5 life-changing takeaways from ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ by Oliver Burkeman. — One of the things I love most about this book is the author’s personal history. You see, long before publishing Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman wrote a weekly column on productivity. He’s a productivity geek. A guru. He knows every trick in the book — and added a few chapters. …

Minimalism isn’t a product you can buy but a concept you should experience. — Minimalism has become mainstream. And honestly, it’s easy to see why: With thousands of ads, notifications, and inputs bombarding your brain every day, minimalism promises an effective antidote to chaos. If you trim down your life to the essentials, you’ll finally gain space to breathe. That’s the promise, at least. …

Every time you do something could be the last time you do it. — Recently, a relative told me a bizarre story. It all started like a typical day, he told me. He drove to work and did his job as usual. Then, at lunch, one of his co-workers approached him. “You know what,” she said unsuspectingly, “I feel like I need to exercise…

Loneliness equals desired connections minus perceived connections. — Loneliness is a complex, confusing, and diverse sensation. Chances are, we’ll never be able to express it fully. But we can try. In fact, we should try because most people still have misconceptions about loneliness. We’ve all experienced this painful feeling but often struggle to put it into words. What’s…

Or: why I choose to sleep on the floor. — I was skeptical. Sleeping on the floor always seemed so strange to me. If anything, it was a cliché promoted by minimalist influencers to propagate their lifestyle — never a worthwhile custom, though. But then, something changed. I moved to Munich. And as this is an insanely expensive city, the…

Why the pursuit of living in the present can make you miserable. — Recently, I visited Liseberg — a stunning amusement park in Göteborg, Sweden. It promised an absurd amount of fun. But when I got on the most popular roller coaster — a majestic, green, space-themed colossus of steel — something strange happened: I was stressed out. Not because I’m scared of…

Three (unexpected) lessons from living the hardcore minimalist life. — One month ago, I started solo traveling through Northern Europe with nothing but a small hiking backpack. Inside: 49 of the most essential things I own. (More on the exact list of items later.) And so, for the next 30 days, my entire livelihood would literally sit on my shoulders. …

Three profound lessons from Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey — and why it’s better as an audiobook. — Ironically, I’ve never been a huge fan of Matthew McConaughey. The only noteworthy thing I used to know about him was the insane number of “Murphs” he dropped in Interstellar. But then, I picked up his memoir Greenlights on a whim. (It was a long train ride, and I needed…

A minimalist’s guide to making smarter purchases. — I used to fill my life with a lot of empty crap. Another fancy watch. A new smartphone for no reason. Clothes I only wore once. And that was nice for a while. But over time, I realized a disquieting truth: I’d filled my life with empty stuff to feel…