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 iTunesHere I found the most potential. I stopped the syncing of podcasts with my iPhone and…
Tag: Simplify
Why I stopped drinking alcohol
This thread reminded me that it is now 10 years since I stopped drinking alcohol. I haven’t had one drop since. Sometimes people ask me: Why not just one glass? Why stop completely? Why not enjoy life? The simple answer is: It simplified my life. It’s easier to quit something 100% than 98%. It eliminates…
How to Block Spam Calls
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…
Will I Buy the New Apple AirPods?
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…
The Cost per Use Principle
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…
Zero Browser Tab Policy
Open browser tabs are just another nagging reminder of unfinished work. I used to have 5-10 open tabs on my laptop and 50-100 open tabs on my phone. It served as my reading list, my video list, things I was researching. It didn’t feel right. And it was a source of anxiety. Then, I implemented…
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…
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…
The benefits of going offline
I recently returned from a vacation in Italy, spending two weeks completely offline. The benefits of going offline: Old habits are broken. No Facebook, no Twitter, no checking emails, no wasting time. More time to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Experiencing the true benefits of the internet: Google Maps, Wikipedia, Google, messaging apps. These were the services I missed…