Location: Home Office – Reading Time: 10mins
I am a pretty well read guy. I like reading, always have. I have well over a couple of hundred books and can genuinely say I have read every one of them. Although lately I have been spending more and more time reading online, to keep fully up-to-date with the things people are up to – and as my “Virtual CEO” quest continues, I am reading on the subject of Lifestyle Design more and more.
From reading all the wonderful blogs lately on the subject, I thought it might be a good idea to create a little resource here on my own blog, with a list of the all-encompassing Virtual Business Lifestyle Top 12 Lifestyle Design blogs on the internet – and believe me there are some great contenders! I’d like to point out that these blogs are NOT listed in any apparent order, its simply a collection of great content and great minds! So, without further ado, lets get stuck in.
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Corbett Barr’s “Free Pursuits”
Corbett Barr is easily one of my fave writers online. He is informative, witty and fun to follow. Free Pursuits focuses on living life to the max now, the way you want to – instead of having to wait until you retire or get rich. His content is always great, up-to-date and I particularly liked his recent article on How to Live a Part-Time Location Independent Lifestyle. Follow Corbett on Twitter @corbettbarr
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Johnny Gibaud’s “The Life Thing”
I’m a relative newcomer to Johnny and his blog, but what I have read so far was good enough to make sure he was on this list. A very laid back, and enjoyable ‘voice’ is what Johnny brings to the table. Be sure to check out his post How I Owned The Hell Out Of My Email And Reduced It By 90 Percent Without Being Fired. Follow Johnny on Twitter @thelifething
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Cody McKibben’s “Thrilling Heroics”
Cody tells it how it is. Plain and simple. His direct style, fun-loving attitude towards life, and the realistic way in which is rights and records his videos is something that every aspiring lifestyle designer should engage. Be sure to check out his article Reflections of a Year Living Abroad. Follow Cody on Twitter @codymckibb
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Ashley Ambirge’s “Middle Finger Project”
www.themiddlefingerproject.org
Ever since I read the line ‘Don’t let the pink dress fool you…’, I was hooked on Ash’s blog. This beer loving lady rejects the status quo and rebels against mediocrity. Her content is always easy to get stuck into, and sometimes just down-right hilarious. I particularly loved her How to Start a Revolution (Or 3 Ways to Change the World). Follow Ash on Twitter @TMFproject
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Karol Gajda’s “Ridiculously Extraordinary”
www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com
Karol’s take on lifestyle design is an energetic one, that’s for sure. Karol’s overall goal is to help 100 people achieve ridiculously extraordinary freedom. If you ask me, judging by his excellent content, he must be at least 50% of the way there already! Check out his post Travel Light, Travel Anywhere: The Ultimate Light Packing List. You can follow Karol on Twitter @karolgajda
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Sean Ogle’s “Location 180″
Sean’s blog has got better and better with time. His travels are vast and adventurous and hi Bucket List is simple incredible. Make sure you check out his post 10 Ways to Enable Your First (or Fifteenth) Trip Abroad. You can follow Sean on Twitter @seanogle
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Maren Kate’s “Escaping the 9 to 5″
Maren’s was one of the first ‘Four Hour’ type of blogs that I came across last year, and we have since become good friends and hope to team up on something together in the future. Her style is witty, fun and above all, with a very strong emphasis on the entrepreneurial way of life, which I love! Check out her post I’m Unemployable… Are You?. You can follow Maren on Twitter @marenkate
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Justin Wright’s “Exploring Life After the Cubicle”
Justin writes some really great posts. I find myself, almost all of the time, wanting him to keep going – so, I can continue to read! A big fan of minimalism (I’m getting there myself!), his take on travel and living life to the maximum is very inspiring. Make sure you check out his photos page (great shots) and his recent post Stop Making Excuses – Why There’s Never A “Right Time” To Get Started In Making Lifestyle Changes. Follow Justin on Twitter @jjwright85
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Robert Granholm’s “The Life Design Project”
Rob is an excellent source of information, especially when it comes to breaking down processes and systems and coming up with great ideas on making your life more effiecent and fulfilling. I thoroughly enjoyed his post Niche Play, Social Interaction, Product Production: A Breakdown. Follow Rob on Twitter @robgranholm
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Tim Ferriss’ “Experiments in Lifestyle Design”
No introduction needed on this really. Now, I was a big fan of the book – but, Tim has ‘lost his way’ a little bit, in my opinion, on the ‘lifestyle design’ aspect of the book, which was so great. This blog is on this list because of the awesome archive it has. Tons of brilliant articles on how to live a more easier and productive life. One of my fave’s is How to Do The Impossible: Create a Paperless Life, Never Check Voicemail Again, Never Return Another Phone Call. Follow Tim on Twitter @tferriss
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Matt Cheuvront’s “Life Without Pants”
I stumbled across Matt’s blog earlier in the year and have been an avid subscriber and follower since. His writing style keeps you turned-on the page, and I particularly like his ‘easy’ approach to life in general. Be sure to check out the excellent post Breaking Away from Generation “Now”. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattchevy
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Dan Andrews’ “Tropical MBA”
Dan has become a friend and is someone I admire a great deal. He has an excellent blog charting his adventures as a mobile entrepreneur. Plus, he has a nice community of sites and podcasts he is building up, too. I like his frankness and sheer quality in his articles, too. Make sure you check out How to Make $10,000 in One Day. Follow Dan on Twitter @tropicalMBA
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So, there you have it. There are bound to be a few people commenting, saying that I have missed this and that blog, but, honestly speaking – these genuinely are my Top 11 lifestyle design blogs. Why? Because of the unique content, the communities they have built and the people behind them. Thanks to all the blog owners featured on this list – you’ve given me hours and hours of great readers, viewing and listening.
If you have any more lifestyle design blogs and resources you think everyone should know about, please do comment below, I’d be happy to feature them in upcoming posts, resource lists, etc. Thanks for the continued support here at Virtual Business Lifestyle!
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Hey Chris,
Thanks for the mention, its great to be included in a list of so many other great sites. We still need to catch up soon! Hope all is well down in Cebu.
-Sean
Hey Sean
My pleasure, buddy.
All is VERY well down here, my man – the red carpet is on standby for your visit, too. Ready when you are!
Chat soon, man.
Chris
Dude! Awesome, incredible list. Honored to make the cut! Cheers Chris, great people on here
Hi Cody
As if you weren’t going to…???!!!!
Very deservedly, too.
Cheers, man.
Chris
Great list.
Those are all wonderful resources for “lifestyle design bloggers. I would have to add Colin Wright from Exile Lifestyle to the list, if only because of the creativity of his idea of letting readers decide where he lives next.
He does also have a unique voice and writing style which is always great to read
Hi Gianpaolo
Youre right, Colin does deserve to be on the list… But, I had to stop the thing SOMEWHERE!!!
Perhaps I’ll do a ‘Part 2′….????
Thanks for dropping by and look forward to more of your comments in the future. Get to know some of the guys here – we have a great crowd growing!
Best,
Chris
“Lifestyle Design Blogs”, wow, that phrase is new to me and I love it! What a great list of sites Chris, thank you so much for sharing. I already follow Maren Kate’s and I can’t wait to check out all the rest on the list but right now this post of yours is distracting me at work! ha.
Hi Brena
First up – hope the list doesnt get you in trouble…!!!
Secondly, thanks for the kudos. I have to say it took me waaaay longer to finalize this list than I thought it would. There are more great blogs out there, but I wanted to present things in more of a bite-size way.
Believe it or not it started out as a Top 5 list, and then a Top 10 and finished on a Top 12 – so, just goes to show you.
Personally, I get value for EVERY ONE of them, in some way!
All the best,
Chris
Wow! Thanks for including me in this list Chris. I love all these guys and gals!
No problems, Karol.
Big fan of your blog, buddy!
Awesome stuff.
All the best,
Chris
Hey Chris, awesome list. I’m a big fan of all these as well. And the Virtual Business Lifestyle, of course! Cheers, and thanks a lot for including me.
Hey Corbett
Had to include you man…! C’mon.
FP and TT are two of my fave reads. Period. Thanks for the great content.
All the best,
Chris
Definitely agree with you re the 4hww blog has lost it’s way a bit but I get the feeling the vagueness/greenness of it is to enable tim to capitalize on it for his new book….particularly with the push of the URL fourhourblog.com over the last year
Hi Brendan
I agree with you 110%, buddy – I had this exact discussion with another blogger around a week or so ago.
Tim is a great writer and thought thinker, he content is always enjoyable to read – however it is a little un-4HWW related a lot of the time.
But hey – the archive is GOLDEN!
Thanks for the comment, and for dropping by.
Best,
Chris
Like you Chris I’m a big fan of the 4 Hour Work Week site and I agree there’s a great deal of stuff in the archives.
When producing a list like this it’s impossible to come up with a definitive one, but I think you’ve got some pretty good blogs here and I’m looking forward to reading them.
Hi Matthew
Thanks for the comment. Yep – great stuff on Tim’s ‘older’ pages. Not a massive fan of the newer stuff, have to be honest.
You’re right, putting this list together was a tough job, and I know I could have turned it into a Top 20 or something, but these blogs I personally read, and therefore I have no problems listing them.
Thanks for dropping by and the WW mention, too!
All the best,
Chris
Thanks for sharing, Chris. Nice list.
I just subscribed to 11 of them
(to Tim Ferriss’ I am already a subscriber)
Question: do you actually get to read all email newsletters or do you just screen for really interesting subjects and if none can be spotted you collect them in a folder in your email account? (that’s my current approach)
As useful as it is to learn from the ones who have achieved what one is still trying to figure out, it can be quite overwhelming to have all this info. That’s kind of the downside to all the info on the www. Sometimes it feels a little like ‘information overkill’ to me and even confuses me more than it helps me because I say to myself: there is still so much more info out there that could be of help, maybe I am missing something important…
Best regards from Greece,
David
Hi David
Wow. You subscribed to each one – excellent. I believe the authors all owe me a ‘thank you’ for that one reason alone!!! Lol.
I get all of them on Google Reader, which I use for basically 90% of my blog reading. I do indeed skim them. If an article hasnt ‘got me’ by the end of the second or third paragraph, I’m off. I just dont have the time to sit and read for hours and hour everyday – although I’d love to!
Yep, there is so much good stuff online, I hear you on the overkill side of things.
Bottom line… If youre subscribing to Virtual Business Lifestyle, you’ll be just fine. Promise!!!
Thanks for the comment.
Chris
I have a slightly different method. My email program has a built in thing for RSS feeds so I have all my favourites in there. It means I can scroll quickly and easily when I’m checking email but like you Chris, I tend to scan initially.
The only problem with the RSS technology is that it requires an extra click in order to leave a comment. Not a problem for wonderful people like me who don’t mind taking the extra few moments to click through and leave a comment
but I have my suspicions that it might reduce comments a bit.
Hi El
Comments are not my driving force for writing, or shooting my videos. Helping people is.
Dont get me wrong, I absolutely love reading everyone’s messages and feedback (what blogger doesnt), but for me, its the content and the message behind it thats the most important thing on a blog.
Chris
Chris,
THis is a great list. I read almost all of these blogs, but a few new discoveries and people to interview for BlogcastFM never hurts
. Hopefully I will be on that list of Lifestyle Centric bloggers pretty soon when I embark on my year long surf tour.
Hi Srinivas
A year long surf tour – dude, thats insane!!!
Thanks for the comment. Appreciate you dropping by.
Chris
yeah buddy I’d love to read about that!
A comprehensive list here Chris. Can I be honest and say I tend to avoid lifestyle design blogs? Ooops, guess I just did.
The thing is, in my head, lifestyle design has massive location independent connotations and I’m a home bird. I love living here in Wales, close to my family and friends.
That said, I will check out these lovelies because I already agree with you about Maren. She’s a super star. And your judgement can usually be relied upon.
Hey El
You be as honest as you want, my dear – I wouldnt want it any other way!!!
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate them.
Lifestyle Design doesnt HAVE to be about location independence. It can be a big part of it. But, like yourself, I love going ‘home’ every day – but, also enjoy traveling (with the family), too. So, its a balance act, so to speak.
For me the Lifestyle Design side of things comes down to what I WANT to do, WHERE I want to do it, and HOW I want to do it. That’s the freedom I strive for, more than anything else.
Thanks for dropping by as always.
Chris
I have a husband who is not only afraid of flying but is stuck in a very location dependant job. Were I more aspirational, I’d work towards earning enough that he could quit his job and play this game with me but you know how you guys like to do the whole hunter-gatherer thing? Quite frankly, I don’t think he’d ever quit his job based on my earnings so if makes whole what, where, how thing a bit limited for me.
Thanks Chris, I’m proud to be here. Some LD blogs I like that aren’t included are:
http://www.Tynan.net
http://www.sovereignman.com/
http://www.fluentin3months.com
http://www.muselife.com
http://www.jetsetcitizen.com
Just to name a few
Hey Dan
Glad to have you on the list, my man. It’s a very cool site.
David’s site is also a fave of mine, but I wouldnt call it a LD site though, its aimed more towards that ‘muse’ creation side of things…
SM and JSC are also cool blogs, too!
Thanks for the additional resources, buddy.
Chris
Thanks for the addition
Nice big list of people, didn’t know there were so many Lifestyle Design blogs..
PS. Love the Blog, just subscribed to your RSS…
Stuart
Hi Stuart
Bud – there are TONS more out there, too!
These are the ones that I enjoy the most, and the ones that I read and visit regularly.
Thanks for subscribing and showing the love, much appreciated!
Look forward to your future comments.
Best,
Chris
hey Chris great list, I’ll definitely be checking out those sites…
I’m working on improving my blog and setting up a more outsource-able business, this list gives me inspiration
It’s amazing how you can increase your free time using a virtual assistant / virtual employee.
Excellent collection of sites. Thanks.
Janet
Janet
Yes, VAs are a great source of not only making you extra productive, but also extra relaxed, too!!!
Thanks for the comment.
Chris
A cracking list here buddy with so much excellent discussion to. I love lifestyle design blogs and love how your own blog compliments them with the entrepreneurial aspect
Keep rocking and rollin
Chris
you write: „It was never really the intention, to be honest“. Two questions:
1) What was your intention?
2) What’s the best possibility to learn more on how you started out, what the ‘path’ was which you walked?
Thanks in advance for sharing!
Best regards,
David
Hi David
I set up VBL to chart my own personal course to becoming a Virtual CEO. Plain and simple.
However, as time has progressed, it has become a much bigger passion for me (mainly because of the great feedback and community it has inspired), and I now enjoy putting posts together a lot more than I thought I would.
I anticipate doing a ‘How I Got Started’ post sometime in the future, but its not really a priority – lots more to achieve and cover first this year.
Thanks for the on-going support and comments, always enjoy them.
Cheers,
Chris
I read most of these but now I have a couple more to add to my list … Thanks
Hey Nick
No problems, buddy – hope you enjoy getting better acquainted with some of the newbies.
Great resources, all of them. Thanks for dropping by.
Chris
Hey Chris
Just “discovered” your blog – referred here by Pat Flynn. Thanks for this post I follow 4 or 5 of these folks regularly, but look forward to taking them all in!
I recently did a blog post with a “dirty dozen” on my own blog in my niche – baby boomers…
http://www.beasuccessfulentrepreneur.com/top-12-baby-boomer-blogs/
Check It Out!
Best Wishes for your continued success!
Glenn
Hi Glen
Thanks for dropping by and getting involved. Much appreciated.
Great blog. I’m glad that Pat sent you over. Please do visit regularly. I can’t tell by your blog that your a great entrepreneur yourself. All the more, the merrier at the VBL!
Hope to see you getting more involved in our growing community. Keep up the work, buddy.
Best,
Chris
Hi Chris…
Love your new blog! So much color and great info
Also, thanks for this awesome list of “Lifestyle Design” blogs. I’ve been to a few already…love Cody’s and Dan Andrew’s and of course the Tim Ferriss blog…but, I see that I have a few more to visit and gain from
I admire your work Chris…I’ll be back for sure
Kathy
Thanks for this solid list. I have heard of a few of them, but I am always open to new lifestyle type blogs. It seems that Tim Ferriss has really started a new of living for so many people. The option to build an income online and travel the world is open to anyone who wants it. I will be visiting a lot of these blogs.
We’re huge fans of the four hour work week and are making our dreams a reality. Thanks for the list, we’ll be adding these to our feedreader!
Hi Rhonda
I’ve come across your blog before. I loved it. Love that as a FAMILY you’re still doing what you want in life. Just awesome.
Thanks for the comment, and for finding the time to drop by.
C