Take Time To Do Things Right Now
Some day I want to write a blog post about the mentors in my life that have inspired me to be better. At the top of that post will be Dr. Alan Morris. He has taught me countless life lessons… and one them is “If you don’t have time to do it right now, when […]
What is the best way to move across country?
Holy crap! It was easy when I moved across the country last year. I wanted to become a minimalist and get rid of all of my stuff. I was only packing for myself. There was not a lot I needed aside from underwear and socks… Now I am about to go for round two. This time […]
Cracked iPad Screen and Cancelled Fitbit Flex Order
A month ago, when I went to California, my iPad got crushed. The result was a long thin crack right down the middle of it. Ordinarily, I would have promptly taken it into Apple to be fixed ($250) or to a 3rd party ($120). Not this time. This time I figured I could live with […]
Minimalism and My Digital Files
As part of my cleansing and diving into minimalism, I have focused most of my attention to clearing out my possessions. This has been easier, in part, because my friend Vivienne dove in headfirst and has been keeping a blog of her journey into minimalism. As I have proudly watched her clear out her life, […]
Why Kids Are Skinny and You’re Not
I guess, in fairness, I should say why kids used to be skinny… given that the nintendo generation has hit an epidemic… but lest I digress: Adults often talk about how nice it was when they were young and their metabolisms were so much more revved up. They think back on a time, far off, when […]
Using Metrics in Pursuit of the Übermensch
I have long dreamed of using metrics as a way to tangibly measure my pursuit of becoming an Übermensch. Now it is time to act on those dreams for tomorrow comes far too quickly. The plan is to start each week with a plan that can be put into a blog post under goals for […]
And They Call It Progress
In the late 19th to early 20th Century, depending on what source you read, the vacuum cleaner was invented. Post WWII it was mass marketed to the middle class as a device that would save people countless hours and improve their quality of life. The reality, however, is that our standards of cleanliness increased […]
Don’t Forget To Fill Your Ice Cube Trays
I love iced coffee. In fact, the only two drinks I drink are iced coffee and water unless I am at a party and have to prove I am not Mormon by consuming alcohol. Yesterday was an unbelievably stressful day in clinic because of how critically ill the patients I saw were. When I got […]
Unlearning — My Process to Master Myself
I’m middle aged. Time and logic cannot deny that. I’m a forty year old man. It’s that simple. I remember as a child my parents and other adults used to tell me to enjoy learning while my mind was still able to, because as I got older my mind would slow down and it would […]
Loving The Baltimore Ravens Through a Child’s Mind
When Odin was 2 years old, my wife and I realized that we should never argue with him — cause he was always correct. We would be driving around town in the heat of summer, in the middle of the day, and he would say “moon.” Initially, before we realized he was always correct, we […]
Chemistry and the Natural Frequency of Hitting it Off
Why is it that every once in a while we meet people that we hit it off with instantly and become fast friends? I just finished a 30 hour shift in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. On my drive home I called Dan Morris, my oldest friend on the planet, in Thailand to get back […]
Lift App Review — How I Intend to Use Flossing To Save My Life
My latest discovery for productivity is “Lift.” It is a wonderfully simple application but has the potential to make a huge impact on my life. We all know that habits are hard to form. The main reason is that it is believed to take at least 21 days of consecutive action to form a new habit. […]
Dispense With Pretense
My son Odin was just told today that he is not ready to test for his next Tae Kwon Do belt. He’s very upset. I tried to be a mature father and ask him why he cared? His reason was not because of how hard he has worked, but rather, because he is afraid that […]
Productivity: Small Attainable Goals Fuel Big Fires
I have thoroughly enjoyed the shift from “multi-tasking” back to “concentric tasking” that has taken place in productivity literature during the last couple of years. When I first heard of “multi-tasking” I knew it would never work for me. I am far too much of a jack-of-all-trades and constantly battle focus in my life as […]
My Christmas Present to Myself This Year
Christmas this year was extra sweet. It is a perfect time for my three boys who believe in Santa Claus and the magic of the holiday season. I don’t get to see them but every couple of months, so I used a truism in approaching this vacation: of time and money, TIME is always your […]
Why Do People Want Tons of Followers on Twitter?
Before I joined Twitter I was talking to my friend Bill Rude (Atomicrocket.com) about it and he said, “I don’t follow anyone on Twitter unless I have personally met them.” I had no idea what it was, so when I joined, I did not heed his words. I didn’t understand what he was saying at […]
Thoughts on Christmas and Minimalism — A Holiday in Conflict
2012 has been the year of letting go. Letting go of emotions that keep me tethered in time. Letting go of people that, though I love, are no longer part of my life. Letting go of possessions. Letting go of “who I am” and instead focusing on “who I want to be.” During my 40 years, […]
Minimalism — My Refrigerator
I often play motivational games to push me forward against resistance. Almost every major accomplishment I have successfully competed in my life has been tied to a game. My latest one, as those that read this blog know, is minimalism. My goal is to get rid of my material possessions and climb 100% out of […]
My Struggle with Minimalism in Pursuit of Becoming an Ultra-Human
My life’s struggle has been with trying to become an Uber-Mensch. It has guided me and pushed me towards seemingly unattainable goals. When I pursue something, I do it with the intent of achieving excellence. It is for this reason that I am finding my struggle with pursuing minimalism to be completely bizarre. I intuitively […]
Debt Tip: Delay All Purchases 30 Days
In August, when I visited my son Thor, he said he wanted Lego’s Ninjago Lloyd’s Battle Dragon set. In September, when I visited a second time, he was still crazy about Lloyd’s Dragon. It was the first thing he asked for. When I came back 2 months later for Halloween, I asked again. “Thor, what […]
My Mad Dash To Acquire Less
This weekend was the first weekend I have had off since July. I thoroughly enjoyed today and turned my attention to my goals: getting rid everything in every area of my life. In other words, I want to be a minimalist. I think this idea appeals to me because I am so terrified of death. […]
Counting My Items To Begin Purge
I am on a flight back to Baltimore and all I can think of is how excited I am to get home and start counting all of my possessions. I am literally going to write out in a spread sheet everything I own as a possession. Then I am going to begin tossing (hopefully). While […]
The Key To Life is Budgeting — Time, Money, Food, Space, Etc.
It’s funny how the secret pathway to success is so obvious, yet most people miss it. That pathway is a budget. You want to gain wealth? Spend less than you make. You want to lose weight? Eat fewer calories than you burn. Want to be more productive? Stop throwing away countless hours of your time. In […]
The Power Of Not Taking Short Cuts
Last night my cousin came over to visit for the evening. He buys and sells cars and does a great job at it. He’s built his business up over time through a really hard work ethic as well as making plenty of mistakes — then learning from them. As we sat around and laughed at all […]