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The best way to stack more of course is to make more money. But if you can't start there for whatever reason, you can focus on how you spend time and money. And there's more to gain than you think.
Most of us still have hundreds of boring small improvements to make to save us time and money. We tend to overlook that, but a tiny change that saves you 1 minute of your time everyday, already saves you 6 hours per year. Time you can spend on learning a skill! It works the same with money.
Example in my life: clothing. I always thought there would not be much to improve there, I was never into expensive brands anyway. But looking closely, I was able to manage my wardrobe in a way that by now (years later) must have saved me a few hundred hours of time, thousands of dollars and a lot of worries. Plus I feel better about how I look. All it took was some attention and persistance.
So I just keep screening my life habits looking for things to improve. I never stop. And it's fun.
One forgotten benefit of freeing up time is: less stress, less hurry. Think about when you left something important somewhere and it took a lot of effort to get it back. Were you short on time? Most bad things happen when we're stressed. Most accidents happen when we're in a hurry.
So what are improvements you made that a lot of people overlook?
Whenever I cook food, I cook bigger batches so we can make lunch boxes.
Also, I most often eat a meal replacement shake for lunch the past 2-3 years.
This means the 3-4 lunch boxes produced per dinner is all available to my partner, most often 1 gets stored in the freezer for extra speedy dinners in the future.
This means I really only have to cook proper dinner something like twice a week, and can make quicker smaller dinners wich could make leftovers - but doesn't have to - the rest of the days.
This has for us meant not only savings in money, but also a lot of time.
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What do you do to make sure that you don’t get tired of eating similar things during the week?
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Eating the same lunch 2-3 days in a row is not boring to my partner as long as we don't cook the same big batch recipe two-three times a month, and I switch between two different tastes on my meal replacement.
Honestly, lunch for me could be oatmeal porridge for all eternity. It's lunch, doesn't have to be a gourmet dinner. And on those days where you really don't feel like that lunch box, then you could take one from the freezer or just buy something.
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That I was pretty much a complete fuckup, high school flunk out dead end job working bankless cash checking longterm motel living reckless human, until I reached full adulthood (~22).
I think most people assume we all end up where we are because we were dropped off by luck or our parents or whatever. We have a weird bias against appreciating the struggles of other people, especially if other's struggles are more significant than our own.
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Yes, this process is tons of fun. Thanks for the idea. Here's a couple in no particular order:
  • Silicone pans for baking. No greasing is needed for them to be non-stick, baked goods practically jump out on their own. I bake all my own bread and used to spend time greasing and prepping pans for baking, no more, with a silicone bread pan.
  • Baking no-knead bread instead of using a bread machine. I've analyzed the steps, including everything, and making no knead bread actually takes less hands-on time than using a bread machine. And you don't have the weird bread machine shape.
  • Clothing doesn't need to be washed every time you wear it. It's amazing how many people put so much effort and time into washing clothing that doesn't look or smell different from clothing fresh out of the washer. I think switching to unscented laundry detergent is a good idea, because one of the "tells" we have that what we're wearing is clean, is the detergent smell. If you don't have that, even with clothes fresh out of the washer, then you make a better judgement on whether the item really needs washing.
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Own fewer, better things
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Interesting question. It forces me to think about the extra edge I have over others, the unique selling proposition I can lay claim to.
I think I have a positive attitude towards learning and am often quick to jump onboard any new trends that may shape the future of my existence. So I work as a teacher in real life. When ChatGPT exploded into the public consciousness last year, I promptly carved time out of my hectic (teaching and parenting) schedule to explore and experiment with it. Not only that, I made sure I shared the insights I gleaned on a Facebook page meant for the teaching fraternity in my country. I wouldn’t say that I am a guru but I think seizing the first mover advantage helps people cement the impression that I’m a dynamic and forward-thinking individual. Let’s just say that I’m in no hurry to clarify their misconception.
One thing led to another, and the Educational Training Division at the Ministry of Education invited me to be one of the “conversation leaders” in a thought forum focused on the leveraging of e-pedagogy in our educational system. Best of all, I don’t have to pretend that I’m an expert. All I have to do is to share for 15 minutes what I have done to utilise ChatGPT and ask open-ended questions to solicit responses from the participants. I think 15 minutes should fly by in a jiffy!
To sum up, I think being known to be ahead of the curve in a trending technology is an improvement I make that others overlook.
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I once was one of the unbanked population in my community. I'm now not only banked, but rather the best bank through Bitcoin.
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Realizing that both sides to any argument usually have a kernel of truth. And by acknowledging their kernel you can more easily chart a way forward.
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