The Voluntary Life

The identity trap is an idea from Harry Browne's book How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World. Harry suggested that some widely held assumptions about life are false. By accepting such false assumptions, you lose your freedom. He called these false assumptions "traps". The identity trap is the belief that you should be the person that others want you to be, rather than being yourself. There are two key questions to ask yourself in order to escape the identity trap. Listen to the episode to find out more. Show Notes: TVL Episode Discussing How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

This weeks episode is about how to manage your own productivity system for getting things done. It comes from an interview that I did a while ago on the Valiant Growth podcast. In the interview, I talk about various techniques for managing your own productivity system, including: The different components of a productivity system Undertaking regular reviews Choosing between different productivity tools, such a task-management apps and paper-based systems. Show Notes: Valiant Growth Podcast Episode 258 Getting Started With Productivity Systems (Valiant Growth Interview) All Previous Productivity Episodes  

A response to this listener question: "From what I gather, for much of your 20s and 30s you worked very hard on building your business and for long hours each day. It has clearly paid off for you, as you've sold the business and enjoyed many years of financial independence. But is this something you'd recommend for younger people? What's the best way of thinking about the work/life balance at that stage of life? I find myself thinking, what if I worked extremely hard for many years and died in a freak accident before I'd got to have significant life experiences? It may seem like pessimism, but to focus almost entirely on ones work must require some delayed gratification, unless your truly love your work. Similar issues are involved with extreme saving. I thought you might have some good insights about the sort of questions to ask yourself to get a better understanding of how to approach this." Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Mr Money Mustache Early Retirement Extreme Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Simon writes for digital nomads, perpetual travellers, and location independent entrepreneurs on his blog Freedom Surfer. In this interview, he talks about his own journey to location independence and his thoughts on the pros and cons of this lifestyle. He explains how he tackles the practical challenges of perpetual travel, such as business formation, banking, and taxation. Show Notes: Freedom Surfer Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

In this week's episode, my guest Sebastian Kühn talks about the benefits and challenges of running a location-independent business. He shares his own experiences setting up businesses in Hong Kong and Estonia, as well as his thoughts on the Estonian E-Residency program. Sebastian Kühn is a the author of a website for digital nomads called Wireless Life. Show Notes: Wireless Life Recording of Sebastian's Webinar on Estonian E-Residency and Business Formation Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

This week's episode is a review of David Allen's book, Making It All Work. This book is about applying principles of productivity beyond work, to life as a whole. The review is a discussion between myself and Chris Stefanick taken from Chris' podcast, Choice Conversations. Show Notes: Choice Conversations Making It All Work by David Allen How To Read A Book by Mortimer Adler Other episodes on productivity Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

It is not often that Hollywood makes movies which explore real business challenges. The Founder is a movie about how Ray Kroc created a global restaurant franchise from a small business started by the MacDonald brothers. This podcast episode is about what entrepreneurs can learn from the ideas shown in the movie. Show Notes: The Founder (Movie) Fact Checking The Founder Grinding It Out by Ray Kroc Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Does becoming a parent mean giving up a minimalist lifestyle? In this episode Hannah and Jake discuss their experience of minimalism and parenting. Some of the topics covered include: Baby-wearing as an alternative to prams Co-sleeping as an alternative to cots Breastfeeding and baby-led weaning as alternative to bottle feeding and baby foods Buying second-hand stuff for babies How attachment parenting and respectful parenting fit in with minimalism Show Notes: Hannah Braime Examples of Baby Wearing (baby carriers) Co-Sleeping With Infants (University of Notre Dame) Breastfeeding and baby-led attachment Sleeping Like A Baby: Simple Sleep Solutions for Infants and Toddlers by Pinky McKay The Fourth Trimester by Susan Brink The Attachment Parenting Book by William Sears Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby to Love Good Food by Gill Rapley Brain Rules For Baby by John Medina Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber Information on risks of second hand mattresses Unruffled Podcast by Janet Lansbury The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnick Previous episodes on parenting Previous episodes on minimalism Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

Jake is interviewed on The Sample Hour podcast with the host, Drew Sample. We had a wide-ranging discussion covering options for living a job-free life, productivity, minimalism as a parent, and motivation— including the fear that motivates me. Show Notes: The Sample Hour Job Free by Jake Desyllas Becoming An Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!

In this episode, I respond to listener feedback about peaceful parenting. Some of the topics covered include: Is spanking justified? What about minor kinds of aggression in parenting, such as confiscating possessions? One listener's experience of practicing peaceful parenting for 18 years. How come I argue against the use of psychotropic drugs on children? Show Notes: Previous Parenting Episodes The Myth Of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards!