First off, check out our video with LPC co-founder John Gibson on “How to Do More and Live the Life You Want.” This is a complementary piece that highlights a few ways we’ve cultivated our lives to fit our vision:

1. No dishwasher (even though we have one)

  • There is research to indicate that washing dishes by hand is better for fostering a healthy gut. Go figure. It takes longer to wash dishes by hand, but it actually can be quite meditative and relaxing if you have the right attitude about it.
  • Importantly, there’s an unspoken rule—he or she who cooks the meal does not do the dishes.
  • If I don’t want to build up a lot of dishes, my go-to dinner would be utilizing the barbecue for our protein and Le Cruset Dutch oven for a veggie medley—minimal!

2. No cable

  • We canceled cable in 2012 and I haven’t missed it one bit. Of course, we still enjoy the occasional movie, Netflix series, and whatnot but it is truly a gift to not have crappy TV at the touch of a button.

3. Stand-up desks

  • We made the switch in 2015 and it was brilliant—only wish we did it sooner. Now, I will be the first to say that a stand-up desk isn’t a cure-all. You still have to use it appropriately, i.e. stand with good posture and form. This can be fatiguing for many (even those who are fit and active), so thankfully we got desks from Ikea that are adjustable and can become sitting desks at the touch of a button (they were about $500 each but worth it). I end up standing the majority of the time and moving around a lot every day, so when I do sit at a desk I really don’t worry about it because it’s only when my body needs a little relief.
  • If you work at an office, and have traditional sitting desks, maybe talk to co-workers and bosses about the reasons for making the switch. We visited GoPro HQ this year (my sister works there) and they have adjustable desks for all employees and more companies are going this way! Help be part of the positive change!

4. No “common appliances” – coffee machine, toaster, etc.

  • Cold brew or pour over for coffee; toast can be made on a stove-top skillet. Ok, so we do have a microwave, but that’s only because we rent and it came with the house—but we lived without one for 5 years prior to our current home. The point is: think outside the box, keep “stuff” to a minimum and always be asking yourself, “Is there a more efficient way I could be doing this that eliminates clutter?”

5. Daily walk to the mailbox (1 mile)

  • First off, we run several businesses through our home so it’s much better to have a mailbox at UPS than our home residence to avoid too much coming to our home and also because we move frequently enough and changing addresses is a hassle.
  • Secondly, having a daily walk to pick up mail is a refreshing way to break up the day and get some fresh air. The real fun happens when we have to carry several big packages back home—functional fitness!

6. VRBO (no hotels) when we travel

  • Seriously, hotels are a thing of the past IMO. Often over-priced and under-supplied. With VRBO (vacation rental by owner), or an equivalent service, you can rent apartments or homes usually with full kitchens, and this way if you’re traveling you can make better meal choices by choosing to cook even just one meal at home a day. For us we always do breakfast in our VRBO rental, and the usual fare: kale, fennel, eggs, avocado, and coconut oil (saturated fats are usually travel safe if in the right climate since they’re solid at room temp). This also ends up saving money from eating out three times a day!
  • Secondly, we always like to get the “local vibes” when we travel somewhere and you just don’t get the same authenticity in hotels. We went to San Francisco this year and our property owner was so kind, even giving us tips on the best places for Cioppino and oysters.

7. Work odd hours

  • I know it’s not possible for everyone, but when you beat to your own drum, you can work any hours. Sometimes this means more work on a Sunday but then taking a Wednesday almost entirely or fully off. This way you’re likely to have fewer “cases of the Mondays,” and avoid burnout. Work when you want, stop when you need a break. Just be careful of over-working when you have more flexibility—I used to make this mistake and learned my lesson.
  • This concept is not just unique to fellow business owners. Check out the book, The Power of When, and you can take a quiz to find out your “type” (one of four animals). You’ll find out when you’re most productive hours are, when you should be working, not working, plus when to exercise, rest, have sex and so on. It’s like biohacking your natural biology (yes, I said biohacking). I’m a Lion, I tend to be an early-morning worker (4am… 5am… 6am starts are my norm), and not so great in the afternoon. I tend to resume a few minor work things in the evening, go to bed early and start over before dawn. For some folks, this would be absurd and that’s ok! Do your thing—just find out what that is!

8. We rent

  • We’re not against buying a home, but right now being locked to one place sounds scary. Even as we plan to build a family in the near future, we’re more comfortable with the flexibility and mobility of renting. Plus, we get to live where we want to—quite frankly in an area where we can’t afford to buy. And we like the happiness that comes with living in a place where you want to be, where you can’t get enough of the outdoor scene, etc. I’m more active because of where I live rather than “settling” for owning a house in a community where I wouldn’t want to be.

9. Buy food on demand

  • I tend to be at the grocery store most days of the week. I don’t like meal prep where you make all the meals for the week in one day, and quite frankly am not a fan of leftovers. I like to prepare fresh foods and fresh meals and cook with the intention of having few leftovers. Maybe not the most efficient, but this process is actually more relaxing and less stressful for me then the “overwhelming” task of cooking so many meals at once that need to last for the week. Interestingly, Dave Asprey mentions how he’s not a fan of leftovers either in The Better Baby Book.

10. Wake up early – even on the weekends

  • A friend texted me recently at 5:30am on a Saturday to ask if I’d be at the local ultra race. I was up (of course), responded to her, and we were chatting back and forth. I chuckled and wrote, “Ya know, I bet there aren’t too many people who’d be texting with you at this hour.” She said, “You are the only one I know who’d be awake at this hour on a weekend.” Ok so maybe it’s because I’m a Lion (see #7) but when you’re healthy and feel good, typically you should wake up at the same time (ish) every day of the week and not need massive sleep-ins on Saturday and Sunday.  That said, naps are allowed to catch up on Zzz’s as you need!

11.  It’s not about the money

  • John and I are achievers, no doubt about it, but our motivation is NOT to just make more money. We enjoy and are engaged in our work, we have hobbies that are enriching, and with time each of us has learned the art of “less is more” when it comes to having the right work-life balance. We are not slaves to chasing paychecks and ridiculous work hours. Yes, as with any job, we have those phases where it’s just a grind and full of long days, but sometimes it doesn’t even feel like work when you enjoy what you’re doing. Most of all, we don’t over-work at the sacrifice of our wellbeing. (I can easily be a work-a-holic but it takes a toll, so not anymore.) Thus, we’re not rich, and we’re not poor. We’re comfortable and we’re happy. We don’t want to sacrifice our health and happiness in the pursuit of riches. What fun is making tons of money if you’re too busy at work to enjoy it? Whoever has the most money doesn’t necessarily have the best life, that’s been shown time and time again yet it feels like so many people are wrapped up in a quest for money. Meh. There’s more to life.