52:24 - Recap and conclusion

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! It's easy, you'll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure :) You can also leave a review!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.