Lifestyle Testing Method
Share
Sam Parr and Shaan Puri discuss the importance of testing lifestyle choices through small experiments before making major commitments.
Core Testing Philosophy
- Test big life decisions on a small scale before fully committing
- Spend money on short-term experiments to avoid costly long-term mistakes
- Focus on experiencing the reality vs. the fantasy of desired lifestyle changes
Real Examples of Lifestyle Testing
Retirement Test
- Took 6 weeks completely off work
- By week 5, realized full retirement wasn't desirable
- Learned need for meaningful work/activities
Luxury Car Testing
- Rented $200k Ferrari for $1,000/day
- Discovered practical limitations (driveway clearance issues)
- Realized stress of ownership outweighed enjoyment
Large Home Experience
- Rented 5,000 sq ft house for $13k/month
- Discovered:
- Only used living room, bedroom, and kitchen
- Maintenance would be exhausting
- Extra space wasn't necessary or desirable
Remote Living Test
- Recommended testing isolated living with 1-2 week stays
- Suggests trying Airbnb in remote location first
- Focus on whether lifestyle feels "effortlessly awesome" vs. an "endurance contest"
Key Testing Principles
- Make tests realistic but time-bound
- Willing to spend money on experiments to avoid larger mistakes
- Better to discover issues early through testing than after permanent commitment
- Focus on practical day-to-day experience vs. idealized vision
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.