On a journey to find the good life: health, wealth, love, and happiness.
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.
Bye bye spam calls!
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.
Wikipedia
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.
I have been using my Bose QuietComfort 20 for several years. I use them on planes, on trains, in co-working spaces, and even to help me sleep.
I discovered that they are actually quite comfortable to sleep with.
I don’t use them often to sleep. When needed, they worked very well. Noisy neighbors, having to sleep during daytime, or having jet lag. All great use cases.
Here’s today’s idea: Consider sleeping with noise cancelling headphones. (Or consider buying a pair, if you don’t have any yet.)
I love reading books. However, if I go too fast and read through too many books, I have trouble remembering what I learned. Also, I want to avoid chasing the “number of books” I have read. It doesn’t mean anything.
That’s why I really liked the idea by Rolf Dobelli of reading each book a second time, right after finishing it for the first time.
I started doing that and I really like it. The learning is much deeper. I discover things I didn’t catch for the first time. And it slows down the process of chasing the “next book”. All positive and healthy effects.
So here’s today’s idea: Read books twice!
In my last post I talked about the key principles of value investing.
The one principle I keep using almost daily is the “Margin of Safety” principle. It’s such a powerful concept that I try to apply it almost everywhere in my life, especially to time management.
When I have an appointment, I give myself a margin of 10 to 30 minutes. Often, I take an earlier train. When going to the airport, I usually have 1-2 hours of extra margin.
When nothing goes wrong, this margin gives me more time to walk around and listening to audio. And when things go wrong, I (usually) still make it on time.
Phrases like “How much margin of safety do I need?” or “My margin of safety is shrinking” have become regular phrases of my self-talk.
I also apply it to clothing (always carrying an extra layer) or power (always having a powerbank with me).
That is what I like about universal principles like these. You can apply them not only in investing, but also in life.
A friend recently suggested to use the “Downtime” feature in the iPhone’s Screen Time settings.
When enabled, all your apps are blocked, except for the ones on your “Always Allowed” list.
How to enable “Downtime”:
1. Go to Settings
2. Go to Screen Time
3. Go to Downtime
4. Enable Downtime and customize settings
5. Go back to Screen Time
6. Go to Always Allowed and choose apps you want at all times
My personal downtime is from 20:45 to 06:00. From then on I only allow Audible, Podcasts, Calendar, and some other utilities. Everything else is blocked.
My expectations weren’t very high, and I was positively surprised. I really like this feature. Especially that all notifications and badges are hidden.
Also, in “emergencies”, it’s very easy to allow an additional 15 minutes for a particular app. I like the “opt in” aspect of it. There is a hurdle, but you can get your thing done if you really need to.
[Thank you for this suggestion, Denis Nordmann]
I enjoyed the recent TEDxBasel 2019. Here are my notes:
Choose your priorities
Make health and happiness your main priority. Who would enjoy success or wealth without being healthy or happy?
Tips from a Michelin-starred chef
Use a cooking apron. It will transform your mindset and you’ll feel like a chef. Try cooking with tea. Use lots of nuts. Always use salt, even for sweet dishes.
The benefits of walking
Martin Vosseler is a physician and walked more than 40’000 km in his life, and he continues to walk 3000 km per year. Some of the benefits he experienced: it keeps you healthy; you connect with Earth and the Universe; you meet a lot of people; you experience a lot of love and generosity; it’s a very sustainable and earth-compatible mode of travel. It reminds me of my Just Walk habit I started a few years ago.
Will I buy the new AirPods? The short answer is: No. Should you buy the new AirPods? The short answer is: Yes. (If you don’t own any yet.)
I bought my AirPods exactly two years ago. To be honest, I was reluctant to buy them. I have been pretty happy with my regular headphones, and was used to the daily untangling ritual. Also, another device you need to charge. And another item in your pocket. Really?
Then I kept reading/hearing positive reviews about them. Most people were surprised how good they were, and recommended the purchase.
So I took the plunge. Today, I can confidently say: It was one of the best sub-$200 purchases I have done in the past two years. I use them every day.
Also, I don’t feel weird anymore. In the first few months, not many people had them, so I stood out. These days, you see them everywhere. But still, I’m surprised how many iPhone users I know that don’t have them yet.
That’s why I’m writing this post, to promote a great product. By the way, dear entrepreneurs, this is what true product/market fit looks like: people can’t stop talking about your product.
Why I love AirPods:
By now, you should have learned that audio is “titanically important“. Therefore, I highly recommend that you get your pair of AirPods (or some equivalent high-quality wireless headphones, if you don’t have an iPhone). You won’t be disappointed.
Want to see the new AirPods in action? Here’s a video review by Marques Brownlee.
Do you want to spend less money than you earn, so you can save more, invest more, and ultimately achieve financial freedom?
Then I suggest you pay attention to the Cost per Use Principle:
For each material possession (especially the most expensive ones), calculate and minimize your cost per use.
Crave a swimming pool? Then interview someone who owns a pool and calculate his cost per use. It could be twenty dollars per swim.
Want to go on vacation with an RV? Then calculate the cost per night and compare it with a regular rental car in combination with hotels/motels/bungalows. The RV rental alone can easily be 100-150 EUR per day. Gas, campsite fees, parking, and additional public transportation not included. A regular rental car costs 20-25 EUR per day, with much less gas expenses. That leaves 75-130 EUR per night for the accommodation and parking. I love renting RVs myself, but you just have to be aware that more often than not, it’s the more expensive option.
Want to buy a Tesla with the largest battery pack and performance package? Compare the cost per kilometer with a smaller battery and regular performance. And then compare it with a pre-owned one. I talked to people who ended up paying more than $2 per kilometer ($3.22 per mile). So if I ever would buy a Tesla (I almost did), I’d do a careful calculation and try to bring my cost per kilometer down as much as possible.
Do your parents own a vacation home? You’d be surprised how much they pay per night if they don’t use it often. For the same money, they could often stay at 4 or 5 star hotels, and not always go to the same place.
I am aware that this is a purely financial perspective. You might want to consider convenience, quality of life, potential appreciation of assets, potential rental income, and other factors that are important to you.
Even more important than that is to make sure to consider the total and true cost of ownership of anything you own. Including maintenance, insurance, storage, opportunity cost of invested capital, your own time, people you need to hire, hassles/headaches, and all other directly and indirectly related expenses.
Of course, the most efficient cost per use is zero. This is achieved by either getting your things for free, or not buying them at all. Here are some hacks:
Hack #1: Instead of buying something, put it on your wishlist and wait for 48 hours. Often, your purchase impulse fades away. Example: Last year, I considered buying an electric moped. I ended up not buying it, and am using my bicycle (in combination with mobility-as-a-service options) ever since.
Hack #2: Force yourself to sell or give away one item before you are allowed to purchase another. Advanced: Give away two or more for each new one.
Hack #3: Make it a habit to buy things used. Example: I recently needed more teaspoons, so I went to a thrift store and bought some for a fraction of the price at IKEA.
Last year, I increased my iPhone cycle from 2 to 3 years, bringing my cost per day down by 33%. If I increase it to 3.5 years, 6 months after the introduction of a new model, I’d be able to buy it second-hand, decreasing my cost per use even further.
This is a powerful principle, and I hope that it will serve you as well as it did me.
[Hat tip to Mr. Money Mustache]
Prolonged sitting increases the risk of multiple health conditions. Sitting is so normal for us that we seldom question it. I know I don’t.
I believe it’s useful to increase awareness and help battle our cultural sitting obsession. Here are some ideas:
Read while standing
I’ve recently started to read in a standing position. And I quite like it. I just put the book (or iPad) on a cleared shelf and read. Why haven’t I thought of this sooner?
Move every hour
Research has shown that moving 2–3 minutes at regular intervals lessens the harmful effects of inactivity. My Oura Ring sends me a push notification each hour if I don’t move. I receive many of those notifications! (Which has increased my awareness of this problem.)
Get a standing or treadmill desk
You can get a standing or even a treadmill desk. I’ve never used one, but I’d love to try it.
Take a walk with an audiobook
This is one of my favorite activities. You are outside, you move, and you learn.
Do a 7 minute workout in the morning
Most of us don’t move enough. There is no excuse for not doing a 4 min Tabata or 7 minute workout in the morning. You can do it anywhere, even in your underwear…
Earn your play time
Love to play an occasional game or surf social media? Then earn it! Do a set of squats, pushups or burpees before you are allowed to indulge. Recently, I got addicted to a new game, and after each 5-10 min round I did a set. “Getting fit by gaming”, it’s a whole new mindset. It felt pretty awesome.
Have other ideas? Let me know on Twitter.