TL;DR: My Lib45.a is a blend between semi-retirement, freelance, Barista FIRE and other FIRE movements...
My 1000 year backlog reduced a little bit. When I started this project, I had 1500 "official" tasks and it went down below 800 now after one year.
Some tasks are recurring (e.g. grocery, gym) so they will never disappear. I don't use Google Task anymore and I stopped using it in 2021.
I use something better (for me). I may talk in a short-long term about how I track these tasks probably through a blog post with more details.
I like the city! Calgary is a friendly place to live and I'm still thinking that I built the best computer lab I ever have.
Calgary is the sunniest major city in Canada which receives ~2400 hours of bright sunshine annually or ~333 sunny days per year.
I think people here like their phones more than usual. Often walking while using and looking at their device.
I saw a young couple crossing the entrance of highways while both using their phones... it was a little bit dangerous...
(I was crossing the same place but in the opposite direction).
I follow a tiny schedule. I even tried something that I didn't like in the past, especially when I was young: Morning gym... I like it.
I tried it in my 20s and it was painful... I suspect that it was because I didn't sleep enough during that time (coding night).
Also, I tried to avoid places when it's too crowded and it's popular now that people will use their phone between a round/set which will increase the time that they spend at the gym.
People with their phones is another example of "History repeats itself". I was doing the same thing (except when I crossed the road) in 200X.
After I go to a friend's house, I will go back walking home while playing Castlevania: Circle of the Moon on GBA.
"Money without free time has no value, and free time without money makes no sense."
- Warren Buffett
Rule, Rule, Rule, ...
Here are some rules that I followed during that time.
The classic 4% rule or "Rule of 25" that I also described in my Lib45.a.
"The 4% rule is a retirement guideline stating you can safely withdraw 4% of your initial investment portfolio in your first year, then adjust that dollar amount for inflation each subsequent year..."
Even if this rule "seems" to be outdated, it's a good one to keep and apply it in as a "safe mode".
For this one year, I didn't withdraw any of my "investment portfolio". I used my "transition money" and I also got a contract 4 months ago.
My wealth grows at the same rate as when I was working full time (which make non-sense)...
So here are the options (reasons?) for that:
[A] Location: Moved from Los Angeles to Calgary [geo-fire style]
[B] Apartment: From an overpriced 1 bedroom deluxe apartment to average cheaper price of 2 bedroom apartment
[C] Stocks: Crazy stock market rally with this AI bubble
[D] All of the above
I discovered this rule last September: 0.01% Rule!
"The 0.01% Rule, popularized by financial author Nick Maggiulli, is a spending guideline that allows you to make purchases up to 0.01%
of your net worth without worrying about your overall financial future. This amounts to a conservative daily spending allowance based on a 3.7% annual growth rate
of your wealth, providing a margin for small, "guilt-free" purchases that are trivial relative to your total assets. For example, with a $100,000 net worth,
you could spend $10 daily, or $3,650 annually, without impacting your long-term wealth accumulation..."
Key Benefits
- Guilt-free spending: It allows for smaller, spontaneous purchases without the stress of potentially jeopardizing your wealth.
- Incentive to grow wealth: Your allowed spending increases as your net worth grows, motivating you to accumulate more wealth to afford larger purchases.
- Conservative growth assumption: The 0.01% daily growth translates to a 3.7% annual return, a conservative figure that provides a buffer against market fluctuations.
More info and source:
[1][2][3]
If you are too scared to spend, it could be a rule that you could use.
I don't know if there is a name for this kind of rule, otherwise let's call it: Tracking!
Once a week, I track my "investment portfolio" with something like Google Spreadsheet or Excel.
I think once a week or once a month is an interesting way to see the progression.
One interesting thing happened before the Lib45.a project was that my background thread became more important than the main thread over time.
And tracking mode is a good way to see that.
I would also set your number / limit. Some people will never set a number and they will never retire, semi-retire or focus on their projects / dreams...
"There's no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can't do any business from there."
- Colonel Sanders
I'm a little bit tired of this AI trend. Some parts are really good (e.g. tools, validation, ...) , but others are just noise with no plus value (e.g. wall of text generated by AI).
There is also an extra step that I need to do and I don't like it.
Now the first thing I do when I see content (e.g. text, code, art, music, video, ...) is to look if it's AI or not...
If it's well done, it's fine but when it's a fake video that uses the face of other people just to pass a message,
it's annoying and I suspect it will be more and more popular in the future.
If the trend continues, I will become a digital amish even if I don't really know what a digital amish is by definition... It sounds like an Oxymoron!
Interesting... It seems that the AI merged "Digital Minimalism" (Cal Newport) with "Virtually Amish" (Lindsay Ems).
From Google AI Overview:
The term "Digital Amish" (often referred to as Virtually Amish) describes people or businesses who selectively adopt digital tools to survive economically,
while setting strict boundaries to protect their focus, mental health, and community life.
The concept borrows a core idea from Old Order Amish communities: technology should serve human values rather than dictate them.
Here are the primary tenets of the Digital Amish philosophy:
1. Intentional Tech SelectionValue-Driven Filtering:
Instead of adopting the latest apps or platforms by default, Digital Amish ask: Does this device enhance my life, or does it fragment my attention?
Purpose over Entertainment: Devices are used purely as tools (e.g., for accounting, basic word processing, or running a business) while avoiding social media,
web browsing, and video streaming.
2. Physical Boundaries
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Tools like "dumb phones" (flip phones) or stripped-down "Amish computers" are tucked away when not explicitly in use, limiting distraction and preventing constant connectivity.
Communal Limits: Like the Amish community phone booths found outside homes, digital users may restrict phones to a specific "work area" rather than carrying them into the bedroom or dining table.
3. Economic Practicality
Power Independence: They often rely on alternative power sources (like solar panels and diesel generators) or batteries to run necessary machinery without relying on the public grid.
Surveillance Resistance: In a modern context, avoiding ubiquitous tracking (like constant GPS, always-on smart speakers, and cloud data syncing) is used to preserve personal privacy and autonomy.
I don't use "AI" everyday and I'm not crazy about that even though I found some areas that are really useful with that.
When I became a freelancer in 2011, I knew exactly which project I wanted to focus on first.
Now I have more options and a lot of projects I thought and worked on in the past (2024, 2021, 200X, 199X) began to emerge more and more!
Even if we live in a level of high volatility and noise, it's a good time to create projects and try new things these days !!!
"I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying."
- Jeff Bezos
