Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 17

Afternoon Rituals

If I’ve done my job well and managed my time properly, most of the crunch time work has happened in the morning. I work every morning, afternoon, and most evenings, but in different ways.

The afternoon is a slower form of work. I have at least 40 minutes for lunch, which I usually read with the New Yorker or Economist or (when in my hometown) the Willamette Week. Afterwards, if the weather’s nice, I might walk for a while. I run an errand or two. Eventually, I end up at a coffee shop, or I p...

WDS Tickets On-Sale Now: Join Us This Summer for a Grand Adventure

Link: Join Us in Portland for WDS 2017!

For six years, we’ve brought together kind and remarkable people from all over the world for a summer gathering known as the World Domination Summit (WDS).

We’re doing it again this July, and—though I know it sounds crazy—the team and I are just as excited (if not more!) about the upcoming adventure.

If you’re new to WDS, take a peek at this quick recap of the 2016 event:

You can also see hundreds of attendee reviews, check out thousands of photos...

Reading the News Makes Me Depressed, but Here’s What I Realized

I used to read the news every day—a lot of news, from a lot of different sources. But after the election, quite frankly, reading the news made me depressed. I went on a media fast and put my head in the sand, largely out of shock and dismay but also for general self-preservation.

As time went by, I struggled a bit with this position. I didn’t feel like I was missing the pleasure of keeping up with events that caused me internal distress. In fact, I actually felt better in not knowing which...

30 Days of Side Hustle School: Cruising for Dollars, Six-Figure Candy Hearts, and Saddles for Pet Chickens

Listen to Side Hustle School:

–in iTunes
–on the website
—somewhere else (Stitcher, Spotify (mobile only), PlayerFM, CB radio…)

On January 1, I started a daily podcast that will continue throughout the year. I’ve learned a lot, and I’m having a lot of fun.

Best of all, a lot of people are learning from the show and starting their own hustles.

If you’re new to the show, it’s not too late to jump in. You can start listening at any point and not feel left out, but it may help to go back and li...

Couple Uses Southwest Companion Pass to Save $3,800 and Take 14 Free Flights

Link: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

I’ve mentioned the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass a couple times over the years. In short, if you’re able to get it—by earning 110,000 qualifying points in a year—a companion of your choice can fly with you for nearly free (just pay the taxes on their ticket) for an entire year.

Here’s a fun story from Annabelle and Christian, two students from last year’s Dream Trip course, that illustrates two key points about it:

1. It’s awesome!

2. Y...

Connecting the Dots to a Dream Job in the Hemp Industry

This is a reader profile. (Read others or nominate someone to be featured.)

Annie Rouse has been passionate about hemp ever since she was a kid growing up in Kentucky. While she knew she wanted to help change the restrictive hemp policies in the U.S., she’s also had some interesting jobs along the way that helped her out in surprising ways.

As a leader in the hemp industry she has now started a hemp foundation, a certification program, and a commercial marketplace.

Here’s her story:

My job...

Side Hustle Workshops Start Next Week! Join Me in Your Choice of 4 Cities

Link: Side Hustle School Workshops

Next week I’ll be debuting my Side Hustle School Workshop series in four cities: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Phoenix. Come out and join us!

Not in one of those cities? Well, we already have people flying in from several other places, so you won’t be alone… but of course, you can also suggest a stop for your city in the future. To do so, just add your location in the center of that page. You’ll get an email if we schedule something there later.

So any...

Morning Rituals

When I’m not jet lagged from flying around the world, I have a clear routine that I follow as much as possible. This routine always me to stay relatively sane while also working as much as possible on things I believe in.

I love living on the west coast, but working on Pacific time can be a challenge. Even when I get up early, I’m three hours behind the other side of the country. My 6am is their 9am—most people have been awake and starting their days for a while. Their idea of an early call...

9 Life Lessons from Starting a Daily Podcast

So hey—I started apodcast! Yes, it’s true: I’m catching up to the technological age of 2005.

And let me tell you: I’m having so much fun. I feel purposeful.

Readers—many of whom are now listeners—are really enjoying it. And best of all, I truly believe it’s going to be helpful to people.

So that’s great! There really is no downside. I’m glad I did this.

But what have I learned? That’s what this 6,500 word post is about.I’ll share my own lessons and observations, as well as my early advice fo...

How One Woman Started a Location-Independent Company Right Out of College

This is a reader profile. (Read others or nominate someone to be featured.)

Michelle Rødgaard-Jessen went from a corporate gig, to a social change organization and finally landed on running her own business from the road. As an online marketer, she’s narrowed her target audience and grown to the point where she’s had to hire employees to keep up with the demand.

Here’s her story:

My name is Michelle. I’m from Denmark, and I’m a location-independent online marketer. I’ve had a lot of differen...