The Stacking Benjamins Show How to Get 1% Better Without Burning Out (SB1797)
David Gillis, creator of the 1% Better Conference and speaker coach, and Paula Pant, personal finance podcaster behind Afford Anything, explore tiny, sustainable improvements. They discuss why 1% gains beat overhaul approaches. Short takes cover spotting energy drainers, saying no to protect progress, simple daily practices, and how rest and relationships quietly compound into real change.
01:09:17
Block Energy Drainers
- Limit activities that drain your energy by adding friction or hard-blocking apps like Instagram.
- Create small windows or delete and re-download apps to make distractions harder to access.
Say No To Preserve Energy
- Saying no preserves time and energy and prevents unneeded obligations from accumulating.
- Prioritize requests instead of letting an unprioritized to-do list control your life.
Treat Purchases As Time Commitments
- Many purchases are really time commitments that squeeze other activities out of your life.
- Treat buying decisions as time decisions to reveal hidden costs and trade-offs.
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Intro
00:00 • 11min
Why 1% Better Beats Overhauls
10:32 • 29sec
Energy Drainers: Identify and Eliminate
11:01 • 44sec
Practical Tips to Improve Daily
11:45 • 57sec
Paula's Social Media Friction Strategy
12:42 • 1min
Saying No and Prioritizing Commitments
13:48 • 2min
Time vs Money Decisions
16:01 • 2min
Reassessing Relationships' Influence
18:11 • 2min
Ditching Social For Focused Growth
20:30 • 2min
Learning New Skills to Reframe Identity
22:54 • 2min
Owning Your Role Accelerates Progress
25:23 • 8min
Trivia Break and Social Security Quiz
32:53 • 9min
Results and Quick Debrief
41:48 • 3min
Do Inner Work: Self-Awareness Matters
44:30 • 2min
Rest, Creativity, and Energy Management
46:04 • 4min
Nature, Hydration, and Small Health Wins
49:38 • 2min
Books That Help Incremental Progress
52:08 • 8min
Wrap-Up: Small Habits Compound
01:00:31 • 4min
Outro
01:04:35 • 3min
#586
• Mentioned in 50 episodes
Do the Work
Steven Pressfield
#1882
• Mentioned in 21 episodes
The Power of Full Engagement
Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
Tony Schwartz
Jim Loehr
This New York Times bestseller provides a scientifically based approach to managing energy more skillfully both on and off the job.
The book outlines key training principles to mobilize four key sources of energy (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal, expand capacity systematically, and create positive energy management rituals.
It offers a life-changing roadmap to becoming fully engaged, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned.
#5
• Mentioned in 523 episodes
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes readers on a tour of the mind, explaining how the two systems of thought shape our judgments and decisions.
System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, effortful, and logical.
Kahneman discusses the impact of cognitive biases, the difficulties of predicting future happiness, and the effects of overconfidence on corporate strategies.
He offers practical insights into how to guard against mental glitches and how to benefit from slow thinking in both personal and business life.
The book also explores the distinction between the 'experiencing self' and the 'remembering self' and their roles in our perception of happiness.
#117
• Mentioned in 143 episodes
Thinking in bets
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
Annie Duke
In this book, Annie Duke teaches readers how to make better decisions by treating them as 'bets' on uncertain outcomes.
She emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the quality of a decision and its outcome, acknowledging the role of luck, and avoiding biases such as 'resulting' and hindsight bias.
Duke draws on her experiences as a professional poker player and combines these with insights from cognitive psychology and other fields to provide tools for making more objective and thoughtful decisions.
The book encourages readers to get comfortable with uncertainty, seek truth through diverse opinions, and learn from outcomes to improve future decision-making.
#30
• Mentioned in 296 episodes
The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Steven Pressfield
In 'The War of Art', Steven Pressfield identifies the internal force of 'Resistance' that hinders creative endeavors.
The book is divided into three sections: 'Resistance: Defining the Enemy', 'Combating Resistance: Turning Pro', and a final section that discusses the role of the muses and the battle between the Self and the Ego. Pressfield provides practical advice on recognizing and overcoming resistance, emphasizing the importance of professionalism, discipline, and continuous work in achieving creative success.
#32
• Mentioned in 285 episodes
The 48 laws of power
Robert Greene
In 'The 48 Laws of Power', Robert Greene and Joost Elffers synthesize three thousand years of the history of power into 48 laws.
These laws are derived from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz, as well as the lives of influential figures such as Henry Kissinger and P.T.
Barnum.
The book provides tactics, concepts, and lessons on how to achieve and maintain power, emphasizing prudence, confidence, and self-preservation.
Each law is illustrated with historical examples and is designed to help readers understand and navigate the dynamics of power in various aspects of life, including work, social hierarchies, and politics.
#3408
• Mentioned in 13 episodes
1776
David McCullough
In this book, David McCullough provides an intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence.
The narrative delves into the military battles, such as those at Dorchester Heights, Long Island, and Trenton, and explores the personal histories of commanders like Washington, William Howe, and Nathanael Greene.
Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, the book presents a balanced view of both sides of the war, highlighting the struggles, victories, and setbacks of the American and British forces.
McCullough's storytelling approach makes the historical events engaging and accessible, avoiding the dryness often associated with historical texts.
#4477
• Mentioned in 10 episodes
Indestructible
D. K. Drum
Jack Lucas
What if the path to better money decisions, more confidence, and a calmer life wasn't a massive overhaul but just getting a tiny bit better today than you were yesterday?
Joe Saul-Sehy, Neighbor Doug, OG, and Paula Pant (Afford Anything) are joined by David Gillis, creator of the 1% Better Conference, for a roundtable exploring the surprisingly powerful idea of improving by just 1% at a time. No vision boards. No 5 a.m. ice baths. Just small, intentional choices that compound into real results, financially and otherwise.
David brings practical insight and zero guru energy into what sustainable improvement looks like. Together the group talks about why most people burn out trying to change everything at once, and how Stackers can instead design days that make better decisions easier.
You'll hear honest conversations about energy drainers (including the ones we pretend aren't draining), why saying "no" is often the most underrated financial skill, and how rest, relationships, and even boredom play a bigger role in success than grinding ever will. There's also a healthy reminder that progress doesn't always look productive, and that's okay.
As always, Doug brings the trivia, the basement brings the banter, and the lesson sneaks up on you when you're not looking.
If you've ever felt like you should be doing more but don't want to torch your sanity getting there, this episode is for you.
If the 1% Better philosophy resonates with you, the 1% Better Conference is happening February 21-22 in Omaha, where Joe will be the keynote speaker.
What You'll Learn:
- Why 1% better beats "start over Monday" every single time
- How to identify the biggest energy leaks hurting your money decisions
- Why learning to say "no" can improve your finances immediately
- How rest, nature, and relationships quietly boost long term success
- Why small habits matter more than motivation
- How to grow personally and financially without burning out
- A realistic framework for steady improvement that fits real life
This Episode Is For You If:
- You're exhausted from trying to overhaul everything at once
- You feel like you should be doing more but you're already maxed out
- You want progress that doesn't require torching your current life
- You're tired of all or nothing approaches that leave you burnt out
- You're ready for sustainable improvement instead of another failed fresh start
Question for You:
What's one small change you could make this week that would make your life or money just a little easier? Drop it in the comments or share it with us in the Basement Facebook group. We promise not to turn it into a 30 day challenge with a workbook.
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