Recently I wrote down my personal memories of the 2010s, the good and the challenging. And what I learned from it.
I added an exercise I learned from Psycho-Cybernetics: “re-live past successes and positive experiences” (which helps to visualize and manifest similar things in the future)
So I scrolled through my Facebook photos (which was surprisingly helpful, thanks to its curated nature) and re-lived some positive memories.
Note: This post is highly curated by design. This in no way presents an accurate image of my life. I experienced my fair share of suffering and hardships – like everyone does – but that’s not the point here. Putting this post together helps me to re-live these moments in a deeper way, while hopefully inspiring you to do the same.
Found this message on my trip to Canada’s Rocky Mountains. It spoke to me.I started walking more, a great opportunity to spend time with audiobooks.Beautiful wellness weekend in Scuol.Completed my first Strongman Run in Engelberg. Rented a Tesla Model S for a weekend. This converted me from skeptic to fanboy.Each November, I do the Basel City Run, a 5.5 km race just for fun. Here with my friend Fabian.I practiced the “Simplify my Life” principle and got rid of several loads of old stuff. Love the feeling of an empty transporter after the job is done.Random bucket list item. Always wanted to visit my namesake town. (Unfortunately just a drive-through.)Meditated on stage in front of 1000 people with Loic Le Meur.Made a new friend on my walks. Completed my first half marathon. It was a significant psychological win and helped me exit a challenging time.Organized a street retreat and donated the proceeds to local homeless organizations.Love the feeling of being barefoot in nature. Some of the most simple things are the most enjoyable in life.
Levels of Energy by Frederick Dodson (audio version): This book provides an incredibly useful framework for how to view and work with different levels of energy. Especially how to read the energy levels of other people and how to elevate your own level. I highly recommend it and will reread it in the future.
The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown (audio version): This book has been recommended by one of my heroes, David Allen. It’s a thorough study of how our respiratory system works, and how we can improve it. It turns out that most of us over-breathe chronically. It prompted me to create a “Breathing” project, to study this topic further and then take appropriate action.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (audio version): This is a book that keeps getting recommended over and over. Now I understand why. It’s long, and well worth it. It’s about creativity, communism, and life. I wish there were more Dagny Taggarts, John Galt’s and Hank Rearden’s in the world.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (audio version): I read this book inspired by Charlie Munger’s admiration for Ben Franklin. I have to say, I was not disappointed at all. The story was well written and I learned a lot: About entrepreneurship, frugality, how to improve one’s character, and of course a lot of history. If you like biographies, this is a must-read.
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg (audio version): This is another one from the category “I wish I have read this 10 years ago”. I’m currently taking a deep dive into Nonviolent Communication and am reading everything by Marshall Rosenberg. If you speak German, I highly recommend Konflikte lösen durch Gewaltfreie Kommunikation as a starting point. It’s in dialogue form and a very light read. If I ever build a school, Nonviolent Communication will be a mandatory skill to learn. It’s remarkable how much impact this can have on your happiness and ability to build deep relationships in business and life!
Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger and Peter Kaufman: This is one of the books I wish I had read much sooner, and one I will revisit again. It’s a collection of Charlie Munger’s talks and a lot of accompanying wisdom. If you are at all interested in the topics we discuss here, this book is a must-have. It’s not available on Amazon and must be ordered on the website of PCA Publications. And while you’re at it, simply order all the books they offer. You won’t be disappointed (and shipping costs per book get cheaper…).
This is Marketing by Seth Godin (audio version): Seth Godin is one of my mentors and heroes. I love his thinking and I’ve read many of his books (and I will read many more). This book is a wonderful summary of how to think about marketing (and business in general) in the current age. It encourages readers to go out there and do great work. If I’d ever publish a “how to create a lifestyle business” curriculum, this book would be required reading (together with Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk and How to Make $100,000 per Year in Passive Income by Chase Andrews).
100 Baggers by Christopher Mayer (audio version): An excellent investing book that I plan to re-read. It helps challenge short-term thinking by focusing on long-term compounding. Instead of wasting your energy on finding short-term opportunities, it proposes to spend this energy to find big ones instead. And if you find them, you need to hold them for a long time, as it takes 26 years on average for a 100 bagger to 100x. Here’s a great video summary of the book. A great companion book is Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher, which provides a useful 15 point checklist.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (audio version): This is an enjoyable sci-fi story written in 1992. It described the journey of the first 100 people that colonize Mars. It also goes into great detail about terraforming and building a space elevator. After this book, I am actually quite happy with staying on Earth for the time being. This book is part of a trilogy and I have read them all.
I used to spend significant money on Audible (which I still love and use). Then I discovered Scribd: for just $8.99/month, you access the whole library. I usually find about 70% of the books I’m looking for. If you click here, you get two months for free.
My favorite thing about the new decade is that it offers an opportunity to practice long-term thinking. I’m aware that the effect is purely psychological. What matters is, that it works!
So let’s put the weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly rhythms aside, and focus on decades for a change.
Review of the 2010s
Tech is mature and mainstream Companies like Facebook and Twitter lost their startup status and became mature. The sentiment changed, especially for Facebook. At Google, employee tensions are rising, and Amazon kept growing super fast. Tech companies are now a huge part of the economy, and are there to stay.
Mobile first Mobile apps became a central channel how humans interact with the world. Everyone has a supercomputer in their pocket, filled with audiobooks, podcasts and of course, a credit card. Now, there’s an app for everything.
Social media addiction We became addicted to social media, longing for likes and followers, and competing for attention on Instagram and Snapchat. Slowly, people are becoming aware of this. People started quitting social media, or dramatically adjusting their behavior.
Age of surveillance Edward Snowden, and the bumpy 2016 US election, reveal the downsides of the new information age. We become aware of how much data is collected and stored, and that this information can easily be stolen. Now, everyone must assume that everything about us is collected somewhere. The uneasiness about it is growing, yet we don’t know what to do about it.
Aftermath of financial crisis 2007-08 The financial crisis was top of mind when we started the decade. Many of us believed that the crisis was far from over, and that it could return anytime. While it did locally, it didn’t globally. What we got instead was unprecedented money-printing and record-low interest rates. And ever increasing regulation in the financial sector.
Cryptocurrencies Bitcoin is a new technological and social breakthrough. It has its roots in the Cypherpunk movement, and also the frustration that arose from the financial crisis. It builds on open source and decentralization. The rise of Bitcoin was fueled by the Cyprus banking crisis in 2012-13 (and especially the one-time tax on deposits) and the inflation problems in South American countries. We also saw huge bubbles, speculation and scams.
Awareness of unsustainable living Slowly we are becoming aware that the way we have been living for the past 100 years is not sustainable. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is rising. Air pollution is killing millions of humans per year. Oceans are filled with plastic. Movements like FridaysForFuture were born. We start seeing signs of hope with the electrification of vehicles and increasing deployment of solar, but it’s still early days.
New Work We started to rethink how we work. Co-working spaces, remote working, nomadic lifestyles are on the rise. Many of us are sick of the old paradigm, and are seeking something better. One example is the FIRE movement, where people seek financial independence and early retirement. Blogs like Mr. Money Mustache have exploded in popularity.
New space race Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin have demonstrated the re-usability of rockets, and kicked off what might be called the “new space race”. The historic Falcon Heavy launch was one of my personal highlights.
Hopes and Predictions for the 2020s
More digital and global The Earth will become increasingly digital and global. This is “obvious”, but it has, and will have, profound implications for a long time to come. This, together with increasing population, will be the engine of the world economy (and stock markets). There will be bumps, occasionally huge ones, but the long-term momentum cannot be denied.
Privacy and encryption People will realize that the only way to protect themselves is to encrypt and control as much of their data as possible. Privacy focused products will experience tailwinds, while data driven business models will face headwinds. We will also see a trend towards decentralization.
Exponential technological development The technological development is far from over. The pace of innovation will increase further. Full self driving (Level 5 autonomy) will be solved and rolled out fast. Medical breakthroughs will be made. Cashierless stores will be rolled out. Revolutionary products and services, increasingly powered by artificial intelligence, will be invented and deployed.
Unforseen catastrophy Something big will hit us. If not this decade, then one of the next. It will come out of the blue. A new vector. A bio attack, a pandemic, cyber warfare, eruption of a huge volcano. Something we won’t be expecting. Something that will change society overnight.
Death of heroes We might experience some tragic losses: The Dalai Lama, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, or many of our other heroes, might all have 20 more years in them. Or they might not.
Climate change As John Mihaljevic suggested, we need a robust framework for pricing externalities, so that we can start tackling air pollution, carbon concentration and plastics pollution. I also hope we will see the shutdown of many coal plants, and a massive deployment of solar and other renewables. We might also want to have a look at new, safer nuclear reactor designs.
New regulation Tech companies will start getting regulated, and the trend towards ever increasing regulation in the financial markets will continue. The big question is: will this all be a net positive or a net negative?
Universal basic income I hope to see the adoption of universal basic income in at least one country. Switzerland was one of the first to hold a national referendum in 2016. And I’m proud that my home canton (Basel-Stadt) had the highest approval rate of 36% (the national result was 23%).
Here are my initial tweets on this topic:
Hopes for the 2020s:
– people consuming less, investing more – people voting with their $ and feet instead of complaining – shutting down coal plants – massive deployment of solar & storage – majority of produced cars electric – replacing plastics with consumer compostable ones
– massive increase in price of CO2 – rethink farming and meat production – asking why more often – doing the hard instead of the easy – focus on health of self, society, planet first, then on wealth – safe deployment of full self driving – return humans to Moon, 1st human on Mars
– recognize mental health as crucial part of overall health – asking „what‘s the point?“ more often – more people challenging the status quo – more relaxing vibes – more humor – more love
– robust framework for pricing externalities so that profit-seeking firms do not unduly transfer costs to the rest of us – global adoption of universal basic income to eradicate poverty and unleash the full creativity of humankind
For a long time, I felt like a slave. I’ve enslaved myself with my own startup. I’ve enslaved myself by being funded by outside investors, not customers.
I’ve enslaved myself by saying yes to things I should have said no to. I’ve enslaved myself by not valuing my time.
I don’t want to feel enslaved. I want freedom. That’s why I chose to be my own boss. And that’s why I’m a value investor and blogger today.
We protect our possessions with doors and locks, yet hand out chunks of our time left and right.
Would we do the same with our cash? Hell no.
So why do we do it with the most valuable thing in the world?
Being in charge of my own time is the greatest luxury I can think of:
I have no employees.
I have no meetings.
I can do whatever the hell I want.
Our default mode is “being busy”. We run around like chicken with our heads cut off. But we never ask why. What’s the point?
Busy is not good. Busy is the opposite of good. Busy is being a slave.
What happened to taking an afternoon off, without anyone noticing?
What happened to taking a week off, just like that?
What happened to taking a three-month trip, without things falling apart?
Recently, I took two weeks off, and nobody noticed. I just played video games and did nothing. What a luxury.
It’s time to refocus on what is truly important.
Having a full calendar is not something to be proud of. Having an empty one is.
Being the single person performing a critical task is not bravery. Automating the task with software is.
To consume is not the highest virtue. To invest is.
Let nature be our role model:
Be the cat that is relaxing all day.
Be the tree that doesn’t produce any fruit in the winter.
Stop being a slave, and start living.
In a few days, a new decade will start. Take charge, and make the most of it.
I love building new habits. Also, breaking them. Here are the best ones I started in 2019:
Guided journaling Every morning, I do guided journaling, using the Stoic Routine App. It helps me to reflect, letting off steam and re-focus on what is truly important. I’m practicing this for a full year now, and the benefits are great.
The two week project I’ve started dividing my work into one or two week, singular projects. Having just one project is a great way to get meaningful work done. During a project, I don’t do anything else for the first 3-6 hours of a work day. Only after that do I take care of random busywork. This has helped me to tackle several things I have been dreading and putting off (some of them for months and years). And like with cleaning the basement, the hardest part is getting started.
Weekend planning Each Friday evening, I take a blank sheet of paper, and make a plan for the weekend. What needs to get done or repaired in the household? What fun things could we do? What special wishes does anyone have? Unstructured weekends have been a major pain point for me, and this small habit fixed it: we clean, we repair, we have fun, we relax. What a great joy to spend weekends like this.
Saying no to inbox zero I’ve stopped paying so much attention to my inboxes. I still clean them out occasionally, especially when I’m blocked, sick, or otherwise unmotivated. The rest of the time I cherry pick the most important things, and leave the rest. Instead, I focus on the most important tasks at hand and try to do them well. The bottom line is this: When you’re 80 years old, you won’t regret that you haven’t spent more time in your inbox.
Renegotiate my commitments My task lists have a tendency to be full, and get fuller over time. It’s important to regularly review and renegotiate. Delete things. Move things to Someday/Maybe. Move the timeframe. The same is true for all other commitments: If you feel you lose control or are overwhelmed, then renegotiate. I have become much better at this, and want to improve even more.
What are the best habits that you recently started? Let me know on Twitter.
Four words. This is the simplest and most useful decision making concept I have come across. I reflect on it regularly and it helps me to say “no” with more conviction.
If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, say “no”.
When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than “Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!” — then say “no.”
When you say no to most things, you leave room in your life to really throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say “HELL YEAH!”
Both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates agree that “focus” is the single most important success factor.
Steve Jobs famously said: “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”
I hope you find this idea as useful as I do. “Hell Yes, or No!”
My hard disc was almost full, so I was faced with a choice: buy more space or clean up. I chose to do a cleaning session and now have 40% free space. Here’s how I did it.
Clean up iTunes Here I found the most potential. I stopped the syncing of podcasts with my iPhone and deleted all podcast episodes. I also deleted all synced iPhone apps, and backups of old devices. This alone saved 50+ GB.
A clean up with CleanMyMac On Twitter [thank you Philippe] I was recommended to buy CleanMyMac. I did and it turned out to be a very useful piece of software. Helped me clean another 30+ GB. It found old junk such as old software updates that were never deleted. It helped me uninstall unused software and visualize which folders use how much space. It also has a useful updater, to auto-update all the software on your Mac.
Deleted duplicate files with Gemini Then I bought Gemini, an intelligent duplicate file finder. It let me sort all duplicates by size. I then manually reviewed, and then deleted the largest 100-200 files out of the ~3000 files it found. This saved another 10+ GB.
General cleanup I went through old folders and found lots of things worth deleting. As a bonus, I also deleted my old bookmark collection. I haven’t used it in years and many links were broken/outdated anyways.
My time investment was 4-5 hours. My Mac feels faster and has 200+ GB of free space. Mission accomplished!
This video takes us on a journey to the end of time, trillions of years into the future, to discover what the fate of our planet and our universe may ultimately be.
Fascinating, truly fascinating!
[Thank you Adrian Hilti for pointing me to this video.]
Marketing and spam calls are annoying. A great way to block them is by installing a spam blocker app on your phone.
I am using Truecaller and also the local.ch app to block spam calls. Depending on where you live there might be other local blockers to complement Truecaller which works globally.
I enjoy taking occasional power naps after lunch or in the afternoon. I rarely fall asleep, but when I do, it really is refreshing.
One tool I discovered are Binaural Beats:
A binaural beat is an auditory illusion perceived when two different pure-tone sine waves, both with frequencies lower than 1500 Hz, with less than a 40 Hz difference between them, are presented to a listener dichotically (one through each ear).
For example, if a 530 Hz pure tone is presented to a subject’s right ear, while a 520 Hz pure tone is presented to the subject’s left ear, the listener will perceive the auditory illusion of a third tone, in addition to the two pure-tones presented to each ear. The third sound is called a binaural beat.
I am using this free 30 minute “Earth Peace” track (via Aubrey Marcus). This track helps me relax and increases my chance of falling asleep.
Keep in mind that you need to set an alarm (for example for 15 or 30 minutes). Or else you might find yourself sleeping for 2 hours, disrupting your day and sleep schedule.
