Do the Opposite #50 - #BuyNothingChallenge: An Update, One Month In, Emergency Fund, #100DaysOfMeditation

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#BuyNothingYear Challenge - an update, one month in

As some of you know, this year I am doing a #BuyNothingYear challenge, where I am not buying any personal items that aren't a necessity for the whole year. To learn more about it, watch the announcement video.

So far it's been relatively easy to follow it, but I did start writing a list of things I would like to buy if I weren't limited by the challenge rules. It includes pretty random items, like:
1) this $2 IKEA wooden phone holder for those long video chats with my parents
2) a pair of earphones with a cord (I own AirPods but they don't seem to connect to the work laptop I have so I've been using earphones with a cord but they were cheap and they broke quickly)
3) a pair of minimalist running shoes, like these Merrell ones

The reason why I am keeping this list is not to torture myself with all the things I want but cannot buy, but to see what happens to the urges and desires as time passes. If I still want them after I'm done with the challenge - no problem, I will go ahead and buy them.

However, what seems to happen so far is that with most of these items I am excited about getting them for a couple of weeks and then after some time I come to the conclusion that I can easily do without them. For example, I do have a pair of regular running shoes that are about 3 years old and still holding up well. I will probably just use those until they give out, then get a new pair.

P.S. I think we need a better name for the opposite of wireless/cordless earphones - maybe wireful or cordful haha.

#100DaysOfMeditation Progress Update

I've decided to pick up meditation in 2020 and I've been meditating 15-20 minutes every day since January 1. That places me at Day 41 of the #100DaysOfMeditation challenge today.

The meditation habit has definitely helped me worry less and be more centered. With all the outrageous things happening in the world in 2020, I've been able to retain my calm.

If you're curious to start meditating, this page I've set up on the 100DaysOfX.com website will help you get started. If you're looking for a good meditation app, I recommend a minimalist app called Oak.

This is Do the Opposite Newsletter #50!

Thank you for reading and sharing it with your friends! Your support and interest is what motivates me to write it every week! Look who's here to celebrate with us:

Articles

1) "NASA brings Voyager 2 fully back online, 11.5 billion miles from Earth" by Claire Cameron
In an incredible feat of engineering, NASA scientists 'revive' Voyager 2. It's been travelling for 4 decades! For unknown reasons, the spacecraft shut down on Jan 28, and now "it's alive, alive!" Pretty impressive if you ask me.

2) " 'Reaper of death:' Fearsome new dinosaur species discovered in Alberta"
Not often do new species of dinosaur get discovered these days! The reaper is the 'grandparent' of the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex). And what a cute name!

3) " 'They know us better than we know ourselves': how Amazon tracked my last two years of reading" by Kari Paul
Things like that are pretty scary to read - the amount of data that Amazon tracks on our reading patterns when we purchase e-books from the company. Not only they know what you read, they know how long you stay on each section of the book, how long and when you read, what paragraphs you highlight, and more. I hope there is soon an alternative platform where we can buy or rent e-books without the excessive tracking. Also, did you know that goodreads.com is also owned by Amazon? Oops. Scary stuff.


Videos

1) "Why You NEED an Emergency Fund!" | Two Cents
One of the fundamental tenets of solid personal finance is having an emergency fund. The peeps from "Two Cents" tell us all about why it's so important to have one. I also want to share that I'm a bit slow on this train, I've started my emergency fund in the end of last year, after starting to read up on personal finance.

2) "Why We Can't Stop Eating Unhealthy Foods" by Laura Schmidt
Here's why it's so hard to eat healthy - the whole industry is hard at work to get us hooked on consuming their products. The more you know about this "behind the scenes" fight for your taste buds, and the tricks big companies use, the better are the changes you'll make your own choices when it comes to food instead of blindly following into the sugar/slat/fat traps.

3) Advice that Changed My Life (feat. Seth Godin) | Behind the Brand
A touching story by the creator of Behind the Brand channel, Elliott Bryan, about growing up as an adopted child, trying to learn more about his roots and connect with his biological parents, as well as a great piece of advice Seth Godin gave him, which transformed his personal life and his business.


Tweet of the Week

Ethos

Quotes

"Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them."
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca, "Letters from a Stoic"

"Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow, and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune's control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately."
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best."
― Epictetus

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Keep doing the opposite,
Alex Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away