Jiko Kaizen

The downsides of social media

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 18:30:00 GMT

For a very long time I've been hesitant to take a definitive stance on social media. I would say something along the lines of "Social media are tools, and it depends on how you use them."

What I meant is that for the majority of people, they could decide to use social media in w way that does not harm them, or makes them addictive. However, as I'll demonstrate in this article, I no longer think it's true. I think that social media bring no value to humans. Let me outline the problems I found with social media.

They dehumanize humans

I was thinking the other day about the amount of people who read my tweets. On average, I get anywhere between 100 and 300 views. You could read this and be like "meh, what a looser." Sure thing, in terms of social media outreach, I'm no one. But consider this.

An average classroom, at least in my youth, was about 30 children. A cohort could consist of 3 to 4 classes. This makes between 90 and 120 students in a single year group. Now imagine yourself standing in front of a cohort in your school and delivering a message to all those students. This would terrify most of the people.

But in terms of social media, it's nothing. Most people dream to be on a stage with thousands of listeners in order to deliver their speech, yet on social media 2000 views is considered lame. I don't know of a single person who was able to deliver his message, in person, to more than tens of thousands of people at the same time without the use of social media.

Social media dehumanize others. As posters, we view people as "views" and "likes". Just a number. We don't think that behind every number there is a living being, similar, yet completely different to us. They have their own story, and experience emotions while reading/viewing your content online. Yet, for us, they are just a number.

And we are to them just text. Cyberbullying is a known phenomenon in social media. Sure, it happens in real life too. But at least in real life you get to see the consequences of your actions. You learn that you hurt another human being. In social media, we see no face or emotions. It's just a text.

And so, everything that makes you human in real life, is taken away when you participate in social media.

They condition us

The phrase "social media is addictive" is thrown a lot. But I believe that social media is not only addictive, but it's a conditioning tool. It shapes the way we think and act. Phenomena such as "phantom notifications" are a good example. A phantom notification is an imaginary feeling that you've heard a notification pop up on your phone. Some people experience it with vibrations while having their phone in their pockets.

Prolonged exposure to social media also changes the way we think. Since most social media algorithms try to expose your to information that they think you like -- through metrics such as viewing time of content, or interactions with the content -- they create a feedback loop where you will see more and more information about the same topic, thus changing the way you think. News have similar effect. Since news tend to portray negative events only, studies have shown that people who consume news on a regular basis, are more paranoid in life.

And this is the danger with social media. If you accidentally made the algorithm think that you like a conspiracy theory about how oxygen is bad for you, you will continue to be fed such content. This will, eventually, condition your belief about the world and your relationship with oxygen. And trust me, there is a dark corner on social media for every conspiracy theory.

They build destroy communities

But the worst part of social media is that they managed to deceive as all.

According to a statistic from Our world in data loneliness is on the rise. I've read somewhere that we are the loneliest generation that ever lived. People struggle to build connections, find partners, and create communities. Despite the fact that we have access to people all around the world.

Why? Because social media lied to us all. The lie is in their name: social media. They portray themselves as tools to build connections and create communities. A replacement to real life social interactions. But there is no correlation between social connections in real life and social media.

Social media is all about you. I saw a report that selfies get more likes than posts about nature or whatever. Thus conditioning you further into focusing everything around yourself. You become a narcissist. But that's not how you build social interactions in real world.

In real life you have friends, but in social media you have digital numbers. You do not associate humans to these numbers, because it's impossible. How can you imagine hundreds of people? Nobody has that many friends. Yet, on social media it's possible.

And the FOMO, fear of missing out, is understood in reverse. Before social media, I would meet with my friends in real life, and we would discuss past week events. Everyone would share a story from their lives. Somebody had an interesting situation at work, someone else just came back from a trip. We could sit all evening and talk about our lives.

Social media convinced us that we need to get information in real time. But the effect is the opposite. Now, when you meet people who you follow on Instagram, and whose posts you've seen while they were on vacation, there is nothing to talk about. You saw all the pictures, read all their thoughts and emotions. Maybe even had a "conversation" in comments.

So no, they don't build connections, they actually destroy them, and there is nothing social in social networks.

The Maya Civilization

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Coincidentally, but Guatemala turns out to be the cradle of the Mayan civilization. From there, Maya expanded north to Mexican regions of Chiapas and Yucatán, and south down to the border of Costa Rica.

Armed with that knowledge, I visited two national parks: Yaxha (pronounced as Yash-ah), and Tikal (the biggest and most powerful Mayan city).

Mayan's civilization had vast knowledge in astronomy, architecture, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics. And I want to introduce you to Maya through some numbers.

0 - Mayans were the first civilization to use the zero. This allowed them to count to very high numbers, as well as perform complex calculations.
1 - the one god that Maya believed in. Contrary to popular belief, Mayans were monotheistic. The other “gods” such as fire, crops, water, etc—are in reality energies.
3 - the 3 worlds the Maya believed in: underworld, our world, and next life. Maya believed in life after death.
5 - the 5 ceremonial days per year the Maya had. In addition to that, the Mayan calendar had 18 months with 20 days per month. If you do the math, together with the 5 ceremonial days, you will see that Mayan year was 365 days.

There are still descendants of Maya living in the highlands of Guatemala. There are 22 Mayan languages left. But the knowledge they possessed—is long gone. Big thanks to bishop Diego de Landa from Spain, who burned the majority of the Mayan books.

Why did the Mayan disappear? 3 main reasons:

Over population. Tikal alone believed to have population between 1.5 to 2 million.
Deforestation. Sustaining big cities, required burning wood. Maya were among the first civilizations to use mortar, which required a lot of fire to make.
Deforestation lead to droughts, which lead to diseases, and civil wars. In addition to that, the soil was exhausted and not suitable for crops anymore. Most Mayan cities were abandoned, and survivors moved to highlands.

It was a great civilization that existed for more than 3000 years (from 2000 B.C. to 1519 A.D.).

The slow demise of the Mayan civilization, and the problem they faced—might be sign to what awaits us.

3 months of nomading

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 20:00:00 GMT

It’s been 3 months of #nomading the world and #solopreneuring. Here is what I learned.

1. Communities are hard to build

Communities rely on a mass of people in order to operate well. Websites like Reddit, are useless if you have 2 users. Focus on building a product you can sell to one person.

2. Build it and they will come—is a lie

There are endless amounts of tools out there. Chances are you never heard about them. Building a profitable product, requires you to either do ads (which I don’t like), or have a brand/following (newsletter, LinkedIn, twitter, mastodon).

3. Solopreneurship is not only coding

It’s design, marketing, promotion, customer support, and sales. If you don’t want to do all that, don’t become a solopreneur.

4. Consistency wins

If you keep going, you will eventually win. Failures are inevitable, but they are temporary as long as you keep going. You only fail when you quit.

I’m sitting in an airport once again, this time it’s a domestic flight to see Mayan ruins. And I have plans to keep on going no matter how hard it is. I really don’t want to come back to a traditional workplace anymore.

Hiking volcano Acatenango

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT

While [[digital-nomad-on-antigua|nomading in Antigua]], I couldn't help myself and find the most crazy adventure you can do there. Hiking volcano Acatenango—was that adventure for me.

Acatenango

Acatenango is a stratovolcano that is joined with Fuego volcano, and together they form a complex known as La Horqueta. Acatenango last erupted in December 1972, and is now considered dormant. Fuego, on the other hand, is active and throws ash and lava every 15–30 minutes.

Hiking Acatenango requires 2 days. Some people do overnight hike, when you start ascending at night, and descent in the morning. But I did the regular overnight hike.

Finding a tour operator

Like many activities in Guatemala, hiking Acatenango on your is dangerous. Even though Acatenango is a national park, the hike goes through corn fields before you reach the entrance to the national park. And it's known that robberies occur on such roads. So it's always important to hike with an organized group.

There are many tour operators located in Antigua. I'm not going to cover all of them, but I'll write a bit about the one I went with.

Wicho & Charlie's

W&C is tour operator that does Acatenango hike. They are located in Antigua, and they are very cool.

Firstly, they have the best base camp location among all operators. You sleep inside a hut, and not a tent, and the windows of the hut overlook Fuego. This is very handy as you can stay in the comfort of your sleeping bag, while observing the eruptions from Fuego.

Secondly, they provide gear rental. You can rent everything from them, although I would not recommend renting clothes. My wife and I, had all the clothes we needed, but we did rent backpacks and hiking poles. They have a relatively good selection of gear, and I was happy to see Osprey backpacks available.

Thirdly, they provide you with food. Their food is vegan/vegetarian, which might be a bummer for some, but as a meat eater—I enjoyed their meals. And you have to carry your food, which is a nice bonus for me since I came for the adventure, and the suffering.

Note: you can pay a porter to carry your backpack. I find it useless, as carrying my own gear is part of the challenge for me.

Lastly, their guides are very experienced and speak English.

I highly recommend you check them out at Whicho & Charlie's.

The first day

The day starts at W&C office where you will have breakfast, rent the necessary gear, and have a briefing. At around 9am, you will board a bus from Antigua, and will be taken to a small town called Aldea La Soledad. The town is located at 2200 meters, and there you will start your ascent at around 10:30 am.

The ascent takes between 4 and 6 hours, and is very steep. You will cross some corn fields, and after about 1 hour you will reach the entrance to the national park. From there, the ascent will continue, and you will pass a cloud forest, and an arctic forest, before reaching the base camp at 3600 meters.

Temperature will change drastically. You will start, hopefully, during a sunny day—and will end up in a very cold environment. So it's very important to have at least 3 layers and a waterproof jacket. During my hike we had rain, so the waterproof jacket was very helpful.

After reaching the base camp, you will have two options: (1) rest and (2) ascent Fuego.

Option 1: Ascending Fuego

The ascent on Fuego starts at 4 pm, so you have to reach the base camp by that time. Keep in mind that if until that point the hike was hard for you, Fuego ascend will be much harder. It's a 4-hour hike (in addition to the 4 to 6 hours you already did), which goes down a bit, and then turns into a very, very steep ascend on gravel road.

Neither me nor my wife did Fuego ascent. When we arrived at the base camp, it was very cloudy with zero visibility of Fuego. From the people in our group who did Fuego ascent, we understood that they saw nothing.

Option 2: Rest and recharge

If you decide to skip Fuego, you will be given some time to rest and recharge. You will be able to chill near a fireplace, and at 8 pm you will have dinner before going to sleep. By that time, the group that decided to ascent Fuego—should be back already.

Day 2

As with the first day, here too, you have two options.

Option 1 - be ready at 4 am sharp

The base camp is located at 3600 meters, while the summit of Acatenango is at 3976 meters. After getting some sleep (which will be very minimal, trust me), you will have the option to be ready at 4 am for a summit sunrise hike. The summit hike takes about 2 hours, of which you will spend about 20–30 minutes at the top, meeting the sunrise.

Nobody from our group did that. We set our alarms for 3:40 am, but woke up to the sound of intense rain hitting our metal roof. So. Option 2.

Options 2 - meet the sunrise at the base camp

The second option is to wake up whenever. However, if you want to meet the sunrise, you need to be awake at around 5 am. Which we did, and it was amazing! All the rain ended, the clouds cleared, and we had an incredible opportunity to witness an unobstructed Fuego and a few eruptions.

It's easily one of the most magic views I ever saw. Being there, at 3600 meters, high above the clouds, near an active volcano.

Then at around 7 am you will have breakfast, and start to descend. The way down is much easier, and takes about 2 hours. By around 10-11 am you are back at Aldea La Soledad, and by 12 am—1 pm you are back at W&C office to return the rental gear and go rest.

Frequently mentioned questions

I'm a very organized person. And I care deeply about my life and my health. Therefore, before attempting (most of) crazy adventures in my life—I do a proper research. This time was no different. And so I want to address some common questions you might have, because from what I read online it's the hardest thing people ever did, and you can die from altitude sickness.

How difficult it is?

As I said, some people online claimed this hike to be the hardest things they ever did. I know that people like to exaggerate, but I rely on reviews and opinions online, so here is mine.

Neither my wife nor I are in athletic shape. My wife does a lot of yoga; I do gym and boxing. Neither of us are runners. We do like walking though.

This hike was challenging. The ascent is constant, and you get about 15-20 minute section of flatness. It's a total of about 1600 meters of elevation gain. Our calf muscles were hurting for the next 3 days. But it's far from the hardest thing I ever did in my life.

It's doable if you are somewhat active, and in shape. I highly recommend you get hiking poles. I usually oppose hiking poles, but during this hike they were very useful both on the way up, and the way down. The soil is very soft, and it's raining often, so additional points of contact are helpful.

It's also worth noting that none of us did either of the summits. Maybe if you do the summit, it will be the hardest thing in your life.

Weather

I want to say a few words about the weather. From my understanding, August is the beginning of rainy season. We had rain on the way up, and it was raining all night. It also got very cold on the top. I don't know what temperature it was, but I suspect it dropped below zero Celsius. Keep in mind that different seasons will have different weather.

Can you get altitude sickness?

I don't know. I'm not a doctor. I used my Apple Watch to measure SpO2, and the lowest I got was 88% (everything below 95% is considered dangerous, according to internet experts). Keep in mind that Apple Watch is not as accurate as a dedicated blood oxygen measuring device.

Technically, you can get altitude sickness above 2500 meters. It's recommend that you stay in Antigua for a few days before attempting the hike, since Antigua is located at 1500 meters. This can give you some time to get used to the altitude.

The other thing that I know, is that when you summit Kilimanjaro—which is 5895 meters—the guides carry blood oxygen measuring devices, and supplemental oxygen. Neither of this was carried by our guides, and so I assume altitude sickness is not that big of an issue on Acatenango.

From our group only one girl had symptoms of dizziness on the way up. But she hiked Pacaya (2550 meters) the day before, which is in my opinion—not a smart thing to do.

If you have any concerns, consult with your doctor and the tour agency. It's also recommended to take a day of rest before the hike. And stay hydrated. The group is moving in a relatively slow pace, and the guides make sure everyone is doing okay.

Happy hiking.

Digital Nomading in Antigua, Guatemala

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 23:30:00 GMT

After leaving [[costra-rica-as-digital-nomad|Costa Rica]], I arrived at my next destination—Guatemala. But not the capital. Instead, I went straight to Antigua Guatemala.

The capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City, is considered very dangerous, and many recommend you go straight to Antigua. Antigua is a small city built in a Spanish colonial style. It's located about 1-hour drive from Guatemala City, and it's a very vibrant city. The moment I arrived, I fell in-love with. Why?

Antigua ❤️

The 10-minute city

Firstly—it's very walkable. I really appreciate small and compact cities. I call such cities—the 10-minute cities. Why 10-minute? Because everything you need is located 10-minute away by feet. Gym, grocery store, restaurants, yoga studios. All 10-minute away.

In addition to that, Antigua is built in squares. All streets cross each other at a 90-degree angle. This means that navigating the city becomes very easy. Third left, second right—and you got where you need.

I really like this style of urban planning.

Nomad friendly

Secondly, Antigua is very nomad friendly. It has a big community of digital nomads, and a good amount of cool places to work from (see #Recommendations). And the coffee, oh the coffee! It's so great!

The scenery

Antigua is located between 4 volcanoes: Agua (my favorite), Pacaya, Acatenango and Fuego. You walk in this small and compact city, and on the horizon you see these amazing volcanoes. I don't know about you, but living surrounded by volcanoes—is something special.

Travels

However, my stay in Antigua wasn't limited to the city itself. Throughout the month I lived there, my wife and I traveled to some cool places.

Cerro de La Cruz

It's a small viewing point, located about 25-minutes walk from the center. From there you get an amazing view on Antigua as well as all the volcanoes.

Hiking Pacaya

Pacaya is a volcano not far from Antigua. It's considered active, however there is no lava, and according to our guide—it's safe. The hike itself is not hard, and you climb to around 2300 m. If you are in Antigua, I highly recommend you do this hike.

Hobbitenango

Hobbitenango is a small resort built in the style of Lord of the Rings. It's located about 45 minutes drives from Antigua, and they have daily shuttles. I've been to Hobbiton in New Zealand—which is the original shooting location of The Shire from LOTR—but I must admit I liked Hobbitenango way more. It has more LOTR vibe, as it contains a restaurant, a brewery, and a lot of activities such as arrow shooting. Also, the fact that you explore it on your own—and not with a guide as in Hobbiton—means you can spend more time there, and enjoy the scenery. Highly recommended!

Hiking Acatenango

There is a different post [[hiking-acatenango|Hiking Acatenango]] which you can check for the full experience, but in few words—I highly recommend you do it. It's a very challenging hike, but worth it.

Recommendations

Artista de Cafe - My absolute favorite coffee place and working location. They have amazing coffee, and are usually filled with digital nomads. A bit on the expensive side.
Serve Hope Cafe - A really cool café and working location. They have a nice rooftop. You can either work in the public café area, or rent a dedicated co-working table / meeting room.
Union Cafe - A hipstery café for breakfast and/or lunch. I also saw some people working from there.
La Bodegona - A huge supermarket with everything you need. I usually bought all my groceries there.
Orgánica - A small organic food store.
Antiguas Gym - The gym I went to. Very good, has all the equipment and free weights. If you are into boxing, there is a Japanese guy named Cazu who does personal boxing sessions there. Reach out to the gym and ask for Cazu.
Shakti Shala Yoga Studio - If you are into yoga, my wife highly recommends this yoga studio.

Summary

I never heard about Antigua, but I'm glad I went there. It's easily one of my favorite cities, and I'll definitely come back there. The small buildings in Spanish style; the local population with their traditional outfits; the volcanoes—all this makes Antigua very special.

Right now I'm on Lake Atitlan (I'll post about it as well, so stay tuned), and will be back to Antigua for a few more days. But I'm glad I stayed a month there.

Release Ratio

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 17:00:00 GMT

You know that feeling when you finish yet another self-development book, and all excited about your “new you”, but as days pass, nothing happens? Or worse, you get fatigued?

I might have an answer for you. And no, it’s not a course, or a masterclass. Just sharing wisdom.

A while back ago, I read an interesting blog post. The author was talking about the ratio of consumption and creation.

Imagine that your brain is a bucket. And every time you consume, this bucket fills up. And when you consume too much, like a real bucket, it will explode or overflow.

Consumption is mostly passive: reading books/articles/newsletters, watching YouTube/reels, listening to podcasts, attending self-help seminars, etc.

And the only way to empty the bucket, is through a release valve called “creation”.

Creation is active: writing a blog post, building a software, speaking at conferences, teaching, journaling, etc.

Consumption is useless, unless you do some creation with it.

Here is the blog post I was talking about https://moretothat.com/release-ratio/

Memento Mori

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 02:40:00 GMT

In Latin, there is a phrase "memento mori", which translates to "remember that you [have to] die". It's used in many philosophical texts in Christianity as well as stoicism.

The idea behind the phrase is the inevitability of death. By reminding yourself, every day, that you will die—you start to appreciate life more. And I see it in two lights.

The first one, is that nothing matters. Your problems today, your struggles—don't matter, because eventually you are going to die. And if you are going to die, then why bother worrying today?

And the other light is that everything matters. Because you are going to die, and you don't know when—you need to appreciate what you have. You need to be more brave and take more risks in order to live the life you want to live. Because you might not have chance to start tomorrow.

Since the day I've started this journey of indefinite travel, while building my own business, and working on my body and mind—I wanted to remember Memento Mori. I was thinking to maybe get a tattoo with that phrase, but I'm 34, and I never had tattoos before. I don't think it's the best age to get the first one.

Then I was thinking about an amulet with a skull, which is a very common motif of memento mori. But I already have an amulet, and I don't want to get another one.

Ring was another option. Maybe with a writing or an image of skull. But I don't like rings, and the only ring I wear is my wedding ring.

Bracelet became the favorite choice. However, it was hard to find a bracelet with this phrase. Memento mori is not that popular in Central America.

But today I finally found it. I found a local merchant, decedent of Maya. He made me this bracelet, from scratch. In front of my eyes. It was fascinating.

I now wear it as constant reminder—Memento Mori.

Apple watch—a curse or a blessing?

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 22:45:00 GMT

From my observations, the pandemic has been one of the best times for Apple as a company. Everyone around me switched to Apple. I also did the switch and got myself an iPhone and Apple Watch.

The functionality that Apple Watch provides, is enormous. For starters, I never missed a meeting with the Apple Watch. A glance at the time, would also provide me with my next meeting. Apart from that, the ability to RSVP to meetings, approve two-factor authentications, and monitor my heart rate - were very comfortable additions.

However, as time passed, I lost enthusiasm toward Apple Watch. Instead of a productivity tool, I started to feel like it’s an electronic handcuff. I’d wear it first thing in the morning, and it was the last thing in the evening I’d remove from my body before sleeping. The constant buzzing and vibrations, also drove me nuts.

And so, when I quit my job, the first thing I did - was to stop wearing Apple Watch. I no longer have meetings that I can miss, and honestly, everything else I can do on my phone anyway.

Today, after few days that it was lying around, I powered it off, and tucked away in one of my electronics organizer bags. And I really don’t know what to do with it anymore.

The signs of a failing state

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Countries are living organisms. And like any living organism, they can die. But before death, they usually show signs of illness.

The 5 signs of a failing state

Sign #1 - Tearing the society

In order to turn a country, into a failing one—they first have to tear the society. People start to fight among themselves. Left blames the right. Men hate on women. Black on white. And gay on straight.

All this done on purpose. To distract you from fighting the real oppressor—the government.

Sign #2 - Oppressing the society

While the common folk are busy fighting each other, the oppressor passes oppressive laws. More surveillance. Less freedom. Taking rights. Limiting speech. Preventing mobility.

Sign #3 - Failure of bureaucracy

And while the society is oppressed, bureaucratic functions start to fail. You can't renew a passport. You're unable to open bank account. Your money is tightly controlled.

Sign #4 - Becoming a police state

Petty crime is on the rise, and police can't handle it anymore. Day-light robberies. On-street violence.

Police no longer handles this. Why would they? They are busy oppressing.

Sign #5 - Total collapse

If nothing happens, the country fails. It's totally collapsing, leading to a potential civil-war.

The collapse of the western world

If you look closely, you will see that a lot of the western countries—are showing one of these 5 signs. Countries, that 10 years ago used to be beautiful and safe, are now in a state of chaos. And they all follow the same path through these 5 signs.

On time management

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 23:40:00 GMT

During my coaching session today, I've been asked about time-management. It’s not directly related to software engineers, but time management is something that many people struggle with.

I believe that one important aspect for healthy time-management—is having a routine. Try to wake up, and go to sleep at the same time. And try to have rituals. My morning ritual includes a cup of coffee, and then hitting the gym or having a boxing session. My night ritual includes reading before I go to sleep.

Another aspect—is time blocking. I live inside my calendar, even today when I don't have a proper job. My calendar allows me to time-block different activities such as: gym, travel plans, and work on my business.

Lastly, if you feel like you waste your days, I recommend you try journaling. Journaling is a way to reflect on a day that passed, and give you credit for things you've achieved, even if your brain feels like you did nothing. If, however, it turns out you did less than expected—it allows you to plan your next day better.

By incorporating these three aspects, you can improve your time-management skills.

Evergoods CHZ 22L - A Review

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I purchased the Evergoods CHZ 22L about a few months ago, intending to use it as my daily all-around backpack. Here is my review of it.

As I mentioned in my previous review, of the [[minaal-carry-on-3-0-review|Minaal Carry-on]] backpack: I don't have access to good backpacks. I'm left at the mercy of paying big taxes and shipping fees, and hope to like the product. With the Evergoods CHZ, I must admit—I'm disappointed.

Intended use

As a preparation for my nomading in Central America (read about my first destination [[costra-rica-as-digital-nomad|Costa Rica]]), I decided to get an all-around backpack. A backpack that will be good for carrying a laptop to a co-working space; one that is good to go to the gym with; one I can hike with.

Oh, and I wanted one that is relatively packable, as during flight, I carry the [[minaal-carry-on-3-0-review|Minaal Carry-on]], and pack this backpack—inside my checked luggage.

What I like

I like the fact that the Evergoods CHZ is a good, all-around backpack. It's roomy enough for the use-cases I've mentioned above. I appreciate the fact that it has two water bottle sleeves, which means I can throw in a snack when hiking, or a tripod when doing some insta content.

It also feels well-built, and I'm not afraid to take it to hikes with me. Evergoods claim that it's water-repellent, but I didn't have the chance to test it. Under light rain, it performed well, and kept my stuff dry.

And its neutral look helps it fit in any environment.

What I don't like

Unfortunately, the list of dislikes is bigger.

I really dislike the shoulder straps. They are very tough, and painful on the shoulders. I read other people saying that they break in, but I was wearing it daily for more than 4 months—and mine are still tough.

Next, the laptop sleeve. The Minaal is very big for day-to-day use, so I was looking at a backpack that is good to travel daily with a laptop. I knew before that the laptop sleeve in the CHZ—is not awesome. But I didn't expect it to be that disappointing. It's very hard to get the laptop in and out, when the small pocket is full. And I usually carry my glasses/sunglasses in the top pocket, so it's always full.

The laptop sleeve fits both 16" and 14" MacBook Pro, but as I said, I'm disappointed with sleeve. In my next backpack, I'll be looking for a dedicated laptop compartment, like in the Minaal.

Conclusion

Overall, I find the Evergoods to be too painful for my needs. During long day hikes, when I carry a lot of water and clothes, I tend to develop shoulder pain.

As for the laptop compartment, I think that the Evergoods CPL has a better design, since it has a dedicated laptop compartment. However, if it has the same straps as the CHZ—then I'm not sure either of them would have been a good choice for me.

Short Review - Minaal Carry-on 3.0

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 23:00:00 GMT

One year ago, I purchased the Minaal Carry-on 3.0 as my carry on backpack. Here is my short review of it.

Intended use

I purchased the backpack in order to replace the traditional carry-on trolley. I find backpacks to be nicer for navigation around the airport, and they allow you to have your hands free. I was looking for a spacious backpack that can house some clothes, as well as electronics such as laptop.

Please note: I don't one-bag. In most of the cases, I take a standard suitcase with me, in addition to a carry-on. So this review is not from a point-of-view of someone who is one-bagging.

Where and how I used it

I used the Minaal Carry-on on two different occasions. The first time I use it, was when I was nomading in The Netherlands (you can read about it [[remote-work-in-the-netherlands-part-1|here]], and [[remote-work-in-the-netherlands-part-2|here]]). The second time—is right now. I use the backpack while nomading in Central America (you can read about my first destination [[costra-rica-as-digital-nomad|Costa Rica]]).

What I like about it

I must admit, I'm in love with this backpack. It's super comfortable, and relatively roomy (more on that later).

I like the fact that it has a dedicated laptop sleeve. It really helps with airport security, as you don't have to empty, and repack it, every time you want to take the laptop out. The laptop sleeve has a unique adjustable design, and I was able to fit a 16" MacBook Pro, and a 14" MacBook Pro, and it felt very secure in there. Moreover, the sleeve can house small electronics such as Bluetooth keyboard, external hard drive, laptop stand, etc. I call it—the electronics compartment.

I also appreciate the secret back pocket, where you can store cash and passport without worrying that people behind you might steal it.

The backpack and the straps—are very comfortable. It's among one of the most comfortable backpacks I ever used. I also appreciate that you can clip the sternum strap, so it won't dangle when you walk.

What I don't like about it

First, the size. It is standard carry-on size, but I have a feeling that it's smaller than say an American Tourister carry-on trolley. It's not a big deal for me, and I assume Minaal wanted to fit as many airline guidelines, as possible. I have never been asked by airport stuff to measure the backpack.

The main compartment has some organization pockets, but I rarely use them. Once again, my use case is not one-bagging, so I usually carry my electronics and some clothes inside the backpack. If you one-bag, you might find the organization pockets useful.

I like the water bottle sleeve, but I really wish it had two of them. This would have been useful for carrying a tripod, for example.

Conclusion

I, usually don't have access to trying backpacks before purchase. My only approach is pay a lot for shipping, and hope I like it. In the case with Minaal—I love it.

I find it to be a prefect travel backpack, and very comfortable. I would also recommend you to get the hip-belt, as it might get a bit heavy (I like to suffer, so I don't take the backpack off my back while standing in lines).

And when storing it, you can remove the hip-belt completely, and stow away the shoulder straps—so it becomes like a small suitcase.

In summary, I'm very happy I got that backpack.

Costa Rica as Digital Nomad

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 01:00:00 GMT

As some of you might know, I've burnt out. My wife and I took our dog—and bought one way ticket to Costa Rica.

The plan? Slow travel, combined with building a sustainable business, and working on my mind, and body.

Why Costa Rica? Don't know. I think we discussed it as possible next travel destination, before the decision to nomad.

Finding accommodation, and settling in San José

Finding accommodation was tricky. We wanted a few things:

Safe and comfortable house
A good place for day-to-day life, so good kitchen, washing machine
Preferably a place with comfortable working environment
Dog friendly

Most of the accommodations outside the capital, were, how to say it... Not suitable for long term (at least a month) rental. I don't know how to describe those accommodations, but I felt that I couldn't stay there for long period, and we didn't want to move every week. Finding a pet friendly place was also a challenge that reduced the amount of options drastically. Lastly, budget might have played a role. So YMMV.

And so, after a brief discussion, we changed plan. Stay in a modern apartment in San José, and travel from there. I know that many people would not recommend staying in the capital, but considering our options, this was the best decision.

We found a perfect apartment in Guachipelin neighborhood. It had an amazing kitchen, very safe and secure. A co-working space was adjacent to the condominium. All looked good, except for one fact–it was a gated community.

Living like the rich

The first thing that our taxi driver told us upon arriving at our Airbnb is—"Ohh, very nice area. Rich people live here." We've heard this phrase multiple times from Uber drivers throughout our trip. And it did feel rich. Secure condominiums, like small gated communities. We've never been in Central, or South, America—so this sense of security was important to us.

But with this sense of security, also came a sense of inability. There was nowhere to go. We've mainly ordered groceries through Uber Eats. Going to our activities, or the city center, required an Uber. I guess it's fine if you rent a car, but we didn't. And so we felt like we were stuck there, and were very dependent on Uber.

Battling the Jet Lag

The first 4–5 days were tough. I've experienced the biggest jet-lag ever—9 hours. I would go to sleep at midday; wake-up in the middle of the night. We did try to go and explore the city, but found it to be boring, and unattractive. And I barely did any work during that period.

Mini-vacations

The idea was to live a "normal" life—work on my business, cook at home, do boxing—but take mini-vacations once in a while. The first mini-vacation we took—was the Poás Volcano. It's a day trip from the capital, and you get to see the most acidic lake in the world. I saw many volcanoes in my life (hello Iceland, and New-Zealand), so it's hard to impress me, but Poás is a very nice volcano, due to the fact it has an acidic lake in the crater. It's also considered active, with last eruption in September 2019.

The second mini-vacation was longer. We've rented a car and went around to La Fortuna, and Monteverde.

In La Fortune we visited the hot springs, which is a must-do. Night walk was also amazing, you see different animals at night. Hiking the Arenal Volcano was also a good reconnection with nature. The weather in La Fortuna was hotter, than in central valley.

Monteverde, on the other side, was colder in terms of weather. We hiked the cloud forest, which is a unique experience. And also did the zip-line, which I recommend (especially the tarzan swing, if you are an adrenaline junkie). I heard that the city itself is also very nice, but we didn't really had time to experience it, and mostly enjoyed the nature around the city, and the hot tub in Selina.

The third and final mini-vacation, was a day trip from the capital to a coffee plantation, which was organized by Britt—a local coffee producer. I really like coffee, and I enjoyed this tour very much. If you are a coffee lover, I highly recommend it.

After one month in San José, we left it, and moved to a different region.

Nosara - a "heaven" on earth

I'm always skeptical when I hear the phrases "heaven on earth", or "paradise on earth". The last time I was in such "heaven", was on one of the Gili islands in Indonesia. It was a bizarre experience: luxury accommodations for tourists, alongside destroyed local community who live in complete poverty. If this is heaven, I'm not sure if I want to get there after death.

Anyway, Nosara. Considered a blue zone, and a very popular destination among surfers, people who look for spirituality, and digital nomads.

In three words: I disliked it. It's completely unwalkable, and when it rains (which is very often)—it's covered in mud. The main transportation is ATV or a motorbike. It's extremely overpriced for what it offers. Our first accommodation was pretty far from the center, however the second one was closer to the main restaurants and activities. I didn't find many opportunities to work from cafés, and worked mainly from my Airbnb.

The drive there was also hard. It took us 5 hours to get to Nosara, and around 7 hours to get back to San José—due to car accident on the road, and insane traffic. Unless you are surfing, or like yoga (I've heard it a good place for yoga)—I'd avoid Nosara.

Back to San José

After two weeks in Nosara, we were back to San José for our final days, before leaving Costa Rica, and flying to our next destination. This time we rented an Airbnb in La Sabana area, which is a nice, central area. The condo was smaller than the one in Guachipelin, but it's fine, as the main purpose of those days—was to unwind, relax, and prepare to our next destination.

We also took a one-day trip to Manuel Antonio national park. It's nice park, you can see some animals, but the road is though. You wake up at 5 am, and back by 6-8 pm, depending on the traffic.

Conclusion

How would I sum up Costa Rica? Bear in mind that I'm judging it from a perspective of a digital nomad, a very fresh digital nomad. I don't regret going there. I think it was a good decision as a first Central American country, but I didn't find anything memorable from this trip. Yes the nature is nice. The weather is comfortable, but mostly in the capital. We felt safe there most of the time.

I didn't find many places to work from. Maybe it's because I stayed mainly in the capital. Selina in Monteverde was nice, and I think there is Selina in La Fortuna, and one in Nosara. So maybe if you do Selina hopping—your experience will be different. My wife and I, were focusing more on comfortable day-to-day living.

Lastly, Costa Rica is expensive. Very expensive. Some places would be close to Israeli prices, and Israel is one of the most expensive countries I've been to (excluding Iceland).

So unless you combine your nomading with activities such as surfing, or yoga; or you are comfortable with Selina, or travel without a dog—I'd skip Costa Rica.

General recommendations

Internet

I found the internet in Costa Rica to be very reliable. No matter where we've been, the internet was stable. One exception was Nosara, where they had occasional power outages, which according to our Airbnb hosts—where caused by the massive construction on the Peninsula. The power would immediately come back though.

Car rental

I've read a lot of scary stories online, ranging from "bad roads", all the way to "cops are targeting tourists", and "rental companies are scamming tourists".

We've rented a car 3 times, and had a good experience. The roads are bad once you get outside the central valley, but are tolerable. I recommend getting an SUV, as opposed to a small car, or sedan. You will appreciate the higher clearance. The price difference is a couple of dollars anyway.

For our travel in La Fortuna, and Monteverde we used Adobe. The process was smooth, and painless.

For our trip to Nosara, and back, Adobe was not available as they don't have an office in Nosara. To Nosara we used Alamo, however on the way back Alamo was not available (no idea why), so we used National—which to my understanding is exactly the same as Alamo (they are located in the same office, and are handled by the same staff). Again, the process was smooth and easy.

Co-working and cafés

As I briefly mentioned, I didn't have much opportunity to work from other places. Most of the work was done in the Airbnb, and in case of the first Airbnb—in the adjacent co-working space.

I can't give recommendations for San José, but if you do find yourself in Nosara—here are some good places to work from:

Sunrise Coffee—A nice cafe, with tasty food. Saw some nomads there.
Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort—A big resort, with many activities, which include a juice bar where you can eat, and work.
Norte Hotel—I worked from there, sitting by the pool. Cool vibes, and a nice bar.
Roota Mercado—An organic grocery store, that also sells food, and drinks. Saw some nomads working from there.

General recommendations

Some general recommendations:

If you are into boxing, I highly recommend Striking Performance Center. It's a great martial arts school, and Rafael—who is the owner—is an awesome coach. I really enjoyed training with him.
If you want to stay fit, and find yourself in Nosara—I can recommend Bodhi Tree Community Gym. There are two gyms at the Bodhi Resort. One is a fancy-shmancy, hotel-like gym, and the second is the community gym. I found the community gym to be better equipped, and it is cheaper (still expensive, because it's Nosara).
If you are into yoga, my wife says that the teachers at Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, are very good.

What's next?

We left Costa Rica almost two weeks ago, and are now in Guatemala. Stay tuned for trip report of Guatemala, I feel it's going to be more interesting than Costa Rica. Happy nomading!

Two months of nomading

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 22:00:00 GMT

About two months ago, I quit my job. I sold most of my stuff, packed the rest into a suitcase and a backpack, took my wife and our dog - and flew one way to Costa Rica 🇨🇷.

My plan was simple - slow traveling combined with building a sustainable business. Month and a half had passed, and I’m sitting right now at Juan Santamaria International Airport—waiting for a flight to my next destination.

How would I sum up this period? Two words - I failed. But as it’s written in one of the books my manager at Forter gave me, as a goodbye present, this was an intelligent failure.

What does it mean? It means that I've learned a lot. How to (not) start a business. What works and what does not work. What are my strong traits, and what I should focus on next. Failure is an inevitable part of eventually succeeding. The people who succeed - are not the ones who never failed. The people who succeed - are those that keep going - despite their failures.

And I intend to keep going.

Pictured - me at my San Jose Airbnb, finishing some stuff before packing up for my next destination.

📍 Juan Santamaria International Airport

Remote Work in The Netherlands - Part 2

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 19:30:00 GMT

[[remote-work-in-the-netherlands-part-1|Part 1]]

Affected badly by the planned NS strike, with no place to go, we've mobilized ourselves to find a fast solution for our situation. We tried to find a car rental service, but being located in Nunspeet, there were no car rental services nearby. Public transport was not a solution as it would take too much time. Our option was to find accommodation.

No Airbnb were available nearby, but luckily for us, we found a hotel located 20 minutes away by walking, which is also pet friendly, and so we booked it. NH Veluwe Sparrenhorst is part of the NH Hotel Group and located right on the border of the Veluwe forest, which I told you about in my previous post. We've booked the hotel for one night and went to sleep.

Some of you might wonder why we did not stay one more night in our current Airbnb, and so I want to clarify this point for you. We were tired, and a little stressed, but we did WhatsApp our host and asked for a quote for one more night. He let us know that the property was available, however the price he has given us was more expensive than on Airbnb website. Our Israeli monkey mind immediately assumed he is trying to fool us and use our situation to extract more money, so we've ignored this option. Later, after the hotel was already booked, we've realized that the price you see on Airbnb search page and the final price, are not the same. What we saw was the price on the search page, but once you try to book it, the price goes up and matches what our host offered us in WhatsApp.

After staying for one night in the hotel and working from there, we've hoped on a train and took the trip to our next destination.

The city of Alkmaar

Our next city, Alkmaar is almost the complete opposite of Nunspeet. It’s a big city, with around 110k population. It’s located about 30 km north of Amsterdam. We were staying in a classical, 3 story, Dutch apartment / house in a quiet neighborhood, a couple of minutes away from a ferry that takes you to the old and beautiful city center.

In Alkmaar our life was more “normal”. We were shopping at Albert Heijn for groceries, worked and traveled around the city. We even were able to, accidentally, find our selves in Alkmaar’s cheese market. Apparently, Alkmaar is popular for its cheese.

The road home

3 days before our flight, NS once again announced a nationwide strike. We wanted to go to Delft and The Hague one day before leaving, but now with the announced strike - it became a bit complicated. We were also afraid that we might not be able to get to the airport due to the possibility that the strike might extend to more than one day, or any other logistic problems due to the consequences of the strike, as our flight was leaving in the morning.

This time we've decided to rent a car for one day and return it in the airport. We've rented a car from Sixt and drove to Delft and then to The Hague to visit some friends. The next day, we've returned the car in the Airport and boarded our flight home.

This concludes our first experience as Digital Nomads in a beautiful country of The Netherlands.

Cost breakdown

The idea of this part is to help you understand how much you can expect to pay for common things like accommodation and groceries, therefor I'm not going to include in this section things like flight tickets (which are personal to you depending on your flight route) or any personal spending we've had.

Accommodation

The house in Nunspeet costed us approximately 2400 EUR. In Alkmaar, we've paid approximately 850 EUR. We did pay another 145 EUR for the hotel.

The total expense for accommodations were approximately - 3395 EUR.

Groceries

We bought our groceries mainly in Albert Heijn, with occasional visits to Lidl or Jumbo. We found AH to be better quality. I’m not going to include restaurants here, as this might differ from person to person and has little to do with the estimation of cost of living. I will note that 90% of the time we cooked at home, and only when we were away from home, such as in a different city or traveling, we were eating out.

Our total expense for groceries was - 774.78 EUR.

Transportation

We've paid 352.9 EUR for trains, 10 EUR for a taxi from the hotel to the train station, and another 5 EUR for bus tickets. A rental car for one day costed us 161 EUR and 26.77 EUR for extra kilometers range. The fuel costed 27.25 EUR. Two rental bicycles for two weeks costed us 270 EUR and another 20 EUR for one pannier.

The total cost of transportation, was 872.92 EUR.

Note: after the trip ended, I've learned that you can get an anonymous OV-chipkaart that costs 7.5 EUR. The benefit of an anonymous travel card is that every time you buy a paper ticket, in addition to the ticket price, you also pay 1 EUR for the single-use chipkaart inside the ticket. This could save you some money if you travel a lot using trains.

Misc

We've paid 77 EUR for dog food as well as 55 EUR for tick removal. The co-working I've mentioned in previous part costed us 62 EUR.

Remote Work in The Netherlands - Part 1

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 16:00:00 GMT

In the middle of August, my wife and I packed our suitcase and MacBooks, took our dog, and flew for a month to The Netherlands. Luckily - we are working in companies with remote work policies. Here's my experience.

We landed at Schiphol airport and took a train via Amersfoort Central towards Nunspeet which became our hometown for the next two and a half weeks.

Why The Netherlands?

Europe, and especially The Netherlands, is not the first choice for Digital Nomads. The country is very expensive. I'll do a detailed cost breakdown in the next part, so stay tuned.

However, there are two main reasons why. The first one is that we live in Israel. Israel is super expensive with probably the worst value-for-money ratio among developed countries. And the second reason is that we see The Netherlands as a potential relocation, so we've wanted to see how it is to live a "normal" life there. Sometimes, the whole life is not enough to understand if you like your country or not, let alone one month, but we've decided to do it anyway.

The town of Nunspeet

When we arrived at the border control at Schiphol airport, the officer asked us about the purpose and length of our trip. When we said that we are going to stay there for a month, he was curious about where we are going to stay, so we replied: "Nunspeet". He laughed and asked surprisingly: "Nunspeet?! Why Nunspeet?!". This interaction summarized Nunspeet pretty well.

Nunspeet is a town in the central Netherlands with a population of 27481 people (as of Jan 2019). However, Nunspeet wasn't our first choice. We wanted to experience this mini relocation in two ways: outside the city and inside the city. Our initial location was Zwolle - a much bigger city in the Northern Netherlands. In Zwolle, we've booked a house almost on the city outskirt, away from the city life. But due to unfortunate circumstances, our host had to cancel the booking. And hence with less than a month before the trip, somewhat limited by our dog (not a lot of hosts will agree for a pet) - we've had to search for an alternative.

And so we've found a lovely house in Nunspeet. Coincidently, the distance between Nunspeet and Zwolle is 30km. It's a detached unit, in a community of around 20 similar units. Some owners use them as permanent living, others rent them out. It's located around 10 minutes by foot from Nunspeet Train Station or about 2 minutes by bicycle. Nunspeet Outdoor Center is conveniently located just by the train station, and we've used it to rent our bicycles for 2 weeks.

But the coolest feature of it all - is that it's located in Veluwe - an 1100 km<sup>2</sup> forest-rich ridge of hills. And our house is located across the road from a forest in which we've spent many mornings and afternoons (at night it's scary).

Semi-Cashless, work-life balanced society

We arrived on Saturday evening, and after unpacking and taking a shower - went to sleep. We did buy some groceries at the airport for breakfast but planned to buy food the next day - on Sunday.

In Israel, Sunday is a working day. It's odd that the Startup Nation, which collaborates a lot with Europe and especially the US, works a different work week - from Sunday through Thursday. Friday is usually a half day, and the hi-tech sector does not work it anyway, and together with Saturday, which is a full no-work day (you pay a fine if you open your business on Saturday, which many businesses still do, especially in Tel-Aviv), they are known as Shabbat. In Europe, Sunday is however considered to be the holy rest day, which we of course knew - because we were born in Post Soviet Countries. And being located in a small town, rather than a big city, we've realized that Sunday in Nunspeet means no shopping. Some businesses are open, like the Outdoor Center in which we've rented bicycles and some restaurants, but grocery stores and other shops are closed.

The closest open Albert Heijn (a local grocery store chain) was in the city of Harderwijk. Just 35 minutes by bicycle! Without a second thought, we jumped on our bicycles and cycled through the beautiful countryside of the Netherlands.

After buying some groceries and getting ready to head back, we've been surprised we can't pay with a credit card. Luckily an ATM was right inside the store, so we were able to withdraw some cash. This phenomenon later haunted us through most of our stay in Nunspeet. Most small stores refused to accept credit cards and operated mainly on cash or debit cards. One business owner told us that credit card companies charge a big fee and so they refuse to support big financial institutions. Understandable I guess. However, it's still a mystery to me why Albert Heijn, a big chain store, does not accept credit cards, even in big cities such as Utrecht.

Debit cards are accepted everywhere though, but being Israeli with a financial system inherited from the US, debit cards are a rare thing for us. Not only banks do not advertise or promote them in any way, but they might end up being more expensive than credit cards (which you can get without monthly fees), because of so-called "transaction line fees". Some grocery stores such as Jumbo and Lidl, as well as almost all the restaurants - did accept credit cards though.

Utrecht, Amsterdam, and lots of cycling

After a week of working from sub-optimal working conditions (couch for my wife and a dining table for myself), I've decided to explore local co-working options. Mindspace was the biggest and the only one that allowed us to pay per day as well as make an online reservation (I hate phone calls), so we booked ourselves a table and headed to Utrecht. An hour ride by train, not the closest city, and I wouldn't like to take this ride every day.

A co-working was however a fresh restart and a change. We were able to be more work-focused due to the office-like environment, as well as combine it with city exploring when we went for lunch as well as dinner afterward.

On Friday we've decided to bike. I think the Netherlands is the most unique and bicycle-friendly country in the world. We were able to bike for 60km, all on bicycle lanes, through more than 4 cities to arrive at a beautiful wildlife park. We didn't see many wild animals there, but the bicycle ride and the park itself were amazing.

On Saturday we went to Amsterdam. I've been to Amsterdam 3 times: one when interviewing for Booking.com; another one when we did bicycle touring with my friends, we stayed at a campsite near Amsterdam for 3 days; and the last time I flew to my wife when she had a connection there, so we've stayed there for 3 days. I always loved Amsterdam. It's such an amazing city. It's uniquely antique but very modern and liberal.

This time, I felt anxious in Amsterdam. There were many tourists and a clear sign of people who come here only for weed and sex. The city center was packed with people, and relatively dirty. On the other side, once you take a few steps to the adjacent street, you fall in love with Amsterdam again. I did some shopping there and spent the rest of the day in the beautiful Vondelpark.

This concludes our first week there.

Got sick and then traveled more

The second week started with me getting sick. I thought it might be COVID, but the antigen test showed negative, so I assume it was the common cold and probably exhaustion. I've spent most of the week in bed, sleeping, while my wife focused mainly on work.

By the end of the week, I was getting better and was able to get back to work, and during the weekend, we decided to travel some more!

Zwolle, Giethoorn, and the not-so bicycle-friendly country

Remember I told you that Nunspeet was not our first option and that we initially wanted to stay on the outskirts of Zwolle? Well, since Zwolle was 20 min ride by train, we decided to visit it. Zwolle is a beautiful, big city. It has a very cute city center. We spent there half a day just exploring and doing some shopping.

On Saturday we went to visit Giethoorn. Giethoorn is a mostly car-free village and was very long on my list of places to visit. I first heard about Giethoorn in 2015 when my friends and I did a two-week bicycle tour around The Netherlands. We were throwing points of interest on a map and that's how I've heard about Giethoorn.

After visiting Giethoorn I must say I have mixed feelings. While it's advertised as a mostly car-free village, I must say that only a small part of it fits this description. Mostly, it looks the same as a regular town/village. However the car-free part is very beautiful, and we rented a boat for 2 hours and sailed around the village and the farmlands nearby.

Getting to Giethoorn is a bit complicated. From Nunspeet you usually take a train to Zwolle and then from Zwolle a train to either Meppel or Steenwijk. From the latter two, you can take a bus. But hey! The Netherlands is a bicycle paradise so why not cycle? It's about 40 min cycle from Meppel; about 20 min from Steenwijk. We planned to get to Steenwijk and then cycle. And while the train ride to Zwolle was pleasant, Zwolle was super packed with people as it was Saturday, and the platform with the train to Steenwijk was very crowded, so we've been afraid that there will be no place for bicycles, so we took an alternative train that stops in Meppel. From Meppel it took us around 1-hour cycle towards Giethoorn, which was a beautiful cycle.

Since it's Saturday, trains are less frequent than during the work week, so on our way back, we had a train once an hour. We've arrived at Steenwijk and planned to take an Intercity (IC) train to Zwolle and then a sprinter train to Nunspeet. When the IC train arrived, it already had 3 bicycles inside and the train personnel told us that we can't board the train with bicycles - even though we bought the required bicycle tickets. They've said leaving the bicycle in an improper place is dangerous and we should wait for the next train. The problem is that the next IC train is in one hour, but they've suggested instead to board a sprinter to Meppel which will arrive in about 20 minutes then have a 30-minute transfer to a sprinter for Zwolle and finally a sprinter to Nunspeet.

It was very odd to me. A country where cycling is so engraved in people's lifestyles - is not able to provide a good way to transport bicycles on a train. I no longer cycle or use trains in Israel, but when I did a few years ago, I remember the train had a special coach for bicycles. Yes, they are limited to off-peak hours only (as in the Netherlands), but still, you can fit 20 bicycles in there easily, while Dutch trains are limited to 3-5. Sprinter trains are more forgiving since they are a bit more spacious than IC trains, so luckily the 3 sprinters we took had enough space for our bicycles, and after a long long ride, we were home.

We also visited Amersfoort later on, to celebrate our anniversary in a nice restaurant there.

The happiest country is not that happy after all

The Netherlands consistently ranks in the top 5 happiest countries. The other 4 are usually Nordic countries, so it was always a mystery to me as to why the Netherlands. There are many different explanations like good social services, being closer to nature or even the fact you are physically active by cycling everywhere.

But it turned out that even the happiest countries in the world - have problems. Throughout 2 weeks there, we've learned that there is an ongoing farmers' protest that started 3 years ago, in 2019! We saw many haystacks with angry faces and slogans - which we couldn't understand because they were written in Dutch, but the word "kaput" probably meant something bad. We've observed cars with red bandanas - a sign of people's support for the farmers.

And as we were sitting, on the evening of 29th of August, ready to pack our things and the next day move to Alkmaar, a city in the province of North Holland, which was supposed to become our next home for the rest of this mini-relocation, we've observed that on the 30th of August there will be the biggest NS strike in the Netherlands.

NS Strike

NS, or Nederlandse Spoorwegen which is Dutch for "Dutch Railways", the biggest state-owned railway operator in the Netherlands, as well as the busiest railway in European Union, and the third largest in the world after Switzerland and Japan - said they were going on a strike.

The strike aimed to increase NS workers' salaries as well as pension contributions, and was ongoing for a few days already, but was limited mainly to one of the Netherlands regions. However the planned strike on the 30th was in Utrecht which is a major hub and operation center for NS, hence NS was not able to run any... trains... AT ALL. On previous strike days, NS was able to provide limited service outside of the strike area, but this time they've said they were not able to find a way to provide service due to the importance of Utrecht in the railway system.

And so, without any option to leave Nunspeet, except for 6 buses that will take us anywhere between 4 and a half to 6 hours of travel time, or a taxi ride that will cost like a flight ticket from the Netherlands to Israel and back - we were forced to find a solution just a few hours before going to sleep.

This concludes the first part of the article. [[remote-work-in-the-netherlands-part-2|Read the second part]]

The Future is Grim. Maybe.

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 13:00:00 GMT

About a week ago, I met with one of my friends for beer. We catched up on each other's lives, spoke about current day events - mainly the War in Ukraine, the recent crash in the stock market, and other events happening right now in the world. At some point I’ve said “Everything looks so fucked up”, and he added “Yeah…”.

After a few moments of silence, I asked him “Do you think our parents had similar feelings about their lives and their future?”. My friend is a popular blogger and has a big community around him, and he went on telling me that just recently he ran a survey among his community on the exact same question. We were both born in Post Soviet Union countries and most of his community are members from post USSR, so he asked them whether their parents had a feeling that their lives and future is totally fucked up. And surprisingly, their parents' answers were - no. They didn’t have that feeling.

A brief history of USSR

Most of our parents were born somewhere around 1950-1960. A mere decade after the end of the second world war. The USSR had lost 13.7% of its population, a devastating 26,600,000, due to WW2. You don’t recover from that in one decade.

On top of all that, Germany and Berlin were divided among the winning allied powers, the most notable being the US and USSR, with a completely different world views and societal order - Capitalism vs Communism. This led to yet another war - The Cold War which lasted almost 5 decades. The US was spreading Capitalism all over the world, while the USSR was hidden behind an Iron Curtain manifesting its communist views to its citizens.

The peak point of the cold war was the Cuban Missile Crisis - a 35 day confrontation that could have brought the world and human civilization to an end with Nuclear War.

Then in 1968 Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia. In 1969 there was a clash between Soviet and Chinese troops across the border. Then things were silent for a few decades, up until 1986 when the Chernobyl nuclear power station exploded.

1989 signals the beginning of “Revolutions of 1989” leading to toppling of Soviet imposed communist regimes, the Fall of the Berlin Wall and eventually the Fall of USSR in 1991.

The fall of the USSR followed by very unsettling times and the rise of Anti Semitism which forced a lot of people to immigrate. And the rest is modern history.

A 50 years of tension between two world powers, a prospect of Nuclear Annihilation and Iron Curtain, and yet, our parents did not feel that everything is fucked up. Why is that?

Information

On 26 of April, 1986 at the No.4 Nuclear Reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant - an explosion occurred. An explosion that released enormous amounts of radiation over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and neighboring European countries. Only 36 hours after the event, the first news about evacuations started to appear in mass media. And on 28th of April, the Russian national federal news agency reported that an explosion occurred.

An event that big was hidden for more than 2 days. This was in 1986. Also, in that year, IBM announced its first laptop computer - the IBM PC Convertible, weighing 12 pounds (~5.4 kg), which is 18 pounds (~8.1 kg) lighter than the earlier portable computer.

Another nuclear disaster occured on 11 of March 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. At 14:46 local time, an earthquake hit Honshu Island causing nuclear reactors 1, 2 and 3 to shut down automatically. At 15:46 a tsunami overtops the seawall that was designed to protect the plant and causes flooding and malfunction of the backup generator, which in turn leads to overheating.

16:00 - The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of Japan initiates an emergency headquarters to gather information. And at 19:03, a bit more than 4 hours from the start of the event, the prime minister Naoto Kan declares a nuclear emergency status. Also in 2011 Emojis became mainstream after their introduction on the iPhone.

The way we access information today is way different than what it was in the USSR. Back in USSR times, you’d learn about events from the radio or newspapers. Radios were not portable so you rarely carried one in your pocket; and newspapers needed to be printed and distributed, so information became outdated by the time you read it.

Moreover - radio air time was limited as well as the amount of news you could print in a single newspaper, so editors had to pick the most “interesting” or “shocking” news to publish. Individual press was nearly non existing; and major news outlets, especially in the USSR, were controlled by the ruling party. So you get one point of view, censored by the ruling party.

This is way different than today. Today you have a ton of independent, oftentimes first-hand reports of live events. YouTubers and Tik-Tokers find themselves among the early ones to cover major events, way ahead of news agencies - which still rely on some sort of editing and publishing format.

News are broadcasted via countless TV channels, while at the same time being mirrored to websites and YouTube streaming. On demand news is accessible on a by-minute basis through platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Telegram. Unfiltered, uncensored. All in one device, weighing somewhere around 6.1 ounce (~173 grams) that fits easily in your pocket, with a constant connection to the Internet.

Our world in data

I really like the website ourworldindata.org. They have 3280 charts across 297 topics including - Demographic, Health, Food, Living Conditions, etc.

According to some of their research, all major metrics associated with happy life - are increasing. Life expectancy, for example, has grown from an average of 32 years in 1900, to an average of 72 years in 2019 (source). The share of battle deaths is declining (source). Global education has increased as well (source).

And yet, we feel like everything is doomed. Especially during the past 3 years. And the biggest reason that my friend and I believe is to blame - is social media and rapid access to information.

Humans developed from hunter-gatherers in predator filled environments. Our brains are programmed to look for danger. If you spot the lion before it spots you - you get another day to live. We are addicted to “bad” news. Bad news helps us survive.

Now - here is the catch. Evolution works well over time. A long time. Like a really long time. You won't see substantial change in the evolution of our brain over one generation. Technology on the other side progresses super fast. The first transistor computers appeared in 1955. There are now teenagers who have never seen a Floppy Disk before.

Technology has blessed us with many good things. But our brains did not evolve enough to adapt to technology, so we are still hooked on looking for disasters. Especially now - when disasters are one swipe away. Disasters and catastrophes sell. Nobody wants to read the news about peaceful pandas. We are hooked on gossip, and “fail” videos. We are motivated by a scarcity mindset that is being sold to us by marketers. “Beware! Only today! 19.99 instead of gazillion”.

An entire generation is feeling hopeless, while the data shows that our world is becoming better, all due to rapid access to technology and by-minute coverage of major world events.

"Good Article. 4 out of 5 starts" or What is wrong with the star rating system

Fri, 13 May 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Imagine you want to buy a new vacuum cleaner. You go to Amazon, search for vacuum cleaner, set some filtering options like: brand, price, color, shape, and you get… tens, if not hundreds, of results. How do you pick the one that satisfies you the most?

Of course, the good old “star rating” system. Its everywhere. TripAdvisor has it for restaurants and attraction; IMDB got it for movies; Amazon for consumer products; Goodreads for books. Its the base line by which we can compare one product to another.

But the star rating system is not about the product, its more about the people.

Lets start with a question

Is product A with 2/5 stars, always worse than product B with 5/5 stars (assuming products A and B belongs to the same product category, for the sake of science behind my words)?

Well, the answer as always: It depends. If the same people who rated product A with 2 stars, rated product B with 5 stars — then yes, we can assume that product B is better than A *to them*.

But very few of us have the hobby of purchasing two different products just for the sake of finding the best one. Yes there are people who get paid to do this and they usually write articles which can be summarized in the following pseudo-quote:

Here is product A with its cons and pros. Here is product B with its cons and pros. Which one should you buy? Well that depends..

So most of the time we find ourselves comparing product A with the rating of 2/5 which was given to it by 3629 people versus product B with the rating of 4/5 which was given to it by 79 people. And while we can read 3–5 short reviews about each product we compare, it is almost impossible to read tens, hundreds or even thousands of reviews about each product we are comparing. This is why the star rating system was invented. We ain’t got no time to read those reviews. 2/5 versus 4/5? 4/5 is clearly better. Done.

But.. Wait! I’ve got a story to tell.

Every idea stars with a personal experience (or just pops up randomly while you are showering), and the idea of how broken the star rating system came to me very long ago when I was shopping for a beard trimmer. I had my budget set, I had my needs outlined and I went to the battle ground in the lands of the internet reviewers. I’ve read reviews, watched reviews, asked friends for opinions and eventually found the one!

So I went to my local Amazon-like website to see where I can buy that awesome beard trimmer, that was the best of the best in its class based on my needs and budget, and I was shocked to see that it got only 3/5 stars!

I was mentally broken. “How come?!” I wondered. “Why?!” I asked myself. “How is it possible that after hours of research, the best I can get is only 3/5 stars?!”. So I’ve read the reviews, there weren’t too many of them. I concentrated on the negative ones, because I already knew that my product was the best of the best, I wanted to know why some people found it to be bad. So there was one guy, who broke for the me the concept of star rating system. His review went like this (I’m rephrasing, it was long time ago):

Very good trimmer. Trims the beard nicely, battery time is long enough and the provided stand is good. Unfortunately can not be used as hair cutting machine. 2/5

“Can not be used as hair cutting machine” — random guy on the internet about a beard trimmer.

This was the most negative review, others were good. I was baffled for few minutes. Then went to the store and years after I still have this beard trimmer that still works perfectly.

The star rating system is broken

Humans like visual things. This is why we prefer powerpoint presentations with pie charts and graphs as opposed to boring talks with numbers. And this is why we prefer 5/5 stars as opposed to reading 3681 reviews. And statistically, the more people rate the product higher — the more chances that we will be satisfied by it. But statistics works good on objective data, i.e. “If you will be moving at 10km/h you will arrive in one hour, so in order to arrive in 30 minutes, you need to move 20km/h”, and works very bad on subjective data: “This restaurant sucks. They have only spicy food and I’m allergic to spicy food. 1/5”.

Of course such reviews are the minority, and we can treat them as measurement errors because they are subjective and influenced by the human factor: personal preferences, emotional state at the time of the review, having high expectations from the products prior to purchasing it and etc. And the more people review the product, the less important those measurement error review becomes, because statistics! But this brings me to the first problem.

1. Most reviews are subjective and simple

i.e. “This vacuum cleaner is good, because it cleans the vacuum. Is it the best? No idea, this is the only one I’ve owned”. There is not objective data in this review. I don’t know the size of your apartment, how dirty it is, how frequently you use your vacuum cleaner and etc. It is not possible to make a decision between 2 vacuum cleaners that way, because chances are low that the same group who reviewed the first one, also reviews the second one, therefor rendering the reviews useless.

But honestly, you don’t have to make that decision. Chances are, if both of them are rated 5/5 by hundreds of people, and you’ve outlined your needs correctly, you will be satisfied with any of them. Assuming you will be able to avoid the afterthought of “did I choose the right one?”, which brings me to the second problem.

2. Lets go to watch “The Movie!” — “But it got only 5.4 on IMDB”

Star rating system ruins our experience. Ever checked the rating of the movie on IMDB prior to watching it? Or the rating of the book on Goodreads prior to reading it? If its low, you wont like it, no matter how good it was. If the rating is high, you will come with high expectations and most likely will be disappointed, because the human anticipation is always bigger than the reality. Which in turns brings me to the third problem.

3. What does 5 stars mean?

When I tell you, that this restaurant is 1/5 stars, what do you imagine about it? That its dirty, the waiter takes hours to bring you your food, and when your food arrives its cold, unfresh, and by the time you finish to eat it you want to puke and on top of all that, they make a mistake and charge your credit card 3 times with 25% tip even though you did not want to leave tip at all?!

And what if I tell you its 5/5 stars? You imagine that the food is fresh, the waiter brings you your order even before you finished to think about what you want to order, and they don’t charge you any money at all?

We like to exaggerate our expectations. If its bad — it must be the absolute worst, and if its good — it must be the absolute best. There is no in between. The in between is reserved for 2, 3 and 4 stars. 1 is absolute worst, 5 is absolute best. But is it?

For me, as a reviewer, it is very hard to give either 1 star or 5 stars on a 1-to-5 star scale, to a product / place / item, because I always have this question of “1 star compared to what? Am I sure that this is the absolute worst vacuum cleaner I’ve ever tried? And what happens if the next one will be worse than this one, should I just give this one 2 stars and reserve 1 star for the absolute worst?”. Which in turns brings me to the fourth problem.

4. Reviews are damn hard

Reviewing things is a hard process. If you don’t do it professionally, its hard to avoid subjectivity in the review, in the end you’ve spent your time and your money therefor making bad decision about the particular product — painful and sometimes even expensive.

Most of the reviews are written within a short period from purchase date of the product, and in that time you either experience good feelings from your new fresh product and you unconsciously deny any negative facts; or the opposite, you are so dissatisfied with your product so you continue to search for the bad things in it and just want to bash it over the internet.

But even if you were satisfied with the product, and you left a positive review, but then it suddenly broke after few months of careful usage, you just throw it away and buy a new one, any very few of us go back to their original review to alter it: “Was good, but broke pretty fast”, so the review stays there no longer providing the real picture. And star rating systems do not reflect that information. They only reflect the emotional state and satisfaction level of the individual person at the time of the review.

To sum up

If you don’t have access to high volume market stores like Amazon, where products can get thousands or ten thousands amateur and professional reviews, you are most likely exposed to those “measurement error reviews” where four people are satisfied with their vacuum cleaner, and the fifth person expected it to make him coffee every morning so “1/5”, thus no longer providing the real picture. In addition, people tend to ignore good things and concentrate on the bad ones, therefor if you are satisfied with the product, you rarely go and review it. But if it was terrible, boy you are going to bash about it in every possible corner of the internet because the company that made this piece of shit, must be burnt.

Star rating system was introduced to help us as, consumers, make better choices. Whether it is what movie to watch, what book to read, what restaurant to visit, which hotel to stay in or what vacuum cleaner to buy. But the truth is that star rating systems are based on the subjectivity of each individual towards the product, rather than the objectivity of the product itself.

And subjectivity of each individual towards a specific product or service, is not something that we can map onto a mathematical model because it depends on so many things: emotional state, personal preferences towards things like shape / color / size / manufacturer / taste / smell, the usage environment (robot vacuum cleaners are probably bad for very small, dense apartments for example), prior-to-purchase-expectations and etc.

So what can be done?

Honestly? Nothing. Like many things in our world, its not perfect, but it works most of the time. Chances are that a product with the rating of 3.8/5 that was rated by 3780 people is better choice than a product with rating of 5 that was rated by one person. There are exceptions, in the end its all statistics and people have different needs and tastes.

One possible solution is what YouTube does. If you remember, back in the days, YouTube had ratings for their videos, then they switched to Like / Dislike button. It is still based on statistics, but less prone to measurements errors. However you know what they say:

The greater the number of people who find an idea correct, the more the idea will seem to be correct to us.

- Influence, the psychology of persuasion, Robert Cialdini

Another possible solution would be to split the 5 star rating system into categories. Lets continue with our vacuum cleaner examples. Instead of rating individual vacuum cleaner on a scale of 1 to 5, we can rate it in a scale of 1 to 5 in different categories: how noisy it is, how light it is, how compact it is, how good it cleans, how portable it is and etc. Each category is still exposed to the problems I’ve outlined, but since you split the eggs to different baskets, there is less space for measurement errors.

But the most important thing is to remember that sometimes it doesent really matter. If you are having difficultly to decide between a 4.5 and 4.8 star product, if the both have hundreds of reviewers, chances are, you will be satisfied with both.

10 pushups every morning, for 30 days. September Challenge

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 09:00:00 GMT

On 31st of August I was like "Hey! It's almost September, maybe I should do a challenge?", and after some time I've settled on 10 pushup every morning for the entire months.

My relationship with sports was always a love-hate relationship. There have been periods where I was hitting the gym consistently and seeing results, and periods where I'd be like "damn, that belly!". And while now I train regularly in boxing, I didn't do that challenge for the sake of getting ripped or any other physical health benefits.

And before we start, as always: I'm not a doctor, consult with one first. Especially if you have physical problems.

Make your bed

In the self improvement community, there is this saying that the first thing you should do after you wake up is - making your bed. I think it started from a book by Ex-Navy seal, Admiral William H. McRaven. A big disclaimer - I did not read the book.

There are multiple reasons for making your bed in the morning: attention to details, discipline, and a reminder at the end of the day that you've achieved something - even if its small.

You see, when you wake up you usually rush through your morning routine - pee, wash your face, clean your teeth, grab some coffee, get into a car, arrive to work. By the time you start working you've already spent a good portion of the day. And if your day is filled with meaningless meetings - by the end of it you find yourself sitting on the couch and thinking: Damn! The whole day passed by and I haven't done anything significant. Therefore - make your bed in the morning.

I wasn't born in the US, nor I ever lived there. I, however, was raised in a discipline focused family, so making my bed in the morning wasn't something unusual for me. No matter the circumstances, I'd always make my bed in the morning. So I wasn't able to see any benefits from making my bed, but I wanted to see if I can get benefits in sport.

Right now, my relationship with sport is more of a hate than love. I have my boxing sessions once a week but its not enough. I want to try yoga, I want to do swimming and I want to do weight lifting. And every day I'm not doing them, I find myself thinking Damn! The whole day just passed by and I haven't done any sports. So I decided to twist the "make your bed" into "do something active" and see if I'd have the same benefits. Those are my findings.

I hate mornings

I'm not a morning person. Some morning are better, but most of them are not that great. I'm usually tired, unfocused and mainly working on automatic gear. Wake up, drink water, pee, brush teeth, food, coffee, work. I didn't have any problems adding another activity such as "pushups" but I found out that it is physically demanding. I can do 10 pushups easily at any moment during the day - but not right after waking up. My body is not warmed up, my mind is frozen.

I know there are people who like mornings. They are energetic, can do sports in the morning, discuss philosophical topics and do deep work. I on the other hand believe I'm more of a "mid day owl". I need those few hours in the morning to boot up correctly. And doing pushups felt like some sort of punishment to my, already hard, mornings.

Its not enough

I wasn't expecting to be Arnold by October from just doing 10 pushups a day. But nevertheless 10 is better than 0. Obviously I haven't seen any benefits from it - it was not easier after 20 days, I did not have more muscle and I haven't felt any health improvements. This is a reminder to always be realistic.

I'm a big believer in taking baby steps towards new habits, especially if you have problems committing, because as I've talked in [[compound-effect-and-habits|my post]] regrading habits - you get compound interest on them. And compound interest on 0 is always 0. So you have to start. 1 page a day is better. By the end of the year you'd read 365 pages, as opposed to 0. But 365 pages is barely a book, so don't fool your self with "read 50 books" new year resolutions.

There is no reflection

The main reason I've did 10 pushups a day was to get a positive reflection at the end of the day. When I find myself sitting at the end of the day and reflecting on it, so that I could say "Yeah, I did 10 pushups. Its small, but its an achievement", and honestly - it never happened.

There was no single day when I was even remembering that fact that I did 10 pushups in the morning. It was something automatic that I've just plugged into my morning routine. I was not excited about the fact that I brush my teeth or make my bed, nor I was praising myself for doing 10 pushups in the morning.

And while I don't want to debunk the entire movement of "reminder that you've achieved something" - it did not work for me. Maybe if you are a messy person, who have troubles to bring order to the physical world around you - then yes, start with something as small as making your bed - might do wonders to you. At least I believe you must try it and see for yourself.

However, in my experience, if you've already climbed higher in your physical or mental needs, doing small things such as 10 pushups a day, won't make you love yourself by the end of the day. I was doing sport consistently. I know I'm capable of more than 10 pushups a day. I'm a lazy fuck and big procrastinator and I need to work on that rather than fooling myself with small achievements such as 10 pushups a day.

And this is yet another reminder to myself - everyone is different. Things that might work for me, might not work for you and vise versa. This is the reason I'm doing those challenges - because the best way to learn is to try it yourself. Get inspiration from books and YouTube videos, but always try yourself and see if you have any benefits from it. And if not - forget it, find something new and try again. And iterate on that process.

If you have suggestions to what challenges I can do next, don't hesitate to Tweet Me

Who are you?

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 11:00:00 GMT

Do you know who are you? Have you ever asked yourself this question and came up with an answer?

I never lived in the medieval times, nor I know someone who did, but I have this image in my head. Imagine a medieval blacksmith. He has this small, two story house. He lives with his wife and two kids on the second floor, while the first floor is converted to be his shop. He crafts swords here. He has some livestock. Cows that they milk. Sheep that they grow. Horse that he uses to go to the nearby friend of his - a miner, from which he buys his steel in order to craft his swords and later sell them to warriors of his village.

This blacksmith doesn't compare his house to the house of his miner friend. He doesn't compare his horse to the horse of his neighbor - the alchemist. And yet - he lives a happy life.

We've lost our true self

We, on the other hand, do compare ourselves. Who dresses better, who drives a better car. Some of us compare themselves to others, while some show-off their "superiority" by attracting attention to their material possession - A Turquoise Louis Vuitton T-Shirt that costs 470 Euro or revving the engine of their Lamborghini. And on top of all this, we are being bombarded by brands, through advertisement, that we must get that new and shiny pair of sneakers.

And hence, we've lost ourselves. We no longer know who we are and what our values are. And it seems like every person is better than us at something. He is a better photographer, she is a better stylist, they have a better house. And we want all of it.

I'm too busy for that

One of the reasons I think that the blacksmith from my story is happy with what he has, is because he is doing the craft the likes. He doesn't have time to think about that alchemist neighbor of his, there is a fucking war coming and he needs to craft his best swords, because he is the best blacksmith in town.

We, on the other hand, are, what I call, pseudo-busy. We never have time for anything. Always working hard. Nah man, too busy this week, let's try in 3 months I might have a window of 27 minutes in there. And yet, procrastination is flourishing, escapism from day to day job is rising. Everybody wishes to be on an a tropical island instead of their office cubicle. We are - pseudo busy. We try to look busy, because busyness is associated with business. And business is cool.

But we are not really busy. Or not in the sense of being in the flow and doing what we like and enjoy the most. Hence we procrastinate, escape in our mind to our next vacation, while simultaneously scrolling through social media - to eventually realize that its the end of the day already, I barely did anything today and yet I had no to time to call my friends or family, nor buy any groceries. Jeez, I was sooo busy today.

There is too much information

The other reasons I think my blacksmith is happy, is because he probably didn't choose this life. He was born to a blacksmith, inherited the shop together with horse and sheep, added second floor to the house with materials he could afford and probably never seen anything outside his village.

We, on the other hand, have access to the entire knowledge of humanity. Even if we've never been to a specific country - we can Google how it looks, find whats their traditional food, see images of their landscape and architecture. Even if we can afford to buy Toyota Corolla, we still see a lot of BMWs and Mercedeses around us. We always see people who are more successful. They dress better, have better cars, have better houses, nicer jobs, eat fresher food, have more money. There are endless number of professions. Our culture is also focused on fast. Fast food, fast movies, fast reading. While on a plane to our home we already plan the next vacation. We read reviews instead of reading the book. We express ourselves in 280 characters because ain't no body got time to read that essay I'm writing. And on top of all that, we are being told to look for that mysterious passion.

Its too much to handle. Too much to choose from. So we try to have it all. We envy people who have big houses even if we don't give a damn about big houses. We envy people who drive BMW even if we don't care for driving. We are jealous of people who dress in brands even if we care only about minimalist, sustainable and simple clothing.

Because that's the world we live it. Our boredom from being pseudo-busy with our greed and desire for more, fuels this endless wheel that gives stage to even more greed and desire, and even more confusion about who we are and what we need to become. By putting attention to other people have, we only continue to fuel such society and continue to loose our self identity.

You don't have to be better

In fact - you even can't be better. There is no better. Better is always relative. I can be better than you at software engineering because I've perfected that craft for years. It doesn't mean I'm better than you. You might be a better writer, a better singer, dancer, photographer, story teller. Whatever.

We rip things we can compare such as material possession or amounts of money, and start to compare on that basis. But instead we need to focus on trying to understand what is really important to us. Do we really want that Lamborghini or its just because we've been told that we want it?

Advertising has done a tremendous job to convince us that we need that thing! And that, and this and these! We need them all. But life doesn't have to be like this. By not knowing what you want from life, you end up wanting everything. Thus always feeling miserable - because you can't have everything. You can't have everything - because deep inside you know, you know that you don't need that Lamborghini so you won't blow up your savings to get one.

So stop comparing yourself to other people. Focus on understanding your self and your values in life. What do you care about. You like gardening? Then maybe you need to focus on getting a nice house with a garden instead of feeling miserable when someone buys an apartment in a high rise building. You enjoy cycling? Then get a bicycle and cycle instead of being miserable when everyone around buy new cars.

It's that easy. The hardest part is just knowing what you want. So start focusing on that. Start finding the answer to the question: Who are you?

What Apple is doing right and why I consider it to be minimalist

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 17:00:00 GMT

I was always an Android fan. I even remember resisting to buy one of the Samsung Android phones that had a Home button similar to iPhone. I remember saying in one of the forums that "I'll never touch anything that resembles an iPhones". Today I'm fully inside the Apple ecosystem. Why?

Time is a non renewable resource

You probably read my [[why-you-should-aim-for-10k-steps-a-day|10k steps a day]] post (if not - go read it!). At that time I've had a Samsung Android phone and got a Xiaomi Mi Band for activity tracking. After many years of resisting any smart watches, I've started to see their appeal. It's nice to take a look at your wrist and know not only the time, but when's your next meeting, how active you were today, and more - depending on your needs.

So I decided to purchase a smart watch. I've put a lot of time and effort into researching which one I want, which one suites me best. Apple Watch was obviously out of the picture, even though it ranked as #1 in most reviews I've read, but hey - I've hated Apple (sort of - I was using a MacBook provided to me by my employer) and I've had an Android phone. So I've settled on Galaxy Active 2 smart watch.

At first - it was great. I was spending time customizing it, putting different useful (and useless) widgets, browsing through Galaxy Store to acquire new Face Watches. My watch was finally doing more than one thing. It wasn't as beautiful as traditional watch, but I've never owned any Omega or Rolex watches, and I'm more of a function over form guy anyway.

But then - problems started. Even though I've had Samsung phone and Samsung watch, the integration between them wasn't that great. Notifications for events would arrive 2-3 hours after the event finished. Most of the watch faces were pretty useless (who cares about moon phase?) and I've spent more time looking for solutions in different forums and Reddit. Moreover - Samsung's ecosystem wasn't that great but their Smart Watch insisted on using Samsung's calendar or email client. I've even started to follow Google Wear news to see when newer and better watch will come out.

However people around me - my friends, my wife, my colleagues at work - started to slowly switch to Apple and Apple Watch. Based on my observation, end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, should have been the best time for Apple in terms of sales. I've invested some more time to understand more about Apple products, make sure they fit me, understand their shortcomings and strengths. I'm a very calculated guy - what can I say. And eventually, I've purchased an iPhone with an Apple Watch. Sold my phone and galaxy watch, and happy since them.

If you followed closely, you might have noticed that I've highlighted the word time every time I had to spend it into something related to my phone or watch. I've spent time for research, I've spent time customizing and I've spent time troubleshooting. Time is a non renewable resource. You can't earn time. Once its gone - its gone. And instead of investing time in pointless customization or troubleshooting a poor product, I could have invested this time somewhere else - like socialization or side hustle or my self. With Apple, things just work and I rarely need to spend time to troubleshoot or customize my gadgets because there is very little to customize.

The paradox of choice

One of the biggest complaints I've read about iPhone and Apple products in general - is the lack of customization. You can't change the ringtone. There are minimal settings. Apple decides whats best for you. Those are all common complaints about Apple products.

Today I believe that Apple simply following the minimalist philosophy - remove unneeded distractions. There are zero reasons to customize your wallpaper or change your ringtone. You feel good the first few minutes, but then - poofff - this feeling is gone. You no longer care about your ringtone or wallpaper, and if you do - you are probably focusing your energy on the least important thing in your life.

In his book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, Barry Schwartz talks about how abundance of choice actually is bad for us. It makes us paralyzed and unable to make a decision. When you have millions of settings in your phone, you tend to avoid touching them because it too hard to find the right balance. So you are left with a non optimized device. While I don't think that Apple got it right for 100% of their customers, I do believe that they got it right for the majority. And those who are left out - have a choice to get a more suitable device from other manufacturers.

On the same note, when I [[3-things-ive-learned-by-breaking-my-phone|broke my old phone]], I had to buy a new one. There were so many options. Different camera, different screen size, different manufacturers (each with their own customization). Being who I am - means I have to invest time to do my best research. I like to maximize the value I get for my money. However, once my iPhone will die, I know what will be my next phone - iPhone. I just have to choose the one the fits in my budget. I don't need to spend time by watching reviews or scouting forums for suggestions. By purposely limiting myself, I've eliminated and unneeded future decision. Minimalism at its beauty - eliminate unneeded distractions. Phones are tools. At least for me. And a tool should work and serve me, my time and my needs. When I buy a car - I don't put stickers on it and waste time painting the wheels in different colors. Nor I do it with my fridge or my TV. Why do I do that with my phone then? Yes, you can argue that its a form of self expression, but I've never heard of someone being judged by the wallpapers on his or her phone. There are others ways to express your self. It can be through creation - like writing this blog is for me.

Something for everyone

Everybody is different, obviously. People have different needs. I'm a believer in free market - demand equals supply. If a product is available on the market - there are customers who buy it.

However I've realized that by giving people too much options - it either confuses them like Barry Schwartz wrote in his book; or makes them curious - so they start to spend time finding the best wallpaper that works with their ringtone and matches their icon set. I've been there. But its time to move on and focus on things that fulfill me, rather than on customizing my gadgets. And while Apple is not perfect - there are annoyances, at the end their are targeting 7 billion market of potential, unique, customers - its obvious their products won't fit everyone 100%. For those - there are other products and solutions.

But I believe more companies should adopt this mindset. Mindset of removing distractions. Mindset of simplifying decisions. I'm currently working on a product and I try to incorporate those mindsets in it. And its sad to see that many companies actually take step backwards and introduce as much customization as possible, so much that it becomes scary or frustrating to use their products. I've seen people, in product management mainly, struggle to create the best Jira board because its so customizable - its paralyzing. And jumping between two different Jira boards on the same organization - is like learning a whole new profession because no two Jira boards are alike.

People tend to think they want customization. The more - the better. But in reality, too much customization can paralyze. Adopt minimalist lifestyle in your digital world as well. You don't have to move to Apple if you don't want to or can't. I'm not saying it is the holy grail for everyone. But at least try to remember that those are tools there were created to help you become better in life - more organized, more calm, more fulfilled, more productive. Stop wasting time serving your gadgets and instead let them serve you.

Things I wish I knew when I started with Minimalism

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 09:00:00 GMT

I don't remember when or why I started with minimalism. Knowing myself I've probably read about it somewhere, then watched a video and read some more, and more, and more - and eventually my mind was changed and I was like "Ok, lets try it".

As with any new habit, I've got hyped, excited and started to declutter my life from items that no longer "spark joy" (c). I've created declutter rituals and even introduced a new habit I've called "Monthly Declutter" which happens on last Saturday of every month. During this declutter session I need to get rid of at least one item I no longer use / need / sparks joy. Its also worth mentioning that I try not to throw items away, but instead have a sustainable declutter checklist which you can read about [[minimalism-and-sustainability|here]].

But now, few years later, I wish someone told me the following things before I started my declutter journey towards minimalist life.

It can be a form of escapism and its not healthy

When we are vulnerable, hurt, depressed or just sad - we tend to engage in (semi) self destructing behaviors. We overeat sweets, over watch TV, overplay computer games. I'm not a doctor, but my guessing is that when we are sad, we want to escape this mood. And engaging in one of the aforementioned activities helps us escape reality. Sugar provides chemicals (like cocaine) such as endorphins and dopamine which are linked with feeling happy, and TV and computer games are literally an escape to a different world - with an easy "achievement scale"; When watching TV we are progressing together with the main character; and when playing games - we are leveling up pretty fast compared to progress in real life. Sometimes however, when people are sad or angry - they do sport. They lift aggressively or punch a punching bag.

I, on the other hand, chose to escape by decluttering. When you label your self as minimalist and strive to get rid of items you no longer need, it sparks a sense of achievement in you when you get rid of something. Sense of achievement releases the same chemicals as sugar consumption, so you start to feel better about myself. But instead of dealing with the problem of why I am sad, or just letting myself be sad, I decluttered for the sake of declutter. In my opinion, its a form of the same harmful escapism as overeating or over watching TV.

It always needs to be in context

In combination with the above point, I've had this itch in the back of my head to declutter my winter cloth. I try to follow a rule of "if I haven't worn this item for 1 year and its not a specialty item (like a ski coat) - get rid of it".

And I haven't used most of my winter items for the past year. So every time I grab my cloth with the intention to declutter, I suddenly realize that 2020 and 2021 are no regular years. I've spent the majority of the winter in lock down hence I haven't had the chance to wear most of my winter cloth.

Everything, including minimalism, should be evaluated in context. Because only when we put things in context, we can understand the true purpose of our actions.

Minimalism is not about decluttering

When you get into minimalism, the most common type of questions you hear in different communities are: "Should I keep [this item]?", "Can I be a minimalist if I have [that item]?", "I don't use [that item], should I get rid of it?".

Obviously, by reading different articles or watching different videos, I got the same message - minimalism is about getting rid of what you don't need. Tidy up your home. Get rid of the TV because there are movie theaters. Be able to pack your entire apartment in 30 minutes, should you need to move. Have only double digit number of items. Live from a backpack.

And today, few years after I've discovered minimalism, I can say that there are items I regret getting rid of. Not because I have emotional attachment to them, but because I want to use them again.

I've sold 2 bicycles because I though I'll never ride them again, and wanted to tidy up my apartment. Eventually I had to re-buy one of them. I've re-bought a tripod that I've previously sold. I almost sold my hiking equipment which I now use again.

And I think this is the most important lesson I've learned that I wish I knew when I started to practice minimalism:

Minimalism is not about getting rid of items. Its mainly about being intentional with what you buy, evaluating what you have, and only as last resort getting rid of what you no longer need. - Me on Reddit

Its easy to get rid of items. As I've mentioned previously it can even be a source of fast endorphin and dopamine release. But this is not what minimalism is about. Minimalist is just a tool (or philosophy if you want to call it that), that helps us navigate in the consumerist world we live in. Minimalism is a philosophy that urges you to not tying up your life, self worth and respect to material possessions.

You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world. - Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

By getting rid of items you no longer need and re-buying them later, you continue to spin the consumerist hamster wheel. Moreover, if you get joy from decluttering, you might even subconsciously buy more just to have an excuse to get rid of older items.

I wish that when I've started practicing minimalism, someone would tell me that. I wish that instead of worrying how I reduce my possessions to fit in a backpack, I'd focus more on how to buy intentionally, how to find my passions and hobbies. I wish that I'd remember that I evolve as a person, and my evolution means I can change hobbies, which means I'd have to reacquire equipment for my new hobbies, equipment that I might have had and sold. But instead, /r/minimalism is filled with decluttering content, and only rarely someone talks about being intentional with what you buy.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you need to keep your bicycle. If you've tried mountain bicycling and you didn't like it, then its safe to sell your bicycle. But before selling it, ask your self the following set of questions:

By selling my bicycle, am I escaping a deeper issue? Am I sad now? Maybe there is a fucking pandemic outside and I'm trying to escape reality by selling my mountain bicycle (which I can't use because I can't leave my home)? Or Am I trying to reach some mystical goal of having a certain number of possessions?

Worst case, if you wanna try again some time in the future, just buy it again. However it also worth asking your self the following set of questions prior to your re-purchase:

Why do I want to try mountain cycling again? I've tried it once and didn't like, what changed now? Am I under the influence of advertisement or social media that mountain cycling is cool or have I changed as a person and wish to try this kind of sport again?

Mistakes were made. I'm not in deep grief. Those are items in the end. Yes, I've lost money. But this is money I've paid for a lesson. A very valuable lesson. You can't live life without making mistakes. So that's fine. But I have this feeling that a lot of people - they focus too much on the numbers.

Numbers are easy to compare. I make X$ per hour, you make Y$, so one of us is better. You have X items, I have Y - so one of us is practicing minimalism better. Its way harder to compare ourselves on an arbitrary "intentional buyer" scale. Its very easy, on the other hand, to compare ourselves on "possessions count" scale. But there is no need to put numbers on everything or try to measure everything. There is no better minimalism. There is minimalism - which is just an idea to be intentional with the items you buy and you use.

Internet is killing your brain

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 09:00:00 GMT

People who smoke usually know that smoking might prematurely kill them. Or if not kill, then give them cancer, stroke, heart disease, lung disease and etc. People who drink alcohol are aware that they will have liver problems and might prematurely die. Eating processed food leads to obesity which in turns might lead to cardiovascular disease. Its all known, its hard to argue with it, the data is there (look at sources in NHS, WHO, CDC). But very few people know that internet damages your brain.

Internet is the vegetable diet among fast food

If someone would ask me, what was the best invention in the past 100 years, I'd say - the Internet. I've experience life with a PC and no internet. I've experiences dial up internet when picture took minutes to load and going on the internet required approval from family members - because they wont be able to use the phone. I've experienced ADSL speeds. And now experiencing fiber optic speeds as well as being connected 24/7 thanks to my smartphone.

Without internet, devices like Kindle and Smartphones would be useless, services like Spotify, Audible, YouTube and this blog - would not exist. Internet gave us instant access to shopping. Internet gave us unlimited access to knowledge. Internet gave us ability to stay connected with our loved ones, especially now during pandemic. Internet gave us international collaboration. But every coin has 2 sides.

Internet is also the cocaine among drugs

Internet addiction is not a new term. Our society is discovering new anxiety disorders like Fear Of Missing Out. We've created terms like Internet Bullying to describe online bullying. People are being shamed. Deceived. Raped and killed. All via, or with the help of, the internet. And while undoubtedly those issues must be addressed, there is another issue that no body is talking about - and its the pandemic of our times. The pandemic of the false information, the pandemic of fear spreading.

With access to entire human competence and knowledge, we also got access to entire human stupidity, opinions and beliefs. And if in pre internet times, the weirdo who thinks that the government spies on him, would put a tin foil cap and move to live in the woods - today he expresses his opinion on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.

All the cars in the world are red

Imagine a situation where all you see are red cars. You walk on the street and all the cars are red. Those that are parked. Those that are being driven. Taxis. Buses. All red. Would you believe me if I told you that I've seen a blue one? You'd probably be skeptical.

We tend to form our opinions based on the world we see around us. We see green apples and we think that apples can only be green. But then we travel, we discover new kinds of apples. We discover new people, new traditions and new religions. And suddenly we understood more about the world. We've seen that there are cars other than red.

The internet works in a similar way. You watch YouTube video after YouTube video until you find yourself sitting in front of your computer at 3 AM looking at cats or worse - conspiracy theories how aliens manipulate humans.

Your engagement time with different services (almost) always have direct conversion to revenue. Then more videos you watch, the more ads you see, the more revenue the service makes. And in order to maintain this cause and effect, online services have a recommendation mechanism in place. The way it works is pretty simple. You watch a video about cats, the algorithm assumes you like cats, so it recommends you another cat video. If you watch it, its assumption becomes stronger and you will see more cat videos.

Show me your YouTube homepage and I'll tell you who you are

There is a saying by an Unknown that goes like this: Show me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are. The idea behind it, and I believe in it, is that people tend to be attracted to similar minds. Successful people rarely hang out with bums. Athletic people rarely hang out with with physically inactive people. They might, but its temporary and eventually they will drop them as friends or drag them to their level (it work both ways - a shy nice kid in a company of schools hooligans will either become bored and looks for other shy nice kids to befriend or be dragged down and become a school hooligan).

The same can be said about your social feeds. What you see there is an exact reflection of who are you and what you believe in. Now there is a very big question that I do not know the answer for yet - which came first? Your beliefs that guided you towards specific YouTube videos or those videos that shaped your beliefs? I tend to speculate that its a bit of each.

Deep down the rabbit hole

The problem is that if you are not very, very, very careful - you might end up deep in a rabbit hole. Video after video, post after post it will drag you down, narrowing your world view, slowly shaping your beliefs. And exiting this rabbit hole is hard. It requires having open mind, it requires being active, way beyond the level of activity needed to click on the next video or scroll to the next post. You actively need to challenge your world views. Challenge your beliefs. Expose your self to different sources of information. Because if you keep staying in the city of red cars, you will never discover that cars can be made in different colors.

I always like to end up with a personal touch. An advice from myself. I don't believe I'm qualified to discuss a topic I don't have experience in.

But honestly, giving an advice here is very hard. Because the best advice I can give you is that you need to train your mind. Train it to challenge information. Remember than news never speak about good things, they only talks about death and murder, war and disease. It doesn't mean that those are the only things outside the window. Its just that news are not a good source of positive and educational information. Look elsewhere. The same with social networks. If you allow the algorithm to decide what you like - you might end up in a rabbit hole. It doesn't mean you shouldn't click on controversial videos, or share controversial posts. It means that by doing so, you also need to take control of what information you want to be exposed to. And you need to take control and verify your information.

YouTube (and probably other social networks) have a way to control how the algorithm works. Each recommended video you see can be tagged as "Not Interested" or "Don't recommend channel". By doing so, you can control how the algorithm works without dragging you deep into the rabbit hole.

My YouTube homepage looks the same. Exactly same 10-20 videos are being offered to me with each refresh. No matter what kind of videos I watch, even when I watch controversial, fake, provoking videos or click on videos out of boredom or when procrastinating - once I start getting recommendations to them, I flag them as either "Not interested" or "Don't recommend channel". This way I control what information I see. Not the algorithm (whose purpose is to offer you more cat videos if you likes cats - which by itself is not a bad thing, but remember every coin, two sides..)

Take control. If you start to feel that your feed is taking control of you, you feel anxiety, stress, panic - STOP. Evaluate whether the information you see is relevant and doing good to you. If not, quit or block. I've had a nervous breakdown recently from reading too much news. I've blocked them. Didn't miss anything. Its still pandemic outside.

When I've noticed that YouTube is taking me down the rabbit hole I've stopped. Reevaluated what videos I'm being offered, removed the one that are bad for me. Found a hobby (like reviving this blog).

You also need to consider how you are getting your information. There are 2 mains methods: Push method and Pull method.

In a push method you are being offered information. You see YouTube home page with video recommendations, Facebook news feed with post recommendations. In push method you rarely have control. Push method is the way to the rabbit hole. You are bored or have a minute to spare, so you open your feed, see some information, click on it which makes the algorithm think you are interested in it so you are being offered more of it. At some point you end up in the rabbit hole I've told you about. Sure, some of the best YouTube videos I've watched were offered to me by the recommendation algorithm, but at that point I've already had control over what information I want to be exposed to. I knew how the push method worked and could control it. If you lack this control, skip the push method and start with pull.

Pull method is different. In pull method you search for information. You want to discover something new so you go and search for it. You watch videos, you read posts. You form an opinion. Its different from push in one specific aspect - control. In pull method you have control, in push method - you usually don't (unless you already have enough self control to stop, criticize, challenge and evaluate). Pull method is active, while push is passive. You are less likely to engage in pull method when you are bored or procrastinating hence your ability to criticize and challenge information is higher at those moments. Your mindset is different. In pull method you are set to learn or find the truth. In push method you are set to relax or kill the boredom. You lack control.

Remember this the next time you scroll through your feed.

Minimalism and Sustainability

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 09:00:00 GMT

When you get interested in Minimalism, one of the first question you ask your self is - "What do I do with the stuff that I don't need?". Well, the obvious answer might be - throw it away. But sometimes, the things that I don't need are things that still work or function properly. And throwing away a working item, makes me... sad.

So I came up with the following 5 step system to help me decide what to do with an item that no longer "sparks joy" (c).

1. Is it useable AND sellable without too much effort?

The first step in my 5 step evaluation system gives the maximum benefit to me. I can rid of an item I no longer need and get some of its monetary value back.

For every item I no longer need or which I've replaced with better version of it, I ask this question: Is it useable / in a working condition and can I sell it without too much effort?

If the item is broken, I move to the next step in this list.

If selling it requires too much effort for example a rare item that no one needs; a piece of cloth and practically impossible to sell (however I've managed to sell an unworn cardigan once); the ratio between the money I can make versus the time I'll invest in answering messages / phone calls, meeting with people and price negotiation - is too low - I move to the next step in this list.

Tips: Use your local selling groups on Facebook. You can also try Facebook market place and dedicated websites for second hand items (I know that in U.S. you have Craigslist and eBay).

2. Can it be gifted / donated / given away without too much effort?

If I'm not able to sell the item, I look for giving it away - either to friends or family, or strangers who were looking for such item. Some friend may need wine glasses that I no longer need. An organization that works with children who has disabilities might need an old PC I no longer use.

Of course not all items are giveable. Sometimes there are no friends in need of my items or there is no charity that willing to accept old items or finding such charity takes too much time (for example driving to a different city) - then I go to the next bullet.

A side note for this - some items are better given away in bulk. The other day I was decluttering and I collected a bunch of PC cables, USB thumb drives and some other peripherals. Selling them according to bullet 1 is too cumbersome - I'm not sure if they work, no body is going to buy a second hand PC cable and the amount of time I'd invest in selling them compared to the income I can get, is not worth it. I could just recycle them or throw them away, but instead I found a local Makers community, posted on their Facebook that I have a bunch of stuff that I don't need, I don't know in want condition it is and I'm willing to give it to the first person who will come and take all of it. Withing 2-3 hours, I gave everything away.

3. Is it working / useable / not broken AND can be left on the street?

Note: I'm not sure what are the laws in each country. The country I live in, its pretty common to leave old stuff on the street so somebody will take it. Check your local laws.

Sometimes, some items are perfectly useable but its hard to give them away. Shoes for example. In such cases I try to leave such items on the street, where they can be seen. Strangers can bypass and take them. Usually it happens on the same day. If not, I'll pick this item up the next day and proceed to step 4 in this list.

4. Can it be recycled without too much hassle?

Once again, this depends on your local laws, but in my country there are recycling facilities for textile, electronics, glass and etc. I always opt out for recycling before throwing away. However if it takes too much time, I'd most likely just throw it away.

The other day I wanted to recycle an old PC mouse. I went to my local recycling center but due to COVID they were closed. I tried another one, but due to bureaucracy they won't let me inside the building and the guard refused to take the mouse for me. This is too much hassle. I've already invested time in going to those recycling facilities, and with a great feeling of sadness I had to just throw it away.

5. Throw it away

Nothing to add. If you can't sell it, give it away or recycle it - then throw it away.

Transitioning into a more minimalist life style, or even just replacing items I no longer like / need / use with better versions - always raise the question, for me, as what to do with the old item. I try to leave a positive print on the environment and defaulting to throwing away old items - felt wrong for me.

Getting some money back or making someone happier by giving them items I no longer use - felt like a good middle ground for me.

I hope this 5 step evaluation system will help you as well.

This post was inspired by a reddit post I've created 2 months ago.

Why you should aim for 10K steps a day

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Somewhere around the beginning of February, I've found my old Mi Band 2 fitness tracker. I've stopped using it because the bracelet broke, I've ordered a new one on Ebay, but it never came, so I threw the Mi Band in a drawer and forgot about it.

But then I found it, decided to buy a new bracelet for it, realized that Xiaomi already released Mi Band 5 (and there is Mi Band 6 already) which is very cheap so I decided to get it. The reason I wanted a fitness tracker was mainly for tracking my sleep and use it as a discreet alarm that won't wake up my wife. So I got it, started to wear it and play with it and then asked my self "What if I'll try to do 10K steps a day?".

Why 10K a day?

There is no particular reason why you should aim to do 10K, but from the research I did, the number 10,000 mainly became popular in 1965 because a Japanese company released a device named "Manpo-Kei" which literally translates as "10,000 step meter" (Source: Wikipedia) and the man (Y.Hatano) behind it claimed that "10,000 steps a day is ideal".

There are many articles on the internet as to why 10K steps a day is healthy, however no major health organization actually says that 10K steps a day is ideal (at least I could not find any reference to it) and their recommendation is based on activity intensity and time (i.e. at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week - source WHO).

No pedometer is accurate, but according to my average, 10K steps is somewhere around 7.5 km (approx 4.6 miles) and amounts a total of approximately 1 hours at 30 minutes of walking.

How to reach 10k steps a day?

"Jeez, 7.5km and 1.5 hours a day - is a lot!" - you might say. And yes, it is. And chances are that you are like me - stuck for the past year at home, both living and working from it, then you probably do around 2k-3k steps a day. I know I did when I got Mi Band 5 and started to count my steps.

I remember when the first lock down became less strict and we were allowed to travel up to 1km from home (as opposed to 100m), I remember that walking or even climbing 2-3 stairs (not 2-3 flights of stairs, but 2-3 stairs!) was exhausting!

So armed with the knowledge that 10K steps is better than nothing, I've started slowly to build my habit towards 10K steps a day. At first I did 5k for a week, then 6k, then 7k, then 9k when eventually I was able to reach 10k.

If you are just starting, I suggest you do the same. Don't start with 10K, start smaller and be consistent. Remember - its better to do less but consistently, than to aim for more but not doing it at all.

I never really reached 10k consistently. Some days I do 5k, some days 20k. My best streak was 5 days in a row. But on some days I ride my bicycle for 1 hour, and some days I punch the boxing bag for 1 hour. I don't see a point in doing 10k steps on those days - as my primary objective in doing 10k steps was to stay active every day, and on days I'm already active because I either cycle or box, I don't need to reach my 10k steps a day.

However by doing 10k steps a day, I've found some interesting benefits I want to share with you and maybe motivate you to try to reach 10k steps a day.

Benefits of doing 10k steps a day

Its easy to start

There are two modes to the human body - active and resting. Resting is when you sit in your chair or lay on your sofa. Active is when you move. And when you move, your heart rate goes up, blood is circulating your body, your legs and arms are moving, muscles are working to keep you standing and in balance.

Leading a resting/sedentary lifestyle can lead to, you guessed right - heart disease, back problems, cancer and premature death. And if you know me and read my previous posts, I'm all about becoming super healthy, super human and living as much pain free and long life as I can.

But the problem is that getting into any sport - requires financial investment and developing a mental love to it. Even simple things like running - requires you at least get comfortable running shoes, and I won't talk about other sports like gym - which requires membership or equipment if you want to work out from home; cycling - which requires a bicycle - obviously; boxing, rowing, skiing - which all require equipment / membership and the latter also depends on weather. More over, sport is an individual thing. I hate running. I tried, multiple times. I hate it. Some people swear by it, I suffer when I run. And I don't like to suffer, so I don't run.

However walking is something native to us. We walk all the time - whether its from the chair to the fridge, from our houses to a bus stop, in a super market, or just by the beach. Walking is natural to human beings. It requires zero equipment (you can even walk barefoot - some people claim its better, I prefer shoes though) and its practically impossible to hate it - as its the basic form of moving as opposed to sitting.

Its great for multi tasking

When you run or cycle, row or lift weights - you are most likely trying to reach a goal be it distance, number of repetitions, weight of each repetition or speed - but you try to push your body to its limits. And when you push your body to its limits, it hard to do other tasks such as catching up with family or friends. Try to run and have a phone call with your friend or do bench press and catch up with your family.

Walking on the other hand does not raise your heart rate too much (unless you are doing fast walking) which enables you to do other tasks. When I walk I tend to use this time to: catch with family or friends, listen to audio-book or podcast, listen to music, or clean my mind and explore, which brings me to the next 2 points.

It's good for cleaning up your mind

Whether you've had an argument with your SO, can't figure out a solution to hard problem or your mind is just occupied with thoughts, its always a good decision to take a walk.

By walking, you are not worried about speed or distance, repetitions or weight, you just move - leaving your mind free to focus on other things. When I'm worried or have troubles concentrating, I'm going for a walk. It helps me clean my mind, get rid of my worries. There is even a walking meditation if you'd like to try it (I haven't). I usually feel way better in terms of concentration or worries - when I come back from a walk.

It brings the explorer in you and teach you to appreciate whats around you

Human beings are explorers. Before creating a settlement, we used to wander in searches for the best place to settle. Close to water source, away from predators, uphill for easier defense. By walking daily - you feed the explorer in you.

You might have moved to a new neighborhood or live in the same one for the majority of your life - but how much of it you really know? Can you navigate your way home from any point in your neighborhood without a GPS? Do you know to tell me where I can find a good park or a nice bakery in your neighborhood, without checking Google Maps? I've learned to appreciate this exploration, I found some nice restaurants, great parks that are few minutes of walk away from my home and it comes really helpful now, when my wife and I are looking to move to a different apartment. Before I've used to walk and explore my neighborhood or the ones close to it, I wouldn't know who lives in each neighborhood. Is it a good neighborhood? Is this green spot on Google Maps a park or just some grass with benches? But after exploring my neighborhood and the ones close to it, I know to say where good parks are located. What type of people live in each neighborhood. Whether its a noisy one because its located near a central street or a school or a quiet one because its full of small houses rather than tall buildings.

It also helped me to learn to appreciate things. When you walk, your mind is free to look around, judge the architecture, explore parks, smell the smell of fresh bread or coffee. The internet is full of negative stuff, and by taking a walk I balance the negativity with positive appreciation. There was one day when I was walking and a light rain started, but instead of panicking and hiding I've just embraced it and walked under the rain, smiling.

It gives you perspective on distance

Before I started to aim to do 10k steps a day, I'd look at directions to my doctors appointment, restaurant or a shop, in Google Maps and judge its distance. 30 minutes of walk, to me back then, considered too long. I would opt for a bus ride or a taxi in that way, even if it took the same 30 minutes. My mind just wasn't grasping 3-4km of walking as something bearable or worth doing. But after I've walked 10k steps for some time now and realized that it takes around 1.5 to 2 hours and amounts to around 7-8km - I look at directions differently.

The other day, I was invited to a gathering activity with my work colleagues. The walk was 45 minutes and 3.5km from the place I live. 5-6 months ago I would have never took that walk, if you'd asked me to. For me at that time, 45 minutes of walking is too much. Today I realize that walking back and forth is not even 10k steps. And by aiming to do 10k steps a day, I decided to take that walk. And was engaged in other activities such as catching up with family, listening to an audio book, exploring new locations and appreciating the beautiful world we live in.

How to start?

I want to finish with some tips on how you can start building your habit of walking 10k steps a day. Remember 2 important principles:

1. You don't need any fancy equipment

Walking is easy. You need regular cloth and shoes. You don't need trainers or special equipment. You don't even need a fitness tracker (however it did help me to kick start this habit) - your regular smartphone probably have a builtin pedometer in it. Just take your smartphone, a pair of headphones and a nice audio-book or podcast - and go for a walk. You can even skip the headphones and the audio book and just walk - looking around, wandering, taking turns you never would have took. Just make sure your GPS works, so you won't get lost in your first explorations of the neighborhood.

I tend to split my walks to two segments: one in the day and on in the evening. By taking a daily walk you also expose yourself to the sun which is important in order to get vitamin D, and since its hard to carve 1.5 hours of free time during a working day, I tend to do my longer walk at the evening, when I'm done with work. It also helps me do a mental shift between work and home. I spend most of my time in front of my computer, and sometimes its hard to do a mental shift between work and hobbies since I literally stay at the same place when my work day is over. Some people like to dress up to work even when WFH, and then when they finish work, they switch to their home cloth to signal their brain of a mental shift from work to home mode. I find it too much of a hassle, however taking a walk does the trick for me. If you have a dog, take it with you - it does good to dogs as well.

I also suggest you start small. Identify how much you are doing right now. It can be 2k or it can be 7k. And then try to increase that number by 1k for each week you were able to do it consistently. If you fail at your next goal, downgrade it back by 1k and do that for another week. For each intermediary goal - you should not feel any muscle pain or extreme struggle to do it. If you feel muscle pain the next day, or you find it hard to reach your goal, keep doing it until you find it easy and only then switch to the next thousand.

2. Walking is better than nothing

There is no guideline as to how much time you need to put into active lifestyle. And I'm not a doctor - so consult with one first, but the general consensus is that you should do moderate intensity aerobic and anaerobic activities. However sometimes its hard, some days we feel lazy, and not everyone can workout daily. And walking is better than slumping on the couch.

Don't stress with the 10k steps a day goal if you don't feel like it. I decided for myself that on days when I'm working out - I might not reach 10k steps. In the end my time in the day is limited and if I did 1 hour workout, I might go for a 30 minute walk that day instead of the full 1.5 hours. If I did a 20km bike ride, I might skip the walking for that day. Because the end goal is to stay active and healthy, so I don't want to stress about it if I'm tired after a workout or had a busy day and was able to dedicate only 1 hour for activity that day. But I do try to stay active every day whether its aerobic or anaerobic activity, or walking 10k steps.

Vegan-ish March challenge

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Obligatory Disclaimer - I'm not a doctor or dietitian. This post does not substitute consultation with a professional. This post is not a call to action and should be read for entertainment purposes only.

On March I decided to convert to Veganism (with caveats, more on it later).

Why you ask? As far as I know, there are two reasons why people convert to veganism.

Ethical Reason

It's no secret that meat and dairy industries are cruel. Cruel in the way they pollute our atmosphere (https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-food); cruel in the way they use our land (https://ourworldindata.org/land-use) which leads to forest destruction; and cruel in the way they treat the animals (I'll save you from sources, but they are easily available online).

An ethical vegan is a person who's eyes were opened by a documentary they've accidentally saw or an article they've read - about the cruelty of the meat industry. Armed with the desire to save our planet and stop animal suffering, our individual decides to adopt veganism.

I, too, care about our planet. I try to sort my garbage and avoid plastic bags. I prefer to take a walk or ride my bicycle instead of driving a car. But I do it as long as it does not harm my comfort too much. If I forgot to bring a reusable bag with me, while going shopping, I'll take a plastic one from the shop as opposed to fill my pockets with apples.

I also know that many industries are bad. All the electronics we use require tantalum which is a chemical that still obtained unethically. Even things we take for granted such as electricity, still comes mainly from the polluting fossil fuels (https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels). And yet, I haven't got rid of my phone and left society to live off grid in a tent in the forest.

So as long as something is good for me at it wasn't obtained 100% unethically, like a stolen item, I'd probably ignore the fact that it harms our planet.

And meat is good for us, right?

Health Reason

The second reason people become vegans is associated with health. There is this myth that people can not survive without meat. Meat is the source of important nutrients like protein or Vitamin B12. You most likely heard about a friend of a friend who became vegan and now need to take supplements because he can't source B12 from plants. How a diet with supplements can be healthy?

Well, the fact is - it can. Protein is largely available in plants (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321474#15-best-vegan-proteins) but B12 indeed can not be obtained from plants. It also can not be obtained from animals, at least not directly.

Vitamin B12 is produced by a bacteria that lives in our soil and water (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12#Sources) and since we wash our veggies and filter our water - we kill this bacteria (along with a lot of other harmful bacteria). But how animals get it then? In two ways - they either live a happy and free life and eat unwashed grass with dirt and drink unfiltered water which contains this bacteria; or they get supplements. The same supplements that vegans get.

The meat industry has a very good marketing campaign to convince us that meat is a necessity. At least that's what I though, before I saw a random documentary about plant based diet.

And among all the things I dislike, I very much dislike when I'm being lied to. And I also want to be a super human. So armed with knowledge, determination and excitement - I've started my vegan Month.

How?

As with my [[no-shopping-february|February challenge]] I needed to set rules. And based on my rules, I've come to realize that I'm not 100% pure vegan, hence the challenge was called "Vegan-ish March". Here are my rules:

No meat products [*obviously, duh..]*
Up to 1 time fish per week during social events [I don't remember why I decided that fish is fine, but spoiler alert - I did not eat any. I don't like fish in general]
Ghee butter is fine in moderation [My wife started to use Ghee while cooking, so not to complicate things in the kitchen, I included this rule]
No eggs
No dairy products
First two weeks up to one pizza with no meat [I wanted to make the transition easier and not be an asshole during social events when everyone wants pizza and I'm like "I'm vegan"]

Before we proceed to the results, lets talk about my relationship with food.

Food for me was a source of energy. It was something I had to do in order to live a good life. I usually ate meat at least once a day and had this idea in my head that I need meat on daily basis in order to stay healthy. I focused on chicken, and ate red meat only at restaurants where they could prepare a good steak or an amazing hamburger. I dislike fish, so I rarely ate it. Dairy products in general make my stomach upset, so I've limited their usage. Eggs for me were nice for quick breakfasts.

It is recommended to switch to vegetarian diet first, and not jump towards veganism right away. But since I'm not your typical meat eater who eat 5 portions of meat a day, and I mostly live by the rule of "all or nothing", I've decided to jump straight into veganism.

The Results

Timeline

The first few days were amazing. I was energized, excited and ready to conquer my challenge on the way to become a better human being. I was armed with knowledge and science and instead of simply eliminating meat for my meals, I've looked for replacements in forms of beans, grains, legumes and nuts.

But then, by the end of first week, I've started to feel cloudy and tired. I've started to suspect that maybe I don't eat enough and have nutrient deficiency, so at day 8, I've started to count calories.

Counting calories helped, I did realize that 100g of bell pepper is not the same as 100g of chicken breast and that I do have nutrient deficiency. Armed with this new knowledge, I've educated my self even more and started to plan my meals based on the nutrients I need.

And things started to become better. I was more energized, felt great, no more cloudy. Until day 12, when life happened. As with my February challenge, I've broke my diet on day 12.

I've met with a friend and we went to a bar for a couple of cocktails and food. And the only food they had - was pizza. We were hungry, my friend wanted to share the pizza and I was weak. Technically, pizza falls under rule (6) but at that point I was doing great with my diet and decided mentally that I was not going to break it with pizza - but I did.

Other than this, no major accidents. I feel better, I'm more energized (according to my wife) and I started to like food and eating.

Conclusions

Bowl Movement

The messy part. Skip this if you don't want to discuss poop.

My bowl movement before vegan diet - was regular, but it wasn't.. perfect. I though maybe its related to meat and was hoping that plant based diet will help with that - but I was disappointed. It didn't make things worse, but it didn't improve either.

However one positive effect that I did notice, is that I now rarely have abdominal distension. I used to have it pretty often when I was eating meat, and it did bother me. Not anymore.

Energy Levels

One more benefit of plant based diet I've read about is that you have more energy. Can do more things, is less tired and can lift more if you are working out.

And while I'm unable to judge my levels of energy - I'm still functioning normally, do my job, work out and relax; my wife claims I'm way more energized. I was hoping to have more energy for when I workout, but again, I'm unable to judge objectively. I do feel stronger but it can be also because I train regularly.

However, one big benefit that I do notice from plan based diet - is that I'm no longer tired after eating. Do you know this feeling, after when you eat a meal with meat, you suddenly feel full? You feel sleepy and tired ready for siesta even if its 7PM? Well, I used to have that. But after I've switched to plant based diet - I'm not longer having this feeling. I can eat at 4PM, I cat eat at 7PM and I won't feel tired, sleepy or full.

No pain

Yet another benefit of plan based diet is that people who have joint pain, experienced less pain or even no pain after switching to plant based diet. I'm not sure about the science behind it, but nevertheless I have chronic shoulder pain that no doctor was able to fix or even diagnose so I've learned to live with it. Plant based diet did not help to relief this pain.

The love for food

After switching to plan based diet, I fell it love with food and cooking. Dinners suddenly became colorful with a bunch of vegetables. I've educated myself about sources of iron, protein, calcium in plants. I even counted calories for some time (I've quit it about 4-5 days before the end of the months, as its too time consuming for me).

I've started to enjoy chopping and cooking; started to love the taste of food. I spend way more time in the kitchen and I did order way less take away food during this month.

Now you can say "Jeez Dmitry, you could have developed the same love for food and cooking by eating meat as well, should you cared enough" and I'd agree with you, I could. But for me, there is a mental association between vegetables and healthy food. And eating healthier food make me wanna prepare this food as well. Sometimes it takes a change to [[compound-effect-and-habits|kick start a new hobby or habit]], and plant based diet did that for me. So +1 for plant based diet.

Under the hood

The best indicator of health that we can get relatively easily - is blood test. I have blood test I've did around end of January, beginning of February. But I haven't yet done one after being vegan. I don't think one month is enough to have a noticeable effect, so I'll do a test in few months.

Another interesting fact is that I've lost around 2.5kg (~5.5 pounds for my non metric readers). I suspect I was not eating enough the first days and only when I started to count calories, I've realized that I need to eat more. Its hard for me to gain weight and I have a theory about it: it takes the body some time to adjust to new diet. Its like a shock since my body was used to meat and suddenly its not getting it anymore. So it started to burn it reserves. Not sure if it makes sense but I'll keep monitoring my weight, and will contact my doctor if I won't see any improvements.

What next?

The month is over, so as my diet. I proved to myself that food can be tasty, diverse and healthy.

But I also realized that plant based diet is not easy. Because I don't eat fish, I'm taking Omega supplements. But only after few days of my challenge, I've realized that Omega supplements are not vegan since they come from fish oil.

Somewhere around the beginning of March, I went to a local cafe with my wife and we ordered a couple of sandwiches but asked if they can be made without mayonnaise since we are vegans. The waitress said that it is possible. After we sat down at the table, the waitress approached us and asked "is honey fine, or to take it out as well?". I was baffled. Whats the problem with honey? Only later I've realized that honey is technically non vegan because it involves bee exploitation.

Eating proper vegan is hard. There are a lot of great vegan supplements for cheeses, burgers, sausages and even mayonnaise; but the idea of my challenge was not to replace processed meat with processed vegan food. While I do believe that a vegan burger is healthier than the average meat burger, they are both processed foods.

It also requires you to plan what you eat. Beans for example needs to be soaked for at least 12 hours before they are being cooked for another 60-90 minutes.

Am I converted? I'm not sure. I find a lot of benefits in plant based diet ranging from the taste, flavor and the process of preparing food; all the way to health benefits like not feeling tired or full after a meal. But food is a lot more than energy. Food is culture; food is experience. I'm yet to find a vegan restaurant that will give me the same experience as a restaurant that can serve me a great steak with melting butter and rosemary together with a glass of red wine.

Food is embedded in our culture and while I don't crave steaks, I'm not ready to give up the experience, the same way I enjoy a good beer in a bar, knowing that alcohol is bad for me. So for now, I'm going to stick to my plant based diet while eating at home or even ordering take away, but I'll reserve a special place for meat when visiting a great restaurant that can serve a tasty steak or an amazing burger.

Compound effect and habits

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:00:00 GMT

In the stock market, there is an effect known as compound interest. In a nutshell it works like this: when you invest 100$ with a an yearly return of 10%, after the first year you will have 110$ . However after the second year you will have 121$ (so a growth of 11$ compared to 10$ from the first year). After third year you will have 133.1$, 146.41$ after fourth and eventually, after 10 years you will have 259.37$ an additional 159.37$.

So the interest rate of 10% yearly applies also to the earnings you've made this year. Therefor its called "compound interest" as opposed to a 10% interest that applies only to the initial investment. And if you look at a longer period, you will notice that the growth is exponential.

Stocks? What?!

Yeah, right. Back to habits. See, habits work the same way. When you break some habit, or fall into a bad habit, it creates the same compound effect. At some point you wake up and ask yourself "How did I get there?". But what happened in retrospect is that one day you've missed the gym, and since you've missed the gym you decided to allow yourself eat a burger instead of a salad, with beer instead of water, in front of a TV instead of working on your hobby. And the next time you need to go to the gym, you are like "But I've already missed one session, so whats the harm in missing this one as well". And then you wake up and ask yourself "How did I get there?".

Of course its not that fatal. Missing one gym session won't throw you to the bottom of life, and it depends on your self motivation and self control. I, for example, struggle to start the work week after the weekend. Even if just before weekend I've been super engaged with work, weekends throws me off my track and starting the week is hard for me.

There is an unwritten rule in the habit making world that says "Never miss a habit two times in a row". So if you've missed the gym, you must go the next time. Compound effect takes time to accumulate. One missed habit will shake you a bit, but usually, if you have strong self control, it should not put you off track. A habit missed twice - is harder to recover from. And the scary thing is that once you break one habit - others start to break as well. Compound effect.

The good part

But there is a good part as well. Compound effect works the same way with good habits. You start to build the habit of working out. At some point you realize that your diet matters so you start to eat healthier. By eating healthier you cook more at home hence saving money on take away as well as investing in a clean kitchen (no body wants to cook in a disgusting kitchen). By setting the habit of cleaning your kitchen, you expand it to keep your entire house tidy, which leads to getting rid of stuff you don't need hence being intentional with what you buy (which again, saves money). And it one year you will look back and realize that you've changed as a person. Compound effect.

Start Small

The compound effect is very strong. But like anything in life - abuse it and it will work against you. By tackling many habits at once, you risk the chance to developing none at all, or worse, introducing bad ones. Here are some tips on how you can create new habits and enjoy the compound effect.

Start small - focus on one habit. Remember - habit is not something that you do 3 times in a row. Forming a habit takes around 66 days. But it doesn't mean you should focus only on one habit every 66 days. Get the ball rolling. Once you are comfortable with the habit, introduce new one. For me it takes around 1 to 2 weeks of daily habits to start sticking. But its personal, so see what works for you.
Know your self. By knowing your self, you know how much self control you have. By knowing how much self control you have, you know how to tackle a broken habit. I personally know that its way harder for me to come back to a habit if I missed it 2 times in a row. For some of you it could be 4 times, for others 1. There is no magic number, it entirely depends on your self control. Experiment and see what works for you.
Don't be hard on yourself. When you miss a habit, don't beat yourself. You are not a failure for missing a habit. Life happens so your Monday gym session might fall on a period when you are sick, overwhelmed with work, on vacation or just lazy. It's not the end of the world. Make adjustments and reschedule. Remember - It's ok to miss a habit, its not ok to break it. So reschedule according to your magic number from point 2 above.

Remember, habits are very individual. Individual in the way how you build them and individual in the way why you build them.

Don't create habits because someone told you it changed their life. Remember, it changed their life. It might not change yours. Always start with self discovery. Realize why you want to build a habit. You want to be active and live a healthy life? So find a physical habit. Don't run to the gym because someone told you that you must do that. Not everybody like the gym. There are plenty of other physical activities like cycling, rowing, running, yoga, boxing, HIIT and etc. Find what works for you.

Once you found it, experiment on how to implement it. You have 1 free evening? So go to the gym once a week (or do any other physical activity that works for you). Sure somebody will tell you that once a week is not enough because they go at least 5 times a week. But again, its their life. They might have 5 evening available because they work on a different job than you or have a different lifestyle than you. Again its your life. Once a week is always better than none. You can't enjoy the compound effect on zero - because any % from zero is still zero. Start the ball rolling and you will adapt your life. Sure it will take you more time to reach the same results as the 5 times a week guy/gal, but you are not your single habit - your are the sum of everything you do and don't do in life, and no two lives are similar. Always remember this.

No shopping February

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Back in January I caught myself scrolling and favorite-ing a lot of products on Amazon. And I though to myself - what if I decide to do a month without shopping?

Rules

But first, some rules. It's easy to say "I'll just do a no shopping February", but you can't simply commit to a challenge without setting some rules. Are you going to buy groceries? Gifts? Medicine? What about self treatment procedures like gym visit?

You need to have rules. Rules makes your challenge way easier to follow. For me, February is a special month because it has 3 important occasions: My Birthday, St. Valentines Day and Dating anniversary. So I defined the following rules: I'll avoid any shopping with the exception of the following -

Birthday present for my self
St. Valentines day present for my wife
Dating anniversary present for my wife (should we decide to give gifts this year)
Replacement of a broken / damaged item that was previously in use at least once during 2021
Groceries and Food take away
Up to 1 book
Anything for self care (so medical treatments, haircut, gym etc)

The result

I'm glad to report that I was able to follow the challenge through entire 28 days of February but with one exception. I've broke the rule once.

I use a comfy slippers to wander around the house. However, since they are made of synthetic, medium grade quality, materials - they became stinky. So stinky, that by the middle of the day my socks were stinky as well. So I decided to replace them. Looking back at my rules, they fall under rule (3) - I did use them daily, and the fact they started to stink can be categorized as "damage". I went to an online shopping store, found the slippers I want and was ready to order them. Then I realized that the shipping price was almost half the price of the slippers and more over, if I'd add another item to reach a certain sum - I'd get free shipping. Damn you marketing!

I did cost benefit analysis and came to a conclusion that I'd rather pay for another item I need than for shipping - so I've decided to order pants but I've told to myself that they will replace an existing pants I already have (a rule I try to follow to minimize clutter introduction in my life - for every clothing item I buy, one should go away).

So yes, I've broke the challenge. But I've realized something.

Conclusions

I'm not a addicted to shopping. I don't spend countless amount of money to hoard items. I could improve my impulsive buying habits, but I was not doing this challenge to cure some addiction or cut on expenses. I did it purely for educational and "scientific" knowledge. And I've learned two things.

Control your impulses

I did have impulsive buying habit. When I've decided that I want or need something, I usually went to buy it. Which then lead to buyer remorse since by the time this item arrived (I usually buy online) I already was past the initial dopamine rush from the purchase and I was wondering "why the hell did I bough this". Doing this challenge, I've realized that nothing is really that urgent. I was aware of instant gratification, delaying your purchases and etc, but somewhere during this pandemic - I've lost it. This challenge served as a restart for me. A restart to remind me that I have everything I need and nothing is urgent to buy.

Life happens

I've stated in the beginning of this post how important it is to setup rules. Rules define the boundaries in which you can operate. They define your actions and prevent you from having the feeling of being a failure because there is a difference between "No shopping" and "No shopping except for...". I don't believe its correct to change your rules every time you encounter a road block, but it's also not healthy to never change your rules. Life is dynamic, and adapting to it is one of the best traits you can develop in yourself. Adaptability is what helps us survive. And this challenge reminded me of this important lesson.

By settings strict rules and promising to never adapt them - you are doomed to failure because at some point, life will kick you to the floor and you will need to adapt. On the other hand, by constantly changing your rules every time you face a difficult situation, you will end up as a weak person who has no moral stance, no rules, to beliefs to live by.

Closing Words

Doing this challenge reminded me of two important lessons: Delayed gratification and Adaptability in life.

It's already March and I'm 4 days to my new challenge. Stay tuned for March end to find out about it :)

I did 33 days of "social media on my phone detox" challenge

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

On 19th of January I've had enough. I was stressed. Stressed mainly because of overusing my phone for both social media (Reddit and YouTube in my case) and for news checking. So I decided to do what everyone else would recommend you to do once you reach this point - delete social media from your phone.

So I've deleted Reddit, disabled YouTube (thank you big phone manufacturer that preinstall certain apps on their phones without the ability to uninstall them, only disable) and blocked the only news website I was using (this block included block on PC as well). And I've created a fancy tracking calendar, hang in on my corkboard and every day crossed out the previous day, in case I've managed to stay away from social media on my phone, which I'm happy to report, I did for 33 days in a row.

In order for it to make sense, I first need to tell you about my relationship with my phone and social media (from now on, when I say social media I mean Reddit and YouTube since I use Facebook mainly for marketplace abilities and mainly on PC, and I don't use Instagram or any other social platform).

You see, Reddit for me was a feed of "inspirational" pictures. I like Living spaces, I like mechanical keyboard and watches, I like computers and networking gear. So I'm subscribed to /r/battlestations, /r/EDC, /r/malelivingspace and similar - which all are picture based. So when you open the Reddit App you have a nice picture feed of EDC items, battlestations and etc. A great time filler for when you are bored. But then little by little my habits started to slip. I'd finish scrolling my feed in few minutes but was still bored so I started to glance at /r/all or /r/popular which now made me an expert in US politics (and I don't even live there!) which obviously contributed to more stress (as politics are never rainbow colors). Add to that the fact that my lunch or dinner would be accompanied by the one and only - YouTube. I felt that I was either working or doing something else that involved Reddit / YouTube / New reading.

A word on PC usage. When I'm on my PC, I'm doing one of 2 things - I either do work for my day to day job or work on my hobbies. So I was more mindful about the way I use Reddit or YouTube there. Add since Reddit on PC is not that useful as picture feed, I rarely visited it from my PC.

The "A-Ha!" moment

On a regular evening, I was driving my wife to therapeutic massage, after which she is usually very relaxed and advised not to drive. While she was doing the therapy, I was walking (a habit I'm trying to build) and listening to an audio book. Closer to the end of the 1 hour mark, I went back to the car to make sure that my wife won't have to wait for me and by that time I've finished listening to one chapter of the book and was not interested in starting a new one. I entered the car and started to wait. And at that time, the "A-Ha!" moment, also known as Eureka, came to me.

When people ask for suggestions about phone addiction, and mainly constant Instagram or Facebook scrolling - they are being told to "Just delete these apps. You won't miss anything". And it's true, I didn't miss. All the important news I've "missed" - were filled to me by my friends; the YouTube videos were still waiting for me when I used YouTube on my PC; and the Reddit posts - well.. They are just nice time fillers. And while I agree that being exposed to nice houses or beautiful wardrobes, can shape the way you decorate your house or dress (you can read more about my "dressing up" experiences in this blog post I've published - [[you-are-not-your-news-feed-or-maybe-you-are|You are not your newsfeed! Or maybe you are?]]) I believe the good ol' saying of "Everything is good in moderation" applies here very well. The benefits of nice houses or computers, were overtaken by the amounts of stress I was feeling and I prefer to be stress free rather than having a nice "battlestation".

So here I was, sitting my car, bored, checking WhatsApp every 20 seconds, checking my calendar every 30 seconds (and no, don't get me wrong, I'm not super busy CEO whose schedule changes every 10 minutes) - while waiting for my wife to arrive so we could drive back home.

And at this moment I've realized - We have it backwards! Deleting social media apps from our phones is like taking pain killers every day because you have a headache - sure the symptom goes away, you are no longer addicted to social media (or have headaches) but the problem stays there - something is wrong with your health (otherwise you wouldn't have constant headaches) and you still don't know how to be bored.

See, the reason why I've used my phone while eating or when waiting for my wife in the car is because I didn't know how to enjoy food or be bored. Yes, I've deleted Reddit and YouTube and I didn't use those anymore, but I was still reaching to my phone during those 33 days just to check WhatsApp, look at package tracking or stock prices, a set of absolutely random and useless actions that are the by product of not knowing how to live in the moment, enjoy simple things like a meal or enjoying being bored.

So whats next? I'm done with the challenge. I've enabled YouTube once again because I was sick and in bed, couldn't sleep, so decided to watch some YouTube videos. I occasionally check the news (every block can be bypassed). I still didn't install Reddit, but I guess it will happen sooner or later. I think this challenge was worth the conclusion I've came too. The message of deleting social media for "addicted" people is so strong that it perceived as the ultimate solution for addiction while my experience tells the opposite - its just eliminating the symptoms, but the problem stays. I don't reach to my phone when I'm truly living in the moment (being in the Flow, having a deep conversation, watching a movie or etc) so the problem is not Reddit or YouTube on my phone - the problem is my relationship with boredom. I guess I'll have to work on that.

Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not an expert on addictions. My experience might not apply to you and by eliminating social media from your life, you might "heal" your addiction. It all depends on the answer to the question "Why do you use it in the first place?". I'm not having anxiety because my social feed is filled with younger, more successful people than me, nor I suffer from FOMO as my social apps are not associated with family or friends (like Instagram or Facebook). But if your main issues are stress or anxiety from FOMO or constant comparison to younger (or same aged) people, who "look" more successful than you - then yes, deleting social media might do wonders to you. So as always, your mileage may vary.

All opinions matter, but some should not be expressed

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 12:00:00 GMT

We've come a long way thanks to controversial opinions being expressed. We've created a more equal society in terms of race and gender differences. Our society is more individualist today than ever before; we allow people to express themselves without excluding them from society. We are still far from perfect, but thanks to controversial opinions and tolerance - we've reached a lot. I'd even say - too much.

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is a universal human right, adopted in 1948, which states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The problem is that this is where most people stop reading the entire right to free speech, which comes with limitations.

And while I am in favor of freedom in speech, we should never forget that universal freedom of speech - is dangerous. When people think they are entitled to universal freedom of speech, we get Holocaust denial, Armenian Genocide denial, flat earth believers etc.

Its very visible nowadays, with COVID-19 pandemic and the Vaccine. People with no medical knowledge, who read a few articles and are now self declared professionals, think that they are entitled to spread, some even very aggressively I must say, their opinion - an opinion that is not based on facts or scientific evidences, and usually border lines as fake or inaccurate, nevertheless they have the right to spread it, without any consequences.

But I believe there should be consequences. Spreading of fake information or information that contradicts scientific knowledge - should have consequences. When a person says, on TV or in front of a crowd, that our earth is flat - he should be responsible for this saying. Responsible if not for the fact of spreading fake information, then at least for the fact that he disregards years of years of scientific experiments, people's devotion, courage, and sacrifice to prove that our earth is not flat.

So what?

So what? You could ask. Someone said something stupid, why it should bother me?

Well it does. It does because we form our opinions based on what we see and hear. I can not personally verify every scientific experiment, be expert in every field and trust no body. I need to trust someone. And when both scientifically proven experiments as well as fake or inaccurate information - get the same stage, have the same power, trust becomes very hard.

You could say that everyone needs to be responsible to what information they consume, and while generally I'd agree, but we outlawed pyramid schemes, we have laws against scam and fraud. Its all done for the same reason - to protect us from people who look trustworthy but in reality are not. Individuals who ask us to exchange goods we own in return for nothing. The same nothing that fake information carries with it. Simply because not everyone can be an expert in every field and humans are also cruel and deceitful.

People hide behind Freedom of Speech and continue to spreading their fake or inaccurate information, because if we ask them to shut up - they are going to shout "Freedom of Speech", "Equal Rights" or "Tolerance". But those terms never intended to be used to lie, deceive or manipulate people. They were used to let people express opinions that are not harmful to other human beings.

Next time, before clicking "Share" or "Repost", stop for a moment and ask yourself - is this information doing any good? Was it proven somehow? Or is it just another couch based president-doctor-human-rights-activist that said something stupid in a very convincing way?

The most important personal quality - Integrity

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

A taxi driver went out of his car, stood near the door, opened his pants zipper and started to pee. A municipality worker that happened to be there at the same time, noticed the situation and issued a fine for the taxi driver. As soon as the driver noticed the municipality worker, he took a bottle that was near by and started to pour water from it over his hands. The taxi driver refused to pay and went to trial. In front of the judge, he told the following story: The wheel by the drivers’ door broke, so he stopped to replace it and took instruments from the trunk. Before leaving the place, he took a bottle of water from the trunk to wash his hands. The judge did not believe him. He said, “if you wanted to wash your hands, why would you take the bottle out of the trunk, move to the drivers’ door and wash it there and not by the trunk?” The driver paid the fine. - Local news paper

This is a real story from one of the local city newspaper I’ve read some time ago. And I ask my self. The guy is an adult. I guess somewhere around 30-60 years old. He couldn’t hold his pee. So he peed on the street, which is punished by a fine. What would make him lie like a 3-year-old?

Well, I know what. He wanted to pee. There was no toilet nearby, so he peed on the street. This is punishable by a fine. But who wants to pay a fine? So he lied, with a hope to get by and not pay the fine.

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. - Definition of integrity (noun)

Integrity equals responsibility.

Doing something illegal and then lying with a hope to get by with it is called immature. Immature people can not take responsibility. And failing to take responsibility means you are unable to succeed in life because failure to take responsibility – means everything is someone else’s problem. And when everything is someone else’s problem you have no control over the life you are living.

Children until a certain age are immature. That’s the reason they lie. “But mommy, I didn’t touch it, it fell by itself!“. Yes, you did. And you are responsible for breaking it. But children don’t get it. They are not evolved enough, yet. They are afraid of telling the truth because they know that they did something wrong and they might be punished. Nobody want’s to be punished. But parents are not stupid, they know the real story. Vases don’t fall by themselves.

Having responsibility for your life makes it easier.

Integrity equals peace of mind.

The easiest story to tell – is the truth. When you lie, you get caught up in small details that will eventually render your lie to be logically flawed. The taxi driver got caught up because his words made no sense.

Imagine a life in which you need to remember every small part you’ve ever said and you also need to think about what you are going to say next so that it will be logical and wouldn’t sound like a lie. And we are speaking about a generation that relies on to-do lists, reminders, and secretaries to remember trivial things like “buy bread on the way home“.

Lying is exhausting. And the more people know or involved in your lies, the more exhausting it is. You suddenly can’t be your self. You can’t share something that happened to you, without thinking about consequences. “Dude, I’ve met yesterday the most amazing girl ever!“. “Yesterday? But yesterday we played poker and you said you won’t come because you are sick!“. “Um… Ah.. mmm..“. Don’t be that guy. Have integrity.

Integrity guides you towards what is right for you.

When you don’t have integrity, you don’t have any moral principles. Going to hookers? Sure. Stealing candy? Why the hell not!

Have you ever been presented with two appealing choices and didn’t know what to choose? Well if you have integrity, you’d know what’s important for you. If one of your principles in life is to not drink, then Friday evening in a bar with friends would not be an option for you.

An abundance of choice is bad. Read The Paradox of Choice – Barry Schwartz to understand why. Minimizing the number of choices we make in life – makes life easier. And if you don’t have moral principles or integrity, you’d have to make a lot of choices daily because you don’t really have an opinion or preference.

And no, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes you are presented with two really appealing choices and they have nothing to do with your integrity or moral principles. Life’s hard after all, there is no magic potion titled “Integrity” that will remove all obstacles. But it will make your life easier.

Evolution gave us conscious and subconscious. And the later gives us the ability to not make the same choice over and over again because making a choice is exhausting. Imagine your life when every morning you need to decide if you are gonna brush your teeth today or no.

Integrity is trust.

When you promise to do something and you fail, you lose a little bit of integrity. When this happens another time, you lose a bit more. You lose some more for the third time as well. But after that, you lose trust. You are no longer a person others can rely on or expect help from.

It’s a bad position to be in. Humans, as species, survived because we were able to group and divide tasks between group members. If you are invaluable to the group or the group can not trust you, why would they take you with them? And yes, you can ramble that you prefer to be friends with people who don’t need anything from you but think about this for a moment. Imagine your self in a situation when you are having a big argument with your family or your SO and desperately need a place to sleep in. Who would you go to? Now can you be that person for some of your friends?

And yes, you can have friends without doing or asking for favors. But you will never have a deep connection with people. Deep connection relies on giving and asking for help. And you can’t have a deep connection without having integrity, because trustworthy people have integrity.

Integrity is everything. All other qualities are based on integrity and that’s the reason integrity is the most important quality.

3 Things I've learned by breaking my phone

Sun, 21 Jul 2019 09:00:00 GMT

About a week ago I’ve visited the gym as usual and took my phone with me. During one of the exercises, I’ve missed the cage hook for the barbel and the barbell fell onto the phone and broke the screen. The screen was 2/3 dead and the reaming 1/3 died in the following hours. I should have probably been sad, mad at my self, mad at the world, the phone manufacturer and what not. But instead, I’ve decided to see what could happen if I try to learn something from it.

1. Bad things happen, be prepared.

My old phone was very good. Even though I dropped it a few times and I suspect that the speaker was damaged somehow, I did not plan to replace the phone any time soon. But then it was damaged beyond repair and as sad as it might sound – a smartphone is a mandatory gadget in our time. It allows you to be online everywhere – be responsive to work and personal life events, authenticates via 2 step authentication at most websites and of course make calls.

A good phone costs a significant amount. And I did not plan to spend that amount right now. I and my fiance just moved into a new apartment, we had to furnish it. We are having a wedding soon followed by a honeymoon. All this requires financial expenses. And if I didn’t have an emergency fund or extra money laying around – I’d probably be in a tight financial situation now.

Bad things happen all the time. And breaking a phone is the least of all. You could get sick. You could lose your job. Someone from your family or friends might need financial help. If we live like there is no tomorrow and we do not save any money aside – when bad things happen, we will be in a bad situation.

And it’s not limited only to financial matters. You must have backup strategies for all emergencies. For example – how you can notify your family members that your phone is dead and you won’t be able to take calls in the following 12-24 hours until you get a new phone? How are you going to authenticate with your email provider without having access to your 2 step authentication codes? How are you gonna pay if you lose your credit card or it gets compromised?

2. A fresh start to break the status quo.

Humans are used to the status quo. It’s hard to make a change when everything is working, even if it’s not working 100% correct. By getting a new phone I had 0 apps installed in it. And I decided to myself that I’m gonna install an app only when I need it. I still haven’t installed Instagram (the only social network app I’ve had previously) and not yet sure I’m gonna install it. I also got rid of much of the apps I never used but was hesitant to delete because “I might need them one day”.

I believe that order is required in all aspects of life and having your phone cluttered with a zillion of apps you never use, contributes to the cultural ADHD we have as a society.

3. It is your fault.

I never broke a phone before. I am relatively careful with my electronics. A chain of events that ended with me not being careful brought this situation on me.

I saw people who miss a bus and the driver won’t let them in on the intersection. I saw how they get furious, how they call the driver bad names. I saw people who drop their phones and blame the entire world that made them drop their phones.

I could have said that this stupid gym does not have a proper place to put phones. I could have blamed the gym. But instead, I blame myself. I blame myself for taking a phone into the gym. I blame myself for not being careful with the barbell and for putting the phone in a “hot zone”.

Responsibility is something that few people have. They tend to blame everyone in their problems, except for them. “No, there is no chance that I’m the problematic one”. Well, guess what – you are responsible for 99% of the things that happen to you. The sooner you understand it, the better for you.

And in case anyone wondering, no I do not advise you to break your phone. I’m just sharing with you a different way to look at problematic situations in life when and after they happen.

You Are Not Your News Feed! Or maybe you are?

Sun, 07 Jul 2019 09:00:00 GMT

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with – Jim Rohn

Back then, you’ve spent most of your time with your friends from school. Your social circle was limited to 20-30 other children that were together with you in class. There was no internet, at least not in the form we know it today. The amount of information you were exposed to was very small compared to today.

In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. Then he posted about it on Facebook.

Your day probably starts with an alarm clock and an Instagram feed. Some of my days start like this, even though I try to get rid of both the alarm clock and the morning Instagram ritual. Then your day probably includes breakfast with newspaper (if you are from the seventies) or yet another social feed. Then a car and the same song from yesterday on the radio, the lyrics of which you subconsciously know.

We use only 10% of our brains.

This subtitle is actually misleading. Scientific experiments proved that we use 100% of our brain because every part of the brain emits electronic impulses.

On my last birthday, my fiancee made a surprise for me, and apart from arranging breakfast with her and my family and dinner with my friends, she also booked me a sports car driving session. The experience itself was amazing but for the context of this post, I’d like to outline one specific thing I’ve learned from the instructor.

He told me something like:

You see, most drivers focus on the car in front of them, they try to follow it and predict what will happen on the road based on this car. It slows down, you slow down. It speeds up, you speed up. But this is looking one step ahead approach. The amount of information you have about the road and driving conditions based on the car in front of you. Professional drivers, however, need to think more than one step ahead. They need to plan their speed before the road turns or goes in curves. And by focusing on the car in front of them, they lose a lot of environment information. What they do instead is focus on the furthest point on the road.

I was stumbled. “How is it possible? If you focus on the furthest point on the road, don’t you miss everything that is in front of you?” – I’ve asked. “No” – he said. “We actually underestimate the ability of our brain and peripheral vision. Try to focus on the furthest point in the road and try to predict where the road is going, where are the turns and how sharp they are. And you will see, that subconsciously you won’t miss any information.”

I tried. At first, it was scary and uncomfortable. But after a few minutes, I got it. I understood that even if you focus consciously on the furthest point on the road, your peripheral vision grasps the entire road conditions.

Everything matter even if you think it’s not.

In today’s modern world, we are no longer an average of 5 people. We are the average of our social feeds, the music we listen to and the people who surround us.

Your Instagram feed matters. What you see there – shapes who you are. The music you listen to, even if you think you don’t hear the words – they matter. A singer that sings about how all men are assholes – will eventually shape girls minds to think that all men are assholes. The Instagram feed of a guy that laughs at women – will eventually shape boys minds into disrespecting women.

We think that those are just pictures or words – but they have power. People who read the news, tend to be more paranoid and think that the world is a terrible place. Everything we see or hear, have power. With great power – comes great responsibility. And it’s our responsibility to filter the information we want to be exposed to.

Same jeans, same t-shirt.

In my twenties I was depressed. One of the ways my depression showed itself was that I didn’t really care about how I dress and look. Don’t get me wrong, I showered and brushed my teeth constantly, but I wore the same jeans, same t-shirt, and same sneakers every day and replaced the sneakers only when they got a big hole in them.

One day I decided – no more. I want to look sharp. At first, I tried to put on dress shoes and button-up shirts, but it looked funny and I felt ridiculous in it. The whole process of adjusting my outfit took a good several years and eventually I’ve started to get compliments that I dress well from my family, friends, friends of friends and even work colleagues.

You probably think now that I understand how color matching works, that I shop at brand stores and have a personal outfit consultant. But no, it’s way simpler than that. My Instagram feed is filled with accounts of so-called “man fashion”. Those are people who make money promoting different outfits or just guys that dress well. And the only thing I know consciously about fashion is that matching 2 colors is good. Everything else is my subconsciousness that was exposed to good information from Instagram.

Information and responsibility.

Our daily habits of checking the news, following stupid Instagram accounts or listening to music that disrespect men or women – might look like something minor. “Oh come’ on, I don’t even listen to the words!” – you can say. But I say, maybe you don’t – but your brain does. And we might think of ourselves as smart and sophisticated creatures, and we are indeed, but somewhere, deep inside, we are no different than a dog. You tell it “sit” once and it ignores you. You tell it “sit” twice, it will be confused but will sit. You tell it “sit” three times and it will sit.

The same thing happens to us. There is no harm in reading the news once a month. But on a constant basis, it will rewire your brain. It will teach it to look for the negative in the world, seeing only the terrible things that happen in the world. But the world is not terrible. Yes, there are terrible things happening in the world. But there are also good things happening. There is a lot of joy and happiness in the world. And the news, they do not reflect that. News is not the source of good things.

But then, we go to the gym every few days and do exercises with unimportant weights. We read 1 book per month that teaches us something new. We play a few notes every day on the guitar. And eventually – our muscles will grow. Our intelligence will rise. Our musical skills will perfect.

We are who we are because of the things we do (and don’t do) over time. Skill, intelligence, strengths – they all products of small, unimportant actions multiplied by time.

And guess what? It works both ways. Going to the gym will build muscle – eating junk food will build fat and disease. Reading deep books that challenge our beliefs will build intelligence – reading the news will build fear. Listening to podcasts will widen our knowledge – listening to hateful music will build hate in us.

Think about it the next time you are exposed to information.

Do It Yourself and Self Improvement

Sun, 23 Jun 2019 12:00:00 GMT

Do It Yourself – is a phrase that today reserved for makers. The rest of us value “throw away” culture. But DIY approach has a lot of psychological benefits.

Introduction

After moving out from my parents house, to live by myself, I’ve had only a laptop. I’ve used this laptop for the entire year at my first rental flat. After moving to a bigger apartment, I’ve decided to treat myself with a new PC. As a maximalist, I want the best I could get for my money, and a keyboard was not overlooked.

I opened for myself the world of mechanical keyboards at that time and I said that I want one. I won’t go into deep details about the difference between membrane keyboard and a mechanical one, but in a nutshell – mechanical keyboards give you a better feeling when typing and have a longer life span than a regular membrane keyboard. And while I can argue that gold plated 100% oxygen free copper speaker cables, have no objective difference compared to good quality, speaker cable; mechanical keyboards are actually superior to membrane or scissors keyboards, especially if you are a heavy typist such as software engineer or a writer. I know it, I’ve used all 3 types.

Anyway back to the story. I got myself the best mechanical keyboard I could afford. For the next 7 or so years, my mind was occupied with either work or yet another obsessive hobby such as photography. I forgot all about that keyboard. Up until the day my mind once again became obsessed that I need a different keyboard now. One which is smaller, more ergonomic.

We live in communities

I, of course, started to look for the best I can get. One thing I’ve learned: there is a community around everything. And while mechanical keyboards are not that popular as a hobby compared to, let say mountain biking, apparently, there is an entire market of custom mechanical keyboards.

And the scale of customizability ranges from making different keycap colors (keycap – is the individual plastic cap of your keyboard, let’s say the cap for the letter “Y”) all the way towards designing custom PCB (PCB – Printed Circuit Board, an electronic board that makes your electronics work). And I was debating between ordering a pre-made keyboard from a known manufacturer or buying all the parts and actually making the keyboard myself. Price wasn’t a factor as the difference was neglectable.

DIY – Do It Yourself

When I buy a product of quality, I expect that the company that makes this product to have employees that know what they are doing. I also expect them to have better quality control and a polished assembly line. That’s the reason I buy products that are already assembled and tested, rather than making them myself. I simply lack the tools, knowledge, manpower and time to make everything myself.

Also when you make something yourself, it’s always imperfect, especially if you make it for the first time. You do not have the necessary equipment and tools to make it; you lack the knowledge to make it and etc. But there is also an amazing satisfaction feeling in making something yourself. My fiancee and I made a wooden shelf some time ago. It’s far from perfect but it’s ours and it decorates our bedroom in an exceptional way. Apart from this, the whole process of making it was captivating for both of us. We got to spend time together in a non-regular way; we got to make something and use equipment we didn’t use before, and we got into a situation of teamwork that is different from the day-to-day situations you get to.

So as you guessed, I’ve decided to make my own keyboard. There is a scale on how hardcore would you like to go in a DIY project starting from getting a ready board that requires only assembling all the way to making your own PCB or even keycaps. I took the middle ground and ordered a ready PCB, switches, keycaps and some other parts – and soldered my own keyboard. I type that post from this very keyboard I’ve made.

It’s not perfect but its mine

It’s far from perfect. Some keys are not aligned and it was my first major soldering project so I screwed some soldering joints. Am I happy? Yes, of course. Using something you’ve made is a great satisfaction. It also taught me a lot of things:

It taught me that everything is possible. We live in a very fortunate time, a time where the entire knowledge of the human race is accessible with a few keystrokes and internet. You no longer need to attend school or college to learn how to solder or make furniture. There are a lot of free and paid tutorials, books and videos about every possible topic. And while some disciplines such as doctors or certified mechanics, requires attending a certification program or school, your small DIY project will be fine if you’ve learned how to solder from a YouTube video.
It gave me the courage to try other projects in the future. It gave me confidence that if something goes bad I’ll try to fix it instead of calling a professional to fix it or worse – throw it away. It’s a very valuable skill – the ability to know that you are in control. Our generation used to throw things away. Our phone doesn’t work – we throw it away. Table got scratched – we throw it away. Our relationship doesn’t work – we throw it away. And while sometimes throwing things away because they are broken beyond repair – is the correct solution, having the courage and the ability to fix them, or at least try to, teaches us a lot more than just fixing our phone and saving money – it teaches us that a good and happy life requires hard work rather than always taking the path of least resistance.
It helped me fight with my perfectionism. I do believe that being a perfectionist is not bad by itself, but it should be moderated. If you see something that is a little bit misaligned and you feel that part of you dies – this is a bad feeling to have. The world is imperfect and it’s fine. In Japan, they have a worldview called Wabi-sabi which is centered on the acceptance of imperfections. It’s a concept derived from Buddhism. Striving to perfection is fine – but it’s also very important to accept imperfections.
It showed me how things work. I don’t know how it works in other places in the world, but the country I live in requires mandatory knowledge of how a car works to get your driving license. And while this knowledge is limited to basics only, without going into details of how an internal combustion engine works or what is compression ratio, this is still mandatory. And no, you can not know everything. The world has a lot of things and some of them are very complicated. But having basic knowledge about the things that surround us or that we use daily – is a valuable common knowledge that won’t be useless.

What can you do?

You can start small. Assemble IKEA furniture – its a great satisfaction watching TV that stands on a TV stand that you’ve assembled.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ll tell you even more – you will make mistakes and it won’t be perfect and it’s fine. We, humans, have this bias that if something comes out of a factory – it’s way better than if we would assemble it ourselves. But think about it this way: the guy who assembled your keyboard, have to assemble tens of such per day and he gets paid not by quality but by quantity. His interest is not doing it perfectly but rather doing it “good enough” and I bet you can do it “good enough” as well and apart from saving money – you will also gain satisfaction.

So don’t hesitate to try, even if you will fail, and you will, you will also get a lot of benefits from it.