Mark Manson Audio Articles

I’ve often wondered if self-discipline is just a way of turning bad addictions into healthy ones. After all, addictions of all kinds are really just an attempt to numb and distract ourselves from facing uncomfortable feelings. Can’t the same be said for healthy behaviors once they reach a level of compulsion? I brought Rich Roll on the pod to discuss this idea because, well, he’s a recovered alcoholic who turned into an ultra-endurance athlete in his 40s. Rich is no stranger to reinventing himself, repeatedly leveraging his flaws into virtues. We talk about the value of pain as a catalyst for change, the idea that addiction is a spectrum that doesn’t just involve substances, terrible breakups, finding a deeper spirituality, lessons from Rich’s financial struggles, his career running a top podcast, and much, much more. Use the code IDGAF to get 20% off your one-time order at ⁠https://livemomentous.com/⁠ Get rid of unwanted subscriptions by signing up for Rocket Money at ⁠https://rocketmoney.com/idgaf⁠ Take my

The way you think about the world and your place in it can have a huge impact on your life. And yet, when it comes to evaluating the way we think, we’re rarely able to smell our own bullshit. So today, Drew and I break down five different mindsets you can adopt to live a more examined, successful life. This requires you to reject many of the mindless beliefs you’ve been force fed your entire life. Let’s do it. Get one month of Shopify for $1 at ⁠https://shopify.com/idgaf⁠ Use code IDGAF for 10% off your health services at ⁠https://MarekHealth.com/idgaf⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's be honest: the modern dating landscape is a shit show. From declining marriage rates and rising infidelity to the nightmare of using dating apps—it's brutal out there. With all these supposedly "easy" ways to meet new people, why are the people who want long-term, stable relationships so fed up with the dating world? I invited dating and relationships coach Sadia Khan on the pod to discuss how the skills we use to excel in modern dating often sabotage long-term happiness. Sadia brings a refreshing, thought-provoking perspective to the conversation that will help you navigate the complexities of today's dating world. We dive into the role of self-esteem in successful relationships, the pitfalls of modern dating advice, and the skewed expectations shaped by social media, dating apps, and pornography. Enjoy. Get 10% off your first order of Mitopure at ⁠timeline.com/idgaf⁠ Get 3 extra months on your SurfShark VPN subscription at ⁠surfshark.deals/SubtleArt⁠ Get 10% off your first month of therapy at ⁠betterh

So many people seem to be obsessed with feeling good all the time. They’re always looking for “hacks” to an easier, happier life. But what if the easy way actually makes it harder to have a life full of meaning and purpose? Today, Drew and I take on the ugly truths that give life its beauty. Some of these might be a little hard to stomach at first. But if you see them through, you might be surprised at what’s on the other side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an era where “quiet quitting” and “self-care” obsessions seem to be all the rage, there’s a huge opportunity to set yourself apart from everyone else—and it’s not as hard as you might think. Codie Sanchez set herself apart by buying “boring businesses” and turning her venture into a multi-million dollar enterprise. But for Codie, it’s about so much more than the money. Her simple mantra is, “question everything”, and it has given her a unique perspective on life, relationships, and happiness, which we explore here in this week’s pod. This was a fun interview, check it out. Get 20% off + free shipping at ⁠manscaped.com⁠ using the promo code IDGAF Get a one-month trial of Shopify for just $1 at ⁠shopify.com/idgaf⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week ago, we hit 2M subs on YouTube and 10M podcast downloads, and I promised a special Q&A episode of the pod—which turned out to be more fun than I expected. Jump in on this celebratory episode, where I rapid fire through some of the most interesting questions sent in by you guys. Get all the goodness with AG1, if you use this link, they'll throw in a free one-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 and 5 AG1 Travel Packs: https://drinkag1.com/idgaf Try a free sample pack with any drink mix purchase, using my link: https://drinklmnt.com/idgaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s an ancient philosophy that could actually help you give fewer f*cks, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of it. Stoicism has been helping people manage their stress and anxiety for thousands of years and today, it’s more relevant than ever. @ryanholiday is the New York Times Bestselling author of multiple books on Stoicism. He believes that Stoicism is the framework that can help you be a normal person in an increasingly crazy world. Today’s episode dives into the life-altering benefits of following a philosophy that encourages you to focus on what you can control, and fuck the rest. Get 10% off BetterHelp by signing up via my link: ⁠https://www.betterhelp.com/markmanson⁠ And get your nutritional goodness with AG1 using my link: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/idgaf⁠ And of course, check out The Tim Ferris Show here, available on all podcasting platforms: ⁠https://tim.blog/podcast/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I just heard about the “bed rotting” trend on social media and I think I need a minute. Because if the kids think staying in bed all day eating pizza and doom scrolling is a form of rejuvenation then I’m calling bullshit on self-care. Today’s episode is a fun one. Drew and I have a long list of common self-improvement practices and I’m scoring them as overrated or underrated or, “it depends.” Try out Shopify for just $1 for the month by signing up via my link: ⁠https://shopify.com/idgaf⁠ Get 15% when you shop at ⁠oneskin.co⁠ using my code: IDGAF Get one month free at ⁠Listening.com⁠ using my link ⁠listening.com/IDGAF⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the story of humanity is about loss, privation, suffering, and resilience, why are kids having nervous breakdowns about bad grades? In today’s episode, I talked to Abigail Shrier about what parents and mental health experts are inadvertently doing to rob young people of the resilience and grit that past generations had. It’s a spicy one. Enjoy. Get 50% off your first Factor Meals box and 20% off the next box using my link ⁠https://factormeals.com/idgaf50⁠ And use my code “IDGAF” for 20% off + free shipping when you purchase online from ⁠https://manscaped.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Making friends is hard, and unfortunately, as you get older, it gets harder. In this episode, we look at research behind friendships, plus the complicating factors people experience in making new friends as they get older. And for anyone struggling with their social lives, we share practical tips on how to meet and keep new friends. Enjoy and, good luck out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Social media messes with our expectations because it convinces us that we should be doing everything, everywhere, all at once. But the reality is that we should focus on doing one or two things extremely well, in one place, consistently over a long period of time. Today on the pod, I talk to Noah Kagan, multi-millionaire and multi-business owner, about the type of consistency and habits that lead to wealth. Noah created his own wealth out of self-belief, learning from failing and being careful with what he gives a fuck about. Noah’s story is compelling as he shares how he found success over decades, by never ceasing to try. If you’re looking for some raw talk to get you motivated to go out and do cool shit, this is the episode to sink your energy into. Enjoy. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at: ⁠https://shopify.com/idgaf⁠ Get 15% off your first order of OneSkin by using checkout code IDGAF at ⁠oneskin.co⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I came across some mildly terrifying statistics on loneliness and wanted to figure out what was going on. In this episode Drew and I break down three paradoxes we're calling “The Three Paradoxes of Modern Loneliness” and they are as follows: We are more connected than ever, yet loneliness is at an all-time high The more urbanized our lifestyles become, the lonelier we become Despite being more social, young people are becoming lonelier than older people Join us as we dig into the data and discuss why this all might be happening and what we can do about it. Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if there was a way accomplish meaningful work—without the associated relationship breakdowns or stress? What if “making an impact” didn’t require massive amounts of energy or sacrifice? What if you could get more done by doing less? In this episode, I talk to Cal Newport about how knowledge work has got it all wrong. We discuss the subtle dangers of remote/digital work and the key to avoiding burnout, all while still being able to grind on the things you love. If you’re a stressed out, overworked remote worker, this one is for you. Get a one-month Shopify trial for $1: ⁠shopify.com/idgaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the answer isn’t to do more? What if the answer is to want less? I’ve always believed that subtracting from your life can produce better results than trying to add something. Generally, quitting a bad habit, or a bad mindset, or anything distracting, will have a bigger impact on your life than learning more. This episode covers a few things I think we should stop doing to live a better life. Enjoy. Get 10% your first month of therapy at ⁠betterhelp.com/idgaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Successful people talk a lot about what made them successful. But they're rarely asked about all the things that went wrong. What about all of the things that failed? Or all the times they got fired? Embarrassed themselves? Spent time in jobs that were just plain weird or awful? No one asks this stuff. Until now of course. In this episode, I talk to my friend Derek Sivers about the weird and awful jobs that eventually led him to become a millionaire. From circus ringleader to founder of one the most successful music start-ups of our time, this guy has a story to tell. Derek Sivers is the author of four books, founder of CD Baby which he sold for $22 million (then gave most of it away), and just an all-around badass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most important truths in life are the ones we don’t like to hear. In fact, I managed to make an entire career out of sharing these types of truths because the stuff we don’t like hearing is often what we need to hear the most. In this episode I have a lot of fun going through—one-by-one—six nuggets of wisdom, designed to make us all less awful humans. So saddle up bitches, I’m here to break hearts today. Get your nutritional goodness with AG1 using my link: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/idgaf⁠ And get a whopping 50% off with Factor Meals using my link: ⁠https://factormeals.com/idgaf50⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could it be that today’s increased awareness about emotions, and our obsession with mental health issues, are actually causing more mental health issues? More people are doing therapy, but are those people potentially doing it wrong? Therapist, counselor, and author Lori Gottlieb says that a lot of our culture’s approach to mental health is wrong. In today’s podcast, we discuss what it takes to do therapy effectively. We discuss the prevalence of mental health content online and why that may be a bad thing. We talk about how people’s misunderstandings of vulnerability and boundaries can backfire. And we get into the effect social media might be having on this. Enjoy. Signup with Rocket Money and start for free: ⁠https://rocketmoney.com/idgaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all overestimate how much you have to do to actually be happy. But what if I told you that achieving happiness is much simpler than you think? That’s right, the smallest lifestyle changes can have the most unexpected knock-on effects towards positive change. It’s actually quite incredible once you experience it. In today’s episode of the pod, we delve into the 3 of the most important questions that you can ask yourself in determining your own levels of happiness. These are questions worth asking. Make me happy by liking and reviewing the episode. Make someone else happy by sharing it with them. Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at: ⁠https://betterhelp.com/idgaf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when trying to improve your life makes you feel worse? What if trying to be better comes across as ‘try-hard’? What if setting more goals is just your way of avoiding your own bullshit? This is the topic of discussion in today’s episode, “The Self-Improvement Paradox”—or in other words, why sometimes trying to be better makes you feel worse. It turns out improving yourself is nuanced and complicated. Who would have thought? Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine if you could sit down with one of the world’s leading happiness researchers and ask her, one by one, what actually makes people happier and what doesn’t? Well, that’s basically what I did. In this episode, Sonja and I get deep into the subject of happiness. One by one, we conclude which of life’s simple and not-so-simple pleasures are underrated or overrated. Some of the answers will definitely surprise you. Do yourself a favor—watch, like, and share the happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices