Simpleology Blog

You may remember the "Simpleology Bestseller Blueprint" product we released two months ago ...

We closed down registration so that we could complete our 4 "Marathon Coaching Calls" where Mark promised to stay on the line "until all your questions are answered, or until I pass out."

Well, ask they did ... Sheesh, these guys were ruthless!

In fact, these guys were so eager to squeeze every last bestseller-making secret out of Mark's mind that they kept him on for 5 hours at a time (!) for a total of about 20 hours.  (And Mark loved every minute of it.)

The good news for you:

1.  We recorded every minute of those calls and you can listen to them in their 100% uncensored glory.  (there are marketing strategies on here you've never heard anywhere else - we guarantee it)

2.  Because these recordings are so extremely valuable, we are going to raise the price of the Bestseller Blueprint to $1,497.  (hey, that's still a bargain - Mark used to charge $2,000 an hour just to talk to him on the phone and he won't even accept that now)

3.  We have re-opened the doors and you can purchase the Simpleology Bestseller Blueprint again now (with the 20 hours of Mark dishing out the answers to every meaningful question imaginable) - and for the first week you can still pick it up at the original price of $997.

Posted by Mark Joyner at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're trying to lose your potbelly by doing 1,000 or so crunches a day, you'll probably be relieved to know that there's no such thing as spot reduction. (Read: You can stop doing it because it's not going to work.) Take it from Dr. Gabe Mirkin, author of Getting Thin: All About Fat - How You Get It, How You Lose It, How You Keep It Off for Good. "Exercising a muscle does not get rid of fat over the specific muscles that are exercised," he says, "If it did, tennis players would have less fat in their tennis arms, but they don't."

Bottom line: all the crunches in the world won't give you washboard abs. And what about the flood of gadgets promising you fabulous abs in just five minutes? Forget about them. Though we may all want to believe that strapping on a vibrating belt could melt away our belly fat while we're at home watching TV - it's just not possible.

Mirkin adds: "Exercises and 'ab' machines can strengthen sagging belly muscles, but they will not remove extra fat from your belly. The only way to lose fat from the place where you store most of your fat - whether it's your belly or your hips - is to lose weight overall."

If the good doctor's words don't convince you, get a second opinion from Mike Geary - a certified nutrition specialist and certified personal trainer - who says, "The perfectly chiseled fitness models in the [infomercials] did not get their perfect body by using that 'ab contraption.' They got their perfect body through real workouts and real nutrition strategies."

By that, Geary means you should exercise at least an hour a day and eat wisely.

It's best if we all get up from our couches and get moving. (Still, we can always dream of a gadget that'll give us sexy abs while we sleep.)

Recommended Resource: Simpleology 103 - if you want to learn scientifically proven methods for quickly losing fat and sending your energy through the roof.

Posted by Simpleology Team at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

Ever had your older brother borrow a nickel from you back in fifth grade? It's likely that he never paid you back - and you never asked him to. It's either he forgot about it or he thought nothing about not paying you back since, well, blood is supposed to be thicker than money. But admit it. Though you love your brother, losing that nickel must've bothered you for some time.

"With three words, you can sum up the most common advice about lending money to your relatives: 'Don't do it,'" warns MSN Money financial columnist Liz Pulliam Weston. "People who've lent money to family members often complain about ingratitude, missed payments and strained holiday dinners. Even the borrowers grumble, especially when their benefactors start quizzing them about their spending."

You can afford to brush it off if it's just a nickel. But what happens when your relative asks for a loan that totals, say, half your paycheck? Again, Weston cautions: "Loans to your nearest and dearest usually aren't a good idea. But if you feel compelled, do it formally - and put it in writing."

But if that seems too heartless to you, consider the words of Suze Orman, a personal finance expert and author of books like Women & Money: "Never loan money that you truly need. The best litmus test before you agree to give a loan is to ask yourself if you would be comfortable giving the money away as a gift." In other words, don't expect your loved one to pay you back.

Orman then lets statistics speak for themselves, citing the findings of Circle Lending, a company that helps formalize loans between individuals. As it turns out, about 14 percent of loans between friends and family end up in default, compared to just one percent or so for bank loans.

Think of those numbers when a loved one asks you for a loan. And, more importantly, ask yourself if you can afford to risk it.

Posted by Simpleology Team at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

We could all learn a thing or two about office productivity from folks in the software industry. How do they prevent meltdowns in the face of heavy workloads? Simple. They just box time.

Time boxing is a strategy used in software development projects to plan out a project. They split up the project into stages - with each stage having it's own deadline. By employing this one-thing-at-a-time strategy, they finish the project efficiently. This works well, too, when applied to other work environments.

"There are always several things competing for our time," says software engineer David Cheong. "At any moment, each of us could have hundreds of outstanding things to do. This question immediately become important: How can we ensure we get as much done as possible?"

He then enumerates the benefits of boxing time:

1. By consciously being aware of time, it allows us to focus on doing the things that matter most.

2. It serves as a reality check on how much time we spend working on open-ended tasks.

3. Because of the fixed time constraints, it can be an effective tool against procrastination.

4. It allows us to work on things during the free gaps we have between our commitments and appointments.

So, if you're tasked to write a report by your boss, you could time box it this way: write report outline (1:00 to1:30 p.m.), gather data needed (1:30 to 2:30 p.m.), write report (2:30 to 4:00 p.m.), and check report (4:00 to 5:00 p.m.).

Still, this technique isn't exactly a cure for procrastination. Cheong emphasizes: "If the time available we have is limited, a rational person should immediately think about prioritizing their outstanding tasks based on what's important and urgent."

To find out if you're "rational" enough to make time boxing work for you, answer the Time Management Survey devised by David A. Whetten and Kim S. Cameron, authors of Developing Management Skills. That is, if you really have time to spare.

Posted by Simpleology Team at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)