The Short Version: Start Here.
Hi, I’m Arthur! 👋 I created The Art of Living (TAoL) to collect the best free book recommendations, book summaries and inspirational quotes ever written on how to live well. I’ve also interviewed some interesting folks, written a handful of articles and created some free tools and products based on my discoveries.
Before TAoL, I studied Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology at Oxford, worked in finance and consulting (McKinsey) in London and spent three years travelling the world.
Got enough info? Click here to start exploring TAoL.
Still curious? Read on for more detail…
The Mission: What’s in It for You?
Everyone deserves a chance at a long, happy, prosperous life.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
Some paths to get there are tricky. Others may never prove passable.
But one thing we can do; one way we can level the playing field, no matter who or where people are, is to equalise access to education.
It’s to make sure we can ALL get the training we need to play the best hand we can with the life situation and cards we’ve been dealt.
Even if those cards are unfair.
The problem?
A practical, whole-life solution is woefully lacking.
Who taught you the basics of nutrition? Or your emotions? Or love and partnership? Or productivity? Or learning well? Or picking a career? Or personal finance?
Who taught you how those things fit together?
Who taught you how to live well?
Who gave you the toolkit you need to move beyond fighting fires? To lay a solid and sustainable foundation? One you can build on in each area of life?
The answer for too many people (for me!) for too long has been nobody.
Our schools are failing us. Our communities are failing us. And the churches that once played this role ask a price of unquestioning faith that’s too high for many to pay.
So what’s the solution?
I’m working on it. In fact, that’s my full-time focus at The Art of Living (TAoL).
My current goal?
To turn TAoL into the ultimate source of free book recommendations, book summaries, interviews, articles and tools to help you live long, be happy and prosper.
If that sounds like a mission you could get behind, use the form at the bottom of this page to sign up to my free newsletter.
In our first week together, I’ll guide you through the best content on the site.
After that, I’ll send you new content, direct to your inbox, as I publish it, from one to a few times a week.
(Note: I’ll never share your details and you can unsubscribe easily any time. I’ll even unsubscribe you automatically if you decide to stop opening my emails.)
So what are you waiting for?
Join us now and let me show YOU how to live long and prosper →
The Story: Who Is This Guy Anyway?
Hi, I’m Arthur 👋 I studied Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology at Oxford, where I specialised in brain chemistry while managing two start-ups and investing in property.
This was the first time I realised how valuable it is to be a productivity bad-ass.
Tired of reinventing the wheel, I became “in-house entrepreneur” for a partly mad, mostly inspiring Polish shipping baron. Then, after two years, my search for mentorship led me to consulting at McKinsey. I learned a huge amount and loved every moment there. But three years of 80-plus-hour work weeks (with no prospect of improvement) made me realise it wasn’t my long-term solution.
Just as that penny dropped, my personal life went into melt-down. I flamed-out of a 4-year relationship, lost both grandfathers and my father and, as a result, inherited my financial freedom 40 years earlier than expected. It felt a lot like getting my cake while being spun in circles and repeatedly kicked in the face.
In pursuit of some headspace (and answers), I spent the next three years travelling seven continents and seventy countries (including gems like North Korea and Turkmenistan). Along the way, I learned a great deal of history, met hundreds of people and expanded my narrow horizons. To keep my brain busy I rediscovered the joys of language learning, becoming fluent in German and Mandarin and conversational – though now rusty – in Russian and Spanish.
In February 2017 I met my amazing wife, Erin, at a salsa class in Medellin, Colombia. Since then, between moving to Bali and starting a family, I’ve been working full-time thinking and writing about learning and living well. You can see the fruits of those labours here, on The Art of Living, where I’m slowly collecting the many ideas I’ve borrowed from friends, mentors, colleagues, clients and hundreds of thinkers and authors.
Here’s What You Need to Do Next…
If you’re already signed up to my newsletter and wondering what to do next, why not:
- Go check out the blog – You’ll discover more free book recommendations, book summaries, articles and interviews than you know what to do with; or
- Take my FREE productivity quiz – It’ll show you how productive you really are and teach you the 25 habits top performers use to get big things done.
If you’re still reading and you still haven’t signed up to my newsletter, go sign up now →
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