I hope you enjoy, if there are any resources or projects that defined your 2013, helped you reach your goal of breaking out of the 9-5, attain better health, stronger relationships or a better life in general I would love to hear about them in the comments section.

Life makes me so happy! Cheers to 2013 and thanks to all of you who made it an amazing year!

37 Books

1. [easyazon_link asin=”0547884591″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life[/easyazon_link] by Timothy Ferriss
2. [easyazon_link asin=”0307956393″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work[/easyazon_link] by Dan Heath and Chip Heath
3. [easyazon_link asin=”0544002318″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness[/easyazon_link] by Scot Jurek and Steve Friedman
4. [easyazon_link asin=”0525953736″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Average Is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation[/easyazon_link] by Tyler Cowen
5. [easyazon_link asin=”0316204366″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants[/easyazon_link] by Malcolm Gladwell
6. [easyazon_link asin=”014312417X” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Mastery[/easyazon_link] by Robert Greene
7. [easyazon_link asin=”1455505587″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]A Life Without Limits: A World Champion’s Journey[/easyazon_link] by Chrissie Wellington
8. [easyazon_link asin=”081298160X” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business[/easyazon_link] by Charles Duhigg
9. [easyazon_link asin=”1937856240″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition[/easyazon_link]by Howard Jacobson and T. Campbell
10. [easyazon_link asin=”1594204217″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation[/easyazon_link] by Michael Pollan
11. [easyazon_link asin=”1591846072″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?[/easyazon_link] by Seth Godin
12. [easyazon_link asin=”B00AK3YQUW” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss and Achieving Financial Freedom[/easyazon_link]: The Ultimate Guide for Being your own Boss and Acieving Financial Freedom by Carrie Wilkerson
13. [easyazon_link asin=”023076651X” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]$100 Startup[/easyazon_link] by Chris Guillebeau
14. [easyazon_link asin=”1401312853″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Time Keeper[/easyazon_link] by Mitch Albom
15. [easyazon_link asin=”0307341453″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich[/easyazon_link] by Robert Frank
16. [easyazon_link asin=”1401309666″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More[/easyazon_link]by Chris Anderson
17. [easyazon_link asin=”1878424114″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams[/easyazon_link] by Deepak Chopra
18. Small Business Tax Deduction Secrets by Stephen L Nelson: Too bad this book is great and was FREE on Amazon for a couple weeks.
19. [easyazon_link asin=”076790818X” locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]A Short History of Nearly Everything[/easyazon_link] by Bill Bryson
20. [easyazon_link asin=”1591846528″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Automate This: How Algorithms Took Over Our Markets, Our Jobs, and the World[/easyazon_link] by Christopher Steiner
21. [easyazon_link asin=”0446675156″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain[/easyazon_link] by Joh Sarno
22. [easyazon_link asin=”0061778745″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Tell Your Family History, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More[/easyazon_link] by Bruce Feiler
23. [easyazon_link asin=”1594631905″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others[/easyazon_link] by Daniel Pink
24. [easyazon_link asin=”1586489569″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity’s Most Pressing Needs[/easyazon_link] by Muhammad Yunus
25. [easyazon_link asin=”0399159967″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More Than Your Peers Ever Will[/easyazon_link]
26. [easyazon_link asin=”1937832082″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Social Capitalist: Passion and Profits – An Entrepreneurial Journey (Rich Dad’s Advisors)[/easyazon_link]: Rich Dad Advisor Series
27. [easyazon_link asin=”1612680054″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Rich Dad’s CASHFLOW Quadrant: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom[/easyazon_link]: by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
28. [easyazon_link asin=”1612680208″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not![/easyazon_link] by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
29. [easyazon_link asin=”0446677485″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Rich Dad’s Rich Kid, Smart Kid: Giving Your Child a Financial Head Start[/easyazon_link]
30. [easyazon_link asin=”1612680402″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Retire Young Retire Rich: How to Get Rich Quickly and Stay Rich Forever! (Rich Dad’s)[/easyazon_link]
31. [easyazon_link asin=”0984358102″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime.[/easyazon_link] by MJ Demarco
32. [easyazon_link asin=”0071809953″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett: The Winning Strategy to Help You Achieve Your Financial and Life Goals[/easyazon_link] Larry E. Swedroe
33. [easyazon_link asin=”1591846285″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator[/easyazon_link]
34. [easyazon_link asin=”1594486549″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine[/easyazon_link]
35. [easyazon_link asin=”0307453383″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It[/easyazon_link] by Scott Patterson
36. [easyazon_link asin=”1414339445″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” tag=”4hourlife00-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” nofollow=”default” popups=”default”]Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity[/easyazon_link]: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity

5 New Blogs and Developing Online Projects

1. Zen Habits Radio: A fun project and podcast that I stated working on with my 72 year old dad. Here is our new slogan: “Bringing the words of Leo Babauta and The Zen Habits Blog to your listening ears. Because life gets busy and reading is hard!” I have enjoyed working with my dad, and I love working with Leo’s amazing content!
2. The Physician Assistant School Finder: This is the first site I built and contracted with a virtual assistant to do all my data entry for less than $50. I paid her more because I felt bad and she did an amazing job with the data, but it was proof to me that outsourcing really can be all that it is cracked up to be.
3. The Physician Assistant Life: They say combine your passion with a  market need and that is why I created The Physician Assistant Life. I am a passionate PA, and we are a growing profession with many unmet needs. I enjoy growing this site and just like here at 4-hour life, I love the community.  As a passive income stream it generates some monthly income as well and I hope to see that grow this year.
4. Seneca Letters From a Stoic: I love Letters From a Stoic by Seneca, this podcast and blog was my first attempt at recording to iTunes.  It took on a life of it’s own when the first 10 chapters were picked up by The Snippet App.  I hope to work on the next 115 letters this year, but it takes some time.
5. Physician Assistants For Global Health: A site dedicated to connecting compassionate PAs with international health experiences and other global health trotters. Working with BuddyPress and S2 Member. Had a lot of problems until I moved from Bluehost to Pressable (formarly ZippyKid).  Fixed the spam and all my membership issues. I learned a valuable lesson here. Hosting can sometimes really make a difference.

Still Addicted to WordPress – Here are 8 of my Favorite Plugins for 2013

1. Mtouch Quiz – Create free and amazing quizzes, allowed me to ditch the monthly service fee associated with exam-professor. I started a 4-Hour Body quiz but never finished, maybe I will get this done in 2014.
2. OptinSkin: Converts well on my PA Blog. Not perfect for every situation but is designed to be responsive and works great on different screen sizes.
3. Like to Keep Reading – Will Facebook matter in 2014? Who knows, but I think sharing with a Like is still a neat way to distribute free and innovative products with the cost of free social capital. There are other options but this one has worked well for me.
4. Foobar Notification Bars – I used HelloBar for some time (mostly because everyone else uses it) but I found Foobar and it works well, will rotate messages nicely and it is free after paying a one time $14 license. Ditch the recurring monthly fee for a better option.  The HelloBar tracking code really isn’t worth the added cost.
5. Shortcodes Ultimate: This plugin just keeps getting better and better, and better!
6. W3 Total Cache: This one requires some configuration but it definitely will speed up your site… A LOT! Be careful, find the settings that work well for you and then with each iteration make sure your blog still runs correctly.
7. BuddyPress: I had the opportunity to create my first BuddyPress Community site last year and it has been fun watching it grow. I am not sure BuddyPress will be around for the long haul. But it has a passionate and amazing team of developers who believe in it and so do I.
8. Wordfence Security: This really is an all in one solution that doesn’t drag down system resources too much. Right now it is a must have. If  you are using WpEngine you can throw it away… Security here is excellent.
9. Easy FancyBox: This plugin is so cool, just make sure you go to your media settings to really unleash it’s full potential.

7 Internet Tools That Made My Life Better in 2013

1. MailChimp – I am sure AWeber is excellent as well, but I chose MailChimp a while back and have used it to build auto responders as email learning programs among other things. Mailchimp is easy to understand and implement.  I was excited to figure out how to link Mailchimp to Paypal in order to charge for an email list. It is a cool little touch that could open up doors if you use it thoughtfully.
2. Easy Azon – Allows you to create Amazon affiliate links from within WordPress posts and pages. Supposedly allows an automatic redirect to International sites so that you can earn affiliate income from all over the world. I spent about an hour last week creating Amazon affiliate accounts all over the world to complete this plugin but I haven’t made an International sale yet so I am not sure it is working. I like the hover effect that displays the info on a link as well as the plethora of link options.
3. StudioPress by CopyBlogger: This site runs on Thesis 1.87 as does The PAife and several other of my revenue generating niche sites. But Thesis 2.0 sadly left me in the dust due to their crappy launch and horrible support. It may still offer the best built in SEO, some of the cleanest code and even the most unlimited design potential but Genesis is way easier to use. Considering Pat Flynn and Derek Halpern (among others) still use Thesis I have hope for the future.  I have also purchased themes from Themeforest but if you really want to blog for the long run right now I would probably recommend Studiopress until further notice.
4. Fiverr: George from The 4-Hour Physician recommended this Fiverr designer to me. His work was so good and for five bucks I still can’t get over it. The hardest part of hiring is sorting through the millions of options. But if you find a few people you can trust you can build a wonderful team and make project launch painless.
5. Odesk – I found two amazing people to do work for me. One for some basic on demand coding and the other for projects that make my brain bleed. What a relief at minimal cost.
6. Gumroad and Sellfy: I now prefer Gumroad but Sellfy is also a very nice alternative. Direct PayPal links still convert better in my testing, but I love Gumorad for distributing items for free or on a donation basis, and I think it will only get better.
7. Libsyn: Very inexpensive, quick and simple to use for anyone looking to host media files or start a podcast.
8. Hola Better Internet: Stream Netflix while traveling overseas – Priceless!

2 Surprising Passive Income Streams

1. RelayRides: What a surprise here. I was going to sell our old 1986 Ford Explorer and then on a whim thought “why don’t I post it on RelayRides”. I put together some advertising material and posted it on Craigslist. This month I landed a 5 month rental totalling $1850 for a car that I could have sold for $800. This year the car will bring in close to $3000 after RelayRides takes their cut. And it is fairly “passive” to boot.
2. Scribd: I never expected to sell anything on Scribd but have had pleasant results making about $75 of monthly passive income selling useful tools to those who need it. Scribd allows you to upload PDF’s and MS Word docs/templates that you can then charge for or distribute for free as I have done with the majority of my cheat sheets. I hope to see continued growth in 2014.

4 Flub-Ups and Failures

1. WpEngine – I moved 3 of my sites (including this one) painstakingly and manually over to WpEngine in hopes of better load speeds and improved security. After a couple weeks and unfortunate formatting problems I returned back to Bluehost.  To fix my throttling problems and much of my security issues I cleaned up my mess of old unused sites, implemented better backup and security measures and saved $900. I think WpEngine may still be the best, fastest and most reliable premium WordPress hosting around but Bluehost with the free and incredible Google PageSpeed (for those not afraid to tinker in the cPanel) ain’t that bad either…. Especially if you are just starting out.
2. Premise by Copyblogger Media (The Genesis guys) – I am still not sure I am a fan of Premise. I like the idea of landing pages and an all in one membership program which is why I purchased it for $99. But, shortly after making the purchase they have discontinued Premise and although CopyBlogger assures me there will still be support and upgrades I am not sure this was a great decision on my part. But, as I said, I like the landing pages and as a membership solution it is definitely a cool all-in-one solution. What Copyblogger does with Premise in 2014 remains to be seen.
3. Pippity – I purchased this popup plugin to capture email subscriptions but was unimpressed. I hate pop-ups, this just reminded me of that, but they still exist everywhere on the internet. I hope 2014 brings death to the pop-up!
4. fifteendollarmedicalconsult.com (no longer online): This honestly had to be one of my worst ideas ever!

1 New Investment Strategy for 2013

1. Lending Club and Prosper: I invest $100 per month on lending club based on a simple algorithm recommended by frugal dad (recently changed his name). I have automated my investment strategy and my rate of return is close to %9. How P2P investing sites will fare in an economic downturn remains to be seen and many institutional investors are starting to take all the good loans. But there are definitely lots of great investments out there. It is worth a try and I love the idea of cutting out institutions that screw consumers.

10 Hard and True Podcast’s For the Budding Internet Entrepreneur and Beyond

1. Smart Passive Income – Still probably the most influential podcast of the year, and Pat Flynn is still the man!
2. Ted Radio Hour: As the description says “The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create.”
3. Eventual Millionaire: This is a new find for me and I like Jaime Tardy as a host and a go get em mom who does great interviews.
4. Social Triggers: Sometimes I am totally annoyed by Derek Halpern, but his advice is good. Having lived on the East Coast I get his no BS mentality and to be honest it is refreshing, until it isn’t. But that is the joy of a podcast. His marketing device is excellent.
5. Internet Business Mastery: This podcast has been around for a while it is still chalk full of good advice and great tips.
6. Entrepreneur on Fire: John Lee Dumas really grew this Podcast. He is by all intensive puposes “on fire”. Listen until you feel bad about yourself as a person then come back later, there is good info here.
7. The Dr. Rob Show: Still my go to for integrative health information. I love the Dr. Rob Show.
8. Nutrition Diva: Quick tidbits and advice that will stand the test of time.
9. Marathon Training Academy: OK I like them because they are internet entrepreneurs, good people and remain active with kids and full time jobs. I like Trevor and Angie and even though I no longer want to run a marathon I listen to their podcast to smile and feel inspired.
10. Ben Greenfield Fitness: Ben Greenfield is the ultimate health and fitness geek. But my favorite part is that he is genuine and not in to himself. He gives great advice and seems to care about people.
11. Latest in Paleo: I love health care sceptics, becuase I am a health care provider and yes it is true what you have heard, the medical industry is owned by the pharmaceutical industry. Latest in Paleo is about proving to you that you are not damaged and health is inside you.  I might not be “Paleo” or even really believe in it for that matter, but I like the principles and I think this Podcast is important.

1 Online Class (That I actually finished) Which Made me a Better Person in 2013

1. Coursera: An Introduction to Marketing by Peter Fader, Barbara E. Kahn, David Bell – I just finished this one and it is still available – It’s a great class not just on marketing (which is Greek to me) but also on what the future of marketing will be like in 2014. Get it while you still can!

Top Performing 4-Hour Life Blog Posts and Pages 2013

Over the last several months I have been testing new and better ways to optimize my workflow.

Some have seemed like the perfect solution at first but have caused more headache than they are worth.

Over the last several weeks I have been testing a new solution that solves many a problem and saves me a ton of time.

Multiple User Accounts in Google Chrome

The ability to create multiple user accounts in Google chrome is one of it’s best kept secrets.

Since there are several “hidden” components to setting this up, I have created a short 3 minute video to step you through the process.

3 Keys to success when setting up new user accounts in Google chrome:

1. Set up a new Google account login (or new Gmail account) to associate with each user. This will make it extremely easy to sync your settings across multiple computers. 
2. If you go to settings, then bookmarks, you can choose to “always show the bookmarks bar.”  I like to do this, then customize my bookmarks for each user account.
3. Continue where I left off: Also, under the settings tab you can choose “continue where I left off”. This is extremely handy if you are working on a complex project or multiple projects at the same time.  You can simply close any open windows when you are done (making sure to leave existing tabs within the window open) and then when you open the user window again you can pick up right where you left off!

So there you have it. If you don’t yet use the chrome browser you should give it a whirl. I find it much faster to load than FireFox. Internet Explorer is no longer even on my radar besides for testing purposes.

3 great chrome extensions to make your life even easier:

1. LastPass – Password Manager, Form Filler, Password Management
2. AdBlock
3. Google Mail Checker