Just watched a TED talk by Diana Nyad. Who, at 61, will attempt (for the second time) to swim from Florida to Cuba. She is really an inspiration.

She also reminds us that we should make every day count. Time passes by so quickly, and we should do something with our lives. When I think about the past weeks, so many of the days have just slipped by. They are like air when I think back. Continue reading →

This morning a had a thought on happiness. It’s one of the things that isn’t easy to understand, but it’s definitely worth trying.

I few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about things that made be happy. But I actually don’t think any of the things on that list are necessities for me being happy. Continue reading →

Since 2009, I have been traveling only with hand luggage regardless of how many days I have been away. Last year I went to Project Getaway for 6 weeks with only hand luggage, and had no problems whatsoever. This is usually what I bring: Continue reading →

I have struggled with a project for months now, and I just can’t get it done. So I thought about what I could do, without too much effort, to get this done.

I found the answer was by doing very little each day in the morning before everything else. I call this time My Sacred Hour now. It works so well, that I will do my best to make this a habit when the project is finished.

I am surprised  by how much I can get done with 30-45 minutes of focused time in the morning. My mind is clutter-free as I have just slept and haven’t gotten any input yet. I found that for this to work, it’s absolutely vital that I don’t do anything that can give me inputs. Output first, always.

The idea of having A Sacred Hour every morning excites me. I want to devote these minutes to something that has big impact on my life. Here are some ideas to My Sacred Hour when the project is done:

• Starting a ‘minimalist business‘ selling only one product online
• Writing a small book about something I am excited about
• Reading non-fiction books to spike my learning
• Learning Indonesian or Spanish

I write this to remind myself what makes me happy. This list is 100% sure to change as I learn but here is how it looks now, in random order.

1. Physical activity. Crossfit, running, strength training, walking.
2. Reading. I love reading a good book, mostly non-fiction.
3. Writing. For me, writing is a way to get my thoughts more structured. It’s a great source of learning for me as it helps me reflect.
4. Music. Listening to good music can really affect my mood in a good way. The right music can make me work faster and help me focus. Good music means the difference between a good night out and a bad night out.
5. Solitude. Time alone is a must for me. It helps me reflect and ‘see things from the outside’.
6. Traveling. This should probably have been the first one. Traveling is an addiction to me. I think it’s the constant flow of new experiences. It makes me feel alive.
7. Minimalism. This is kind of a broad one. But it makes me happy to focus my priorities by spending less, traveling with less, and having less things. I am not the perfect minimalist, but every time a take a ‘minimalistic step’, it feels right, and makes me happy.