Lifestyle Engineering

A course on how to engineer the ideal lifestyle

The most common way of living pitched to people with great potential is to get a good education and then get a full time job, ideally one that pays enough to support a comfortable life. Exceptional people sometimes even skip the formal education and jump straight to the full time job, sometimes working 60-80 hours a week. For many people this path works, and ultimately leads to a satisfying life.

For some people, this path, and ones like it, ultimately lead to a lack of satisfaction, and a sense that there is more to life that they are missing. Sometimes this awareness is brought on by problems at one's job, sometimes from attending an event like Burningman, sometimes by meeting someone who is living their life in a way that you want to emulate. Once this desire to consider a different approach to life comes about, the big question is, how to actually do it? How do you actually go about designing a life for yourself, and making that life real?

Lifestyle Design & Engineering is for people who don’t like the way their job and life are working and want to design a new life for themselves. Ideally, you have gotten yourself into an economic situation that allows you to do this, either by saving up money so you can take extended time off work, getting a job that allows you to work remotely for a limited number of hours, or taking on a part-time client. Even if you haven’t achieved an economic foundation, if you can spare the three months for Mars College, we can get you going down the right path.

Lifestyle Design & Engineering gives you the tools you need to design a lifestyle that works for you and is economically sustainable. We teach you to do all of the things that your job used to do for you, and ultimately become your own sustainable business operation. Transitioning from full-time salaried work to another style of living or employment can be very challenging, especially if you’re currently living a high-cost lifestyle. We provide you with the tools to help with this transition.

We start by listening to each student's story - how their life and career have gone so far, what has worked, what hasn’t, and what their ideal lifestyle looks like. We then teach practical skills that enable you to start working towards your ideal lifestyle, even if you are unable to leave your full time job at this time. We teach you how to manage yourself, and ultimately design and manage every aspect of your life in the way that works best for you. By the end of the semester, you will be prepared to design and pursue the lifestyle you want. Exceptional students will be living that life by the end of the semester.

One hour per week of lecture & discussion.

One hour per week optional lab time/open hours. For labs we will be recruiting special guests to tell their personal story about how they’ve made their life and business work.

Based on the workshop “Effective Strategies for Dropping Out”

Taught by Josh Michaels (joshjet.net/jetsoncreative.com) and special guests TBA. 

Topics include:

- Figuring out how to be the best person you can be.

- Identifying what it is you want to focus your time and energy on.

- Finding opportunities that enable you to be at your best, live your life on your terms, and make enough money to sustain your operation.

- Learning how to manage yourself, including setting goals and expectations for yourself and meeting & exceeding them.

- Identifying and resolving underlying issues that may be holding you back from achieving your potential.

- Creating a budget, managing your burn rate, reducing your costs, and generally managing your financial situation.

- Learning how to make money off the internet.

- Learning about low-cost alternative ways of living including nomadic lifestyles.

- Learning about different business types and structures, business registration, and taxes.

- Learning about passive income opportunities.

- Saving for the future and retirement.

- Insuring yourself including healthcare, business, and other relevant insurance.

Tentative Schedule:

Week 1 - Figuring out where you want to go / Setting smart goals for yourself

Week 2 - How to get started / Introduction to the product spectrum

Week 3 - Understanding markets & identifying opportunities

Week 4 - Financials #1: Managing your money

Week 5 - Selling products & services on-line

Week 6 - Financials #2: Taxes & investments

Week 7 - Working with clients

Week 8 - Completing your personal plan

Week 9 - Personal plan discussion / review