
The Three Month Vacation Podcast
Sean D'Souza made two vows when he started up Psychotactics back in 2002. The first was that he'd always get paid in advance and the second was that work wouldn't control his life. He decided to take three months off every year. But how do you take three months off, without affecting your business and profits? Do you buy into the myth of "outsourcing everything and working just a few hours a week?" Not really. Instead, you structure your business in a way that enables you to work hard and then take three months off every single year. And Sean walks his talk. Since 2004, he's taken three months off every year (except in 2005, when there was a medical emergency). This podcast isn't about the easy life. It's not some magic trick about working less. Instead with this podcast you learn how to really enjoy your work, enjoy your vacation time and yes, get paid in advance.
Latest episodes

Aug 19, 2024 • 28min
The "Pain Map of Learning": How Trainers Can Make Learning Fun Again
When we get into a learning situation, we’re usually excited. Then, almost immediately we feel unsure. We stumble along, not keen to move ahead. What’s happening in our brain? I’ll tell you what: a pain map is being created. This pain map is because of a lack of good instructional design. How do we avoid creating this pain map for our kids and especially for our clients? Let’s find out

Aug 3, 2024 • 6min
Why Catching Up Is a Poor Strategy (And Why the “Next Sunrise” Method is More Powerful)
When we fall behind, the core instinct is to catch up. In most cases, that’s a strategy that stresses us out, and achieves very little. It feels like one foot inside and another outside. But is there a better method? Try the “next sunrise” method and see how well it works for you..

Jul 13, 2024 • 18min
Why “Prompts” Speed Up Learning (And Avoid the Boring Hard Work Syndrome)
We are told time and time again that we need to practice. That we need to work hard. That’s usually a load of rubbish. Learning depends less on you as a learner and more on how the learning is designed. Here’s an understanding of how “prompts” in learning make the client eager to get to and finish an assignment, even if the learning journey is extremely long and complicated.

Jul 6, 2024 • 14min
A Memory Test: Are you bad with names or is it a myth?
You've probably heard it before: I am bad at names. I don't remember names so well. But are you truly bad at names? Or is it something that we all say? In this podcast you can test yourself and figure out how impressive your memory really happens to be. Best of all, you will never say that you're bad at names – or even have a bad memory. Your perception of memory will change quite substantially. Let's go, shall we?

Jun 29, 2024 • 18min
The elegant strategy to overcome “information overload” (and how to do it almost overnight).
Learn how to overcome information overload by categorizing information into knowledge, entertainment, and implementation buckets. Discover the importance of prioritizing implementation over retention for productivity and professional growth. Get insights into upcoming strategy workshops and interactive meetups in France. Reflect on the power of storytelling and its impact on personal experiences.

Jun 15, 2024 • 26min
Re-run 7 Storytelling: Why Fairy Tale Endings Are Unnecessary for Article Writing

Jun 8, 2024 • 27min
Re-run 6 Balanced Feedback: Why People Want Endless Amounts of it

Jun 1, 2024 • 21min
Re-run 5 How to Systematically Generate a Uniqueness (Even If You've Struggled With It Before)

May 25, 2024 • 20min
Re-run 4 How random pieces of advice from friends and bosses help me keep my focus

May 18, 2024 • 15min