Strategy Archives - The Happy Philosopher

Buy Nothing 2018 Experiment – April Update

The Happy Philosopher — Thu, 03 May 2018 16:12:31 +0000

Failure The problem with a buy nothing experiment where only one member of the family is participating (me) is that many of the purchasing decisions are really made by the family (and by family I mean Mrs. Happy Philosopher). Sometimes it is hard to assign a purchase to one person or the other. I could …

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The Effects of Tax Law Reform on Physicians and Other High Income Individuals

The Happy Philosopher — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 16:58:03 +0000

Tax Law and Weekend Call I sit down to write this a day after finishing a week of call. Honestly it wasn’t so bad. I’ve had many which were far more stressful and disruptive to my sleep patterns. But no matter how smooth my call weeks are, there is never a time I would rather …

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Get the Big Things Right

The Happy Philosopher — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 16:02:51 +0000

The other day I was chatting with a friend who was passing through town. He, his wife and toddler were currently homeless. Not in the cardboard box under the bridge sense, but simply chronic nomads. It was a wonderful life of travel and adventure, but with another child on the way they were thinking of …

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Hitting the Reset Button

The Happy Philosopher — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:44:57 +0000

You may have noticed I have not published much on the blog recently. Truth be told, I am in a bit of a funk right now. I don’t feel particularly creative, and although I have plenty of time to write, I find myself wasting time on other things. I have let many bad habits creep …

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Stacking Functions

The Happy Philosopher — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 14:54:22 +0000

Everything we do has a cost in terms of time, money or energy. This concept of opportunity cost is an important one. The more efficiently we use our resources, the more we have available for other things. In this way efficiency is an important tool we use to increase our freedom. I loosely define …

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Make Your Life Upgrade Proof

The Happy Philosopher — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 00:41:51 +0000

There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or augment our means- either will do- the result is the same. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same time; and if you are very wise you will do both in such a way as to augment …

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Social Media is Clutter

The Happy Philosopher — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 05:03:57 +0000

Clutter Clutter is everywhere in our lives, and getting rid of it increases our happiness. This is the third post in a loose collection of articles on decluttering. First I discussed my experiences with and benefits of what we all think of when we hear the word clutter: getting rid of actual physical possessions. Next …

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Should a Medical Resident Rent or Buy a House?

The Happy Philosopher — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 03:12:38 +0000

Renting versus Buying a Home: The Happy Philosopher’s Experience This has been a busy week for guest posts on other blogs. Earlier this week I wrote a post over on 1500days about how to be the happiest person in the room. Today’s blog post is published over at PhysicianonFIRE.com. It’s about the decision process …

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The Difference Between Frugal and Cheap

The Happy Philosopher — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 04:55:30 +0000

Cheap or Frugal? Many people confuse being frugal with being cheap. I certainly did for much of my life. They are not the same, and understanding the difference matters. I wish I knew the difference earlier in life, as I could have more efficiently optimized my happiness . I want to give you some …

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Why it is Sometimes Faster to Slow Down

The Happy Philosopher — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 01:19:32 +0000

Hurry Up and Wait Yesterday I was driving. It was a two lane road, a typical fairly high speed state highway just out of town. I heard it first, a low rumbling sound like I imagine a bear makes before ripping a hiker to shreds for trying to get a selfie with its cubs. It …

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