A listener conversation about communication and mindfulness. Originally released in 2018 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A listener conversation about communication and mindfulness. Originally released in 2018 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 17: Communication And Mindfulness

A discussion with a listener about tax strategies and financial freedom. The previous episodes of TVL referenced are episodes 209 and 210 with Joshua Sheats from the Radical Personal Finance Podcast. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A discussion with a listener about tax strategies and financial freedom. The previous episodes of TVL referenced are episodes 209 and 210 with Joshua Sheats from the Radical Personal Finance Podcast. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 16: Tax Strategies And My Experience As An Entrepreneur

A discussion with listeners about making a big change in life. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A discussion with listeners about making a big change in life. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 13: Making A Big Change In Life

A conversation with listeners about the challenge of being an individual versus finding community. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A conversation with listeners about the challenge of being an individual versus finding community. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 11: Being An Individual Vs Finding Community

Jake Desyllas interviewed on the Freecast podcast about his childhood and intellectual development. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Jake Desyllas interviewed on the Freecast podcast about his childhood and intellectual development. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 9: What I Learned Growing Up In A Communist Squat

A listener conversation originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A listener conversation originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 5: Ending Friendships

A listener conversation. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A listener conversation. Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 4: Should I Go Into Business With This Person?

A continuation of the discussion about cash in investing that I started on TVL Episode 297. Here are a couple of books for further reading:  Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne is a simple introduction to the permanent portfolio The Permanent Portfolio by Craig Rowland has a detailed discussion about cash.  Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A continuation of the discussion about cash in investing that I started on TVL Episode 297. Here are a couple of books for further reading: <ul> <li>Fail Safe Investing by Harry Browne is a simple introduction to the permanent portfolio</li> <li>The Permanent Portfolio by Craig Rowland has a detailed discussion about cash.</li> </ul> Originally released in 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 3: More On Cash In Investing

A bonus episode about how to do a daily task review. If you implement this practice, you can start the day like a rocket launching. Originally released in June 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

A bonus episode about how to do a daily task review. If you implement this practice, you can start the day like a rocket launching. Originally released in June 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 2: How To Do A Daily Review

This episode is part 2 of How To Sort Your Life Out. You can find Part 1 in  episode 295 of The Voluntary Life. Originally released in June 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

This episode is part 2 of How To Sort Your Life Out. You can find Part 1 in <a href="https://thevoluntarylife.com/295-how-to-sort-your-life-out-part-1-and-patreon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> episode 295 of The Voluntary Life</a>. Originally released in June 2017 as a bonus episode for supporting listeners.

Bonus Episode 1: How To Sort Your Life Out Part 2

A podcast about living a life of your choosing. Topics covered include financial independence, productivity, entrepreneurship, peaceful parenting, minimalism, and rational thinking.

Very thoughtful and informative on a number of subjects...parenting, entrepreneurship, and financial independence. I just finished listening to Jake’s “Becoming an Entrepreneur” which I purchased on Audible and I was not disappointed. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on the difference between an employee and an owner mindset. I am now reading David Allen’s “Getting Things Done,” based on Jake’s recommendation. Everything Jake does really thought provoking and insightful.

Highly recommend

I found this podcast after hearing his interview on the one free family podcast. This podcast is my absolute favorite podcast I’ve ever listened to. The content, and his voice are just easy to listen to. He gives me hope in this world as I’m raising my daughter against the typical grain.

Best podcast I’ve found!

The Voluntary Life

A review of Peter Breggin's book, Guilt Shame And Anxiety: Understanding And Overcoming Negative Emotions, originally published on another podcast hosted by Jake and Hannah, The Psychology Book Club Podcast.  Peter Breggin's book is very relevant to many topics covered on The Voluntary Life. In the episode, Hannah and Jake discuss the challenging ideas presented in the book and how they can help you achieve greater psychological freedom.  Show Notes  Psychology Book Club Podcast Guilt Shame and Anxiety by Peter Breggin  TVL 247 Thinking Rationally Part 5: Reason And Emotions 

A review of Peter Breggin's book, <a href="http://getbook.at/breggin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Guilt Shame And Anxiety: Understanding And Overcoming Negative Emotions</a>, originally published on another podcast hosted by Jake and Hannah, <a href="http://psychologybookclub.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Psychology Book Club Podcast</a>. Peter Breggin's book is very relevant to many topics covered on The Voluntary Life. In the episode, Hannah and Jake discuss the challenging ideas presented in the book and how they can help you achieve greater psychological freedom. Show Notes <ul> <li><a href="http://psychologybookclub.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psychology Book Club Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/breggin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Guilt Shame and Anxiety</a> by Peter Breggin</li> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/247-thinking-rationally-part-5-reason-and-emotions" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TVL 247 Thinking Rationally Part 5: Reason And Emotions</a></li> </ul>

260 Overcoming Negative Emotions

This episode provides a mind blowing way of thinking about the true cost of your monthly expenses. If you are interested in achieving financial freedom, then it makes sense to look at each monthly recurring expense as really costing you 300 times more. For example, a gym membership that costs £80 per month really costs £24,000 (in dollars, a $120 monthly gym membership really costs $36,000). The episode explains this perspective in more detail. In summary:  You have financial freedom when you don't have to work to support yourself. Therefore, if you want to be financially free, you have to think of paying for things from the interest on your passive investments. Although there is a lot of debate about the numbers, the most widely used assumption is that you can live from 4% of your portfolio (the so called 4% rule). This assumes that on average your portfolio will make enough to cover for both inflation and you drawing down 4% (I personally think it's better to use 3% to be on the safe side, but let's use the most commonly used assumption to illustrate the point). The 4% rule implies that you need a net worth that is 25 times your annual expenses to be financially free. To apply that to monthly expenses, simply multiply the 25 by 12 (for 12 months) and you need investments that are 300 times your recurring monthly expenses. So any monthly expense really requires 300 times more in capital to pay for it when financially free. This is why for the £80 per month gym membership, you need £24,000 in capital saved to pay that membership when financially free. That figure (£24,000) is more than the annul expenses of most people in the UK. This is why frugality and saving is so powerful as a way to get more financial freedom. It is more powerful to save expenses than to keep increasing your income because more income won't make you more free unless you control expenses. I'm not a financial advisor and as always, you need to do your own research. I think this perspective is useful and it has been very helpful to me. That's why I won't be getting a gym membership again anytime soon. There are plenty of free ways of getting good exercise!  Further Reading:   Mr Money Moustache article about the 4% Rule  Retiring Sooner: How to Accelerate Your Financial Independence by Darrow Kirkpatrick  The 4% Rule and Safe Withdrawal Rates In Retirement  by Todd Tressider 

This episode provides a mind blowing way of thinking about the true cost of your monthly expenses. If you are interested in achieving financial freedom, then it makes sense to look at each monthly recurring expense as really costing you 300 times more. For example, a gym membership that costs £80 per month really costs £24,000 (in dollars, a $120 monthly gym membership really costs $36,000). The episode explains this perspective in more detail. In summary: <ul> <li>You have financial freedom when you don't have to work to support yourself. Therefore, if you want to be financially free, you have to think of paying for things from the interest on your passive investments.</li> <li>Although there is a lot of debate about the numbers, the most widely used assumption is that you can live from 4% of your portfolio (the so called 4% rule). This assumes that on average your portfolio will make enough to cover for both inflation and you drawing down 4% (I personally think it's better to use 3% to be on the safe side, but let's use the most commonly used assumption to illustrate the point).</li> <li>The 4% rule implies that you need a net worth that is 25 times your annual expenses to be financially free. To apply that to monthly expenses, simply multiply the 25 by 12 (for 12 months) and you need investments that are 300 times your recurring monthly expenses. So any monthly expense really requires 300 times more in capital to pay for it when financially free.</li> <li>This is why for the £80 per month gym membership, you need £24,000 in capital saved to pay that membership when financially free. That figure (£24,000) is more than the annul expenses of most people in the UK.</li> <li>This is why frugality and saving is so powerful as a way to get more financial freedom. It is more powerful to save expenses than to keep increasing your income because more income won't make you more free unless you control expenses.</li> <li>I'm not a financial advisor and as always, you need to do your own research. I think this perspective is useful and it has been very helpful to me.</li> <li>That's why I won't be getting a gym membership again anytime soon. There are plenty of free ways of getting good exercise!</li> </ul> Further Reading: <ul> <li><a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/29/how-much-do-i-need-for-retirement/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Mr Money Moustache article about the 4% Rule</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989283003/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0989283003&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Retiring Sooner: How to Accelerate Your Financial Independence</a> by Darrow Kirkpatrick</li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081LOCZY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B0081LOCZY&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The 4% Rule and Safe Withdrawal Rates In Retirement </a> by Todd Tressider</li> </ul>

116 Why Your Gym Membership Is 300 Times More Expensive Than You Think

This episode is about freeing your mind by decluttering all your mental baggage on a regular basis. Topic covered include:  The benefits of going on an information and media diet The importance of having a trusted system for how to declutter your mind and control the information buildup around you. The role of a weekly clear-out, as part of a weekly review  Applying the "inbox-zero" approach beyond email to digital inboxes, physical inboxes, social inboxes, and life in general.  Show Notes   Getting Things Done by David Allen Inbox Zero talk by Merlin Mann 

This episode is about freeing your mind by decluttering all your mental baggage on a regular basis. Topic covered include: <ul> <li>The benefits of going on an information and media diet</li> <li>The importance of having a trusted system for how to declutter your mind and control the information buildup around you.</li> <li>The role of a weekly clear-out, as part of a weekly review </li> <li>Applying the "inbox-zero" approach beyond email to digital inboxes, physical inboxes, social inboxes, and life in general.</li> </ul> Show Notes <ul> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0142000280&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Getting Things Done</a> by David Allen</li> <li><a href="http://youtu.be/z9UjeTMb3Yk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inbox Zero talk by Merlin Mann</a></li> </ul>

148 Mental Decluttering

An update about how my approach to travel and minimalism has changed since becoming a parent. From an interview on the World Wanderers Podcast. Show Notes:  The World Wanderers Podcast Xolo.io for managing your Estonian E Residency company (use my referral code "Jake") Job Free by Jake Desyllas  Audiobook, eBook, Paperback 

An update about how my approach to travel and minimalism has changed since becoming a parent. From an interview on the World Wanderers Podcast. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.theworldwanderers.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The World Wanderers Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.xolo.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Xolo.io</a> for managing your Estonian E Residency company (use my referral code "Jake")</li> <li>Job Free by Jake Desyllas <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/B01H3XB3YS/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-061444&amp;ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_061444_rh_us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Audiobook</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2HEEQ99" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2rGcgdE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a></li> </ul>

403 Travel, Minimalism, And Parenting: World Wanderers Interview

Thomas Stanley

In his book Stop Acting Rich, author Thomas Stanley explained a way to calculate your relative net worth, taking into account both your age and your income. He used this calculation to create a wealth index, which you can use to judge whether you are on the path to FI, or whether you are burning more of your income than you should.  In the episode I explain how the wealth index is calculated and provide commentary on how to use it. There is also a free website that does the calculation for you.  Show Notes:  The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley Stop Acting Rich By Thomas Stanley  TVL Episode 80: Financial Freedom Milestones Website To Check Your Wealth Index by Hugh Chou  TVL Episode 242: Financial Pros And Cons Of Home Ownership 

In his book <a href="http://getbook.at/stopactingrich" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stop Acting Rich</a>, author Thomas Stanley explained a way to calculate your relative net worth, taking into account both your age and your income. He used this calculation to create a wealth index, which you can use to judge whether you are on the path to FI, or whether you are burning more of your income than you should. In the episode I explain how the wealth index is calculated and provide commentary on how to use it. There is also a <a href="http://www.hughcalc.org/wealth.cgi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free website that does the calculation for you.</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/millionaire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Millionaire Next Door</a> by Thomas Stanley</li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/stopactingrich" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stop Acting Rich</a> By Thomas Stanley</li> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/80-financial-freedom-milestones" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TVL Episode 80: Financial Freedom Milestones</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.hughcalc.org/wealth.cgi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website To Check Your Wealth Index</a> by Hugh Chou</li> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/242-financial-pros-and-cons-of-home-ownership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TVL Episode 242: Financial Pros And Cons Of Home Ownership</a></li> </ul>

264 Thomas Stanley's Wealth Index

This episode is about a technique for staying on top of all your commitments known as the weekly review. It helps you get a handle on all your commitments, decide what you want and don't want to do with your time and maintain all aspects of your life in working order. The idea for this technique comes from the Getting Things Done approach to personal productivity, but you can adapt it to your own purposes even if you don't practice GTD. Topics covered in the episode include:  The three parts to a weekly review: a clear review (discussed in the episode mental decluttering), a current review (this episode) and a creative review (future episode). The value of identifying areas of responsibility in your life and reviewing them each week How to get an overview of all live projects, including urgency and importance The review of each live project and the importance of identifying next actions. The use of agendas and waiting lists for all the people in your life The Calendar review and weekly plan of tasks and decisions  Show Notes:  Episode on Mental Decluttering Other Previous Episodes on productivity  Getting Things Done by David Allen Photo Credit: Thomas Frost Jensen via Compfight cc 

This episode is about a technique for staying on top of all your commitments known as the weekly review. It helps you get a handle on all your commitments, decide what you want and don't want to do with your time and maintain all aspects of your life in working order. The idea for this technique comes from the Getting Things Done approach to personal productivity, but you can adapt it to your own purposes even if you don't practice GTD. Topics covered in the episode include: <ul> <li>The three parts to a weekly review: a clear review (discussed in the episode <a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/148-mental-decluttering" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mental decluttering</a>), a current review (this episode) and a creative review (future episode).</li> <li>The value of identifying areas of responsibility in your life and reviewing them each week</li> <li>How to get an overview of all live projects, including urgency and importance</li> <li>The review of each live project and the importance of identifying next actions.</li> <li>The use of agendas and waiting lists for all the people in your life</li> <li>The Calendar review and weekly plan of tasks and decisions</li> </ul> Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/148-mental-decluttering" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode on Mental Decluttering</a></li> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/category/productivity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Other Previous Episodes on productivity</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0142000280&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Getting Things Done</a> by David Allen</li> <li>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56001653@N06/9506860145/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thomas Frost Jensen</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cc</a></li> </ul>

154 How To Stay On Top With A Weekly Review

This episode is about saving money and it's relationship with freedom. Many people are trapped in a "wage slavery" lifestyle, living from month to month. Although their income rises during their career, their expenses scale correspondingly (or even lead ahead, creating debt). There are two approaches to developing the savings that allow get you out of this trap:  One route is to increase earnings without increasing expenses, creating savings. The difficulty with this approach is that the higher the income, the bigger the tendency or temptation to spend more on a more comfortable lifestyle. The other approach is to decrease expenses without decreasing earnings, by focussing on minimising living expenses as much as possible. The challenge with this approach is to do so without losing income (for example, moving to a low cost location might not make it possible to keep a well paid job).  Jake talks about his experience focussing on the first approach and discusses some of the benefits in terms of freedom that saving provides:  Developing an emergency fund of approximately 3 months expenses reduces a huge amount of stress associated with living month to month and enables you to cope with unexpected expenses or irregular cashflow. Developing savings to cover 1 year of expenses opens up a huge degree of freedom, for example to start your own business, to leave a job if you don't like it or even to change your life in other ways such as by emigrating to another country.  This podcast and blog summary contains only personal opinions, it does not constitute financial advice and I am not a financial advisor.

This episode is about saving money and it's relationship with freedom. Many people are trapped in a "wage slavery" lifestyle, living from month to month. Although their income rises during their career, their expenses scale correspondingly (or even lead ahead, creating debt). There are two approaches to developing the savings that allow get you out of this trap: <ul> <li>One route is to increase earnings without increasing expenses, creating savings. The difficulty with this approach is that the higher the income, the bigger the tendency or temptation to spend more on a more comfortable lifestyle.</li> <li>The other approach is to decrease expenses without decreasing earnings, by focussing on minimising living expenses as much as possible. The challenge with this approach is to do so without losing income (for example, moving to a low cost location might not make it possible to keep a well paid job).</li> </ul> Jake talks about his experience focussing on the first approach and discusses some of the benefits in terms of freedom that saving provides: <ul> <li>Developing an emergency fund of approximately 3 months expenses reduces a huge amount of stress associated with living month to month and enables you to cope with unexpected expenses or irregular cashflow.</li> <li>Developing savings to cover 1 year of expenses opens up a huge degree of freedom, for example to start your own business, to leave a job if you don't like it or even to change your life in other ways such as by emigrating to another country.</li> </ul> This podcast and blog summary contains only personal opinions, it does not constitute financial advice and I am not a financial advisor.

82 Savings Vs Wage Slavery

This episode is an interview that Jake did on the Porc Therapy Podcast, recorded live at Porcfest 2012. In the interview, Jake talks about some of the things you can do to live more freely whatever society or economy you find yourself in, such as investing in friendships and living abroad.

This episode is an interview that Jake did on the P<a href="http://www.porctherapy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">orc Therapy Podcast</a>, recorded live at <a href="http://happyporcupine.info/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Porcfest 2012</a>. In the interview, Jake talks about some of the things you can do to live more freely whatever society or economy you find yourself in, such as investing in friendships and living abroad.

62 What You Can Do To Live Free: Porc Therapy Interview

This episode is about making sense of two important concepts: frugality and minimalism. Frugality means to be economical or sparing with regard to money, but this definition prompts the question: what are the criteria for deciding if a choice is economical?  Similarly, the definition of minimalism (to own the minimum amount of possessions) also prompts a question: what are the criteria for deciding what the minimum is?  Both these ideas only make sense if they are defined in relation to your goals and purpose in life. Using examples from entrepreneurship, I suggest ways to define frugality and minimalism in relation to your goals.  Show Notes:  TVL Episode 136: Your Purpose In Life  TVL Episode 116 (for discussion of the 4% rule)  The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Eliyahu M. by Goldratt 

This episode is about making sense of two important concepts: frugality and minimalism. Frugality means to be economical or sparing with regard to money, but this definition prompts the question: what are the criteria for deciding if a choice is economical?  Similarly, the definition of minimalism (to own the minimum amount of possessions) also prompts a question: what are the criteria for deciding what the minimum is? Both these ideas only make sense if they are defined in relation to your goals and purpose in life. Using examples from entrepreneurship, I suggest ways to define frugality and minimalism in relation to your goals. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/136-your-purpose-in-life" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TVL Episode 136: Your Purpose In Life</a></li> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/116-why-your-gym-membership-is-300-times-more-expensive-than-you-think" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> TVL Episode 116</a> (for discussion of the 4% rule)</li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0884271951/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0884271951&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20&amp;linkId=WSO7G3XRWYEV4JLO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement</a> Eliyahu M. by Goldratt</li> </ul>

204 Making Sense of Frugality and Minimalism

An episode about freedom from stuff. Topics covered include:  What I learned living from a backpack for 7+ months Why owning stuff is not wealth The hidden financial and psychological costs of owning stuff How your stuff can control you The goal of purposeful ownership Strategies for minimalism: paperless, zero data and selling all your crap 

An episode about freedom from stuff. Topics covered include: <ul> <li>What I learned living from a backpack for 7+ months</li> <li>Why owning stuff is not wealth</li> <li>The hidden financial and psychological costs of owning stuff</li> <li>How your stuff can control you</li> <li>The goal of purposeful ownership</li> <li>Strategies for minimalism: paperless, zero data and selling all your crap</li> </ul>

113 Freedom From Your Stuff

Preparing for a life of travel involved getting rid of anything that I could not take with me in one suitcase. One big source of clutter to address was clothes. My clothes took up a lot of space, yet I hardly ever wore many of them.   As part of my extreme decluttering, I got rid of every item of clothing beyond a minimal set that would fit with my one-suitcase plan. The process included making an inventory, deciding what to keep or get rid of, and selling or giving away a huge amount of clothes. Whether you plan to travel or not, this episode will give you some food for thought about changing your approach to clothes.  Show Notes:  Previous Episodes on Minimalism Home Inventory App (Mac) Job Free by Jake Desyllas 

Preparing for a life of travel involved getting rid of anything that I could not take with me in one suitcase. One big source of clutter to address was clothes. My clothes took up a lot of space, yet I hardly ever wore many of them.   As part of my extreme decluttering, I got rid of every item of clothing beyond a minimal set that would fit with my one-suitcase plan. The process included making an inventory, deciding what to keep or get rid of, and selling or giving away a huge amount of clothes. Whether you plan to travel or not, this episode will give you some food for thought about changing your approach to clothes. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://thevoluntarylife.libsyn.com/category/minimalism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Previous Episodes on Minimalism</a></li> <li><a href="http://binaryformations.com/products/home-inventory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Home Inventory App (Mac)</a></li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/jobfree" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job Free</a> by Jake Desyllas</li> </ul>

239 Minimalism And Clothes

Brett Veinotte from the School Sucks Podcast and Jake Desyllas from The Voluntary Life discuss the process of upgrading and maintaining positive habits. Topic covered include:  Habits may seem trivial, but the are the most important part of a productivity system Two approaches to change: slow and steady vs. New Year's resolution Triggers for activating habits vs. friction against habits How do we do it? morning routine, 7 Weeks (Android app), Jake uses Way of Life (iOS) No matter what else is going on, do the simple things; even though these seemingly minor habits are the first thing that fall by the wayside when we're really busy Jake: "Habits dramatically reduce the amount of willpower and brainpower required to get things done. Once you have implemented a habit and can do it on autopilot, you conserve willpower and brainpower, helping you get more done." Willpower is a scarce resource; it degrades decision to decision Identifying resources beyond willpower Jake: "Habits are easiest to adopt when they are simple to understand, when you minimize any friction at the start of the action, when there are clear environmental triggers that tell your unconscious to start the habit, and when you have feedback (rewards) for completion."  Show Notes:   School Sucks Podcast Willpower by Roy Baumeister The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Manage Your Day-to-Day by Jocelyn Glei Job Free by Jake Desyllas Al Switzler Ted Talk 

Brett Veinotte from the School Sucks Podcast and Jake Desyllas from The Voluntary Life discuss the process of upgrading and maintaining positive habits. Topic covered include: <ul> <li>Habits may seem trivial, but the are the most important part of a productivity system</li> <li>Two approaches to change: slow and steady vs. New Year's resolution</li> <li>Triggers for activating habits vs. friction against habits</li> <li>How do we do it? morning routine, 7 Weeks (Android app), Jake uses Way of Life (iOS)</li> <li>No matter what else is going on, do the simple things; even though these seemingly minor habits are the first thing that fall by the wayside when we're really busy</li> <li>Jake: "Habits dramatically reduce the amount of willpower and brainpower required to get things done. Once you have implemented a habit and can do it on autopilot, you conserve willpower and brainpower, helping you get more done."</li> <li>Willpower is a scarce resource; it degrades decision to decision</li> <li>Identifying resources beyond willpower</li> <li>Jake: "Habits are easiest to adopt when they are simple to understand, when you minimize any friction at the start of the action, when there are clear environmental triggers that tell your unconscious to start the habit, and when you have feedback (rewards) for completion."</li> </ul> Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://schoolsucksproject.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">School Sucks Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/baumeister" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Willpower</a> by Roy Baumeister</li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/duhigg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Power of Habit</a> by Charles Duhigg</li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/glei" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Manage Your Day-to-Day</a> by Jocelyn Glei</li> <li><a href="http://getbook.at/jobfree" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job Free</a> by Jake Desyllas</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TX-Nu5wTS8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Al Switzler Ted Talk</a></li> </ul>

235 A Better World Starts With A Clean Bedroom

This episode is a chapter from the audiobook of Job Free by Jake Desyllas. This chapter explains extreme saving- a strategy for achieving financial indpendence based on frugal living. Even if this lifestyle choice is not for you, it's a fascinating approach that offers lots of food for thought for anyone interested in financial freedom. Show Notes:  Job Free by Jake Desyllas Support TVL on Patreon for bonus episodes and other rewards! 

This episode is a chapter from the audiobook of <a href="https://amzn.to/2rGcgdE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job Free</a> by Jake Desyllas. This chapter explains extreme saving- a strategy for achieving financial indpendence based on frugal living. Even if this lifestyle choice is not for you, it's a fascinating approach that offers lots of food for thought for anyone interested in financial freedom. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="https://amzn.to/2rGcgdE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job Free</a> by Jake Desyllas</li> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/join/thevoluntarylife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Support TVL on Patreon</a> for bonus episodes and other rewards!</li> </ul>

363 Extreme Saving

There are many practical steps required to reach financial independence, but there are also some interesting psychological challenges to early retirement. Who would you be without your job? What would you do all day if you never had to work? Justin retired at the age of 33. He writes about financial independence at the Root of Good blog. In this interview, he gives his take on the psychological side of financial independence and describes his early-retirement lifestyle.  Show Notes:  Root of Good Blog The Early Retiree's Weekly Schedule  

There are many practical steps required to reach financial independence, but there are also some interesting psychological challenges to early retirement. Who would you be without your job? What would you do all day if you never had to work? Justin retired at the age of 33. He writes about financial independence at the <a href="http://rootofgood.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Root of Good blog</a>. In this interview, he gives his take on the psychological side of financial independence and describes his early-retirement lifestyle. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://rootofgood.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Root of Good Blog</a></li> <li><a href="http://rootofgood.com/early-retirement-schedule/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Early Retiree's Weekly Schedule</a> </li> </ul>

221 Early Retirement Lifestyle Part 1

Part 2 in the short series of podcasts about The Voluntary Life. This episode is all about the podcast itself.  The podcast comes out once per week and is a mix of solo-casts and interviews. Some topics are covered in more detail as a series, like the entrepreneurship series. The aim of the podcast is personal freedom empowerment: providing ideas for finding the maximum freedom in your own life, within an unfree world. The podcast always takes a constructive approach: the angle on any topic is- what can you do to maximise your freedom in this area of life?  All the topics are about things that are actionable and personally relevant at an individual level. The podcast aims to explore the approach of living a free and voluntary life across all aspects of life (work, personal relationships, finances etc). We showcase examples of voluntary living through interviews with people who have maximised their freedom in a particular aspects of life. 

Part 2 in the short series of podcasts about The Voluntary Life. This episode is all about the podcast itself. <ul> <li>The podcast comes out once per week and is a mix of solo-casts and interviews. Some topics are covered in more detail as a series, like the entrepreneurship series.</li> <li>The aim of the podcast is personal freedom empowerment: providing ideas for finding the maximum freedom in your own life, within an unfree world.</li> <li>The podcast always takes a constructive approach: the angle on any topic is- what can you do to maximise your freedom in this area of life? </li> <li>All the topics are about things that are actionable and personally relevant at an individual level.</li> <li>The podcast aims to explore the approach of living a free and voluntary life across all aspects of life (work, personal relationships, finances etc).</li> <li>We showcase examples of voluntary living through interviews with people who have maximised their freedom in a particular aspects of life.</li> </ul>

93 About The Voluntary Life Part 2: Empowerment

This episode is about how to diversify your investments for lower risk and higher return. The issues covered include:   The problems with a simple "buy and hold" approach, whereby you invest all your money in your one favorite asset (be that stocks, gold or anything else). The problems with the "market timing" approach to investing and why it doesn't work. The benefits of diversifying your portfolio How to properly diversify your portfolio by using different asset classes, rather than just different securities. How to use rebalancing bands to harvest volatility, increase your return and reduce risk.   You can get more information about the concept of the permanent portfolio discussed in this episode in Harry Browne's book "Fail-Safe Investing" and in many of the previous Voluntary Life podcast episodes on investing.   As always regarding investment, do your own research. I am not an advisor and this isn't advice of any kind, it's just my own opinions based on my experience.

This episode is about how to diversify your investments for lower risk and higher return. The issues covered include: <ul> <li>The problems with a simple "buy and hold" approach, whereby you invest all your money in your one favorite asset (be that stocks, gold or anything else).</li> <li>The problems with the "market timing" approach to investing and why it doesn't work.</li> <li>The benefits of diversifying your portfolio</li> <li>How to properly diversify your portfolio by using different asset classes, rather than just different securities.</li> <li>How to use rebalancing bands to harvest volatility, increase your return and reduce risk.</li> </ul> You can get more information about the concept of the permanent portfolio discussed in this episode in Harry Browne's book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031226321X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thevo08-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=031226321X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fail-Safe Investing</a>" and in many of the previous Voluntary Life podcast episodes on <a href="http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/investment" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">investing</a>. As always regarding investment, do your own research. I am not an advisor and this isn't advice of any kind, it's just my own opinions based on my experience.

104 How To Diversify Your Investments

In this interview, Sarah tells her early retirement story and talks about life after quitting the rat race. We discuss why she has chosen housesitting both as a lifestyle choice and as a great financial benefit. She discusses the pros and cons of housesitting and provides some advice for people thinking about making the jump to early retirement.  Show Notes:  Honoring My Compass 

In this interview, Sarah tells her early retirement story and talks about life after quitting the rat race. We discuss why she has chosen housesitting both as a lifestyle choice and as a great financial benefit. She discusses the pros and cons of housesitting and provides some advice for people thinking about making the jump to early retirement. Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://honoringmycompass.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Honoring My Compass</a></li> </ul>

203 Early Retirement and Housesitting

Audio from a presentation given at the 2013 Libertopia conference. The talk explains how I quit the rat race aged 38 and what I have learned about different ways that other people have found to do so. There are four basic ways to quit the rat race presented in the talk:  Unjobbing Intensive Saving Passive Income Selling A Business  Show Notes:  Michael Fogler's book Un-Jobbing Linda Breen Pierce's book  Choosing Simplicity Elliot Hulse  Your Money or Your Life Amy Dacyczyn's book  The Complete Tightwad Gazette Early Retirement Extreme blog and  book Mr Money Moustache  Introduction to the Permanent Portfolio Smart Passive Income Tim Ferriss' blog and book  The 4-Hour Workweek Laura Roeder Derek Sivers' book  Anything You Want 

Audio from a presentation given at the 2013 <a href="http://www.libertopia.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Libertopia</a> conference. The talk explains how I quit the rat race aged 38 and what I have learned about different ways that other people have found to do so. There are four basic ways to quit the rat race presented in the talk: <ul> <li>Unjobbing</li> <li>Intensive Saving</li> <li>Passive Income</li> <li>Selling A Business</li> </ul> Show Notes: <ul> <li><a href="http://michaelfogler.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Fogler</a>'s book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPET8SK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00BPET8SK&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Un-Jobbing</a></li> <li>Linda Breen Pierce's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967206715/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0967206715&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Choosing Simplicity</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/elliottsaidwhat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elliot Hulse</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143115766/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0143115766&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Your Money or Your Life</a></li> <li>Amy Dacyczyn's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375752250/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0375752250&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Complete Tightwad Gazette</a></li> <li>Early Retirement Extreme <a href="http://earlyretirementextreme.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145360121X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=145360121X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> book</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr Money Moustache</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031226321X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=031226321X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Introduction to the Permanent Portfolio</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smart Passive Income</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Ferriss' blog</a> and book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307465357/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307465357&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The 4-Hour Workweek</a></li> <li><a href="http://lkrsocialmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Laura Roeder</a></li> <li><a href="http://sivers.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Derek Sivers</a>' book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936719118/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1936719118&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thevo08-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Anything You Want</a></li> </ul>

124 Four Ways To Quit The Rat Race

Eduardo Marty

An interview with Eduardo Marty, who founded Junior Achievement in Argentina and in many other Latin American countries. Junior Achievement is a charity that teaches entrepreneurship to children and young adults.  Eduardo has also held academic posts as professor at the University Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala, and the University of Buenos Aires. He is one of the few academics who is truly passionate about the need for young people to learn the practical skills of entrepreneurship. As he says in the interview; "the problem with intellectuals is that they are always running out of money".  In this entertaining interview, he discusses his experiences and his adventures in a life dedicated to helping kids realise their entrepreneurial potential, including a narrow escape from being imprisoned in Cuba when he tried to establish Junior Achievement there.

An interview with Eduardo Marty, who founded <a href="http://www.junior.org.ar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Junior Achievement in Argentina</a> and in many other Latin American countries. Junior Achievement is a charity that teaches entrepreneurship to children and young adults. Eduardo has also held academic posts as professor at the University Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala, and the University of Buenos Aires. He is one of the few academics who is truly passionate about the need for young people to learn the practical skills of entrepreneurship. As he says in the interview; "the problem with intellectuals is that they are always running out of money". In this entertaining interview, he discusses his experiences and his adventures in a life dedicated to helping kids realise their entrepreneurial potential, including a narrow escape from being imprisoned in Cuba when he tried to establish Junior Achievement there.

86 Teaching Entrepreneurship to Kids: An Interview with Eduardo Marty

This week's episode comes from Joshua Sheats, host of the Radical Personal Finance podcast:  "Most of us in the Radical Personal Finance community are pursuing our own financial independence. And most of us want to get there as quickly as possible. But, most of us only have one idea of one way to get there. Did you know there are a bunch of different ways to go job-free and gain financial freedom? I'm excited to bring you my interview with Jake Desyllas, author of "Job Free: Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms.""  Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Radical Personal Finance Podcast

This week's episode comes from Joshua Sheats, host of the Radical Personal Finance podcast: "Most of us in the Radical Personal Finance community are pursuing our own financial independence. And most of us want to get there as quickly as possible. But, most of us only have one idea of one way to get there. Did you know there are a bunch of different ways to go job-free and gain financial freedom? I'm excited to bring you my interview with Jake Desyllas, author of "Job Free: Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms."" Show Notes: <a href="http://getbook.at/jobfree" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Job Free by Jake Desyllas</a> <a href="http://radicalpersonalfinance.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Radical Personal Finance Podcast</a>

234 Radical Personal Finance Interview— Job Free

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