My one greatest weakness has always been, and most likely always will be TV. Well, in today’s world, you could replace the word “TV” with Netflix or some other form of on-demand movies and TV. It’s actually a bit embarrassing the volume I’ve consumed over the years, and to make it worse, it includes some poor quality shows, as well as the high quality ones. Past sins include watching Leprechaun 3 during law school finals and binge-watching the entire Iron First series. Not sure I’ve hit rock bottom, yet.

Fortunately, I also love books, but the challenge has always been finding the time to read them. Enter an amazing hero - audiobooks! Either through your local library or from a service like Audible, you can listen to books on your commute. While I still love a printed book the most, if I’m honest I consume about 80-90% of my books via audio these days and it has been a tremendous benefit.

Think about it this way. Let’s say you have a one hour commute. Thirty minutes in and thirty minutes out. An average audiobook takes about 5 hours to listen to. So if you just listen to it on your commute, you will finish one book a week and about 50 books a year! Think about the amount of additional knowledge and enjoyment you could be getting without changing your schedule one iota!

Oh, the saving money bit. I recently cancelled my Audible subscription. When I tried to cancel, they tried to keep me as a customer by offering me the next 3 months at 50% off. So by trying to cancel, I could be saving money. So if you’re like me and you love audiobooks, but you also love saving money, try cancelling and see if you get this offer.

For you, the readers of EZPZ, Audible is offering a FREE audiobook with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

To download your free audiobook today click, http://www.audibletrial.com/WhyItWorks

Right now, if you have more than one credit card in your wallet, you may have one that has a price protection benefit. Wonderful in theory, but a nightmare in practice. If you're like most people, you don't have the time or inclination to a) monitor price drops, b) fill out complicated paperwork, or c) navigate the labyrinth that is an automated phone menu.

Earny is an app that automates the process for you and after you sign up, rebate checks just start showing up in the mail.

A few catches:

1) You have to give them access to the email you use for your online purchases and your Amazon account.

Admittedly not for the privacy conscious, but keep in mind that other "free" websites are regularly collecting data about you and selling advertising that is shown to you. These tactics are designed to liberate money from your wallet, whereas Earny is designed to put money BACK in your wallet.

2) They take a 25% cut of your rebate. So if you buy something for $60, and the price drops to $50, out of the $10 they collect for you $7.50 goes to you and $2.50 goes to Earny.

Why would I give away 25% of what I'm entitled to? I had the same thought, but quickly got over it because normally, I wouldn't be getting any rebate. And 100% of $0 is...$0.00. So I gladly give Earny a commission for their help and their set it and forget it technology.

Real figures: In one year of using Earny, I received $49 in rebates without doing anything.

Next steps:

If you are curious about signing up for Earny and this post has been helpful, please use my referral link HERE when signing up.

If you sign up and start to receive checks, please let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you.

Next post, next Saturday 6:30 a.m.

Perhaps it's my copious consumption of science fiction, but every once in a while an article about robots and AI replacing humans freaks me out! Technology moves faster than ethics and faster still than government, so I'm not holding my breath for a job savior. In the past, manufacturing jobs have been a common casualty of technology, but increasingly even knowledge workers such as lawyers are on the chopping block. Please, hold your applause! It hurts my feelings. :p

My nightmare is to end up like this guy, with two "Efficiency" hawks perched across the table.

Question: "What would you say... you do here?"

Answer: "I HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS!!!"

"But wait, Joe, I make professional judgments that a computer is not qualified to make. Or wait, the quality I deliver from my years of learning X craft cannot be easily replicated by a non-human."

To which I would say, you are probably right. And I hope you continue to be right for the foreseeable future. However, history shows us that perceived value can change drastically. During the Middle Ages peppercorns were worth more than gold. In fact, peppercorns were accepted as legal currency, like a ducat. l love the sound of that word. Say it with me, "ducat." But seriously, even today the Dutch have an expression, "pepeduur," which means "pepper expensive" and is used to describe something very pricey.

Pepper and other spices played an early role in the success of what many consider the first multinational corporation - Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) or as it is known in the English-speaking world, the Dutch East India company. It was the first company to issue stock, which was traded in Amsterdam in the first open-air stock market. The VOC monogram was possibly the first globally-recognized corporate logo, stamped on various corporate items ranging from cannons to coins. Based on feedback from a Dutch colleague Luc, I should note that the VOC's historical accomplishments are accompanied by criticisms surrounding the company's commercial monopoly, business practices and social impacts.

At its height, the VOC was the most valuable company in history - when adjusted to today's dollars it was worth $7.4 trillion dollars. In comparison, in early 2017, one of, if not the most valuable companies in the world, Apple, has a market capitalization of around $700 billion dollars. The pepper in our pantry must not have gotten the memo because while spices are not cheap, they certainly aren't worth their weight in gold anymore.

So what can lessons can we learn from the humble peppercorn, which went from local spice, to empire builder, to sale item at the local grocery?

Lesson #1. Value is not fixed, but temporary. This is the most important lesson. Your value can change at any moment. There are market forces outside your control that can drastically influence the way your services are valued. This may seem obvious, but if you really stop and think about this, it is a sobering fact.

"So what are some of the factors that might affect the value of my services?"

Lesson #2. New is valuable. Do your services address a new and growing need?

Lesson #3. Rare is valuable. How easy is it to find someone or something (e.g., a robot or program) to do your work?

Lesson #4. Pleasing is valuable. In what way do your services improve life for customers, your boss and the company?

Lesson #5. In demand is valuable. Just being rare does not create value if no one wants what you have to offer. But when something is rare, coupled with high demand, the price people are willing to pay skyrockets.

So while we can't stop progress or technology, we can take some time to think deeply about how our own value is generated. We can take steps to grow in a way that generates more value. This might include learning new skills or shifting roles or industries. As an advanced tactic, we can perceive trends as they are happening, anticipate new areas of value and position ourselves to take advantage ahead of time. I will spare you the fantastic, but fantastically overused Wayne Gretzy quote. Instead, I'll leave you with this...

What gift do you think a good servant has that separates them from the others?

It's the gift of anticipation. And I'm a good servant. I'm better than good. I'm the best. I'm the perfect servant.

I know when they'll be hungry and the food is ready. I know when they'll be tired and the bed is turned down. I know it before they know it themselves.

~Mrs. Wilson, from the movie Gosford Park

Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.