Late Nights with Trav and Los

Trav and Los intro you to the podcast :)

Be sure to tweet us @TravAndLos How to be self-learning I want to talk about the most impactful concepts I’ve encountered and developed while optimizing my learning. This episode is two parts. Part 1 Intro (00:3:43) Summary (00:8:13) 1. Follow your curiosity (00:11:13) This is your compass for self-learning, and immersing yourself in the things that interest you is the best way to digest and make sense and understand your topic to it’s core. 2. Write it Down (00:16:53) It took me some time, but once I started organizing my thoughts on paper or computer I noticed a profound change. Our brains are capable of amazing things, but by trying to depend on your brain to remember all of your ideas and to-do’s, takes a drastic toll for it to operate at its best. 3. Find your Ambassadors (00:20:09) This is important. Choosing the right people to take advice from in life is one of the most important skills to have. Yes, a skill. Look for people that are humble, compassionate, and above all else are authentic/real. 4. Tune your speed (00:41:16) Finding the optimum balance between speed and comprehension is an ongoing process. Always be pushing yourself to find that sweet spot. Sometimes that means slowing down and at times that means speeding it up. Always be on the lookout for playback speed options in your audio and video apps. 5. Plan on Teaching (00:44:02) Everyone knows that the best way to learn is to teach it, and by opening myself to the possibility, I increase my overall understanding. Sometimes the way to create good habits is to trick ourselves into it. Outro to Part 1 (00:48:08)

Be sure to tweet us @TravAndLos How to be self-learning I want to talk about the most impactful concepts I’ve encountered and developed while optimizing my learning. This episode is two parts. Part 2 Intro (00:00:01) 6. Focus on Productivity (00:02:18) Hardest thing about learning is often finding time to do it. Working to become more productive will create the time and willpower you need. Focus on habits to increase productivity. 7. Mix it up (00:12:08) There are multiple ways to learn today so mix it up. Books, magazines, blogs, audiobooks, articles, podcasts, lectures, movies, documentaries, online video, apps, music and debates. Listening to experts disagree with each other is a great way to approach a topic with an open mind. 8. Avoid Confirmation Bias (00:23:09) Remember to always keep an open mind and seek out contradictory opinions. This will keep you more balanced, informed and objective on the topic. It’s easy to limit your consumption to content that agrees with you. 9. Bring your friends (00:45:06) Surround yourself by other people that are interested in the same things you are, it makes the learning process more rewarding. Book clubs, meet-ups, dinners or just spending the evening talking with someone close to you are great ways to grow and support each other. 10. Relate as you go (00:48:29) If you can attach a new idea or concept to something well established in your mind, grasping and remembering concepts becomes a breeze. I can retain new information well when I can draw connections to things I have experience with. At least Isaac Asimov thinks this is were great ideas come from. Outro (01:03:00) Most important part to learning is putting what you have learned to use.

Travis takes Los to the airport while they discuss the best way to find and engage mentors. Review the podcast so far (00:00:01) It feels good to make, to publish Brocasting is fun Put in work up front to find your rhythm and voice Finding a Mentor is like dating (07:17:16) Best Practices in contacting a mentor (16:24:12) Choose the platform you contact them on carefully Keep a good tone, be thankful Try to offer value right away what can you supplement their operation with? who could you introduce them to? Some don'ts Ask for a job Ask for help right away Correct their mistakes Gush Value based relationships (33:44:11) You need to provide unique consistent value over time Offer value right away Don’t stop! Be ready, they will naturally offer value in return Show a lot of gratitude about any help you get. Make a big deal about it. A few action steps (56:23:05) Make a list of potential mentors Note where best to make contact Contact them all Give first Be consistent, be ready

33:23 - I sent out a weird birthday email - http://travisneilson.com/notes/7-birthday.html 2:10 - The worst part of birthdays 6:46 - @_ellenbrook released a product called http://morningpages.net 9:40 - Travis has a man-crush on Jack Conte - http://youtu.be/mZ02alEkbLw 10:57 - Peter Hollins and Jackie Evancho Rocked the house - http://youtu.be/9VdwDiedS0Y 13:02 - What is Patreon? - http://www.patreon.com/ 19:51 - Eff an umbrella, gimme a poncho! 23:36 - Voice actors documentary - http://www.iknowthatvoice.com/ 25:51 - Using Patreon to increase value to listeners 34:19 - Having a pay-community can increase interaction quality 36:37 - Travis might be afraid of rejection 38:59 - Travis wrote a note for his birthday 41:22 - “That one movie” - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0841046/ Travis’ interactive birthday poems: http://travisneilson.com/32-years-of-poetry/

06:18 - Travis and Los sing to you 02:10 - Travis reads an iTunes podcast review 06:50 - Light housekeeping 08:40 - Trav and Los rejected from a podcast network?? 11:30 - Los shows up 16:30 - Travis talks about his mentoring sessions 29:48 - Travis continues to ramble... (ramblings with Travis) 32:48 - Question: How do you manage all your creative interests? 34:20 - Travis talks about creative interests 36:19 - Enjoy the work for itself 36:50 - Los starts to answer the question 37:44 - Travis gets real 38:44 - The importance of establishing your passion 40:40 - Los applies advice to himself 44:06 - What a modern designer uses 46:44 - Los sweats 50:00 - Travis is reserved on the notion of "Say NO" 55:48 - Los is frustrated with saying "no" and "yes" 56:18 - We question our effectiveness 59:40 - How do you determine what your passion is? 1:00:00 - Bro, you have to pick one.

00:00 - Trav and Los catch up. Travis misses Los' touch. 4:00 - Travis has a few questions for Los before we start... 5:22 - "How did you switch careers?" 10:53 - Los is charismatic during interviews 15:13 - Los' parents are hustlers 17:40 - Twelve-year olds are useless 19:30 - Los started businesses when he was 16 32:03 - We often don't recognize the things we are passionate about 35:43 - Working with small businesses 42:30 - Care about your clients 47:32 - Los' client management style 59:49 - "Are you human?" — Los' dad 1:12:39 - Los gets mad inspirational and junk! 1:18:00 - Trav and Los sing! 1:21:00 - Trav and Los want to fight you 1:23:00 - Los reads some tweets or something 1:22:20 - "Corndogs for everyone!" 1:23:00 - Goodnight :D

Mustache, Mustache, Mustache, Mustache.

Break it down Make a list of the small parts of your project. Anthony Trollope, a 19th century writer said “A small daily task… will beat the labour of spasmodic hercules" Do anything to move the ball. Don’t end the day having done nothing to progress your work. Rely on your preparation Day work and Night work leave your work half finished and now all you have to do is complete your idea. Get a ritual Woody Allen famously said “80% of success is showing up” put your shoes on loses idea of a token. Harness the power of Frequency frequency makes starting easier frequency keeps ideas fresh frequency keeps the pressure off frequency sparks creativity frequency nurtures frequency Prune the branches Eventually the new branches will steal resources from the initial branches. Eventually the entire vine will succumb to systemic mediocrity. Cut out anything that is not essential We don't have the luxury of inspiration. Inspiration is a nice companion on our journey to brilliance, but it is not a necessary companion at the beginning of the journey. Inspiration tends to join you when you are already on your way. Todd Henry

Travis and I go to a meetup. We meet Travis McCleery. He is awesome. He comes and podcasts with us! Yes, we are winning at life. We take a look at how Travis ends up at Evernote. Find Travis McCleery on twitter with the handle @cleerdesign or take a look at some his work here http://cleerdesign.com/

Setting Goals and achieving them Only work on one thing at a time Make changes during periods of calm Make your goal as clear and specific as possible Set things up on autopilot (routines) Make to-do lists pre-commitment Tackle the tough things first Keep yourself and your surroundings tidy and clean Surround yourself with those who have similar goals Delay gratification instead of nixing it altogether remove deterrents. Don’t make the right decision over and over again.

Today we talk about the fear of success and how to manage that fear! Enjoy :)

Have you ever struggled in getting a job? What do you do during a phone interview? How do you approach an in-person interview? How do you negotiate an offer? What do you do in your first 90 days to keep the job? Tune into this weeks podcast and get some insights into "Interview Hacking" We discuss all of these and more during this late night podcast. Join in :)

Polyphasic Sleep What is your most valuable resource? How would your life change if you added 4 to 6 more waking hours to your day? What would you do? hours gained over time 16 hours becomes 20 per day That’s 28 hours a week 336 per year — 42 work days (month and 1/2) I call this new month “Slumbtember”

Part 2 of Trav telling Los about his new Polyphasic sleep schedule I’ve been on this schedule for a month, here are some of my insights: Days are long again, like when I was a kid. Days are not really a thing, but you track time by events or phases. I got to work. I come home. I have family time. I have DevTips time. It’s not really night and day anymore. the sun is up sometimes, and it’s not other times. I loose track of the weekday really easily. You are adding to your lifetime. Not piling on years at the back, filled with medications and other issues. I’m living longer than most people today. I feel more connected to the earth, to the rhythms of nature more than the concerns of the humans around me. I feel different than everyone. Like I know something they don’t. Like I can see something beautiful that they just walk by. When my colleagues come into the office in the morning (its morning for them) I’ve been awake for 8 hours and have been making videos and stuff for a long time already. People are really accepting of my new schedule. It’s not really that hard. I take naps at work, which is probably the coolest thing ever. I’ve left meetings to nap. I’ve napped at other peoples offices. It’s not really that weird, and people are very understanding. I get a lot done. A lot. It’s not easy, and I’m not perfect. It’s cold these days and my bed is so warm and comfy. I’ve overslept a few times. Those days are hard, I feel like I’ve let self down, and there goes that days extra time. It’s easier to stay up late than wake up early. But I’m focusing on not throwing in the towel on the larger picture when I make small immediate mistakes.

Here are the points we discuss from Trav's Book of Knowledge Whatever you do; do the best you can because the work will live forever. — Jackie Chan You can deal with anything today if you have a compelling future — Tony Robbins You will never influence the world by trying to be like it.  Most people focus on a few strong ties. But webs of weak ties are how ideas are spread. You don’t need to know everything about everything to do anything. If you describe the problem better than anyone else, people will believe that you have the best solution. Do this, or don't this. Choose. You are what you love not what loves you. (In reference to having your self-esteem be built on the opinions of others.) Most of the people we see in the arts are not there because they had the most to offer, but because they wanted to be there the most. — Jerry Seinfeld I keep track of my successes by counting my failures — Walt Disney We are all a little stupid and a little brilliant. End Strong. People remember the end. You can have a slow start, and a weak middle, but make sure you end strong. You can suffer from anxiety and not know it. There are finite and infinite games. You want to play the infinite game.  Take this seriously. Not personally. If I fall in love with my songs, I'll never write music. — Kyle cease All of your plans are stupid. All plans are stupid and a waste of time, until they work, then they are totally worth it. And you never know what plan will work, so you might as well get started on your stupid plan.

We talk about the importance of active listening and what you can do to get better at it. Link to the article Los reads from: https://medium.com/designing-atlassian/how-to-get-better-at-listening-956736d499d8 Kirshnamurti: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti

In this episode we teach you some tips and tricks that will help you define the type of feedback you want from your peers or clients.

Why you should start publishing today What is publishing? Creating content with a speciffic audience in mind. Why you should start publishing today You will become a better thinker Knowing a skill or a fact is something entirely different than being able to relate it to an audience in a relatable and consumable way. You learn to simplify and clarify, which is an invaluable skill. You will be more intentional about your life Once you start writing about your life and the thoughts that shape it, you’ll begin thinking more intentionally about who you are, who you are becoming, and whether you like what you see or not. And that just may be reason enough to get started. Everything is a potential source for your next blog post or video or podcast. You’ll develop an eye for meaningful things We pickup and discard valuable lessons every day. We have truly profound moments that never really crack through our ultra distracted attention spans. Being responsable to an audience forces to look at life with a new lens. You are more critical and observant of cause and effect around you. You learn to draw connections that you would otherwise have no real reason latch on to. Make friends and meet interesting people This one is not hard to justify. We are on the phone right now with one of fthe coolest guys I’ve ever met and never would have had that oppertunity without making the descision to be a publisher. You will be able to influence and inspire others. About 5 years ago I wrote a blog post in which I said (I know it’s tacky to quote yourself, but at least its not a tweet, thats always weird.) I said “To be a valuable person, to truly live an extraordinary life, you must strive to reach and influence as many people as deeply and as profoundly as you possibly can.” A few weeks ago here on this podcast I said that ”webs of weak ties are how ideas are spread” So basicly, start blogging and live an extraordinary life. Build Confidence Like anything, putting yourself out there becomes easier with repetition. Standing up in front of people and relying a clear message, wether it’s to an audience of 1, or 100K, is a great way to build self confidence. It feels really good when people appreciate you I’m not talking about an upvote or a like. I’m talking about when someone takes the time out of their day to thank you for being an instrument in changing their life An audience is a hard-won, yet valueable asset that you can leverage throughout your entire career recommendations job oppertunities buy your product promote your product provide resources offer moral support provide man-power be social proof be your friends

Rejection You are what you love, not what loves you. That’s from Adaptaion, written by Charlie Kaufman. I quoted that before, but I mis-attributed it. The point is - so what? You will likely get rejected or even made fun of. So what? "If you make things and share them, your heart will at some point be broken. If you never share, it will harden. Your choice." — Todd Henry Obscurity This one is easy. You already are obscure. So, move on. Failure What even is failure? On our patron podcast we talked about how failure is a necessary step toward success. All great works were born from great failures. Starvation “I’m not good enough” I as reading a comic book this morning on the train, and one of the secondary characters has this kind of throw-away line. “Well, you have to be brave before you can be good.” Parting thought Dr Brené Brown has studied vulnerability for over a decade. One of the key things her research has brought to light is that there wasn't ever a single instance of bravery that didn't require being vulnerable as well.