Picture this scenario.

You're sharing a meal with two friends and one of them has a smartphone that beeps, buzzes, or flashes every other minute. Worse yet, he leaves his phone on the table and picks it up every time it begs for attention.

It's “pardon the interruption” on steroids.

The other friend, however, leaves her phone in her purse. Her consistent eye contact, smiles, and sharp listening skills practically tell you, “You're the most important thing to me right now.”

Which one of these friends is getting invited to your next gathering … and which one has a twitch they seriously need to break?

My guest for this Smart and Simple Matters episode – Anthony Ongaro, the man behind Break the Twitch – used to be mindlessly impulsive and unintentionally disruptive. And hey, I get it. I used to be that kind of dude, too.

But things started to change for him in a big way about a year ago when he realized his urges were dominating his life and crowding out what he valued most: friendships, jam sessions, travel, and focusing on the present moment.

He's replaced one-click instant gratification on Amazon with an emphasis on helping people, shedding 80% of his stuff, and finally finding the intentional life he's always wanted.

It's amazing to see his rapid evolution in such a short time and we can learn a lot from this fella. Here's a taste of what he has to say:

The twitch isn't just one thing. It embodies all these things we do without doing them intentionally. – Anthony Ongaro

If you're into challenges and experiments – either safe or a bit radical – you'll get a ton from this guy. The groovy intersection of minimalism and lean startup principles has given him the flexibility to climb (sometimes literally) higher than he thought … and we know you can, too.

Relax into this episode and find yourself getting all pumped up for all the right reasons. And, as you listen, keep the following words in mind:

Focus on the things that make you feel light and get rid of the things that make you feel heavy. – Kyle Cease

Here we go!

You're about to Learn …

• The quick tricks Anthony uses to tame his smartphone and reclaim his attention.
• How to change your relationship with clothing … one load of laundry at a time.
• What sort of report made his eyes pop (and changed him forever).
• How one game helped him and his wife remove 1,000 things in one month.
• The seemingly endless – and surprising – benefits minimalism can give you.
• Some great ways to create an “experimentally safe” environment for kids.
• How to use the lean startup process to over-climb overcome your fears.
• Why Anthony needed to meditate after the first date with his wife.
• Which Disney song he and I are planning to sing a duet to.

 

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Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode:

• Websites:
  • Break the Twitch
  • The Minimalists
  • Kyle Cease
  • Nice Ride Minnesota
• Resources:
  • SimpleREV
  • The Mins Game
  • Hipmunk
• Books:
  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (affiliate link)
  • Everything That Remains
  • Simplify (affiliate link)
  • The Lean Startup (affiliate link)
• Podcast Episodes:
  • How to Create Power, Intention, and Focus with Morning Rituals – SASM 068
• Blog Posts
  • The First Hour: A Meaningful Morning Routine
  • Why I Learned To Love Doing Laundry
• Videos
  • Anthony's Amazon.com Story at SimpleREV 2014
• Anthony on Social Media:
  • Twitter: Anthony's Personal Account
  • Twitter: Break the Twitch
  • Facebook

Topics

• [04:04] Anthony's seeds of awesomeness
• [07:03] What he and I value in a friend
• [09:24] The origins of Break the Twitch
• [11:48] How Anthony one-click purchased his way into big trouble
• [14:10] His unique explanation of the word “intentional”
• [17:55] Reallocating time from mindless to mindful actions
• [22:12] How Anthony transformed his approach to clothing and laundry
• [30:02] Using lean startup methodology for rock climbing and beyond
• [33:41] Why minimalism powers the freedom to travel
• [35:57] Anthony's evolving morning rituals
• [42:45] His meditation practice and the concept of transformational comedy
• [45:37] Parting words from a smart dude

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Transcript

The transcript will not be available until I find a new transcriptionist (if you know someone good, let me know).

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