Hey Reader,

Here are 5 of my favourite blogs from August:

1. ​The Year is 2082...​
2. ​The Power of Goals​
3. ​Write Letters to Your Future Self​
4. ​AI Kitchen Robots Are Here​
5. ​Getting Pulled in Different Directions​

Something I've been thinking about is the quiet life.

I wrote about this in Jan.

(The article blew up.)

Why?

I guess the world seems more fractured than ever now. AI. Authoritarianism. Social media. The climate crisis.

There's so much scary sh*t.

As a result, many of us want to turn the clocks back 30 years and live in simpler times. We believe that — somewhat naively — this will make things better.

Maybe it would.

Maybe it wouldn't.

Either way, my quiet life has made me feel more content that ever before.

So if you long for one too, here's what I recommend.

Routine.

Now that I've gone back to self-employment, I've got way more time on my hands.

Too much free time is toxic.

But just enough?

*Chef's kiss*

Here's my daily routine (90% of the time):

• I wake up at 06:15, write for an hour, shower, eat a high-protein breakfast, and head to the library.
• I work from 09:00–12:00 (client work) and take an hour for lunch.
• I workout at the gym
• I then work some more (typically 2-4pm)
• Some days, I might head home early to work on personal projects (emails, content, etc.)
• In the evenings, I cook with my girlfriend, eat, and watch TV.
• We then unwind for the night (reading etc)

That’s about it.

Now obviously, if you work for a company and don't have as much control of your schedule as you'd like, this is tricky.

You might have more meetings. You might have to commute.

But here's my guess:

It's not the routine you dislike about work. It's the work you dislike about work.

Fix this first and you're at the races!

I've written Creator Business articles which can help you with this.

Delete all news and social media apps from your phone.

I limit YouTube to 30 minutes a day.

And I have a “dumb phone” which I take to the gym so I’m not distracted mid session.

(I use it to track my workouts.)

By switching off from social media, I’m not lured back into a grindset that no longer fits me.

Sorry, Gary Vee — that includes you.

Most of the time, I couldn’t tell you about current events.

I leave that to my grandparents.

Intentionally fill your mindscape.

After a brief hiatus, I've been relistening to Hidden Brain, How I Built This, and My First Million.

They're calorie-rich podcasts that make me feel good.

Find ones you like.

Choose your own goals.

I love this quote from Derek Sivers:

"You have to know your preferences well because no matter what you do, someone will tell you you're wrong."

If you feel like you’ve outgrown your dreams, reflect.

If you could achieve three great things in the next five years, what would they be and why?

Have a think, but give yourself grace. Navigating this change is scary. You’re shedding past dreams and trying on new ones.

It isn’t meant to be easy.

But you’ve got this. I’ve got this. We’ve got this.

Besides: outgrowing your old dreams doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means they’ve failed you — at least right now.

Let me know if you give the quiet life a go.

Until next time,

Scott

p.s. I've redesigned my website and rebooted my email list.

(Still figuring out the latter!)

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