Paying invoices manually is a waste of time. Instead, I apply the principle “eliminate or automate” to get rid of as many invoice payments as possible. Whenever I get an invoice, I do a quick check: Can I add a credit card? Do they offer a direct debit option? (When in doubt, I ask customer…
Category: Happiness
Disable your notifications
For many years of iPhone usage, I became a victim of The Power of Defaults. I didn’t question the notification settings. Then it dawned on me: I can change them! So I did. My new default is inspired by Zero-based budgeting. I went through all notifications and disabled most of them: Sounds? Gone. Badges? Gone….
Top five regrets of the dying
A nurse has compiled the top five regrets of the dying. I have read the summary often, and I also plan to read the book. I’m drawn to such insights, because they help me to break out of my day to day routine and help me re-focus on what is truly important. Here are the…
Stop wasting your attention
Ever since reading The 4-Hour Workweek a decade ago I started applying the Low-Information Diet and stopped following the news: no newspapers, no news websites, no news on TV. The principle is simple: Quit the news. If it’s important enough you will hear about it from the people around you. In most cases, you won’t…
10 Life Lessons from Navy SEAL training
Here are ten lessons from William H. McRaven’s 2014 commencement address, which I can highly recommend to watch. 10 Life Lessons from Basic SEAL training: 1. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.“If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.” 2….
Zero-based budgeting
Simplify your life by using this powerful principle: Remove something completely. Then add back what you miss. Instead of “I want to use Facebook less often”, remove it completely and then add the elements back that you miss. Instead of “Let’s keep this, because I might need it someday”, get rid of it now and…
I (almost) bought a Tesla Model S
As a fellow Mustachian, I am quite proud to not own a car. I save a ton of money and headaches. But I have my weak moments. One such period was last summer. I convinced myself to buy a used Tesla Model S. I went through the whole process: research, comparison, test drive, negotiation. Similar…
Contemplating Mortality
It’s healthy to reflect on the nature of impermanence, especially our human mortality. The Stoics recommend to prepare for your own death every day. During one of my daily reflections, I looked it up. Each day, 150,000 humans die. That means that in 2019, more than 50 million people will die. It’s good to remember…
Asking big questions
As the year is coming to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to ask some big questions. I recommend to do it in writing: Which people in my life are toxic? How can I reduce contact with them? Which relationships do I want to nourish? Am I investing my time & energy into the things…
The constantly evolving morning routine
I’m a big fan of morning routines, because they help me get a good start into the day. However, they are never static. As my life progresses and evolves, so do my mornings. Here is the current version: I get up at 06:45 I read the daily teaching in The Daily Stoic book (German version) I do…