Welcome to Cloudlandia Dean Jackson and Dan Sullivan

In today's episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, Dan and I discuss the paradox of achieving more through minimal effort. Exploring concepts like the 'Crucial ABC Questions' and the 80/20 rule, we uncover how sometimes the best approach is to simply stand still—how inaction itself can be a powerful strategy.


We share insights into the transformative nature of strategic scheduling and how it can liberate our lives from daily logistical burdens. By entrusting details to others and focusing only on meaningful tasks, forward-thinking time management elevates our experience and enables richer collaborations.


Touching on varied successes, we reflect on the diverse challenges public figures face and the support networks shaping their approaches.



SHOW HIGHLIGHTS




We explore the concept of achieving more by doing less, focusing on the 'Crucial ABC Questions' to isolate growth problems and find their least-effort solutions.
Dan and I discuss how inaction can sometimes be the most effective action, particularly when it leads to strategic delegation and efficiency.
We delve into the 80/20 principle, highlighting how focusing on the 20% of efforts that yield 80% of the results can enhance productivity.
Strategic scheduling is presented as a tool for life liberation, allowing individuals to indulge in what truly matters by delegating logistics to others.
We share personal stories and insights on how public figures manage their time and the impact of their support systems on personal and professional growth.
I share my approach to problem-solving by considering whether inaction could solve the problem or what is the least effort required to achieve the goal.
We highlight the significance of having others manage your structured calendar to allow for freedom of choice and richer life experiences.
Reflecting on success and fame, we examine how various degrees of support systems and self-reliance influence celebrities' lives and careers.
Strategies for entrepreneurs on managing time and maximizing productivity include asking key questions to reduce time spent on issues and preparing for future growth.
We discuss the importance of personal routines and structure in providing a sense of security and time management, and the philosophy of avoiding unnecessary risks.





Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)



Dean: Mr Sullivan,


Dan: Mr Jackson.


Dean: There we are Back again.


Dan: I have a question for you.


Dean: Okay.


Dan: Are there any problems you're solving today by doing nothing?


Dean: Yeah, I love it. It's like a paradox. You know, I had a great time at our workshop this week going through that, the exercise. I've been thinking a lot about it, actually, like I really have over the last several days. I've been writing a lot of things and so I could share some of the things, but yeah, I'd like to hear one. Okay, so let's preface it. I love, by the way, how our podcast is really just one continuous conversation that we jump right into everywhere.


Dan: Last one, so for anybody listening.


Dean: Let me try and take my shot at explaining your. What do you call the tool? What do you call the thinking tool?


Dan: The crucial ABC questions.


Dean: The crucial ABC questions. So my understanding of it, having you explain it to me and having gone through the exercise, is that there are some number of goals or obstacles or things that you want to do.


Dan: And I call them growth, I call them growth problems. Growth, In other words you have plans for growing something in your business life? For your personal life. But there is a problem. And I like the way, if you solve the problem, then the growth happens.


Dean: Yeah, I like the way of thinking about a problem not as an emotional negative thing but as a math proposition. Yo

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS





We discuss the chaotic nature of daylight savings time, including its agricultural origins and debate over its current usefulness.
We examine the historical development of measurement systems, particularly the metric and imperial systems, and their impact on cultural standards.
I share personal anecdotes about adapting to metric measurements in Canada and look forward to a trip related to a stem cell project in Buenos Aires.
We delve into the dynamics of capitalism and intellectual property, using Amazon's business practices as an example of market trend capitalization.
We recount war stories from the frontlines of commerce and highlight the significance of trademarks in protecting intellectual property against knockoffs.
Peter Zeihan joins us to provide a macroscopic view of global events and dissects the interconnected fabric of our world.
We explore the influence of geography on politics, discussing factors such as Florida's appeal for real estate and the impact of political strategies on elections.
We chart a course through personal development by focusing on the transformative power of daily habits and the pursuit of personal growth.
I detail my health journey and the benefits of mentorship, high-protein diets, and habit stacking, as well as the challenges of technological transitions.
We emphasize the neutral nature of habits and the importance of accountability in crafting disciplined routines for a life well-lived.






Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)





Dean: Hello there, mr Sullivan, mr Jackson. You know, your Loudland announcer, who welcomes us to the call, always promises there's going to be others, but there never is. There's just one, just us.


Dan: We're waiting for others to join. I am other.


Dean: We're waiting for others to catch up.


Dan: That's exactly right.


Dean: Well, how?


Dan: did you? How do you feel you're an hour short? Yeah, I don't like this.


Dean: I've been confused about five times so far today.


Dan: Okay.


Dean: Part of the reason is my watch and my cell phone are in another time zone and that's reflected.


Dan: My computer is still in Toronto. Oh, my goodness, that's so funny. Are you in Chicago right now? Oh, got it Okay.


Dean: Yeah, it's a little F you from winter, you know you get this little kick.


Dan: Okay, I'll leave, but I'm taking an hour with me.


Dean: I mean, I mean it's go ahead.


Dan: I was gonna say we can't complain because we got an extra day this year. We got 24 extra hours, so I guess we deducted it from that surplus.


Dean: But that's in the past and that is, in the past, yeah, that's right, you know, I haven't really studied where that came from, but I think it has to do with farming Daylight savings.


Dan: Yeah, I think it was to absolutely to extend harvest times in the summer. You know, work more. Yeah, I thought we were trying to get rid of it. We, as a you know that's the inclusive version of they thought they were trying, we try to try to get rid of it.


Dean: Yeah, no, I haven't. I haven't really devoted an hour and a minute of time to that particular project.


Dan: I know, Florida is. I know Florida is like Arizona is considering staying on daylight savings time at all times and not yeah, and I think there were a lot of states that were looking to do that and I thought, oh boy, what a, what a mess that would be. It's already enough of a nuisance that Arizona doesn't participate.


Dean: You know I would vote for keeping it. Yeah you know why?


Dan: Because it's quirky, it is a little bit quirky, and you know what for me in?


Dean: Florida and I like quirkiness and other people, so why wouldn't I like quirky in the time system?


Dan: Well, you know, it's the only way that I mark the season changes. That for me is like the transition into, y

In today's episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, I share insights from my experience at the Cloudland Summit. We discuss the carefully constructed approach to selecting impactful speakers and crafting their messages.


Dan and I explore deeper implications of habits. From influencing personal growth to organizational culture and nations. Recent tech and political events show how biases stem from ingrained habits.


We cover self-tracking progress through a daily habit-scoring system and cooking's role in health, wealth, and innovation. Overall, it's a thought-provoking look at intentional living and leveraging the mundane for extraordinary results.



SHOW HIGHLIGHTS





We discuss the Cloudland Summit and how major tech breakthroughs often come from the convergence of three pre-existing technologies.
I share insights from my upcoming book "Everything is Created Backward," suggesting that innovation stems from remixing the past.
We explore Perplexity, an AI tool that aids in research by suggesting further inquiries and providing references.
We analyze the creation of iTunes as an example of innovation by combining existing elements in novel ways.
I introduce the 'Top 50 Tool' I've devised to identify and refine daily habits that shape our lives and future selves.
We examine the role of present habits in shaping our future selves and the effectiveness of setting goals for personal growth.
We touch on the biases of Google's chatbot and the financial repercussions of such biases on a company's valuation.
We discuss the number 51's significance in politics and business and the importance of counting fundamentals.
We talk about the transformative power of cooking habits on health and wallets, and the broader implications on personal and national success.
We tease the introduction of a new tool designed to track and score daily progress, highlighting the importance of consistent habits.





Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)



Dean: Mr Sullivan, yes, it's Welcome to cloudland at time.


Dan: Amen. I heard it's being recorded, so that's half the job right there.


Dean: Yeah, and it's never going to let you down.


Dan: That's right, Well, yeah what a what a whirlwind week. It was so good to see you and babs and everybody.


Dean: We were shooting for one meal and we were shooting for one meal and that kind of ended up as five.


Dan: Yes, what what can happen. Oh, that's, yeah. Nothing wrong with that. I like it. They were all playful.


Dean: Yeah. Yeah, it was really interesting because I spent probably a day preparing for the Friso summit for our listeners. We just had our annual being the top level of strategic coach and and we have this every year it's it's a meeting Squeezed in between two drinking parties. Oh man, that's funny. Yeah, the meeting is so you can recover for the first from the first drinking parties so that you're ready to go for the second one.


Dan: And I'll tell you what. I sold that to those pokeballs short, that was those are delicious.


Dean: Yeah, I always find that alcohol is the almost failproof Of 10 times multiplier. There you go one dollar invested in alcohol Somewhere along the line, that always produces the 10 times positive result.


Dan: Oh, good, that's noted.


Dean: Yeah, I'm not sure that marijuana does that.


Dan: Oh no.


Dean: Yeah, yeah, anyway, yeah, but I spent a day on that conference and. What I did is we chose the speakers and then alanora called each of them to see if that was okay and we specified the topic, and that was all done by you know, alanora. And then what I did is I wrote a fast filter for each of the speakers, not on what they were going to talk about, but how they were going to talk, okay. And I thought it worked really well. I thought it worked really well.


D

In today's episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we reflect on serenity in nature and technology, drawing parallels between Cloudlandia and meticulously raked sand.


Woven into our talk is AI and how it's changing everything, from Evan's course helping us out at work to all the crazy experiments shaking things up. We get into how innovation unexpectedly boosted my creativity, which we're calling "exponential tinkering".


As our annual event nears, lessons in "exponential thinking" add to the anticipation of a reunited community and potential for growth.



SHOW HIGHLIGHTS




Dean and I explore the serenity of Cloudlandia and how it parallels the peacefulness found in Japanese Zen gardens, reflecting on the role of imagination in experiencing digital spaces.
We discuss the success of Evan Ryan's AI course within our company and how it has encouraged experiments with AI across different teams.
Dean introduces the concept of "exponential tinkering," highlighting how AI is revolutionizing the arts and content creation, with a nod to OpenAI's Sora tool.
We contemplate the cultural shift toward immersive experiences like VR, while expressing skepticism about their long-term utility and appeal.
Dan recognizes the importance of integrating existing consumer experiences to create innovative products, using Apple as an example.
We highlight insights from Mark Mills' book "The Cloud Revolution" on the strategic importance of reshoring supply chains and repurposing shopping centers into logistics hubs.
We compare Tesla's success to the sustainability challenges faced by other electric vehicle companies that are more dependent on government subsidies.
We share anecdotes about the Soviet-era's illusion of luxury, and how modern-day explorers uncover the true state of Soviet infrastructure.
We examine the declining enthusiasm for venture capital in the tech world and the concept of "cruel optimism" that can be prevalent in this sector.
Excitement is expressed for our upcoming annual event, stressing the value of 'exponential thinking' and the potential growth of our community.





Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)



Dean: Mr Sullivan how are you, mr Jackson?


Dan: Well, welcome to Cloudlandia. I'm sitting out in my courtyard and it's a little bit of a cold, rainy morning. I don't know if you can hear the rain gently falling in the courtyard. It's relaxing.


Dean: Do you have an?


Dan: umbrella over your head. No, I'm in a. I have a covered, a covered area here that I'm sitting at about. I don't know what you call it, like a lamina or a loja, I don't know how it is, but it's a covered underroof thing, that's attached to my courtyard.


Dean: What you're saying is that there's something between you and this guy. That's exactly it.


Dan: I'm not getting rained on, I'm under covered, as they say.


Dean: Yeah, well, it's sort of a poignant, almost like a Japanese. Stay right, yeah, this almost feels like a Japanese Zen garden.


Dan: here I hear the like the little the water coming off the roof of a tile roof, so that it's very Japanese Zen actually, because the there's a spout that drains the water down into a drain. Yeah, so nice.


Dean: Yeah, it's very interesting. When I was a teenager I sort of fell in love with Japanese culture. This would be early 60s, late 50s, early 60s and you know I read the literature, I looked at the artwork. I was interested in their architecture, their history, and then in my military. I was drafted into the US military and got sent to South Korea. And I'm an R and R. Rest and relaxation, that's what they called it.


Dan: R and R I went to Japan.


Dean: I went to twice, oh nice. And my memory is of being in the mountains, at a place where they really didn't speak English I don't know even now if they you know, having Am

In today’s episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we embark on a reflective journey through the lens of history. We examine the perceived hardships of modern life compared to past decades like the 1950s and 1960s.


Drawing on personal experiences, I note how some aspects of the human condition remain unchanged despite technological and social evolution.


Shifting to practical topics, we discuss strategies for leveraging intellectual property, especially during economic downturns. Adapting to changes and maintaining resilience emerge as significant when transforming ideas into tangible assets.



SHOW HIGHLIGHTS





In this episode we reflect on how technological advancements have transformed personal and societal challenges compared to past decades.
Dan examines the prevalence of mental health discussions in contemporary society versus the silence around such issues in the 50s and 60s.
We explore the philosophical implications of our tech-saturated age through the ideas of Italian philosopher Augusto del Noce on atheism and technology.
Dan and I question if the abundance of knowledge and advancements in AI truly contribute to happiness or complicate our understanding of the world.
We consider whether technology, like virtual reality, adds new dimensions to life or repackages what has always existed.
discussions on the military's use of advanced technology, such as eye-controlled systems, and its trickle into civilian life.
We share insights on the transformation of media consumption habits and the strategic benefits of converting intellectual property into tangible assets.
I underscore the importance of adaptability and resilience, especially when leveraging intellectual property during economic challenges.
Dan and I share personal experiences, noting that while the geographical footprint expands, human connection and existence remain constant.
We ponder the impact of innovations on our daily lives and the need to adapt to chase tangible achievements in the face of technological change.





Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)



Dean: Mr Sullivan,


Dan: Mr Jackson,


Dean: it would be a tragedy if these calls were not recorded. It really would.


Dan: That would be the truth.


Dean: Isn't it nice?


Dan: that they're automatically recorded and we don't have to remember to do it. Yeah, just feels organic, so welcome back. Yeah, it's been a few, a couple of weeks here.


Dean: Yeah, you know, here's a, here's a thought that I was just pondering, that it seems to me that, as cloud by India expands people's real world experience not real world, but mainland experience they're both. Mainland experience seems to be more challenging and seems to be, in some cases, more vaccine and more traumatic. Okay, do you have some exhibits? That's my thought, that's my cheerful thought for the day.


Dan: Do you have some exhibits for your argument?


Dean: Well, there's such an emphasis now on meltdown, people having nervous breakdowns, which I don't remember at all growing up, you know 50s 60s? I don't remember any talk like this, but now it's constant, every day. You know people.


Dan: And it's everywhere right.


Dean: Like now this is. Yeah, I mean everywhere that I know it's much of the world in humanity that I don't know, but everywhere I know, it's not so much that the people that I'm talking to, our experience, and it's not that it's a narrative. You know that. You know these are the most trying times that humans have ever had, and I said well, first, of all. I don't even know how you would know that you know?


Dan: how would you know? How would you know? Yes, I mean, if you haven't been there, you probably your knowledge of 150 years ago is probably pretty slim.


Dean: How about the dark ages? That would have to be pretty yeah.


Dan: Well, I, you know, I don't kn

In today’s episode of Welcome To Cloudlandia, Dan and I reflect on the lost art of letter writing and how corresponding through history has helped shape our podcasting discussions across time.


We speak about the meaningful routines that have guided creative minds, from the structured elegance of Victorian letters to our own cherished Sunday rituals.


We also explore memory-boosting techniques like visualization and repetition, applying them to maximizing focus and managing time efficiently through life’s challenges. The discussion spotlights approaches for evaluating routines that enhance well-being as work dynamics evolve, touching on parallels with societal shifts like the Great Depression.



SHOW HIGHLIGHTS





Dean reflects on the joy of podcast recordings and the historical significance of letter-writing, drawing parallels between Victorian correspondence and modern podcasting.
Dan discusses the role of structured routines in creative individuals' lives throughout history, including segmented sleep schedules influenced by lighting and caffeine.
We explore the ABC questions as a tool for personal growth, helping to identify challenges that lead to immediate development when addressed.
Dan compares time management to a strategic investment, emphasizing focused work sessions and revisiting effective past habits for increased productivity.
We examine the impact of COVID-19 on workplace habits and the lasting effects, akin to those experienced during the Great Depression.
Dean highlights the SELF acronym for personal efficiency and discusses the changes in commuting and work relationships due to the pandemic.
Dan emphasizes the importance of aligning with one's natural rhythms post-retirement and the significance of consistent sleep schedules for overall well-being.
We delve into the life game analogy, illustrating the impact of 'crowding out' bad habits with good ones for a harmonious existence.
Dean discusses the importance of delegation and efficiency in daily routines, sharing his meal planning strategy that ensures balanced nutrition and time-saving.
Dan speaks on being selective about new habits at his age, focusing only on those that will last or reinforce existing beneficial habits.





Links:
WelcomeToCloudlandia.com
StrategicCoach.com
DeanJackson.com
ListingAgentLifestyle.com






TRANSCRIPT


(AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors)



Dean: Mr Sullivan.


Dan: I'm Mr Jackson.


Dean: You know, I look at my calendar and I get this little ding on my phone that tells me we're coming up to podcasts with Dan, and it's always this little spur of joy that comes over me and I wonder where will our adventures take us today?


Dan: Yeah, it's a tough bet.


Dean: I'm guessing it's going to be somewhere wonderful and I'm betting on that. Yeah, yes.


Dan: Yeah, yeah. Well, you know it's a nice structure because, other than my podcast with you, sunday's not a very interesting day for me.


Dean: Exactly. It's the highlight of the day and we've picked a good time.


Dan: We've picked the perfect time.


Dean: It kind of invisibly, you know, non-obtrusive in the day, we get the morning kind of ease into it, and then right around now is when we start thinking, okay, what are we going to do today? And here it is, and then we've got the rest of the whole day after this.


Dan: You know I read the last year a history of Victorian England. So this is basically 1830s till you know 1890s and 60 years, and there are people, you know very notable leaders and you know notable for other reasons, who would write up to 30 letters a day. Yes, and have them delivered by courier if they were in the city.


Dean: Yes.


Dan: If in London and there were some individuals that they wrote to virtually every day and then we get a return, yeah, and so the interest, the interesting thing about it is that the stain in touch with certain people and trading ideas goes back a long time.


Dean: