EE 154 - Idea Lab - My 10 Best Purchases 2021
In this episode, I reveal the very best things I've spent my money on in 2021.
Ranging from tech to mentoring, I give you a full rundown of the best purchases I made this year to positively impact my life.
Perfect for last minute gift ideas or even to treat yourself.
10 Best Purchases 2021
On today’s pod I gave a breakdown of the items I bought that made the biggest impact on me over the last 12 months.
I go into much more detail on all of these items on today’s podcast so click here to listen to that.
Message me on Twitter or reply to this mail and let me know what the best thing you bought in 2021 was?
App
Notion - I use this every single day and it's my second brain. I plan in it, I project manage in it and it runs large parts of my life.
An incredibly powerful tool and it’s easy to get lost in it. Put some time into setting it up and it’ll be the most powerful tool you use daily.
Best Book
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. Part psychology book/part financial advice, the book is a brilliant analysis of our attitude to money. Key takeaways here are that its our inaction and psychological errors we make in our approach to money are the big reasons we'll win or lose in our investments.
We obsess about picking the right stock but in reality, being in better control of your mindset is the real defining factor.
I loved it so much that I made a full YouTube video on it. Watch that here.
Since reading this book and the Compound Effect, I've become far less emotional about investing. It’s automated and frictionless.
I could do a whole episode on both these books so if you are interested, tell me on Twitter.
Best Website
I invest every week in crypto and I use two different methods. I use the Coinbase website to buy larger amounts and for my smaller weekly buys, I use an app on my phone called crypto.com.
Best bit of cheap tech
Smart Plug from Amazon - it only cost €9.99 during a sale and allows me to turn on and off everything in my office purely by speaking to it.
Serious Tony Stark vibes and prevents wasting energy as I would routinely wander off and leave lights on.
Best bit of expensive tech over €100
The Blink wireless security camera system. A plug and play CCTV system for your house or office.
Setup was really easy you can install the whole thing yourself in under an hour.
Costs between €99 and €299 depending how many cameras you want.
Galaxy Buds - Notable mention
I was highly sceptical if I needed wireless headphones. I was wrong. Badly wrong. They are probably my most used item on this list.
The Galaxy buds really are a game changer purely in terms of convenience and ease of use.
I was afraid of losing them but paying couple of hundred quid makes you far more responsible. Funny how that works.
I always judge how good something is by asking the following question. Would I replace it if they got lost or broken? The buds would be repurchased immediately.
Best Backpack
A true sign that I’m maturing. I finally invested in some grown up bits of luggage.
The Strom 30L Backpack - Useful for 48 hours away or camera gear/sports equipment.
The Varldsvan 17L Backpack - Ideal as overnight bag or flying on a short trip with Ryanair.
Really slick looking bags and quality is top notch. Worth paying bit more than normal.
Run by YouTuber Jon Olson who has 1.53 million subscribers and produces some really good travel related content so he knows his stuff.
Coaching/Mentoring
At the end of May I did a 2 day High Performance coaching course with Shane Craddock.
It gave me 2 days just to devote to clearing my mind and avoiding distractions.
Online Learning
Part-Time YouTuber Academy with Ali Abdaal. I've talked about this lots of times on the pod. Superb course, really well run with high quality material. It was cohort based which is the key differentiator between that and 99% of online courses.
Overall Winner
A full health screening from NuaCell. This took at 360 view of me and my health. Full bloods, consultation, physical exam and follow up consultations.
Dr Sam set me on a path of taking charge of my health and prevented a potentially life threatening condition.
Longevity. Aim to live a long and healthy life, not just go to the doctor when sick.
This is the single biggest business trend that interests me right now.
This Week’s Pod - Rising Star Series
I chatted with our second rising star for 2021, Fiona Parfrey from Riley.
12 months ago, Riley did not exist. Today it is a thriving female healthcare company, disrupting an industry worth billions.
Led by 3 female entrepreneurs, Fiona, Aine and Lauren, Riley just closed a funding round worth €400k & have secured contracts with major partners including Vodafone.
Subscribe to the pod on Spotify or Apple to get notified when the new episode launches every week.
Support My Season Partners
The Entrepreneur Experiment is supported by 3 fantastic Irish businesses. Head over to their websites below and show them some love.
Find A Venue
The one stop solution for corporate event organisers. If you are looking for any type of venue in Ireland, Sean and his team should be your first call. During the pandemic, they also added a virtual events platform so you can also organise virtual parties for your team.
Bay Street Innovation
Garreth’s team help small to medium enterprises unlock their innovative potential through technology whether it be streamlining their daily tasks or development of market first technology solutions. They also offer consulting to startups who need a little help on the technical side of things. Perfect for a non-technical founder who needs a little extra support.
Chapter
I’m a big believer in strong branding and storytelling so I’m delighted Deirdre & her team at Chapter have joined us for this season. They are a creative studio based in Cork who take a 360 approach to branding. In simple terms, they design brands that break through the noise of today’s world.