The Three Month Vacation Podcast
Sean D'Souza
Sean D'Souza made two vows when he started up Psychotactics back in 2002. The first was that he'd always get paid in advance and the second was that work wouldn't control his life. He decided to take three months off every year. But how do you take three months off, without affecting your business and profits? Do you buy into the myth of "outsourcing everything and working just a few hours a week?" Not really. Instead, you structure your business in a way that enables you to work hard and then take three months off every single year. And Sean walks his talk. Since 2004, he's taken three months off every year (except in 2005, when there was a medical emergency). This podcast isn't about the easy life. It's not some magic trick about working less. Instead with this podcast you learn how to really enjoy your work, enjoy your vacation time and yes, get paid in advance.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 10, 2020 • 25min
Rerun 2: Want to get paid a lot in advance? 3 Methods to get paid earlier than ever before
One of the most mind numbing tasks is to get a client to pay for the job you've completed. Clients tend to be slow with payments or just default. But is there a way to avoid such a mess? There's not just one, but three separate ways to go about it. Let's find out how you can get paid without all the bother—and well in advance, too.
Jan 3, 2020 • 32min
Rerun 1: The Overwhelm Virus: How To Get It Out of Your Daily Routine
We tend to believe that we're more overwhelmed than ever before. Yet look around you and you see people who are doing twice or thrice as much. It's hard to admit it, but often their work is of a higher standard too. How come they're not overwhelmed? Is it because they're more talented, or is there something that we're not quite seeing? Let's find out in this episode.
Dec 27, 2019 • 16min
Back to the Future: Why the 2020 strategy is a lot like 2000
Remember when Google started? Or Amazon? At Psychotactics we started a few years after these giants. It's perfectly normal to assume that we got in at exactly the right time. But you and I know there's no right time, and that opportunities are always presenting themselves. Which is why when clients ask: What would you do if you were starting today—my answer is remarkably similar. Find out why the strategy of 2020 is not that different from 2000.
Dec 20, 2019 • 22min
Why Mundane Topics Get You Noticed by Clients (And How to Exploit the Power of Mundanity)
Most of us think we have to be incredibly special, or at least different to stand out in a crowded market. Yet, at least at the starting point, it's the mundane that gets the attention. If anything, being unique or different seems to be backfire. How do you use the power of mundanity to break into a market and then how do you sustain that momentum?
Dec 13, 2019 • 7min
The Myth of the Saturated Market—And Why You Should Not Let "Saturation" Intimidate You
If you and I look around, we see product or services just like ours everywhere. Instantly we get a feeling of having missed the bus. The market is clearly saturated and there's little or no point in us having to create more content, or product or services. Or is it? One of the most surprising—even surreal—experiences is dropping into this seemingly saturated market, and finding out that it's a big, fat myth. Why is it such a myth? Let's find out.
Dec 6, 2019 • 21min
How to use contrast to prevent headlines from going flat (and other questions)
If you've ever wondered if your headline is lacking some oomph, it might be because of an incredibly simple omission. It's the lack of contrast. Contrast works in real life with colours, textures or flavours. Not surprisingly, it works with headlines too. Here are three common questions about headlines. And they have surprisingly interesting ideas.
Nov 29, 2019 • 32min
Why "work for free" is a powerful strategy to get ahead as a startup business
The advice about "free vs fee" is clear. Free should be avoided at all costs because you will just be taken advantage of, while others get paid. Yet, this seemingly black and white advice has shades of grey as well. As a startup, payment isn't the only or even the best option. Find out how and when free can work to your advantage.
Nov 22, 2019 • 20min
Why Three Precise Fixes Can Quickly Improve Your About-Us Page
After the home page, the second most-visited page on many sites is the About Us page. Yet almost all the About Us pages you visit are drab, long winded or don't give much detail at all. If you already have an About Us page going, here are three quick fixes that will dramatically improve the visual and the text on your site.
Nov 15, 2019 • 23min
Three Bizarre Learning Principles (And Why They Constantly Surprise Me)
If you've used some sort of learning techniques all your life, the core principles of learning should not mislead you. Even so, we get hoodwinked and it's important to look at why we struggle with learning. Here's what I've learned about learning so far.
Nov 8, 2019 • 16min
Why writing headlines can be an excellent brainstorming exercise for real articles
Do you often get stuck when trying to come up with article topics? One of the reasons why we tend to struggle is because we get stuck at the "topic" level. However, when you write headlines, not only move along to the sub-topic level, but headlines give you more precise direction. To find out how to use headlines—even not so good headlines—listen to this podcast.
