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--- a/config.toml
+++ b/config.toml
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ compile_sass = true
 taxonomies = [{ name = "tags", feed = true, paginate_by = 10 }]
 
 [markdown]
+smart_punctuation = true
 highlight_code = true
 highlight_theme = "css"
 highlight_themes_css = [
     { theme = "demain", filename = "syntax-theme-light-custom.css" },
     { theme = "ayu-dark", filename = "syntax-theme-dark-custom.css" },
-]
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+]
diff --git a/content/2024/be-simple/index.md b/content/2024/be-simple/index.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
++++
+title="Be Simple"
+date=2024-09-02
+draft=false
+[taxonomies]
+tags=["culture"]
++++
+
+Last night I realized that my life is very simple.
+That's not by chance, but by conscious effort.
+Life becomes complex all by itself if you do nothing about it.
+
+One day you'll wake up and you have a mortgage, 10 on-demand subscriptions, 20 insurances, 1000 open browser tabs, a demanding job and a dog.
+And when you realize it, you wonder how you got there.
+
+I keep my life simple because I know my time is limited.
+Time and health are my best proxies for happiness.
+
+## Simple Doesn't Mean Boring 
+
+Quite the contrary: give me enough time and I find ways to entertain myself.
+My friends might disagree, but I consider myself to be an introvert.
+I like to spend time on my own to explore and learn.
+There hasn't been a boring moment in a long time.
+
+If life was more complex, that would take away my time, but time is the resource I can't replenish, so I protect it.
+How? Mostly by saying NO.
+
+- No streaming subscriptions. No Disney+, no Netflix. I rarely watch TV anyway.
+- No gym memberships. Just run in the park.
+- No Instagram or TikTok, but part of that is getting older.
+- My shoes are 6 years old. So is my wardrobe. 
+- No meetings if possible. I'm the guy who sits at his desk for 8 hours straight, only getting up for bathroom breaks twice.
+- No property; I'm a happy tenant.
+- No commute; I work remotely.
+
+Great home cinema setup you have there.
+Thanks for inviting me over!
+At home, I don't even have external speakers.
+
+You're planning a trip to the Bahamas? Enjoy! Send me a photo.
+
+Regarding technology, that means:
+
+- Even though I'm a programmer, I only have a single screen.
+- I evaluate tools, but I keep the number of tools limited.
+- My editor doesn't have a debugger.
+- No Notion or Obsidian if a text file + git is enough.
+- I limit the number of browser tabs with an [extension](https://github.com/kanru/max-tabs).
+
+## Simple Doesn't Mean Minimalistic
+
+My goal is not to have as few possessions as possible -- I own a lot -- but to lead a simple life.
+I'll happily buy things if they make my life simpler.
+The last big life improvements were a robot vacuum cleaner (four years ago) and an automated cat litter box (two years ago).
+If I decide to buy something, I make sure it's the absolute best I can afford.
+(My rule is actually "don't buy crap".)
+For example, I spent a ridiculous amount on the best laptop I could buy.
+It's my daily driver that I spend most of my time with, so it needs to be an absolute workhorse.
+My work is also compute-intensive, so I saw the purchase as justified.
+
+I always pay the price in full. No lease, no monthly payments.
+I have to use services for work, but I prefer monthly payments over yearly subscriptions, even if they are 30% more expensive.
+The fact that I can cancel at any time is more important to me.
+
+I know that when I buy something, it demands my attention.
+Maintenance is not fun.
+Even though I like the *idea* of owning something, I probably don't truly own it.
+That makes me the worst consumer possible. 
+I keep things in my Amazon basket *forever*. From time to time I look at the items, and when I enjoy seeing them in my basket... I keep them there.
+The rest, I just delete. 
+This way, I get the "feeling" of owning things without spending any money.
+
+## Simple Doesn't Mean Convenient
+
+To live with such a person is not easy.
+We have regular discussions about "investing" money into things that I'm skeptical about.
+It takes me ages to reach a conclusion.
+Vacation planning is definitely one of my weaknesses.
+I am very well aware that my approach is not perfect at times.
+I am okay with making these sacrifices for protecting my time and therefore my happiness.
+
+Recently, I got a few emails from people telling me that my newsletter subscription is broken.
+I'm aware of that. My newsletter provider shut down.
+I won't fix it.
+It turns out that people find other ways to follow me; either on Mastodon or via RSS.
+I also don't have a comment section -- Reddit or HN work just fine.
+Even though there are a few folks on my old newsletter list, I never got around to sending many emails.
+I don't particularly enjoy writing a newsletter, so it might be best that it finally broke.
+I will probably remove the signup box.
+It would be nice to have it "just work", but the next best thing is to not have it at all.
+
+## Simple Means Letting Go
+
+Perhaps another way to explain it is the midwit theme:
+
+{{ figure(src="midwit.jpg") }}
+
+I try to stay on the left side of this curve as much as I can.
+
+I'm aware that there are "smarter" ways to do things, but I don't want to dedicate time to learning about them.
+I only dedicate time to things that matter to me and that I want to go really deep into.
+
+The meme shows simple approaches on both ends, with a complicated phase in between. 
+Getting to the right side of the spectrum takes lots of effort, and I've only made that journey a few times in my life.
+For the rest, knowing there's an awkward complicated phase in between keeps me happily on the simple side.
+It's fine.
+
+## Simple Means Focused
+
+Greatness comes from dedicating time to the things that matter.
+The most productive people I know are focused.
+Yes, there's a creative process and they allow themselves to be creative, but they do so in a very constrained environment: their office.
+While others chase trends, they do the thing they're always doing.
+They put in the hours.
+
+It's way easier to be focused when life is simple.
+When there's no room for distractions and complexity.
+I find that constraints help as well.
+Technology is one major source of distraction.
+Some of the best stories were written with a typewriter.
+In itself, it's a very limited environment, but it takes away all the distractions and lets you focus on the task at hand.
+I find that inspiring, liberating.
+That's why I like constraints.
+When I give presentations, I wonder what I'd write if I could only have 5 slides with 5 words each, 
+or I could only use two colors, or only show images.
+It keeps me focused on the message.
+It's simple.
+Simple is beautiful.
+Simple makes me happy.
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