I only feature  these products because I found them useful or valuable…and I think you will too.If you purchase any of these products, I receive a modest commission. This helps to pay for my time & hosting expenses.

Useful Books & Other Goods

For entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, and other luck-makers.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated by Tim Ferriss.

The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson

You Don’t Need a Job, You Need Guts by Ashley Ambridge

Purple Cow. Tribes The Dip Linchpin by Seth Godin

The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green

Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

For writers

Hey writers: a blog is good for your career and your chops (though maybe not your ego). In under 2 hours, you can setup your own professional self-hosted blog with WordPress, Thesis, and Bluehost for less than $200.  If you need help setting up your blog, I can provide this service for a modest price. Contact me for more information.

Maybe you want to sell digital products.  Then you’ll need an ebook delivery system. On another site, I use and highly recommend eJunkie.

Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style The classic guide on writing well.

Spunk & Bite: A Writer’s Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style Arthur Plotnik. This random library find impressed me.

The Chicago Manual of Style Ever wonder where book publishers prefer commas in parallel constructions? This book will tell you how.

2011 Writer’s Market Updated every year, this guide will provide you with plenty of targets for your explosive manuscripts. You could also use Duotrope, a free online publication locator.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Are you  a blocked creative? Perhaps this book can help.

Screenplay by Syd Field. Learn the basics of story structure. Not just for screenwriters.

Stein On Writing by Sol Stein. Another solid how-to writing guide.

For adventurers

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel If you’re going to travel, you need this book. Seriously. It’s almost as important as anti-diarrhea medicine.

Fluent in 3 Months This wonderful guide will help you learn a second (or third, or fourth) language faster than any classroom, book, or software.

Granite Gear Meridian Backpack Lightweight, middle capacity, and damn comfortable. After 20+ countries, mine is still going strong. Not even a loose thread.

How to Live Anywhere Course on how to start a niche business to support your nomadic lifestyle.

Hennessy Hammock Asym: Luxurious Ultralight Backpacking Tent+hammock=outdoor comfort. Who says sleeping in the woods has to be uncomfortable?

Lonely Planet guides to Europe on a Shoestring, South America On a Shoestring, Thailand, Spain,Cambodia, Mexico

Beyond Backpacking The best outdoor backpacking guide you’ve never heard of. Everything you need to know about lightweight backpacking.

Productivity & Organization

Luck-making is easier when you’re organized. Here you can buy just about everything you need to get your life organized for under $200:

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
• Brother P-touch Label Maker
• File Folders
• Steel filing cabinet (American made)
• Moleskine
• Pilot G2 pens
• Highlighters

To learn to use these goods, first buy a copy of Getting Things Done. Or search one of the million sites about GTD on the web. You’ll still need to buy the book, though. Then check out Keeping Track of Ideas. Increase Creativity with Mind Mapping, and How I Use My (Knockoff) Moleskine.

That’s it for now. I’ll add books and other goodies as they come to mind.