Simple Hacks To Optimise Your Life | Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks Podcast)

Added: Oct 27, 2023

Chris starts by talking about his college experience and how he ended up in investment banking. He explains that he chose to study marketing because he believed he could hire someone to do finance and accounting for him if he started his own company. However, after working in investment banking and management consulting, he realized that he didn't enjoy the hierarchical nature of these jobs and wanted to find a way to escape the corporate world.

During the financial crisis in 2008, Chris was laid off from his job in management consulting. Instead of immediately looking for another job, he decided to take a different path. He organized a conference called Laid Off Camp, where laid-off individuals could share ideas and network. The event gained attention from media outlets such as TechCrunch and NPR, and Chris saw it as an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship.

After the conference, Chris took a seven-month backpacking trip with his girlfriend from South Africa to Singapore. They traveled on a tight budget, staying in cheap accommodations and using public transportation. This experience taught Chris the value of long-term travel and the importance of taking risks and exploring new opportunities.

Upon returning from their trip, Chris submitted a talk to South by Southwest and was invited to speak at the event. This marked the transition to the next chapter of his life. He realized that he wanted to work in the tech industry and started exploring different opportunities.

Chris discusses the concept of "vagabonding" and how it influenced his perspective on life. He emphasizes the importance of traveling and experiencing different cultures, as it broadens one's horizons and challenges preconceived notions. He also acknowledges that long-term travel may not be feasible for everyone, especially those with families or other responsibilities.

Throughout the podcast, Chris shares his outlook on money and experiences. He believes in saving money and avoiding unnecessary expenses, but also values having great experiences. He emphasizes the importance of finding ways to upgrade one's life while spending less and saving more.

Chris also discusses his podcast, "All The Hacks," where he interviews successful individuals and shares their tips and strategies for optimizing various aspects of life. He believes in constantly seeking ways to improve and optimize, whether it's in personal finance, productivity, or health.

Chris also talks about his seven-month travel adventure, where he spent $30 a day traveling from South Africa to Singapore. He shares some of the challenges he faced, such as crossing borders and concerns about safety. Despite these challenges, he found that serendipity played a significant role in making things better and that he rarely felt scared during his journey.

Moving on to conferences, Chris highlights the value of building a community and finding like-minded individuals. He shares his experience attending South by Southwest and how it provided him with the opportunity to meet people in the tech industry. He believes that finding a community and networking with others can be instrumental in one's career and personal growth.

When it comes to optimizing conference attendance, Chris suggests creating a list of people you want to meet and being strategic about engaging with them. He recommends researching the attendees and speakers beforehand, even going as far as creating a notes document with their photos to help identify them at the event. Chris also advises being proactive in starting conversations and making connections, as well as being the one to end the conversation first to leave a positive impression.

The conversation then shifts to the balance between focusing on work and attending conferences. Chris believes that it depends on the stage of one's life and career. If someone is looking to transition into a new field, attending conferences and networking can be crucial. However, he also acknowledges the importance of putting in the work and finding time for deep focus and productivity.

Chris reflects on his career journey, starting with working at Simple Geo, a startup that eventually failed. Despite the company's failure, he found value in the network of people he met and the reputation it gave him. He then moved on to another startup, which was later acquired by Google. Chris describes his experience at Google as a product manager and how he eventually transitioned to working in venture capital at Google Ventures. He found investing in startups to be a fascinating job, allowing him to see what people were building and supporting their growth.

In terms of staying in touch with people, Chris admits that he could spend more time on important tasks but still manages to maintain connections. He mentions an app called EAC that used to exist, which would analyze communication data to remind users when they last interacted with someone. Chris personally scrolls through his phone book and tries to reach out to people he hasn't talked to in a while, finding something interesting to say or ask.

Chris also shares his thoughts on money and how his outlook on it has evolved over time. He emphasizes the importance of finding ways to save money without sacrificing the things you enjoy. He suggests looking for creative solutions, such as playing the points game to travel for free or finding deals and discounts. He also mentions the value of sharing knowledge and experiences with others, whether it's through a podcast, a private video, or a friends newsletter. By sharing valuable information, you can stay connected with people and provide them with interesting content.

The conversation then shifts to managing communication apps like WhatsApp and iMessage. Chris mentions that he primarily uses iMessage on his computer and tries to maintain an inbox zero approach by responding to messages promptly. He acknowledges that it can be challenging to keep up with messages, especially when there are many unread notifications. However, he believes that it's okay to take a few days to respond and that it's important to prioritize communication based on its importance.

The discussion moves on to the topic of travel and accommodations. Chris shares a hack for booking hotels directly with the hotel instead of using third-party websites. By emailing the hotel after booking and expressing excitement about the upcoming stay, he has had success in receiving upgrades, free breakfast, and other perks. He also mentions the benefits of using tools like text.com to manage messaging services like WhatsApp and iMessage more efficiently.

Chris then talks about the concept of having an au pair, which is a cultural exchange program where someone from another country stays with a family and helps with childcare. He explains that having an au pair can be a cost-effective option compared to other forms of childcare, especially in high-cost living areas. He shares his positive experiences with having an au pair and how it can provide cultural enrichment for both the family and the au pair.

The conversation continues with Chris discussing his previous venture in the financial planning industry. He explains that the goal was to make financial planning more accessible and affordable by automating certain processes. However, they faced challenges in acquiring customers and ultimately decided to pivot away from the financial planning model. Chris highlights the importance of customer acquisition and advises entrepreneurs to focus on acquiring customers before building a product.

Chris then discusses his experience working at a financial planning startup called Grove and how he realized the importance of providing immediate value to customers. He talks about his collaboration with Andy Rachleff, the CEO of Wealthfront, to build a software that automates and optimizes financial planning. He explains that while some people may prefer human financial advisors, he believes that automation and putting best practices into place can be more effective and efficient.

The conversation then shifts to Chris's journey as a podcaster. He explains that during the pandemic, he started a podcast to share his knowledge and research on various topics such as travel, money, health, and productivity. He talks about the early days of the podcast and how he gained initial traction through the help of influencers like Nas Daily. He also discusses his approach to content creation and the importance of providing value to his audience.

Chris then introduces his principles for life optimization. He shares that one of his principles is questioning conventional wisdom and not accepting things at face value. He encourages people to think critically and find better ways of doing things. Another principle he discusses is questioning the desired outcome and understanding the underlying motivations behind certain goals. He emphasizes the importance of aligning actions with the desired outcome.

The conversation also touches on productivity hacks. Chris shares his approach to outsourcing tasks that he doesn't enjoy or that take up too much time. He also mentions the use of productivity tools like Alfred and Superhuman to streamline his workflow. He introduces a new tool called Rewind, which records and indexes everything done on a computer, allowing for easy searching and retrieval of information.

Towards the end of the podcast, Chris talks about his upcoming book or series of podcasts based on his principles for life optimization. He also asks the audience to check out his podcast, "All the Hacks," where he shares tips and strategies for upgrading life, money, and travel.