Afford Anything

You Can Afford Anything ... Just Not Everything. What's It Gonna Be?

What Would You Do If You Didn’t Have to Work?

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Paula Pant What Would You Do if You Didn't Have to Work

Oh my goodness. I’ve done the unthinkable. I’ve written a blog post, after a many-month absence.

I realize this comes as a shock. If you need a moment to process, take your time.

Okay. Here we go.

So.

I’ve been quiet around here, so first I want to let you know I’m still alive. (Mostly.)

I don’t publish often, because I pressure myself to create articles that are perfect. Since that’s impossible, I stay silent and publish nothing.

To remedy this, I’m now committed to publishing the most imperfect posts you’ll ever read. This one, like everything I write, will be full of jokes that fall flat, terrible grammar, and incomplete sentenc–

(Hehe. #jokesthatfallflat )

Today’s post is a literal status update for the sake of my longtime readers who want to know what’s happening. Here’s the latest in my world of travel, investing and ideas …

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Real Estate Income Report: How Much I Made in April & May 2017

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Paula Pant April and May 2017 Real Estate Income Report

Hey there!

Just an update to let you know I’m still alive.

I know, I know … I’m a lazy bum who hasn’t published articles often. Sorry about that.

I tend to operate on “Paula Time.” It’s my own schedule, and it’s slooooow. #sooooslow

By some miracle, I created a new YouTube video in which I disclose my real estate income reports from April and May 2017. If you’re fascinated by real estate investing and/or weirdly into financial voyeurism, check out the latest income report here.

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The Last Five Months of Income — Revealed!

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Paula Pant real estate income report

I have an ideal self, and a present self.

My ideal self exercises daily. She hikes or climbs at least twice a week. She eats plenty of vegetables.

She explores ideas that fascinate her. She reads one to two books a week, making copious notes and annotations throughout. Brilliant blog posts emerge as the natural, organic outcome of this practice.

My ideal self is a prolific writer. She’s developed such strong habits that her articles write themselves. Her fingertips move across the keyboard in a state of flow.

She doesn’t get stressed out about the fact that she’s not publishing articles (or finishing course modules) as quickly as she’d like. She’s patient with herself.

She has no attachment to outcome.

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What if We Quit Setting Goals? (Seriously?)

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Set goals around your actions, not results

It’s an old familiar hum:

Every January, we kickoff the calendar year with New Years Resolutions: lose 10 pounds, make smarter investments, create an extra $1,500 per month on the side.

Yet by February, we’ve returned to life as usual. The discarded New Years Resolution has become a tired cultural trope.

We blame ourselves for these failures:

  • “I should work harder.”
  • “I should be more disciplined.”
  • “I should stop procrastinating.”

But what if we’re approaching this in the wrong way? What if goal-setting itself is the problem?
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The Incredible Power of 10x Thinking

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Inbox Zero. (Unfortunately, I don't see this sight as often as I'd like ...)
You should see my Inbox after I’ve left it unchecked for a few days.

The sheer volume of crappy pitches, press releases, “check out my infographic” and “could you link to us?” requests would make your head explode.

I leave my Inbox untamed for 2-8 days stretches on a semi-regular basis, and when I return, I discover that my Inbox has devolved into a feral, rabid animal, foaming at the mouth with spammy solicitations.
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The Cheapskate’s Guide to Kitchen Renovations (+ Rental Income Report)

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Some people are addicted to booze; others gambling.

Me? Home renovation.

Three months ago, we finished a $13,000 remodel on Rental House #4. To celebrate, we told our contractor to demolish a kitchen in a different house.

Call it a victory lap.  🙂

We’re renovating House #2, and we’re coordinating everything — from demolition to final clean-up — through email, phone and text messages.

We haven’t set foot on the property.
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A Backstage Peek at the Laptop Lifestyle – Tales from a Frequent Traveler

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how-to-work-from-the-road-frequent-traveler

Last month, I tracked my time in 15-minute increments for a week and published the humiliating results.

Afterwards, I opened this email from a reader:

“You gave me a realistic view of what life might be like when I become an entrepreneur -– I could potentially face some of the same challenges that I do now working in corporate America, even though I thought they’d disappear:

1) Wake up to an alarm (and hit the snooze button)
2) Get distracted and have time disappear into the “vortex”
3) Working 40+ hours per week

She asked me to describe a typical day of a lifestyle entrepreneur.
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I Tracked My Time in 15-Minute Increments for a Week. The Results are Embarrassing.

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Tracking Time - 168 Hours

Imagine that you spend 45 hours per week at the office — 9 am to 6 pm.

You commute 30 minutes each way, leaving home at 8:30 am and returning home at 6:30 pm. You also spend 30 minutes each weekday morning “getting ready” — showering, dressing, brewing coffee.

You spend another 30 minutes on work-related tasks after you return home, like checking email or ironing shirts.

You sleep 8 hours per night. You spend 10 hours per week on chores and errands. You exercise 5 hours per week.

Sounds like a jam-packed schedule, doesn’t it?
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