When was the last time you found yourself uncertain of the future?

If you’re like most people, uncertainty creeps up far too often.

It’s a horrible feeling isn’t it?

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need to live in a state of constant upheaval. Because one thing is for certain; as the old saying goes, the only constant is change. And identifying and addressing change is the only solution for overcoming a mysterious and depressing future.

Simply put, you cannot alter, prevent, or stop uncertainty from creeping into your life. But you can do something about it…

Comfort vs. Conflict

Understanding your scenario and why you feel a particular way is the first step towards a meaningfully better life. But it’s not a solution.

For instance, when was the last time you had an argument with a loved one? An argument that caused you to say a few mean things you instantly regretted, yet were completely true? But to make peace, you take those things back, pretending they never happened. It may have diffused the situation, however, it never solved the problem.

The same thing happens internally. You argue with your true self all the time.

Am I making the right career choices?

Is my lifestyle affecting my health in negative ways?

The formula for most every life argument:

[current problem] – [current solution] = [uncertainty]

In other words, when we choose a current path to overcome a challenge, we are (oftentimes subconsciously) uncertain of our choice.

You see the complication with these internal arguments is we are an irrational species. We constantly lie to ourselves. We overlook reality. And we seek comfort over conflict.

But those conclusions to internal arguments, however minute or subconscious, leave us wondering if we are taking the easy way out by seeking comfort.

When given the choice, we’d choose to be comfortable in life by searching for a solution that causes the least pain. And conflict, whether external or internal, causes a ton of pain.

The difficulty with choosing comfort over conflict, though, is we never truly grow as a person. As painful as it is to admit, comfort is the easy way out.

What to do?

It’s easy for me to stand on a soap box and shout how comfort over conflict is causing uncertainty in our lives.

But the truth is, I’m not saying anything you don’t already know.

However, at some point in our lives, we chose to bury these notions.

As time went by, and the world continued to shit on our goals and dreams, it was easy to let comfort take the wheel.

So, what is the only true path for overcoming an uncertain future?

1.) Stop lying to yourself.

2.) Identify your comfort zones.

3.) And, however painful it may be, choose conflict.

In July of 2011, I had ventured out in the world to search for meaning. And it’s been an eye opening experience.

During which, I decided to create a travel persona called the CouchSurfingCEO. I created a blog and Twitter handle with the brand name. And dedicated significant time and resources into effectively launching the project.

But in that time, a few things became apparent that I did not, nor could not have foreseen. And while I’m still traveling as a minimalist, digital nomad, I have decided to kill the “personal brand” for the following reasons:

1. Legacy

The spectrum of leaving a legacy in the 21st Century is complicated.

I once heard Google’s Eric Schmidt mention that there is more content created in two days, than the sum of all content created from the dawn of man up to the year 2002. So needless to say, there is a lot of noise out there. And remarkable contributions to society can easily be lost in the mix.

In the days of early humans, content was the drawings on the walls of the cave. As papyrus took hold in Egypt, that content was transfered to sheets. With the advent of the printing press, content became duplicatable. And with the rise of the social web, content has taken on many forms.

From the time of hieroglyphs & pottery art to today’s videos, posts, & status updates, content creation is evolving.

Ok, back to the legacy spectrum. On one end of the spectrum we have accessibility. If no one knows you exist, your contributions are meaningless. Think of a monk in a monastery high in the mountains. This man may have the answers to all of life’s problems. Yet, he has no means to spread this message beyond the temple walls.

The interconnectivity of the web solves the problems of accessibility. Hitting send on an iPhone can make any message instantly accessible to anyone else in the world with an Internet connection.

But this ease of accessibility is overshadowed by the fact a billion or more people are able to hit send on a daily basis.

Which leads to the other end of the legacy spectrum. Permanence.

Do a search on Twitter for any term you’re interested in and watch how the tweets build up. Or go to Google and search for that same term, take a screen shot of the results, and return two months later. The page will most likely be radically different.

Blogs, social media, and the multitude of rising abilities to create and share stuff has shattered the permanence of content.

In history, an etching in stone was permanent. A sacred papyrus guarded in a temple was permanent. A book held in an institution was permanent. But none of these were accessible.

Accessibility in the 21st Century requires content to be delivered instantaneous. Or it will suffer from content competition.

Permanence in the 21st Century requires content to be created remarkably, demanding it to be shared, reviewed, and saved. Or it too will suffer from content competition.

Therefore, the catch-22 of leaving a legacy comes from developing a strategy that is both accessible and permanent.

But when done correctly:

What we do today, will carry on for a lifetime.

Which leads me to the second point:

2. Impression

I have nothing against couchsurfing. I can’t count how many times I’ve crashed on a vague acquaintance’s couch. And I don’t plan to stop.

However, as my company New Methods expands and I continue to grow my network, I don’t want to send people to a body of work that isn’t my name, Bradley Gauthier. A “personal brand” is only effective if that name is all you want to be known for. Which is fine for many people. But personally, I have high aspirations for my legacy and CouchSurfingCEO isn’t one of them.

Also in a year or so, had I continued the CouchSurfingCEO blog, it would most likely have a substantial amount of quality articles and a growing audience. But outside of that audience, my entire societal contribution would be based on quick assumptions.

It’s been six months since I started the Twitter handle and blog and in that time I have met many influential people. None of which understood or embraced the “brand” openly. Only other digital nomads and others interested in lifestyle design, understood it. And while you may be thinking, who cares what others think. In some circles, you do. When dealing with high-powered entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders, the secret is this:

You only have a split second to make a positive impression.

It sucks, but it’s reality. But anyway, onto the third point:

3. Higher-Order

In 2008 when I quit my job in search of a better life, I had no idea where the road was going to take me. But for the past few years, the road I thought I wanted to travel down was that of a digital vagabond. Of a person who created enough passive income to finance fun and exciting adventures without any rhyme or reason.

And so, in the summer of 2011 I had recently partnered with Greg Hartle to build a company that would provide digital training to anyone with an Internet connection. This would allow for a digital nomad lifestyle without any 9-5 desk work. I thought that I would want to make enough money to provide a healthy living and that’s it, no bigger motives other than helping a few people learn some skills while I travel.

But then something remarkable happened a couple months ago. On one of Greg and I’s weekly strategy calls, we started talking about the economy and how there is a growing gap in those people who magically “get it” and the majority of those, who don’t. While the topic of the conversation was nothing new. (It’s the very reason we founded New Methods in the first place) The remarkable thing was, we found a sense of clarity. That we have an extraordinary opportunity to change the lives of potentially billions of people. Society en masse could benefit for what we are building over this coming decade.

At that moment, nothing else mattered. I had connected the dots. I was on this planet for a reason and I have a miraculous opportunity to help create a meaningfully better society.

While I know this is a lofty goal, the subsequent conversations with Greg and other’s in my network have continuously reinforced my eureka moment. I have a higher-order. And it’s to help you, your family, your neighbors, our society, and our future generations.

The point is this: in a time of high unemployment, record foreclosures, a student loan epidemic, money in politics, growing income gaps, climate change, and the rest of the near endless list of problems in the world, I am making it my life’s work to do anything and everything I can to help.

And the best way to do the above is by focusing all of my effort on building New Methods into the best “for-benefit” business it possibly can be. To contribute meaningful content to the world with accessibility and permanence in mind. And to become an example of what possibilities there are in life, given the right kind of motivation and perseverance.

I, Bradley Gauthier, am here to serve you.

But having goals and achieving goals could not be more different. Anyone can say they want to do something. Actually doing it, on the other hand, is the true sign of success. We all know big talkers in life that brag about their plans, yet mysteriously as time goes by, those plans never come to fruition.

I hope this post helps you prevent the “I would have, but…” syndrome. And instead help you crush your goals. So without further ado, five things to consider for goal success:

1. Make Them Attainable

The first step in achieving our goals is being honest. Most people would love a private island and yacht, but if you’re struggling to make rent, is it reasonable to believe those are – at least in the short-run – attainable goals? Probably not. But creating enough extra cash flow to pay off a credit card or to visit one new country is well within anyone’s reach.

And just to be clear, I’m a huge proponent of shooting for the moon with goals. However, this article is “how-to achieve your goals,” not “hopefully, maybe, possibly one-day capture your goals.”

When setting goals we must look at what we can truthfully achieve. Shooting for the moon will not always land you amongst the stars.

2. Have a Roadmap

Creating a roadmap to achieving your goals should be at the forefront of the entire process. Saying you want to increase your income threefold is great and all. But how are you going to do it? Without a plan to succeed, you will never succeed. There is no magical goal fairy that visits you at night. Reaching a goal is up to you and only you.

When it comes to bigger goals, I like to use the concept of chunking. By deconstructing the goal into manageable parts, days, and milestones, the steps towards success become easier. Essentially, chunking goals will eleviate stress and prevent those horribly overwhelming I-want-to-sleep-all-day feelings.

Most importantly, your roadmap should have specific dates attached to when these goals are to be achieved. This will further keep you focused

3. Write Your Goals Down

Simply thinking about your goals will not do you any good. You must see them on paper before you set out to achieve your goals. Without writing them down your brain will continually overlook the goal. Or worse, suppress it. But by seeing the goal in ink, your brain can formally process it.

The important concept to keep in mind here is to write the goals in the present tense. For example, “July 12th: I am in Italy for a month.” Not, “I will be in Italy on July 12th.” This will help you put yourself in the moment, instead of in the distant future.

Update: Another great point to add here, thanks to Srini in the comments (p.s. his blog is a must read):

Be sure to also write down what action(s) you took each day as it will help you stay on task and continually ensure you are on the right path. This is based on Zig Ziglar’s work.

4. Read Them Every Morning & Night

Constantly reminding yourself of the goals you set forth is extremely necessary. What good is a goal if you put it aside, barely giving it a second thought after you initially write it down?

By reading your goals before and after you sleep, you will keep focused on your goals. And if at all possible, read them out loud for stronger mental reinforcement.

5. Post Pictures

Above and beyond writing down your goals, hanging visual representations on your wall, at your desk, and anywhere else you commonly are located is very important.

The ability to imagine yourself enjoying that golf club membership, wearing that bikini, or sailing along the coastline is the most powerful motivator you have in your goal achieving tool belt.

Personally, I have an Aston Martin as the background of my computer and cell phone. I want the car and its purchase will be a symbolic step in my entrepreneurial life, so with me seeing it constantly, I repeatedly get to visualize myself sitting in it.

Bonus: 6. Just Do It

Life’s hard. It’s easy to give up. Don’t.

Everyday, do at least one thing that brings you closer to your goals and dreams. Soon you’ll be doing two a day, then three things a day. Suddenly, you’ll find freedom. You’ll find happiness. You’ll find yourself surrounded by family and friends who love you. Your life will be better.

We all have the ability to do something amazing. The deciding factor though, is actually doing it. By following these guidelines for achieving goals you’ll have an amazing chance of succeeding. I wish you the best of luck in 2012!

Already doing these tips? Do you have any success stories you’d like to share?

Unfortunately, most clients, bosses, and associates have this weird assumption that we should work during the day.

I don’t share this view.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a hard worker. But my productive hours aren’t during the industrial-aged idea of a 9-5, Monday-Friday workweek.

I’m at my best during the later hours of the day and into the night.

Since most of the time I’m working on my own projects, no one is the wiser of when I’m working, when I’m sleeping, and when I’m playing. However, the secret is out when I send emails.

It’s hard to be perceived as normal when people see an email timestamp of 4:07am.

Until now…

Tricking the Timestamp System

What if there was a way to make it look like you were working, when you’re actually out enjoying the day?

Luckily, there’s a nice add-on for Gmail that solves the email timestamp dilemma.

By using Boomerang for Gmail, you can schedule when emails are sent. Which allows you to work when convenient or when you’re most productive. Yet appear to work during normal working hours.

And ultimately, it’ll help you live your life the way you want.

For Instance…

You’d like to spend time on the beach Monday morning. But since you’re working on some projects that require collaboration with colleagues and clients, it normally would require you sitting in front of the computer sending emails all morning. Then waiting until the afternoon for replies.

Now with the help of this app, you can get your work done the night before, type out all your requests in Gmail, and schedule them for delivery Monday morning.

You’ve safely made a huge window of time for your morning in the sun.

Cool, huh?

So do you have any ideas of how to use this add-on to improve our workday? Let us hear ‘em in the comments below!

Most people don’t understand me. My friends no longer get me. And my extended family often believes that by me not “working,” I’m wasting my life away.

Ah, if you’ve chosen an alternative path for your life, those statements probably ring all too close to home. But who cares? It’s your life.

But unfortunately, our society has adopted preconceived notions of a normal life. And the crippling assumptions continue to snowball amongst most circles.

Built on false pretenses, their advice on what life entails falls short of what’s possible.

Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
~ Mark Twain

The only reason most people think they need a job, is because someone told them so. The only reason most people think they need a nice house and a fast car, is because that’s what others have. And the only reason most people settle for less, is because everyone else does.

Live YOUR Life!

As you live outside of societal norms, forget what the critics say. There is never a shortage of critics. But remember, critics are supposed to criticize, let them live in their boring little safety bubble, while you go out and do remarkable things.

The reality of life is clear: Your life is whatever and however YOU choose to live.

So make your life the best damn life imaginable!

I spent the past weekend with this view. It was gorgeous!

But this view came with a cost more important to me than money…

It was deep in the woods of Northern Wisconsin. Which meant there was no Internet and no cell phone coverage.

No Internet! What the hell am I thinking!?!

If you’re like me, the thought of no connection to the outside world for a couple days is torturous. But I knew the weekend would be fun and it would be a great opportunity to get away. So I joined a group of my buddies at a lake cabin.

And at first it was nice.

Unfortunately, though, it got depressing fast. Because it made me realize how dependent I am on being constantly connected to the world. And rightfully so. This is after all the essence of being a digital nomad. The ability to work anywhere at anytime is essential for this lifestyle design.

However, after I got through the moments of wondering what I should do with my life, I realized that no Internet connection didn’t matter.

We all need a break from work!

Luckily, it doesn’t take travelling to the middle of the woods to escape work for a while.

By using the following five strategies, you’ll be able to easily separate work from your personal life:

1. Proper Expectations

I may be young, but I remember the days of no cell phones. Or when email and texting wasn’t the preferred communication channel.

People weren’t always available. And it was ok.

So what changed?

People’s expectations of communication have evolved into an unreasonable now or never fantasy world.

Everyone thinks they need their answer five minutes ago. But things can wait.

Until the people you do business with understand that you have a personal life, you will never be able to effectively escape work time.

I know, I know. This is easier said than done! But you have to make an attempt at reframing your contact’s expectations on how they work with you.

2. Virtual Receptionist

I only have a cell phone. Which obviously makes it harder for me to escape work.

However, I’m proud to say that only a few select people know my cell phone number.

Everyone else, clients, colleagues, associates, etc, all have my virtual receptionist’s number. And I love it!

By the way, my virtual receptionist is named Google Voice :)

Google Voice is amazing for separating work from personal life. Because if you’re like me and you use a cell phone for your only phone, you rarely can escape the calls at odd hours and weekends.

But not with Google Voice! It works like this:

When you sign up for the free service you get a number and voicemail inbox.

From there, you get to choose what phone number calls are routed to. In turn, the caller must announce who they are which allows you to accept the call or send it to voicemail. No one is the wiser if you are technically available but not in a talkative mood.

It’s glorious! Check it out, definitely worth implementing if you work with people over the phone.

3. Working space

Whatever you do, try not to mix your working area with your living area.

I know how easy it is to sit in your bed with some work. Or curl up in your favorite chair with a laptop.

Don’t do it!

Subconsciously you are destroying your work-life balance.

As you condition yourself to believe your personal spaces are work spaces, you will never mentally escape your work.

Therefore, dedicating a specific area for working is vital!

4. Notepad of Ideas

It always seems that the more I try not to think about work, the more I end up devoting brain power towards work ideas.

But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, I’m betting your best work-related ideas happen when not working. The key, though, is to not let this interfere with your personal time.

Which is why carrying a notepad, Moleskin, Evernote, or any other preferred way of capturing your ideas is vital.

Write down the idea. And get back to your life!

5. Managing Email

I saved the best for last.

Everyone I know has trouble escaping email. And rightfully so. We have evolved into a society that depends on email.

But if you have already completed step 1 and set proper expectations with your correspondence, the best advice I can give you is to shut down anything that receives email.

The world will still revolve if that Texas Roadhouse coupon remains unopened.

I firmly believe that the perfect antonym for productivity is notifications.

Think about it; you get an email and your computer gets a popup, your phone beeps, and twelve different apps now have a number attached to the icon. It’s almost impossible to not know you have new emails waiting for you.

To escape the onslaught of email you must hide any indication of new emails. Remember the old adage: out of sight is out of mind.

Therefore, disable push notifications on your phone and close down your email client… or hopefully put away the devices altogether!

With nothing announcing you have new messages, you can successfully escape email.

It’s possible to separate work & personal life!

By following the above steps, I feel positive that you’ll be able to escape the clutches of work. Good luck!

What have you found that helps you balance work and life? Any tricks you use to escape work? Let us know in the comments below:

It’s a warm autumn evening in 2008. I’m 22 years old. And I just quit my great job at a Fortune 500 company.

My hands are shaking as I struggle to find my mass transit card amongst a bag of papers and desk momentos.

The line of commuters behind me clearly display their displeasure as I’ve taken a few extra seconds to search for the card in my bag.

I’m at the Quincy station of Chicago’s iconic “L” subway system, surrounded by hundreds of people in suits and business casual garb.

By the time I find the card, swipe it, and go through the turn-style, the line has diverted to the other gates. And rightfully so, had it been the day before, I would have been in a rush too.

But not today.

Today I don’t care about rushing. I don’t mind if it takes 5 seconds longer to find my card. There are no signs of any trains coming, so no one is missing anything.

Standing on the platform, I watch them anxiously stare down the tracks for the next train to arrive, as if their focus on the empty third-rail will make the train come quicker.

A few minutes later, the “L” arrives, and the commuters pile into the train-car.

And with no seats available, I struggle to hold onto a handle.

Packed in the car like sardines in a can – and smelling as such – we continue on.

Finally, I take a moment to think back on how I got here:

The Evolution of Becoming an Employee

Having started my first business at the age of 12, I’ve always aspired to become a successful entrepreneur.

But while attending high school and college, the business could never find my full attention. School, friends, sports, and the 5,000 other things that students have going on made it extremely difficult to keep my web design business running full time.

So on occasion, I had also worked part-time jobs while going through school. Which were all fun for a kid like me:

I emulated the shenanigans of Caddyshack at a golf course. I talked computers for 8 hours a day at Best Buy. And I bartended at an upper-class supper club, tuxedo and all… Ask me to make you an Old Fashioned… Best. Drink. Ever.

These were all fun jobs. I gained experience. I earned beer money. But they didn’t mean anything. The jobs were just part-time gigs.

By the time I graduated college though, I had accepted the plight of a full-time corporate job. At least for a few years. Everyone told me a salaried job with good benefits and a 401k at a corporation is the next logical step in post-college life. After all, it is what everyone else is doing!

But the money and freedom I earned from my business during my younger years told me that I mustn’t make this a long-term career path.

And so, eighteen months after graduating college with $70,000 in student loan debt, here I was:

Voluntarily jobless…

Oh shit.

I liked my job. I liked my bosses. I liked most of my coworkers. I liked the money. I liked playing Wii Tennis on the conference room projector. I liked the continuous trainings. I liked the view of the Chicago River from the skyscraper. I liked it all….

But there was no turning back.

What have I done? Why would I give up that security?

Exploring the Employee Mindset

(let’s quickly fast forward to today)

Lately, when I talk with people who are employed for others, the conversation is much different than they are accustomed to thinking about. Because I don’t approach them from the perspective of another employee learning about what they do professionally. But rather, I approach the conversation as a person generally interested by the underlying decisions of their lifestyle choice.

At this point in my life, I generally don’t get why people choose to be employees. I’m rarely empathetic to that lifestyle. So I am always curious about what decisions have led them to their current mindset. And wondering why they choose to forgo their passions for a paycheck.

But over time, I have noticed there are three stages of employee job satisfaction:

Loving a Job

I’ve met a few people over the years who love their job and would never consider doing something different.

While I’ve never understood how someone could love working for someone else, making other people rich, and having to ask permission to do things. I can somewhat see the logic in following a passion while working for someone else.

A full-time writer & photographer for the National Geographic comes to mind as someone who probably loves their job.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
~ Confucious

An extremely talented sales trainer once recited this quote when I asked them why they still worked for their company. And I think about that conversation often. As his thought-process was the first time having a job made sense to me.

Hating a Job

On the other end of the job enjoyment spectrum, is hating a job. This should be obvious for everyone. Hating a job is understandable:

A bad boss, horrible working conditions, annoying coworkers, low pay, boring tasks… the list is endless of why people hate their job.

Hating a job makes it easy for us to call it quits. You often hear of people who get disturbed with their life and make a drastic change. Because change needs to happen.

If you hate something with enough passion, you can find a way to overcome it.

Enduring a Job

I didn’t love my job. But I didn’t hate it either.

Rather, I was ok with it.

And in reality, this is where most people find themselves. They are content with their current job. It pays the bills, it allows for a couple martinis on Fridays, and it offers a decent vacation a couple times a year.

But being content should scare the shit out of anyone.

Because once you find yourself accepting your surroundings, it becomes nearly impossible to change.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s fine,” people say. Subconsciously knowing they are lying to themselves.

In turn, people who are content with the way things are, continue to suffer. Because it’s comfortable and there is no pressing need to change.

Ergo, they unfortunately settle for shitty lives, because it’s comfortable.

Escaping the Confort Zone

(ok, back to the story)

Here I am, standing on the “L” realizing what I just did.

They say ignorance is bliss. And it’s true. Because up until this point, I had only a wild-idea for an Internet company. No real rhyme or reason for leaving my job other than I had amassed the necessary training, capital, and skill-set to start my new business.

I had yet to fully think through the entire scenario:

No more guaranteed income means no more guaranteed life.

Shoulder to shoulder with a dozen strangers, I find myself in an intense fight or flight moment.

What if this new business doesn’t work out? What am I going to do about bills? Where am I going to live? How do I feed myself? What do I do now?

It was fucking scary…

But in those brief, tense moments I fought the urges to crawl back to my job.

Instead, I explored my life’s goals, examined my current lifestyle, and determined why quitting was a good thing:

Because I was confortable with my life.

I was comfortable with the view of the river. I was comfortable with my coworkers. I was comfortable with this shitty commute. I was comfortable with my job.

But I didn’t love any of it. I know my life is destined for more.

So I took a deep breath, smiled, and enjoyed the rest of the “L” ride.

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
~ Nelson Mandela

And now, looking back at that day, quitting my job has made all the difference in my life.

The Uncomfortable Challenge

Writing this post was extremely uncomfortable for me. So I hope you take my experience as a wake up call for change.

I challenge you to take a look at your life from an outside perspective and ask yourself:

Am I truly happy? Do I love what I do?

Or am I comfortable?

But please don’t keep quiet about what you discover. Tell people. Use the comment form below. Facebook your goals with your friends. Tweet your desires to your followers. Email your confidants. Share your desires at dinner with the family.

Do anything that helps you realize how comfortable you are with something in your life. And set out to change it.

Take action. It starts today. It starts now…

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, those days that kept you active from 8 in the morning til 6 at night. You were super busy. But looking back at the day, it was filled with mundane tasks. And while you felt eventful, in reality you didn’t accomplish anything.

I’ve had these types of days. I’m assuming you have too.

I call this, working for work’s sake. And it’s the murderer of an enjoyable life.

Learning from Rocks, Pebbles, & Sand

Before we start this visualization, list your tasks from most to least important. Then associate these with rocks, pebbles, and sand. The biggest rock being the most important task. And sand being the minutiae. Also, let’s imagine a jar as your day, timeframe, or project timeline.

Now let’s craft these two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Starting with Sand

Filling a jar with the sand first is easy. It falls right in. But what about the pebbles and rocks? The pebbles still fit but when it comes time to add the larger stones, the task becomes practically impossible. The jar overflows and the biggest rocks do not fit.

Put In Other Words:
Small, unimportant tasks are attractive. They are easy to complete. And are usually the most enjoyable. But can consume your day.

Starting with the easier tasks may make the day more fun. But at the end of the day, your most important work is left largely untouched. Pushed back until tomorrow. Knowing all to well, tomorrow never truly comes.

Scenario 2: Starting with Rocks

Adding the biggest rocks first is hard. You have to look at their size and figure the best plan of attack for fitting them all in. It’s a struggle to piece them together, but it’s possible.

And then comes the pebbles. The jar needs to be shaken occasionally. But they fit.

Finally, the sand can be dumped in. Easily, the sand slides between the rocks and pebbles. Magically, the rocks and pebbles as well as all of the sand now fits into the jar.

Put In Other Words:
Your most important tasks are usually the most taxing. They require additional brainpower. Or they may be the least enjoyable. But these tasks are also the most productive and profitable.

In this strategy, the mid and low priority tasks are put by the wayside. Confronting them only if there is time. And as a result, your day will be amazingly successful.

Conclusion

Every time you are faced with a large work load, remember:

Rocks first, pebbles second and if there is time, fill your jar with sand.

My receipts from one weekend while traveling!

If you’re like me, I bet you wish you could throw your receipts away while traveling for business?

If you’ve ever traveled a lot for business you unfortunately know this scenario:

You’re meeting a client while on the road, and having just paid $50 for the meal at a restaurant, you need to keep the receipt for expense and tax purposes. You briefly scribble down the meeting details and fold the receipt into your pocket. Easy right?

But later that day as you empty your pockets for the night, you realize that you cannot find the receipt anywhere. Unknowingly, you had dropped it while at a store.

And with no receipt, there’s no deduction, no reimbursement, no nothing. You are without proof of a $50 expense.

There’s got to be a better way!?!

Thankfully, there is!

How to Instantly Throw Receipts Away

The other day I found an amazing strategy for combating the never ending nightmare of receipts piling up while traveling.

The Overview: By integrating two free software offerings together and using the camera on your phone, you can instantly snap a picture of your receipt, click a couple buttons, and instantly throw your receipt away!

The Required Ingredients:

1. Evernote

It begins with Evernote. If you aren’t using Evernote already, ask yourself why not? It’s free and amazing!

But anyway, the beauty of Evernote is that you can store notes, pictures and pretty much anything you’d like to capture in a searchable database, backed-up on their server.

2. Expensify

If you run your own business, have an expense account, or keep receipts for tax time, this software is wonderful! Expensify allows you to create expense reports easily with their online software. And it’s free!

3. Smartphone

While the above two services don’t directly require a mobile device. This receipt trick does. Because if you have to still carry around the receipts and manually enter them later, what fun is that?

Evernote works with iPhones, Androids, Blackberrys, and Windows phones.

4. A Receipt

Kinda obvious ;)

Automatic Expense Reports

So if you have the above four ingredients, here is how to start a digital file cabinet:

First, head to this page to connect the two accounts.

After a few simple steps an Expensify notebook will appear in your Evernote account.

Now when you are handed a receipt, simply snap a clear picture of it in Evernote and tag it into the Expensify notebook.

That’s it, you’re done! Throw the receipt away!

How it Works

Once you upload the image to Evernote, it automatically also sends it to Expensify. From there, your receipt is archived into any expense report you select. And you have the ability to enter any other information you’d like. This can be done days or weeks after the trip is over.

But what if you don’t feel like entering additional information?

This is where the whole process is absolutely remarkable!

For 20 cents a receipt, Expensify’s software will scan the receipt for you, pulling the date, amount, & location from the receipt and automatically enter it into the expense report.

(If you didn’t get extremely excited just now, please re-read that last sentence.)

This is the feature that won me over. Because, if you think about it, on any given day traveling you would rarely have more than 5 receipts.

So for less than a dollar a day, there are no more hassles or worries associated with keeping track of expenses!

You now have the receipt securely saved in your Evernote database for easily searchable future reference. And in a clean expense report for your accountant… gotta love it!

The Final Result

Let me recap how ridiculously awesome this process is:

You get a receipt from a vendor, take a picture of it with your phone, archive it to Evernote… And throw the receipt away!

Without any more effort, that expense is automatically entered into an extremely easy to use report:

This is reason #5,324,205,443 to love technology!

Enjoy! :)

ps. I was curious of the viewpoint from the IRS on this so I did a little further research. This process is completely legal!

The greatest mentor in my life, whom I had never met, died yesterday. And it deeply saddens me.

Steve Jobs, creator of the Apple II, Macintosh, Pixar, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad and countless other innovations, touched millions of lives. Including mine.

I have always admired Mr. Jobs. His mentality towards creating products has been the guiding light for nearly all of my business decisions. I owe him dearly.

But this post isn’t to mourn him.

Steve wouldn’t want that. He is famously known for wanting us to not miss a beat. That we must continue striving to change the world. My consulting and speaking career has been based around Steve’s innovative mindset. In fact, just yesterday, I published a post about the evolution of technology. And no one more than Steve understood this.

We must embrace change.

And Steve Changed My Life…

About 3 years ago I had watched a remarkable speech on YouTube given by Steve Jobs in 2005. And it changed my life forever. If you haven’t seen it, please watch this:

Throughout the speech, Steve makes the point to trust that you know where you are going. That only after you’re there, can you then connect the dots.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
~ Steve Jobs

My life has certainly seen its fair share of ups and downs thus far. But I hope my failures are out-shadowed by my successes.

However, up until I watched this video, I had never given full consideration into what got me to where I am. And to where I was going.

I had not yet considered the dots, let alone connect them.

At that time, I had just left my well-paying job in a Fortune 200 company to re-enter the world of entrepreneurship. I had looming student loan debt. And I was completely over my head.

At that time, my life was still a scattered graph of random dots. I had no real significant contribution to the world. But Steve assured me that the dots will eventually connect.

I trust Mr. Jobs, so I trusted my path.

Connecting the Dots

Fast forward three years. I have an online marketing firm and a growing consulting/speaking career, as well as launching an Internet startup. Life is good.

And the dots finally make sense:

Had I not been a curious, shy little kid on a tiny indian reservation full of bullies and fights… I would not have avoided the troublemakers by self-teaching myself how to build computers and websites.

Had I not been infatuated with modifying my car in high school, spending countless hours and thousands of dollars… I would not appreciate the subtleties of finding art in everything around us.

Had I not worked as my Dad’s little helper growing up, suffering through what, at that time, seemed like overly strenuous child labor… I would not understand what hard work truly is.

Had I not become bored with college, skipping classes, losing interest, and barely graduating… I would not have immersed myself into hundreds of books of my own accord.

Had I not taken the corporate job in Chicago, developing a severe case of work-place depression… I would not appreciate the true benefits of being my own boss.

Had I not destroyed my financial statement with student loan debt, nearly impossible to pay when starting a business… I would not appreciate the value of a dollar.

Had I not tirelessly worked with hundreds of businesses through my marketing firm… I would not deeply understand business in the broad perspective that I do at age 25 nor be capable of launching my new startup.

Had I not have you in my life… I would not be where I am today.

So I thank you, the reader. I thank my parents, my family, my friends. I thank all those who have changed my life for the better.

And of course, I thank you, Steve. Thank you for helping me connect the dots.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.