Speaking of podcasts that are speaking of success, there’s an episode of the EntreLeadership podcast with Shawn Achor that’s quite excellent.

Shawn Achor’s studies and teachings on what he calls the Happiness Advantage are fantastic. If you haven’t read his book or watched his TED talk, you should definitely check them out. I used a lot of his research and findings within The Focus Course.

So, a few weeks ago, Shawn was a guest on the EntreLeadership podcast. He basically gave a crash course overview on what fuels happiness in our lives and how critical that is to actually attaining success.

As you may already know, I’m doing a free class. It’s called The Elements of Focus and it starts now.

There are 16 videos I recorded just for this. Each one is fun and personal. We’ll be covering a handful of topics that I believe are most important to meaningful productivity and doing our best creative work.

Moreover, something we’ll be diving into is how to gain traction in your business or side project. As people have been signing up for the class, I’ve heard from hundreds of registrants saying that one of their biggest challenges right now is something related to their career: either trying to build up their new gig, build up a side-project, or considering a career move.

So there are definitely going to be days where I discuss how to gain traction and momentum on your business or side project.

I realize it’s right over the holiday, which is why each day’s video is less than 5 minutes. Plus, if you’re like me, you enjoy taking some of your time off as an opportunity to learn something new and work on a side-project.

Also, while the class is happening, I’ll be working on putting together a significant update to The Focus Course. Registration for the Focus Course itself will re-open on December 29 when all the updates go live!

All that said, check out the free class and sign up. It begins on today (though you can jump in anytime). It’s going to be superfun! I hope you join me.

What is Uuni?

• It heats up to 840°F (450°C) in less than 10 minutes.
• That intense heat cooks a pizza in just 90 seconds.
• It burns wood for an authentic flavour.

Uuni is super fast to assemble — less than ten minutes. It’s easy to adjust the temperature with its clever hopper system. Uuni is made of beautiful brushed stainless steel so it can take any weather you throw at it (we’re based in Scotland so we know!). Check it out, and make sure to read some of the reviews our customers have left — we’re very proud of them.

Food. Fire. Uuni.

$20 off your Uuni 2? Please use the code toolsandtoys

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A huge thanks to Uuni for again sponsoring the site this week. I’ve got an Uuni here at my place and I can tell you that it is awesome.

Last Christmas I was given a Col. Littleton No. 1 Grip weekender bag. It was an epic gift. It’s beautiful.

Then, last week I came across this episode of the EntreLeadership podcast where they interviewed Col. Littleton himself, and he is the man.

I love the part when he goes off on how all the people who copy his bags make things that are cheaper and of less quality — nobody is copying Col. Littleton bag and making it better and more expensive (reminds me of this awesome video by Saddleback Leather on how to knock off their most popular bag).

He also has some awesome thoughts on how to treat your customers / audience, and how to always do more work than what you’re paid for.

There are so many great nuggets in this conversation, you’ve got to give it a listen.

A couple of weeks ago I recorded 60 videos over the span of 5 days.

(It was much less crazy and much more fun than it sounds.)

41 of the videos are for a major update to The Focus Course that will be going live at the end of this month. And 19 of the videos are for this free class I’m doing, starting on December 13.

Here’s a picture of me looking serious, when what I’m actually doing is wrangling the world’s most annoying teleprompter app.

I just got back all the videos for the upcoming free class, The Elements of Focus. And, one of them got cut from the final class schedule.

So… I thought it’d be fun to share it with you. Because, why not?

The idea behind this video is based on the quote from Dave Ramsey where the says, “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”

Living like nobody else is a curious and difficult metric.

It’s pointless (not to mention rude) to look around at folks and assume they are or are not on track to attain their goals. However, statistically speaking, the majority of people will not actually reach their goals.

We know this because one of the most common regrets of the dying is that they worked too hard and neglected their relationships, values, and even their own happiness. And yet, despite all that hard work, the average retiree at age 65 has only enough in savings to pay for less than 2 years worth of living expenses.

Add on top the fact that we live in an unprecedented “Age of Distraction” where we never have to be bored. In our pocket we carry around instant access to an incessant stream of real-time news and entertainment.

In short, if we want to have any hope of accomplishing our goals and living out our life vision, we need to be intentional and proactive.

But sometimes we don’t know where to start.

So, I humbly suggest that perhaps we should simply start by living differently than most people…

All that said, check out the video. And then, don’t forget to sign up for the free class (if you haven’t already).

Lecharl is a watchmaker brand from Sweden. Our vision is to create beautiful, timeless and elegant timepieces, where classic and modern design seamlessly merges. When it comes to design and quality, we at Lecharl follow our own mind and vision, regardless of trends. And this is something we are truly proud of.

Our first model, Born 1929, is available in three different and distinct styles: Black, Gold or Rose gold. And your new Lecharl watch will be delivered in an elegantly designed box.

As a reader of shawnblanc.net, you get a 10% discount on your purchase from Lecharl. Use the code shawn10 when you checkout — and remember that we always offer free, worldwide shipping.

We invite you to visit us at www.lecharl.com. We would also be glad if you want to connect with us on Instagram under @lecharlwatches.

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My thanks to Lecharl Watches for sponsoring the site this week. Don’t forget to use the code shawn10 at checkout to save 10-percent.

As you may have noticed from yesterday’s link, myself and the team over at The Sweet Setup have been working on a brand new iBook. It’s called Day One In Depth, and it’s available now on iBooks.

This book is the most detailed and extensive guide to Day One available today. Featuring in-depth reviews that cover every function and feature found within Day One, our handbook goes line by line showing you how to make the most of this award-winning journaling app.

I’ve long been a fan and user of Day One, which is why this app was our first choice for a deep dive guide. Not only do I use this app all the time (and have for years), but it’s the sort of app I know YOU could benefit from using as well. Thus, our new comprehensive guide.

This morning, over on The Sweet Setup, is an article from yours truly about how and why I use the awesome Day One journaling app.

As I mention in the article, what’s special about Day One is how well designed and full of thoughtful details it is. The app is so versatile, you could use it for just about anything — certainly more than a humble journal.

In 2011, Evan Calkins had an idea to help minimize the cost of custom letterpress printing by launching a tiny one page website called Hoban Cards. It leveraged pre designed calling card templates to streamline the printing process while still introducing something beautiful and unique. Evan is now proud to announce a more mature website and marketplace – the third iteration of Hoban Cards.

The new Hoban Cards features two new calling card layouts called The Detective and The Requisite Card. Also, they’ve introduced a new line of letterpress printed note cards and stationery sets.

Use promo code tools during checkout to get $5 off your order.

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My thanks to Hoban Cards for sponsoring the site this week. I had my own business calling cards printed through Hoban Cards a while ago and the quality is absolutely top-notch. Highly recommended.

It’s the first week of November, which means our annual Tools & Toys Christmas Catalog is here. Wow!

As fun and playful as Tools & Toys is, I also like to toss in a dash of thoughtfulness whenever possible. And our holiday gift guide is an ideal spot:

A gift is more than just an item to fill a box so it can be wrapped up in red and green paper and placed under a tree. When you buy a gift this year, don’t give out of obligation, but rather give out of thankfulness and gratitude.

There is another side to this idea of intentional giving as well. It’s the idea that intentional giving means getting something awesome. Which, is actually easier than it may seem. With just a little bit of forethought and inspirational assistance, you too can move past the black hole of terrible gift giving that is filled with fruit cakes and generic gift certificates.

Instead, give a gift that will be well received. A gift that shows how savvy and clever you are.

We’ve got 16 stellar items picked out for you (I’d like the Dopp Kit and the Bonavita coffee brewer, please).

While you’re there, please take a chance to check out our recommended non-profits. We always give 11% of our gross earnings to charity throughout the year, and for November and December we’ll be donating that money specifically to St. Jude, Operation Christmas Child, and App Camp for Girls. When you follow our links to buy stuff on Amazon this year, that’s where a portion of our earnings will go.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal task management app that integrates with the tools you already use, allowing you to seamlessly view all of your tasks on one screen? Rindle does this and more, making it easier than ever to keep your day organized.

Your tasks are everywhere: email, to-do apps, project management apps, and collaboration tools… to name a few. Many people are using multiple tools for their personal tasks and projects, which wastes time and complicates their day. Rindle brings all of your tasks together into one place, helping you to simplify your personal workflow.

Leverage the tools you already use to centralize your information into one easy location. If you use apps like Gmail, Slack, Trello, Basecamp, Todoist and Github, you’re going to love how you can aggregate all of your tasks into a single screen, providing some zen to your hectic day.

If you are jumping between tabs in your browser to track down work, or sifting through email to remember something you had to get done, then you are wasting precious time each day. Let Rindle keep everything in one central location for you. Sign up for the private beta today.

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My thanks to Rindle for sponsoring the site this week. Sponsorship by The Syndicate.

Last week, my pal Mike Vardy and I launched something pretty great: The Awareness Building Class.

It’s a 5-part audio class with accompanying PDF workbook and transcripts. We designed it to go hand-in-hand with The Focus Course. And, therefore, we’ve been giving it away for the past week to anyone and everyone who signs up for The Focus Course.

But that offer ends tonight.

So, if you sign up for the Focus Course tonight, you’ll get the Awareness Building Class for FREE. But if you wait, the class will cost you an additional $79.

Meet Settled, the hot new payment feature from Acuity Scheduling that lets customers pay & tip online …without the awkward.

For the business owner, it helps you get paid automatically and awesomely, just like Uber does, without having to swipe another credit card again. For the customer, it helps you breeze in and breeze out of your appointments without having to wait in line, wonder how much tip to give, or suffer through a thousand good-byes.

Why settle for less when you can get Settled online?

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My thanks to Acutiy Scheduling for sponsoring the site this week.