50 Things That Power My Life as I Turn 50 Years Old

Since I'm celebrating being five years away from being allowed to live in a retirement village - and knowing that I will never retire, it seemed like a good idea to share the things that are making my life work one my last day of being in my forties. Enjoy!

Ten technology things.

ChatGPT (link)

It's not a writing tool, It's a guided ideas and conceptualising tool. If you're using it to write social media posts, you're wasting it's potential. Instead of telling it what to do, tell it what you want to do and ask it what more it needs from you to do that. Trust me, it'll make it waaaaay more useful.

Perplexity (link)

It's like ChatGPT but doesn't make things up. I use it to do research for me on very specific things, or to find connections between one thing and another thing that aren't obvious. It's really good at that and uses very good sources, rather than just scouring Reddit.

Limitless (link)

It records your meetings on a phone, a computer or a little clip that is coming later in the year. It transcribes them, gives action points and important decisions and you can send that to whoever you need to. I put mine in Notion so I have a record of everything that I can search later.

Notion (link)

Speaking of Notion, I treat it as my second brain. I dump links, thoughts and ideas in there so I can come back to them later. I also do my writing in there for things like this newsletter and my blogs so I have one place where all my writing and knowledge lives. And it's free.

Beeper (link)

I don't even think about this app on my computer, but I will use it without thinking every 20-30 minutes. It has my messages from my Android phone, WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Google Chat in the one place. It has saved me so much time and helps me answer messages faster.

Canva (link)

I know that practically everyone uses this already, but I don't use it as much for social media graphics now as much as I use it to build and deploy same-day websites, do presentations for workshops and design mockups for clients. And it's become quite a great video editor now as well.

CapCut (link)

A free video editor on your computer or on your browser or phone that simplifies the process of editing videos into really cool presentations with cutting, transitions and other effects. Super useful.

NeuronWriter (link)

Writing content on websites to be found on social media is hard and there's not a lot of guidance on how to do it. NeuronWriter fixes that. It literally tells you what words and phrases to use and how many times to use them. And it's available on a lifetime deal with no monthly subscription. Yes please!

Sociamonials (link)

This one has been in my toolkit since 2019. I got it for one reason. No monthly subscription. I kept using it because it connects to everything I need it to, allows me to post to Reels, TikTok and YouTube as well as the rest of the socials. It also lets you repeat posts on time intervals that you set. And yes - I did say, no monthly subscription!

Motion Calendar (link)

The trouble with my work is that I have about 7 different calendars now for different contracts and clients. I need a calendar that recognises all of them, shows availability and then let's me share one link where people can book my time. Motion also lets me schedule my tasks and automatically moves them to a new time if I miss them. It's my personal assistant.

Ten Books I've Read over the Last 12 months.

The Art of Focus - Dan Koe (link)

The only thing more painful than seeing what you are capable of is not seeing what you are capable of, and I can’t think of anything more worthwhile to dedicate your life to. My current go-to that reminds me of who I really am.

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection - Charles Duhigg (link)

Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art - and the science - of successful communication.

Influence Is Your Superpower: How to Get What You Want Without Compromising Who You Are - Zoe Chance (link)

Get what you want without compromising who you are: the new rules of persuasion to influence others for good.

Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat - Michael Masterson (link)

If you had the opportunity to work where, when, and with whom you wanted, would you take it? Self-made multimillionaire and best-selling author Michael Masterson did.

The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown (link)

What transforms this audiobook from written word to effective daily practices are the 10 guideposts to wholehearted living.

Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits - Debbie Millman (link)

Insights and provocations from world-renowned brand consultants, thought leaders, designers, and strategists.

Leading with Dignity - Donna Hicks (link)

Brimming with key research findings, real-life case studies, and workable recommendations, this book fills an important gap in our understanding of how best to be together in a conflict-ridden world.

The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead - Warren Berger (link)

Drawn from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership and relationships.

Hyperfocus: How to Work Less to Achieve More - Chris Bailey (link)

In Hyperfocus, Chris Bailey provides profound insights into how we can best manage our attention.

Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business - Paul Jarvis (link)

What if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career was not to create and scale up a new business but rather to be able to work for yourself, determine your own hours and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one?

Ten YouTube Videos that I've watched recently

How to Win at Anything - Alex Hormozi - watch

Content Advice for People over 40 - Omar Eltakrori - watch

The One Skill that You'll Always Need - Dante St James (me!) - watch

The Age of the Generalist - Dan Koe - watch

Self-Experimentation will Solve 99% of Your Problems - Alex Snook - watch

How YouTubers Brainwash You For Views - Brett Malinowsky - watch

The Rise of the Personal Brand - Chris San Rocco - watch

How to build a person brand over 40 - Chalene Johnson - watch

Ideas are the New Oil - Dan Koe - watch

Stop Wasting Your ADHD Life - ADHDVision - watch

Ten Articles that I've read that have helped me out.

Inside the Ageing ADHD Brain - Attitude Mag - read?

How to Stop Self-Sabotaging Yourself - Greater Good - read

How to create social media content that gets results - Justin Welsh - read

Men & Women Shop Differently Online - Debutify - read

The Psychology Behind Viral YouTube Videos - YTubeBooster - read

Why Internet Drama is So Interesting - Odyssey - read

Successful Public Speaking for Introverts - Janice Tomich - read

We've been binging for thousands of years - The Conversation - read

The Power of Long Walks - Dan Koe - read

Getting started is more important than succeeding - James Clear - read

Ten Things I Spend Money on that Make My Life Work

VPA Protein Powder - VPA - link

Extra Strength Magnesium Gummies - Nature's Way - link

Perfect Sweet Xylitol Sweetener? - Sweet Life - link

Anytime Fitness Gym - link

Creator Central Membership - Dan Koe Community - link

The Digital Marketing Collective Membership - Kate Toon - link

Noopept Nootropic Powder - Amazon - link

Limitless Pendant - Limitless.AI - link

The Google Pixel Phone Range - Google - link

Xiaomi Watch 2 - Xiaomi - link

That's all for this weekend. Just one short read the things I watch, ready, use, buy and listen to that make my life work better - 50 things to celebrate my 50th birthday on Sunday June 16.

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See you again next week.

Cheers,

Dante

P.S. Here's a few free ways I can lend a hand if you need some help.

On June 25 I'll be hosting a free 1-hour online class to help you write better content using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. It will show you a way to use AI that you haven't seen before. Book your spot here.

The first of the free training sessions for those want to learn public speaking and enter the New Voices competition in Darwin is on Saturday June 22. Find out more and book your place here.

On July 8 I'll be hosting a live in person workshop in Darwin that will look at better content creation and thought leadership for LinkedIn. This is the formula I use every week. Book it here.