Today, we’re chatting with Austin Church. Primarily, Austin runs a marketing and branding agency called Balernum, but he’s also a consultant, writer, entrepreneur, dad, and husband. He’s a multi-passionate, multi-talented guy with a full life. We talk a lot about how to “get it all done”, his idea of a holistic approach to productivity and work-life balance, and how all of that has less to do with productivity hacks and more to do with taking care of your most important asset: yourself. 
 

 


 

Finish cooking the bacon first!

 

Some things we talk about in this episode:

  • Do fewer things to have a stronger feeling of accomplishment
  • Existential crisis and staying anchored
  • Understanding that work-life balance is a joke, life is always unbalanced
  • You are your biggest asset – take care of you

 

Key takeaways:

  • How you spend your time matters in regard to your life’s purpose
  • The Five Buckets exercise
  • The false concept of work-life balance
  • It is a privilege to enjoy your work but your work is not who you are
  • The false concept of productivity

 

Questions for Austin:

 

Q: What are you reading?

A: Profit First

A: Terry Pratchett books

A: Run Studio Run

A: And books about bourbon!

Q: What’s your superpower?

A: Fake – Wisdom

A: Real – Caring

Q: What’s an exciting mission you/your team/your family on now?

A: DANCE LESSONS – helping a million freelancers make $100,000 so they can provide and care for the people they love and the thing the people they love enjoy doing.

 

Helpful links mentioned:

 

Austin Church

Balernum

Five Buckets post

Entrepreneurs & mental health

Branding post

 


 

BONUS!

 

>> Questions to ask yourself:

Is your path being choked by a bunch of little things that keep you from pursuing your life’s purpose?

If work is fulfilling, why are you not fulfilled?

What does healthy [your name] look like?

 

>> The Five Buckets Exercise

Think of the five areas of life you want to put energy into every day (not boxes to be checked off). 

This was a fulfilling day because I put my time and energy into… [your five things].

 


 

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