Defining Your Sandbox

In the eleventh episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss "Defining Your Sandbox", a framework for making big decisions by starting at the extremes and working your way in, and how to know when it's time to move the walls. Plus: follow-up on Inside Out Thinking (panel shows, Kevin Smith, and "I breathe oxygen" pitches), Rules Brain Corner (diapers, again), the Overton window, survivorship bias, magnetic phone chargers, and how to protect yourself when joining a collaboration (spoiler: don't. Or at least communicate.). Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:34 Follow-up: Inside Out Thinking 4:46 Rules Brain Corner 6:22 What is a sandbox? 8:36 Starting at the extremes: kids, business splits, contracts 12:16 Revisiting your sandbox 15:33 The Overton window 18:22 Sandboxes as a 3D space of decisions 22:04 Why extremes help, and relationships 26:43 Peter and video games, and survivorship bias 32:34 Final thoughts on sandbox thinking 33:28 What's on my desk 38:27 Question from Abby: joining a collaboration 42:31 Outro Links Word Salad: a daily puzzle (the app Peter found through TikTok): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6475351623 Things in Rings: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Things+in+Rings+board+game&tag=petechaywcom-20 Things on Strings: https://store.asmodee.com/products/things-on-strings Rolling Deep: https://www.backerkit.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/rolling-deep-and-eureka-dice-adventure-roguelike-and-campaign Hot Streak by Jon Perry: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Hot+Streak+board+game+Jon+Perry&tag=petechaywcom-20 UFO 50: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860 The Overton window: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window Magnetic phone, watch and AirPods charging stand: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wooden+magnetic+charging+stand+phone+watch+AirPods&tag=petechaywcom-20 Foldable travel magnetic charger: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=foldable+travel+magnetic+charger+phone+watch+AirPods&tag=petechaywcom-20 Phone stand (no charging): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=phone+stand+desk&tag=petechaywcom-20 Phone ring stand: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=phone+ring+stand&tag=petechaywcom-20 Fun Problems (Peter's previous podcast): https://funproblems.podbean.com/ Peter's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@peterchayward Peter's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PeterCHayward - - - Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the tenth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward dig into batching: grouping similar tasks so you pay the cost of starting and stopping once instead of ten times. They cover flow state, why a dishwasher is a batching machine, emailing on Mondays, queueing posts and books so a system does the regular releasing, overstocking the unfun things (clothes, dishes) so laundry can wait, a game-design cruise as a three-day batch, the limits of batching (friendship, sleep, fatigue), and why removing roadblocks between idea and execution makes you more productive. Plus follow-up on what a "giraffe person" is (and isn't), and a Rules Brain Corner about misremembering movie scenes.   Chapters 0:00 Intro and follow-up (giraffe people, "name three people you please") 3:47 Rules Brain Corner: the Ted Lasso video essay and false memories 5:36 What is batching, and why we now record two episodes a session 8:00 Flow state: laundry, prototyping, video games and social media 10:10 What we batch: dishes, social media, Patreon writing, scheduled releases 14:32 The Four Hour Work Week and emailing on Mondays 15:42 Short-term memory, Wave bookkeeping and why scale makes things cheaper 18:55 Handymen, assistants and the 32-hour work week 23:00 Overstocking clothes and dishes; "you can, but you won't, so you can't" 24:46 Batching careers, and the game-design cruise 29:47 Waiting mode, errands and consultants 31:09 The shared-car gas tank story 33:01 What doesn't batch: friendship, sleep, burnout 36:20 Meal prep 39:11 What to batch (and what not to) is personal 39:28 What's on our desks: LongPack dice and Heckadeck 41:26 Removing roadblocks: prototyping tools and fast tests 44:58 Obligations vs. working on what excites you 47:00 Quote of the day: Bojack Horseman   Links What is a Giraffe Person? (episode 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bglnulOTqHA How to be a Giraffe Person (episode 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uuc5-gdTwk Rules Brain (earlier episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXAuOrC9uhg Scarcity Mode (earlier episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KTtxjGp_nI Fun Problems (Peter's previous podcast): https://funproblems.podbean.com/ Critter Kitchen: https://cardboardalchemy.com/critter-kitchen/ Heckadeck: https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/heckadeck Beasts by Clarence Simpson: https://pandasaurusgames.com/products/beasts LongPack dice: https://www.longpackdice.com/ The 32-hour workweek proposal: https://takano.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rep-takano-sen-sanders-reintroduce-32-hour-workweek-act Peter's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@peterchayward Peter's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PeterCHayward Peter's Ted Lasso video essay, "Ted Lasso was Perfect. What happened?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JawSzLhKhgw The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/books/ TickTick (daily habit list): https://ticktick.com Monarch (personal finance): https://www.monarchmoney.com Wave (small-business accounting): https://www.waveapps.com BoJack Horseman: https://www.netflix.com/title/70300800   - - -   Question for us? Email [email protected]   Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward   Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU   Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames   Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.  

In the ninth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss how learning how you process (externally, internally, a combination thereof) can benefit your thinking and make you better at everything, including kung-fu. - - - Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the eighth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss how "inside thinking" and "outside thinking" can transform the way you pitch creative media, and help you find success (and jobs) (and LOVE) in various aspects of your life. Adam in Wales:  Allplay: https://www.allplay.com/ Joe's podcast, The Bits: https://rb.gy/53dzlf Rolling Deep: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/rolling-deep-and-eureka-dice-adventure-roguelike-and-campaign Ryan Laukat / Red Raven Games: https://www.redravengames.com/ Unhelpful Advice: https://youtu.be/CpqWAOtR5z4 Do Go On: https://dogoonpod.com/ Do Go On — Burke and Wills: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/5-burke-and-wills-australian-explorers/id1057458646?i=1000357767897 The Cracking the Cryptic podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y6BUidg2eQ&list=PLK-l8O0YikOm_s7DgInHZxYZm8hyrODUJ Peter's viral TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@peterchayward/video/7627563844382067989 Cortex: https://www.relay.fm/cortex Jamey Stegmaier's blog (which pushes the Slice much less than I remembered): https://stonemaiergames.com/10-more-indispensable-tools-for-every-kickstarter-creator-and-entrepreneur/ Slice parcel opener: https://amzn.to/4qy2mHg That Time You Killed Me: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344258/that-time-you-killed-me - - - Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the seventh episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the ridiculously helpful discussion concept of "Zooming Out", and how you can use it to improve literally every single relationship in your life.   Yes, even THAT one.   Make a List TikTok song: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefemalelead/video/7306189367863676192 Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

Nicole and Peter talk through Scarcity and Abundance mode: when you can use scarcity thinking to motivate you, and how most great creative work comes from a place of abundance. Mentioned in this episode: Space-Biff's review of Scuttle!: https://spacebiff.com/2017/05/18/scuttle/ Peter's hit game Things in Rings: https://amzn.to/4g25yGa WaitButWhy's blog post about the Instant Gratification Monkey: http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html Getting Things Done: https://amzn.to/4wibbX6 The Uploaded, by Ferrett Steinmetz: https://amzn.to/4hkcuRq  Condom Theroy: https://www.theferrett.com/2016/01/14/utilizing-condom-based-logic-surprisingly-useful/  Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the fifth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the concept of having a "rules brain". Monarch (finance app): https://monarch.com/referral/sl1uv058wb Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the fourth episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the red flag rating system: feather, brick, truck. Original blog post: https://nik.art/feather-brick-truck/ Monster Rehab: https://amzn.to/4eBZLI0 Old Man Pill Organizer: https://amzn.to/3RaHjx8   Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU   Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the third episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the best ways to become someone that the people in your life can rely on. Peter met John Cleese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0oHGT6ChRE  The monkey started a business: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html  Colorful bandages: https://amzn.to/4uCYDsi  Bacon bandages: https://amzn.to/4xw8q6f  Sharpies: https://amzn.to/4ozQDao  How long does it actually take: https://www.scarymommy.com/lifestyle/how-long-does-it-actually-take-tiktok  Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU  Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames  Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.

In the second episode of Blueprints for Life, Nicole Cutler and Peter C. Hayward discuss the concept of a Giraffe Person, a simple way to determine how much you can rely on the people in your life.   Podcast where Peter discusses The Intern: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guilty-treasures-the-intern-with-peter-c-hayward/id1809274829?i=1000760456395 Help! – Peter's old puppet show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GmgIqB3meU The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: https://amzn.to/4vhmLS0 Peter's glass bottles: https://amzn.to/4uPVUwD Flamecraft: https://amzn.to/3RDuhrY   Question for us? Email [email protected] Support the show: https://patreon.com/peterchayward Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/BM3qDHf9FU   Logo by Rozie Pocket: https://www.tiktok.com/@cozyboardgames Please note that any sales made through the above links will reward us a small commission, at no extra cost for you. So, uh, buy everything we linked to. Multiple times.