intentional living Archives

May 12, 2026May 10, 2026Habits, Writing

There Is No Right Way to Be Brilliant: A Review of Daily Rituals by Mason Currey

Several clocks on the cover of Mason Currey's book "Daily Rituals"

I’m reading Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey, and I keep having the same thought over and over again, “Well, if they can do it that way, then anyone can”. The book profiles 161 creative minds from novelists, scientists, and painters, to philosophers, composers, and poets, documenting their daily working routines. And after one hundred pages of profiles, the takeaway I’m getting is that you can be brilliant in your own way, on your own schedule, with your own strange routines.

April 21, 2026April 19, 2026Simplification

When Life Gets Overwhelming, I Organize Things For Stress Relief

To say we had a lot going on this week is an understatement. So yesterday, I did something that might sound counterintuitive when you’re drowning in life: I picked a drawer and got rid of everything in it I no longer wear. By the end of both sessions, I felt measurably better. This is not an accident. It turns out the science on this is pretty compelling. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, this is the article for you.

March 24, 2026March 22, 2026Early Retirement

The Five Values That Make Retirement Actually Work

Nobody ever asks about the harder part of retirement: what do you do with yourself? The Minimalists have a five-value foundational framework that make a life feel full and meaningful and retirement needs these same things: health, relationships, creativity, growth, and contribution.

February 10, 2026February 5, 2026Early Retirement

Why I Unretired (And Why Re-Retiring Was Even Better)

Unretiring -Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I retired at 41, went back to work as a COO, and quit again four months later. Here is what “unretiring” taught me about the true value of time.

December 2, 2025November 29, 2025Simplification

Give Yourself the Gift of Saying “No” This Christmas

Last year at this time, we were weeks away from a family Christmas trip to New Zealand. In order to pull it off, I found myself saying “no” to a lot of traditional Christmas tasks. I found that Christmas got a lot less stressful. Here’s what I said no to and what I think is worth considering this holiday.

September 2, 2025September 1, 2025Book Excerpts, Career

How To Be Intentional With Your Time

In order to be more intentional with my time, I periodically do a “Time Review” and have some specific practices around increasing my time doing things that bring me energy (my “Energy Gainers”) and decreasing the things that take energy away (my “Energy Drainers”).

May 27, 2025May 16, 2025Early Retirement, Financial Independence

One Year Of Semi-Retirement: The Pros & Cons

It’s been a year since I quit my full-time job last May after I reached financial independence. Here, I’ll do an honest assessment of the things I love about semi-retirement and the things I kind of hate.

September 10, 2024September 9, 2024Book Review

Do Nothing: Like Your Life Depends On It

The book Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving by Celeste Headlee is one of my favorite books of the year. It gives you permission and reasons to slow down. Here I look at some of the specific gems I took away from the book.