The Three Month Vacation Podcast
Episodes
How To Get Clients Comfortable On Zoom
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why would clients be uncomfortable on Zoom? They're your clients after all. Yet, time and time again we notice a reluctance on the part of the client...
The Paradox of Motivation and Burnout (And Where To Draw the Line)
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some days, you can't get yourself motivated. Yet on other days, you're working so hard that you're frying up much too quickly. How do you keep a balan...
Chaotic Week? How To Use The Goldilocks Method To Get Things Back On Track
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some days seem to start not on Monday, but Wednesday. You fully intended to get your planning going, but something got in the way and it looks like th...
The Real Goal of Productivity (And How it Helps You Waste More Time)
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most people tend to tell you to be more productive. Sales need to be doubled, you somehow aren't satisfied with the client numbers, and need a lot mor...
Why restricting the numbers of sales increased profits (and gave us more downtime)
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It seems illogical to sell just 25 copies of a product when the product is just digital. Isn't it just a PDF, audio or video? Shouldn't we sell as m...
Why do clients sign up? Understanding the core motivations that attracts clients.
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why people keep buying recipe books? Your grandma had a dozen books, so did your parents, and now, even if you're not such a go...
How the doorway principle lets you get started (even when you're not known in your industry)
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us believe we have to start a business. Hence, we get all fancy with business cards and websites. We talk about how we solve problems. And the...
How to get re-started (when you've been blown off course)
25 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody starts off with a plan, but shortly after that plan turns to custard. We should be able to realign ourselves and restart, but restarting see...
Why High Conflict is Tearing Us Apart (And How To Sidestep the Chaos)
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When I was 13 years old, my parents got involved in a court battle. I was past 40 when the issue was finally resolved. We don't see ourselves wanting ...
How To Create Bonuses Out Of Thin Air (And Still Make Them Extremely Desirable): Part 2
11 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The toughest part about creating bonuses is how time-consuming they can be, especially when you want to make them desirable. Yet there is a method of ...
How To Create Bonuses For Your Products Or Services: Part 1
04 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It may sound odd, but the bonus is often the tipping point for a client to buy your product or service. And yet, by the time we are done with creating...
Why You Should Never Trust A Silent Customer
28 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We tend to think all is well with the world when no one complains. Yet, most customers rarely complain. Instead, they just walk out of the door, witho...
Why We Do What We Do Ay Psychotactics: Origin Stories
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What was the trigger for the Three-Month Vacation?Why do we have workshops at random locations? This is it—the second part in the two-part series of...
Why We Do What We Do At Psychotactics: Origin Story Series
14 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did the gold star show up in Psychotactics courses? How did we start sending chocolate across the world? Here is a two-part series on how all of...
What I Learned From Children (And How It Lowered My Stress Levels)
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's rare that we don't learn lessons from a child. Even so, I think we don't always pay closer attention to what they're saying. My two nieces have t...
How To Avoid High Conflict—Even When You Don't Agree WIth The Idea
31 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you pro or anti-vaccine? Are you pro this or anti-that? We seem to be pushed into one camp or the other and we end up getting ourselves in a tight...
How To Get Your Foot In The Door (With A Humble Checklist)
24 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When starting up, it's almost impossible to get clients. Yet, there's a method that's almost fail-proof and gets the client interested in you, right a...
The "Coats of Paint" system to break out of the curse of perfection
17 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest problem with perfection is we feel we have to keep to the job until it's done. As logical as the idea sounds, it's always—yes, always—...
Why Happiness Eludes Us (And Why It's Been Around All The Time)
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many books, yes whole books, are dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. And yet, all it takes is a simple mind shift. Happiness isn't something we nee...
The Power of Deflection (Why It's a Crucial Strategy On An Interview).
03 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a perfect world, you would be asked a straightforward question, and you'd give the answer that was expected of you. And most of the time, interview...
Why Understanding The Faces of Overwhelm Helps You Sidestep Frustration
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We often see overwhelm as a nameless, faceless monster. It seems to charge into our lives like some Godzilla and never wants to leave. However, the m...
Three Unusually Zany Tips to Change Your Mindset
19 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we need to make big changes to our behaviour. Sometimes, it's just a little tweak. In today's episode we look at three very tiny tweaks tha...
Re-Run: Why You Don't Need Clickbait Headlines To Get Clients (The Power Of Normal Headlines)
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do Clickbait Headlines Work? Can a normal headline be just as powerful? Clickbait headlines seem to be designed to get our curiosity. But what makes a...
Re-Run: The Contrarian Mindset (How To Think Differently Under Normal Business Circumstances)
05 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When is it beneficial to adopt a contrarian mindset? What does it mean to be a contrarian? What is the concept of contrarianism? Do you know why Tesla...
Re-Run: How To Systematically Manage The Pre-Sell Of Your Product or Service
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Which product should you pre-sell?Should it be the $20 product or the $2000 one? Let's find out what's involved and how you can systematically manage...
Re-Run: The Mastermind Mindset (How To Harness It Across Your Business)
22 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a mastermind mindset? How does a mastermind group work for courses, workshop and membership sites? When we think of a mastermind mindset, we t...
Re-Run: Three Bizarre Learning Principles (And Why We Struggle With Learning)
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Learning is odd. It should be logical, even progressive. This is why we feel that we're bad at learning. But if we recognise what's really happening, ...
Re-run: How To Be A Source Of Inspiration To Others
08 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You'd think you'd need to be someone great or at least do something wonderful to inspire others. Yet, you're a source of inspiration. How do you inspi...
Three Ordinary Aspects of Writing (That We Forget To Implement Consistently).
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We often go looking for a magical solution to help us write. And yet the magic is often found in the ordinary. How can seemingly repetitive advice hel...
How Subsets Help You Gain Momentum In Business (And Gain New Clients Too!)
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When someone asks you what you do, what do you say? People tend to give a top-level answer. They say, "I'm a lawyer, a real estate agent, a fitness tr...
Free vs Paid Content: Will clients buy if you give away a lot of free stuff?
17 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Does generosity have its limits? Let's say you decide to give away a lot of information to clients. How do you get them to come back to buy the rest o...
Why unnecessary obstacles make writing so exhausting
10 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of writing, we automatically assume it's the act of sitting down at the computer and creating a new article, report or book. What we see...
How to audit your information product in four systematic steps
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's one thing to create information and quite another to know whether you've ticked all the boxes. When creating information, the client doesn't just...
Why list-building fails (and how to avoid the almost obvious failure): Part 2
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When we start to build a list, we think of followers or fans, but all of these potential clients are elsewhere on YouTube, or Instagram or Facebook. W...
Why list-building fails (and how to avoid the almost obvious failure): Part 1
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a line we've all heard, but as it does in life, the very same line plays an extremely important role in list building. When we think of building ...
The Middle of the Project method: Where to restart a stalled activity
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you've missed the sunrise for the past 300 days. Would that mean you'd give up on sunrise forever?We know the answer to the question, don't we...
Part 2. What Makes Articles Dull? The Curse of Writing Like an Author
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this second part, we go deeper into how it's not just the writing alone, but how a fixed formula can derail us. We often believe that if we've writ...
What Makes Articles Dull? The Curse of Writing Like an Author
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why does writing seem like a chore? It's easy to believe that we need more practice. But practice alone doesn't bring an article to life. A dull artic...
The Dual Boomerang system of learning (that helps me get to the finish line).
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you finish the last book you bought? How about that last course? And if you're like me, you probably have at least two dozen things that you've bo...
Why clients leave—and why lack of community is one of the big problems.
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When clients leave, we automatically assume they say they aren't using the service or membership site. They give reasons why they're leaving, and it s...
Why you should temporarily ignore the "1000 True Fans" concept—if you want to get ahead
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The 1000 true fans concept seems to follow a simple multiplication rule. If you have a thousand fans and they buy $100 worth of product in a year, you...
How to turn an average elevator pitch into one that gets consistent attention
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Almost all of us will be asked, “what do you do?” And despite having to answer this question frequently, we struggle to create a powerful sense of...
Rerun: How to use "accidental research" to speed up your article writing
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rerun: Scientific Advertising: Why a hundred year old book matters more today than ever before
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rerun: Mindset vs Skillset: Which one slows you down?
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rerun: You Need To Start a Project—Not a Business
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rerun: How to avoid mastery (and use 5-minute learning to get to fluency, instead)
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rerun: Longevity secrets: How to consistently write newsletters for 20 years in a row
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How to motivate and inspire (even when things are going wrong)
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Motivation people around you seems like an unending task. Your staff, your team, your walking group, your kid all need motivation. And all of them are...
How to use group consulting to increase earning (and learning).
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Which do you think is superior? Group or one on one consulting? Most people aren't likely to pick group consulting. It seems like the benefits of one ...
Why we enter fields with less competition (and why that's a dangerous strategy)
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you were to ask someone to pick a field where there's more vs less competition, they're likely to pick one with less. And that would be a mistake, ...
April Fools Day: The Mad Genius of Renuka
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You think you know Renuka, but maybe there's a bit you don't know quite yet. She looks mischievous, but her real mission comes alive on April 1. Enjoy...
How to publish fixed prices on your website (even if you run a service).
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The problem with a service-based-business is that you can't always publish a fixed price. The pricing always seems to depend on what needs to be done ...
Dread writing your newsletter? How to overcome that frustration in four easy steps
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I used to hate writing a newsletter. It would be the task I'd keep postponing until the very last minute. Of course, that would make my entire week mi...
Why Success Benchmarks are Misleading (And How We Set Benchmarks for Success)
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you look around you, the obvious success benchmarks are usually money first, and then, at least a huge dollop of fame. But are our benchmarks of su...
Planning on starting a membership site? How to decide which one is for you (Part 2)
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of membership sites we tend to think just about "information" based sites. However, there are many ways of looking at membership sites. ...
Planning on starting a membership site? How to decide which one is for you (Part 1)
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A membership site isn't just another site. Instead, it's almost like an inner circle where you draw your closest clients to you. Yet, which kind of me...
Why sales and self-promotion seems yucky (and how to quickly overcome it)
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Clients may love our work. They may refer us on to others. And yet, when it comes to sales, we shrivel back almost in horror. We find sales techniques...
How to recalibrate your life's priorities (despite the unending torrent of work)
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find yourself loving your work, but knowing that you're getting a bit one-dimensional? You work, then work, then work some more. And when other...
How to avoid duds and time-wasters when hiring or outsourcing staff
26 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Which is the most frequently used method of evaluating someone you want to hire?Usually, the method used is quite bizarre. You tend to ask for referen...
How to create a pricing ecosystem that helps increase revenue and free time)
19 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine making one change in your pricing strategy. Then let's say you make two. But let's say we make three changes. With three tiny changes, we have...
How to extend or reduce article length by using the power of examples
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Either your article is too long and bloated or it's much too skimpy. When faced with either of these situations we are at a loss as to what needs to b...
3 Pesky Things That Bug Us at Psychotactics (And How We Overcame Them)
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you run a business, there are three things that seems to come up. The first is "ungrateful subscribers", the second is definitely "pirates" and t...
Why "Normal Headlines" are more powerful than "Clickbait Headlines"
29 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Clickbait headlines seem to be designed to get our curiosity. But what makes a clickbait headline so attractive in the first place? And how do we writ...
How to give contrarian advice to clients (without a ton of proof and research)
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Often contrarian advice is precisely what the client needs. But how do you present the concepts to clients? Don't you need a lot of proof and research...
How to reframe your business with a contrarian system (and make it stand out)
15 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's one thing to say "be contrarian" but you can stick out too much. And anyway, we don't particularly care to disagree. Yet, being contrarian gives ...
How To Use a Contrarian Mindset to Your Advantage
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know why the Tesla is such a big car? Think about it for a second. Tesla Motors only make electric cars. The bigger the car, the heavier it's g...
Why You Need To Start a Project—Not a Business
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of making the transition to our own business, why do we freeze? It's simply because we're not sure where to start. A business has so man...
Quick Tips: 3 Speedy Methods to Get Great Testimonials
25 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to testimonials, we tend to end up with rambling, not so great testimonials? How do we get powerful experiences, instead of watered down...
Rerun 6: Info-product Creation Part 2: Double Your Sales With Versions and Satellite Products
18 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The final rerun of six re-runs: Can you really double your sales of a product you've created a while ago? And why are satellite products so very usefu...
Rerun 5: How To Avoid Overwhelm (And Systematically Complete Projects)
11 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The fifth of six re-runs: Whenever you have a deadline, somehow you're able to stagger towards it and get the job done. But other tasks never seem to ...
Rerun 4: Why Success Is Hindered By The Lack of the Tolerance Effect
04 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The fourth of six re-runs: It might not seem like tolerance is the root for success, but if you dig deeper, you'll find that small businesses struggle...
Rerun 3: How To Validate Your Business Idea (And Overcome Self-Doubt)
27 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The third of six re-runs: How do you know whether an idea is good or bad? Is there a system of validation for your info-products, courses and workshop...
Rerun 2: How a Lack of Energy, Not Time, Causes Writers to Stall and Crash
20 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The second of six re-runs: One of the biggest hurdles in writing, has nothing to do with writing at all. It doesn't have anything to do with time, eit...
Rerun 1: Are You Tempted To Use Hype? How To Avoid Hype And Still Get Clients
13 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first of six re-runs: Hype works exceedingly well, even when the client knows they're being duped a bit. But what if you can't stand hype? Does th...
How to harness the Mastermind Mindset (and use it across your business)
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of mastermind-based concepts, we tend to isolate the ideas to a group of people. But what if you could use the very same concepts in cou...
Lockdown Gratitude from New Zealand
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It feels difficult to feel any gratitude when you're cooped up. Yet, these weeks in relative isolation have also brought unexpected joy. This is a sma...
How to use "accidental research" to speed up your article writing
30 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most draining aspects of article writing is the research that we need to put into writing an article. No matter how hard we try, we end up ...
Mindset vs Skillset: Which one slows you down?
23 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've been told time and time again that our mindsets need to change in order to change our skillsets. But what if it's the other way around? Why are ...
How to rapidly transition from task to task (and avoid getting distracted in the switchover)
16 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When are you and I the most distracted? Often, it's right after you've finished one task and on your way to start another. You've planned your day wel...
Why Optimists Die of a Broken Heart: The Stockdale Paradox
09 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you are a prisoner of war. You're thrown into an isolation space, not just for a week, or month, but for an entire year. All the while you're ...
Three Hearthwarming Travel Stories Just for you
02 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Travel can be good, bad or even ugly. But in our travels through India in Feb 2020, we ran into a sense of warmth that needs to be shared. Get yoursel...
What I learned in 2019 (and have to keep reminding myself all year)
25 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all get into argumentative situations. Yet, these situations almost always leave us worse off than before. How can we learn to negotiate instead of...
Why Creating "Rubbish—Lots of Rubbish" is the key to outstanding work
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many times when we are asked to show our work, we're quite reluctant. There's a reason for this reluctance. It's more than likely that the work is qui...
Scientific Advertising Part 2: Why a hundred year old book matters more today than ever before
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Does a 100 year old book on advertising still apply today? In part two we explore the second of Hopkins' principles: tell your full story. If you eve...
Scientific Advertising Part 1: Why a hundred year old book matters more today than ever before
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Does a 100 year old book on advertising still apply today? In this two-part series we delve into concepts that are not just relevant, but crucial in m...
How to use simple stories to pre-sell your products and services
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pre-sell is notoriously difficult for most entrepreneurs. It feels greasy and icky at times. And that lack of enthusiasm dooms the sale from the very ...
Why the Psychotactics Planning Starts with "Beer"
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us are more than likely to get going by having a to-do list. Yet, we at Psychotactics do things a little differently. We start with the breaks...
How to wring the curiosity out of the first-line of your article
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The first line of an article drives most of us insane. And as if that were not enough, we are called upon to write an interesting first line. How do y...
3 ½ Nifty Tips We've Learned On Our Travels
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do you find the most authentic food in a foreign city, minutes after you've landed? How do you find seats on a plane where people won't bump into ...
Learning Strategy Tweaks: How I Use Slightly-Odd Ways to Ramp Up Learning
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have tried and are unable to keep up with the onslaught of information that comes our way. Add the deluge of distraction and it seems like ...
Longevity secrets: How to consistenly write newsletters for 20 years in a row.
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Would you be able to write a newsletter on a weekly basis and keep it going for the next 20 years? How do you even get topics, let alone write consist...
How to avoid mastery (and use 5-minute learning to get to fluency, instead)
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Would you choose between mastery or fluency? Many would opt for mastery, but it might just be the wrong choice to make. If, instead, you work with flu...
Rerun 6: How to Craft Interesting Stories and Analogies (For Articles and Sales Letters)
08 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do you make your articles or sales letters more interesting? Analogies and stories always increase the drama and attention span. Yet, it's hard to...
Rerun 5: How to Validate Your Uniqueness with Testimonials
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let's say you come up with what you believe is a great uniqueness for your product or service. How would you know if it's great or not? The answer is ...
Rerun 4: Why "Elegance" not "Information" Creates an Addictive Business Model
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some books, courses or workshops end up becoming so addictive? Is it the teacher, the system, the information, or is it all of the above? In th...
Rerun 3: The crazy philosophy of Psychotactics (and why it may help you in your business)
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of business, marketing tactics and strategy comes to mind, doesn't it? Philosophy does exist but it may be a bit on the back burner. Yet...
Rerun 2: Want to get paid a lot in advance? 3 Methods to get paid earlier than ever before
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Rerun 1: The Overwhelm Virus: How To Get It Out of Your Daily Routine
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ha...
Back to the Future: Why the 2020 strategy is a lot like 2000
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...