This is great, detachment is key. On the finance end, while not quite the same, I have another trick that I will feature in a future write up: the Stranger Test.
Should you want to buy something, imagine a stranger offering you the item or value of the item in cash. Which do you choose?
If you choose the cash, you shouldn't buy it. You need to detach yourself from fleeting desires.
That's a good approach. It's also funny how effective a "delay all non-critical purchases 1 month," strategy is. Many of the things I thought I needed to buy turned out to be unnecessary after all.
Agreed. It's freeing to be able to enjoy life with less. We have so much abundance that any previous era would look at the riches, technology, food abundance and selection, and medical care of even the poorest among us and be blown away. If you spend like someone from the 1950s and save the rest, you free up resources to devote more of your time to what's important to you. Seneca says it's a shame to never get around to philosophy because you're too busy making money. So what if we could find an exit ramp and take back some of our time, or design an off-ramp for the not-to-distant future? I think these are all options worth investigating, though viability will obviously vary depending on circumstances.
This is great, detachment is key. On the finance end, while not quite the same, I have another trick that I will feature in a future write up: the Stranger Test.
Should you want to buy something, imagine a stranger offering you the item or value of the item in cash. Which do you choose?
If you choose the cash, you shouldn't buy it. You need to detach yourself from fleeting desires.
That's a good approach. It's also funny how effective a "delay all non-critical purchases 1 month," strategy is. Many of the things I thought I needed to buy turned out to be unnecessary after all.
Way ahead of me. Indeed, pairing the stranger test with a delay period can stop almost all spending. Nifty life hacks.
There is a remarkable degree of overlap between minimalism, Stoicism, and good financial decisions.
Agreed. It's freeing to be able to enjoy life with less. We have so much abundance that any previous era would look at the riches, technology, food abundance and selection, and medical care of even the poorest among us and be blown away. If you spend like someone from the 1950s and save the rest, you free up resources to devote more of your time to what's important to you. Seneca says it's a shame to never get around to philosophy because you're too busy making money. So what if we could find an exit ramp and take back some of our time, or design an off-ramp for the not-to-distant future? I think these are all options worth investigating, though viability will obviously vary depending on circumstances.
This sounds like the beginning of a Stoic financial freedom/retire early course. I think you should write it.