From January 29th to February 4th, according to my time tracking application, I spent 2 hours and 24 minutes on Scrivener, the app I’m using to write my book. This is very problematic, I thought to myself. If I have any shot at meeting my deadline, I need to spend 2 hours per day writing, not 2 hours per week. Unfortunately, the minutes that I do...
Last week, several people sent me this story about a British woman, Michlle McGagh, who bought nothing for an entire year. By her estimates, she saved $23,000. She wrote: “Although I had no debt, my bank statements (when I bothered to look at them) were littered with unnecessary spending. When I did brace myself and look at my statements I was aghast at how...
Last month, my husband committed to a 30 day no news challenge where he would not read, watch or listen to any news. Below is a transcript of several audio interviews I conducted with him following his 30 day media fast, which he successfully completed on January 14, 2017. Insights from the no news challenge Why was the consumption of news a problem...
This is a no shopping challenge update. To read part 1, of the challenge, click here. Day 1. I accidentally shatter my Chemex glass coffee maker. I have to buy a new one, I think to myself. There’s no way I’ll survive a month without it. An hour later I watch my husband improvise with filters and an oversized water bottle. My sister lends me a dripper, and...
A few weeks ago, I told my husband that I didn’t want him to get me anything for Christmas. He said no. I told him I’d return whatever he got me. He called me bah humbug. Then I said that in January, we’d be taking on a no shopping challenge. He rolled his eyes. In the end, I got some lipstick ($18, I...
Happy 2017 everyone! I’m excited about new year and have big plans, but before I launch into my January challenge, I thought I’d take a look back at the 30 day challenges of 2016. It’s always good to take stock of the the previous year so that we can understand where we faltered, where we thrived and what we learned. A year in review...
While my husband has been settling into his media fast, I’ve been working on a small 30 day challenge of my own. I’m calling it a love challenge. Rather, a “be patient and kind to your spouse at all times challenge.” I’ve been married for a little over 9 years. It’s a happy and loving marriage, and we work hard to...
