Hello, Crazy Speaking.

We just had another conversation about this whole thing, one of those discussions that might as well start with, "I don't know if you realize this, but we're stark raving mad for even attempting something so ... well, crazy."

But what else would we do? We live in a closet. Our kitchen is ... not. We sleep, work, eat and live in one room. We do most of our cooking in the same 16m2 (sixteen square meters) room. We sleep on a queen-sized Japanese futon because we can't fit a real bed in here -- we need something we can move out of the way during the day. Trying to accomplish real work here is an exercise in futility.

We're also not crazy about going back to the corporate world. The last job TBH had literally gave her headaches from the fumes she had to breathe every day. My last job ... well, let's just say I'm tired of seeing my time and energy going directly into some fat cat's wallet instead of into the product he or she claims we're selling and will soon provide us all with enough money to retire.

We moved here because we had an opportunity to improve our financial situation and position ourselves for a run at independence. Now we've achieved all that we came here to do. We're in position. Why would we stop now?

Life Imitates Poker

In poker (specifically No Limit Texas Hold'em), the first secret to success is starting hand selection. Certain hands win at a much higher rate than others. Successful players work hard to put themselves in a position to win the pot, playing only the hands that give them the best chance of winning.

Sounds simple enough, but many players fail to consider the second secret of success: Stick to your guns. They'll get into a big pot with a big hand, only to be scared off by an opponent representing a bigger hand. When the pot gets big, some people respond with aggression, some with meekness. You can imagine who ends up winning.

Never fold your hand after achieving the position you wanted (unless, of course, your opponent shows you the nuts). This is what you wanted; why would you change course now? Put another way: If you're going to change plans now, you should have never started down this path. The decision has been made, and you've spent non-refundable time and money getting to this point. Strap in and put the pedal on the floor.

What Now?

The plan has always been to push the limits. I can't remember thinking any other way, even as a kid, and TBH is no different. We're not in it for fame or fortune, we're in it for the thrill rides and the happy hours.

Besides, for a month or two (or three), we can live in a much bigger, well-furnished apartment (all bills paid) in the Paris of South America, where emergency room visits are free -- even for foreigners -- and we can live there for the same price or only a few hundred more than we're paying now. Here, our health insurance runs out in a month. There, it's cheap if we want it and not necessary if we don't. (Can you say free healthcare?)

If we could vacation anywhere for a month, our first choice right now would be Buenos Aires (even though we're headed for exactly the kind of heat and humidity we can't stand). So we get to turn a dream vacation into a business project, ultimately saving even more money.

We'll bury ourselves in this project, run it start-to-finish in a few months, and then come back to San Francisco to chill out, play golf and poker with friends, and generally just enjoy the city and the Bay Area. Then we'll find another project, spend a few months on it, and then another break. Along the way, we're working (hard) on things that really just sound like an excuse to party 24/7. What a rough, rough life.

And that's pretty much how we ended the conversation. Without a really good reason to do otherwise (like the sky falling), we're turning crazy into a business plan.

Push the limits. What can't you do?

Getting organized, or: Begin at the beginning

I've read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys: The Seven-Step Path to Becoming Truly Organized, Zen Habits, The Effective Executive, Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, Time Management for Dummies, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organizing your Life, several other related books and approximately 7,286 related blog posts on approximately 7,281 blogs. Still I'm frequently running late, I never remember a birthday, and I end up paying more -- in time, money, energy and pain -- than is necessary, all because I didn't plan ahead.

Now I've intentionally put myself in a position where I must be organized. I have to be on my game or we simply won't make it. I wanted a job and life all wrapped into one, something I could lose myself in completely and justifiably, and now I've got it. Now necessity will dictate decisions.

I first learned proper organization from Time Management for Dummies, which as I recall was based on Seven Habits. Getting Things Done clearly works well for a lot of people, and although I've failed twice in implementing it, I really like the way it simplifies things. It's also adaptable, meaning I can merge ideas from all these books into my own personal organizational system.

Marilyn Paul's verbosely titled It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys (the subtitle is shorter than the title) suggests "learning how much time things take" by timing tasks you perform regularly, like folding a sweater or doing the dishes. I know from experience these activities often take a lot less time than I tend to imagine. Every time I do the dishes (which is quite rare, if you ask The Better Half, and TBH is always right) I'm surprised when it ends so quickly. I grudgingly settle in for a half hour of work and five minutes later, everything's done.

She also recommends setting a timer when you start a tedious task. Set a timer for twenty minutes, start going through the papers in your inbox, and you can stop when the timer goes off. It's a lot easier to commit to a task like "process inbox for fifteen minutes" than one such as "get organized."

When you don't have a timer, you find yourself constantly thinking, "I need a timer." Eyeballing an analog clock from across the room is no way to boil an egg. Doing anything "for five minutes" becomes a case study in distraction: How can you focus when you're constantly watching the clock?

Many of you probably use your watch for this, but I haven't owned a watch in a decade. I read Robert Levine's Geography of Time one week on a much-needed vacation from the most depressing job I've ever had. I took my watch off and haven't put one on since. The time is, has always been, and always will be now.

I resolve not to lose my forest-level perspective on clock time (one of the world's great marketing ideas), but a watch is now a necessity. I'm going back to Old Faithful, the Timex Ironman. Tonight we ordered a Nike Women's Triax Swift Digital LX Watch #R0090-021 for She and an IRONMAN* Triathlon® 100-Lap for me. We also ordered two cases of energy bars so we'll have something to eat.

Never again will I wander in search of a timer. At least not anytime soon. And when you're trying to use your limited time effectively, a watch comes in handy, doesn't it?

This will be my third attempt in as many years at major organizational lift-off. Without a place for everything and everything in its place, I'll never get my passport in time, let alone complete my MASSIVE, POWERFUL PERSONAL MAKEOVER. Organizational skills are as fundamental as it gets. Once the system is in place, the habits must be formed. Once the habits are formed, anything's possible. It's the first essential practice of the Effective Executive: "Effective executives know where their time goes."

What if?

What if one day you woke up with money and time? What if you knew you only had six months to live? What if anything was possible? In such a world, what would you do next?

We'd do three things:

* Explore the world
* Push our limits
* Share our experience

We don't have a lot of money, and if we only have six months to live, no one told us about it. But we do have a little money, and it won't last forever, so if we're going to do something, now's the time. And if we're going to do anything -- well, no point in doing it half-assed, is there?

So in just over one month, we're going to get organized, start a new business, become yoga practitioners, learn self-defense, and learn Rioplatense. Because in Buenos Aires, they speak Rioplatense. And we're going to Buenos Aires.

That's right. In thirty days, we're going to complete a MASSIVE, POWERFUL PERSONAL MAKEOVER, all while preparing for the biggest trip we've ever taken.

We're crazy. Certifiable. And we're going to use it to our advantage. Timothy Ferriss ain't got nuthin' on us.*

We're going to blog it all here. We'll move to a new domain shortly, but we'll be sure to bring you along with us when we go.

We'll take you to Buenos Aires with us, too! Everything is being written, photographed, recorded and videotaped for your pleasure (or disgust, you never know). Sharing the experience is part of the dream.

So keep an eye on this space, subscribe using the big orange RSS button or enter your email address to get updates in your inbox. We'll keep you posted.

* Certain conditions apply. Not all interpretations will be accepted. Timothy Ferriss may indeed have plenty on us.