Free By Design

We all have times when we falter and deviate from our desired course. That happened to me and I talk all about it on today’s episode. It’s perfect timing with the impending new year and all of the positive change that will, no doubt, be on everyone’s mind.

Tis the season for relentless marketing and excessive consumption. Unless we rise above it. On today’s episode I talk about marketing and consumerism, but more importantly why we need to block these negative influences. I even go into some stats on some other relevant economics.

Time’s flying! I can’t believe that it’s almost the end of the year! These are all things that we hear and we may have even recently said ourselves. Why is it that time seems to be passing by so quickly? On today’s episode I talk about how our most valuable asset, time, seems to pass by so fast, and what I do to try to slow it down.

We all have things that we’re dealing with, and we all find ourselves down sometimes. There are some simple things that can help to lift our moods, even just a little bit. I like to refer to these things as minimalist medicine, and on this episode I discuss a few examples that I use to help lift my mood whenever I find myself down.

Information about capsule wardrobes is all over the internet, but what’s it really like? This episode answers that question! Of all of the things you can pare back, your wardrobe is one that impacts your day to day life quite a bit. So let’s discuss the realities of living with an extremely pared back wardrobe.

Negativity, when left unchecked, can become a big problem. It finds its way into every aspect of our lives and weighs us down. On this episode I discuss negativity. I talk about how I control it and manage it in order to minimize its impact on my life.

Hobbies come in all shapes and sizes. Some require a lot of STUFF, and others don’t. Some bring you a lot of gratification, and others may not. On today’s episode I discuss hobbies. I talk about my own hobbies and also new hobbies. I share ideas around how to manage hobbies so that you can stay on track towards a pared back life.

To avoid the pitfall of operating on autopilot, I carefully set intentions. I stay cognizant of the reasons why I do what I do. It’s so important to live an intentional life. As life is dynamic, we need to constantly check back in on our intentions. On this episode I talk about my intentions with minimalism and what it all means to me.

Health and fitness has slowly become more and more complicated and seemingly out of reach as a result. This is largely for the benefit of health and fitness companies. It doesn’t have to be our reality. On today’s episode I talk about time tested fitness exercises that require no fancy equipment, aren’t only for the elite, and aren’t part of an expensive exercise fad.

After 9 months, I’ve finally bought something that’s a non-consumable. What was it that finally drove me to break this 9 month streak? On today’s episode I talk all about it. I discuss what I bought, why I bought it and all of the mixed feelings that I had.

There are some things in our lives that fly under the minimalism radar. They do because they’re so common and so conventional. That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t or can’t be minimized. Socks fall into that category, and on today’s episode I talk about how and why I’ve pared them back.

Bills, newspapers, sentimental love notes...all of it is paper. All of it builds up over time and you may find yourself buried in it and overwhelmed by it. On today’s episode I discuss paring back paper. I go into my simplified approach to minimizing paper and how I got stacks and stacks of paper pared down to one small folder.

Hypothetical thought exercises can be extremely helpful practices. They can help us to envision future possibilities for ourselves. In today’s episode I discuss a hypothetical scenario where I pare a single family home down to a light weight and minimal amount of possessions. Arriving at a point where all possessions can fit into just one bag.

Not only do I travel with just one small bag, but I live, full-time, out of just one small bag. On today’s episode I talk about what it’s like to live like this, and what it’s like to have all of my possessions fit into one laptop bag. There are definite pros and cons, but at the end of the episode I reveal my preference.

Sometimes we find ourselves saddled with commitments, energy drained, and with very little time. On today’s episode I’m back, neck deep in the topic of commitments. I cover off a few approaches that I use to help manage and, sometimes, minimize commitments.

There are so many different commitments that we deal with on a daily basis. How do we manage them? How do we prioritize what’s most essential? On today’s episode I dive deep into commitments. I discuss a few different types of commitments and how I’ve navigated them.

There are times when we need to prioritize what’s important. On today’s episode I de-prioritize the podcast to make time for family. To do so, I decided to show myself compassion and give myself some leniency. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid to show yourself compassion and be lenient with yourself. It’s all a part of loving yourself. And it’s a part of life.

We all find ourselves in a rut from time to time. The rut may be new, or it may be a well worn path from years of neglect. Either way, disruption can be a healthy way to get out of these ruts. On today’s episode I talk about how I use disruption and change to get out of my own ruts.

What am I gonna wear!? I can’t decide which pair of pants to wear. These are all questions I don’t ask myself. I don’t, because I have a pared back personal uniform. On today’s episode I talk about my personal uniform, the benefits I get from it, and some tips and tricks if you are looking to adopt a personal uniform or capsule wardrobe.

Our bodies are incredible. I love seeing what mine is capable of. On today’s episode I discuss the bodies radical ability to heal and I also dive deep into fasting. I get a lot of benefits from fasting and I discuss them on the episode. There are also negatives. I discuss them too. If you decide to fast be careful and be sure to consult a doctor before doing so. Be safe.

I’ve developed a daily routine and it’s been really improving my life in a lot of ways. On today’s episode I talk about what that routine is, how I got in to doing it, and all of the benefits that I’ve enjoyed so far by doing it on a daily basis.

Instead of over complicating things, let’s simplify them! Retirement and savings is of no exception. In today’s episode I discuss an alternative and unconventional approach to saving for retirement. It’s a follow up to the last episode on minimalist pretirement planning.

Some people call it early retirement, some people call it micro retirements, I call it minimalist pretirement. In today’s episode I discuss this topic. I go back into expense management and alternative income streams. This will be episode one of two on the topic of minimalist pretirement.

I’m always so amazed at all of the different aspects of life that you can apply minimalist principals. On this episode I discuss diet, and how I’ve simplified it to align with minimalism. In the end, I find a pared back diet to be extremely optimal.

Even exercise can be minimized. It’s actually an aspect of my life that’s so much easier now that I’ve pared it back. In this week’s episode I discuss my bare essential exercise routine. I go into what it is, why I’ve designed it the way I have, and the benefits I’ve enjoyed from paring it back.

Thought exercises are fun. You can even learn a lot about yourself through them. On today’s episode I y’all through a recent thought exercise I had. It was spurred on by a friend on Instagram and it gave me so much to ponder and think about.

Minimalism isn’t all that great. Sometimes. This podcast is realistic. I go into a lot of pros about this lifestyle, but on this episode I discuss a con of minimalism in more detail.

We feel so compelled to measure things. There’s an almost innate urge to quantify so many things in our lives, but certain things, perhaps most things, should NOT be measured. On today’s episode I discuss the number of things I own, and if that number really actually matters.

Some may call it deprivation. I call it personal growth. There are a few surprising things that I no longer use on a regular basis. On today’s episode I discuss these things and how they’ve impacted my experience of the pandemic and the resulting lockdown.

The urge to buy bubbles up sometimes. Understanding where these urges are coming from is so important. On today’s episode I discuss recent consumption urges that I’ve felt and how I dealt with them.

I have stuff. I wanna get rid of the stuff. How do I do it? Where do I start? In today’s episode I go into more detail about how I started the process of paring back, the approach that worked best for me and how I maintain a pared back life.

For whatever reason we are so apprehensive about discussing our feelings. Loneliness is the topic I discuss on today’s episode. I go into why we find it difficult to talk about it, what triggers it, and what we can do about it.

Self discipline is more important than willpower. In this episode I discuss willpower and self discipline. I’ve come to the realization that willpower is a useless concept. The more valuable trait to develop is self discipline. I also share specific examples of how I’ve developed self discipline in my life.

Travel is a great way to learn about different cultures, but certain methods of travel can bring about a more intimate understanding of a culture. On today’s episode I speak with Julian from porsiemprelamoto.com. He and his family have been traveling by motorcycle for 18 years. Their approach to travel brings about a profound understanding of the cultures in the places they’ve traveled to. You can find them at: www.porsiemprelamoto.com and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at: porsiemprelamoto

With a little preparation and determination you can do so much! In today’s episode I go over the results of my personal spending experiment. There were some fails and some successes. More importantly there were helpful lessons learned and I share it all on this episode. M

So often what we see on the surface is a glamorized rendition of reality. Today’s episode is part two of my conversation with Samba and a Teco from KombiWasi.com. We dive in deeper into the realities of Van life. You can find them at: http://www.kombiwasi.com/ and http://www.vwgypsy.com/

We are dynamic creatures and we are able to adapt. On this episode I speak with Samba and Teco from KombiWasi.com. They’re currently traveling Mexico in a VW Kombi. It’s part one of the conversation. We cover a bunch of interesting topics about van life. You can find them at: http://www.kombiwasi.com/ and http://www.vwgypsy.com/

The decision making process can be exhausting, but when it comes to major decisions it’s essential to be thorough. In this episode I discuss how I approach major decisions. I also discuss a decision I’m working through just now about van life. I go into what I feel are the biggest pros and cons of van life and how they have impacted my decision making process.

There’s been a recent outbreak. It’s contagious. And it’s ultimately knocking us out of commission so that we are missing out on tons of fun times with our loved ones. It’s an outbreak of goals. On this episode I talk about how goals can end up being counterproductive for us in regards to what we truly love and value about life. I also go into a alternative approach that I use when making changes in my life. It all culminates in me discussing changes that I’ll be making to my personal spending.

Moderation is such a useful practice. When paired with mindfulness it’s even more powerful. It’s story time! In this episode I tell a true story about an experience that I recently had that reminded me of the importance of moderation. It was an emotional rollercoaster and a strong lesson was learned.

There’re so often articles, social media posts, and videos about people fleeing the city life to escape into an off grid life in nature. I can’t remember hearing about the reverse. On this episode I speak with Jess Hocking. She’s an amazing person working remotely in Mexico. She now lives in a city after having grown up off grid. We had a very interesting conversation about this and other remote work and travel topics.

Challenges and discomfort can often be the starting place for personal growth. In this episode I speak with Alee Denham and Eesh Simonsen. They are both on a challenging bicycle trip in Mexico. Our conversation covers a wide range of topics related to travel, long distance cycling, and so much more. Eesh is at Eesh____ on Instagram and Alee’s site is CyclingAbout.com and cyclingabout on social media as well.

Keeping a close connection to your self is one of the most beneficial things that we can do for self care and development. In this episode I speak with Katerina Boriskina, the founder and operator of the Butterfly House in Oaxaca City, Mexico. We discuss this important topic in detail. You can find more information about The Butterfly House through the following links: www.whenifnotnow.org www.mariposaecoguesthouse.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1672570484/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The completion of chores can be a great way of find joy and meditation in your daily routine. In this episode I explain my approach to laundry. It’s yet another area of my life that I’ve applied the practice of simple living. As a result, this chore now actually adds so much more value to my life.

Extreme finance management has been so essential for me in achieving a more simple life. The conversation in this episode revolves around five key topics: Debt, Just in Case Savings, General Savings, Regular Expenses and Personal Spending.

There are so many areas in life where simple living concepts can be applied. In this episode I discuss applying these minimalist concepts to diet, wardrobe and technology. I talk a bit about how I’m applying the concepts of simple living in these areas, tricks you can use, and how I’ve adapted my approach over time.

Time in nature can bring about a lot of amazing benefits in your life. In this episode I speak with Marie Millet. Marie shares her experience while on a recent long distance hike, what she learned along the way, and how she’s changed as a result of her experience and time in nature.

Simple living isn’t all about physical things. In this episode I speak with Richard Hansen. We dive into a number of interesting concepts and ideas around mental clarity. This is an aspect of my life that I’m eager to develop further and apply these extremely beneficial concepts.

This is a quick story about how I became an extreme minimalist. In this episode I discuss what led me to living a much simpler life. I also discuss what worked best for me in paring back and some interesting essentialism lessons learned along the way.

What truly drives and inspires us? This episode is the rest of my conversation with Steven Kraft. We dive into deeper conversations about his experiences, his passions, and what his ‘Essential’ is.

Towards the end of my stay in Puerto Escondido I had a visit from a good friend, Steven Kraft! During this time we had some quality conversation. It culminated in an interview. This episode is part one of the interview. We discuss remote work, life design, efficiency in work tasks, minimalism, expense management and questioning norms.