Jason Leow

I'm a big fan of @waitbutwhy, and this [tweet](https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy/status/1599776291385126912) resonated loads:

> People tend to get wealthier as they get older, which is like everything becoming cheaper as you age.
>
> But time just gets more and more expensive. We start out as time fat cats and end up in time poverty.
>
> So the older you get, the more it makes sense to spend money to save time.

I'm currently nowhere near any definition of "wealthy" for sure, but I am richer than when I was a time fat cat six-year-old (or 20-year-old for that matter). More disposable income, but more than half way through my life. I'm definitely moving into time poverty zone.

It's just make sense to consider spending more money to save time. What's some high ROI areas where spending even just a little money will bring back so much more time? Especially time on chores or tasks that I hate, that I do grudgingly, or just low value, monotonous, boring, doesn't help me progress on my goals?

Brainstorming a list here:

- **Cleaning**. Paying someone to come to my house to do a massive clean-up once a month had been a huge time saver. I think we can do this even more often for better quality of life and cleanliness!
- **Groceries**. There's some items in the grocery list that repeats itself every week or month. Supplements, fruits, snacks, detergents, toiletries. I should just create a recurring buy list on repeat for them! Hack inspired by [@dickiebush](https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1612071130436698116).
- **Cooking**. Ordering delivery on some days of the week for dinner helps save time cooking. Otherwise I mostly fast or eat light dinners. I also go for recipes that are easy to cook and clean up after, e.g. scrambled eggs and butter for breakfast.
- **Virtual Assistant**. I've always wanted to experiment with hiring a part-time freelance VA to do miscellaneous work tasks for all my different projects. Stuff like collating online research, posting on social media for some project accounts, doing low priority low value work which slices up mental bandwidth by a thousand cuts.
- **Commuting**. I don't drive or own a car. Travelling from point to point takes up lots of time, even for a public transport system as good as in Singapore. I think there's some journeys where spending more money to commute by cab is a good choice (when there's no traffic jams, when there's less transit changes).
- **Tools and tech**. Spending money on a Twitter scheduling tool like Zlappo was such a huge productivity boost. Before I got it, I was RT-ing manually. Crazy idea. Now Zlappo auto-RTs when I'm asleep. Frees up time and mental energy to track the RTs. I need more tools and tech like Zlappo. A few areas I can imagine - LinkedIn scheduling and analytics, Canva for designing social media assets.

*What other high ROI-low cost things can we spend money on to save time?*

I wrote about [wanting to be better at being real and realistic in 2023](https://golifelog.com/posts/my-word-for-2023-real-1672530920033). And so much of being real is about reducing or removing, rather than adding.

*Via negativa*, as Nassim Taleb says.

Dropping unhelpful lenses in which we view the world. Letting go of inner narratives that hinder more than help. Taking away of dead weight of ideas that subconsciously guide our actions.

There's this recent tweet by [@AlexHormozi](https://twitter.com/AlexHormozi/status/1611857755471503365) that mirrors this point:

> I began waking up without anxiety when I gave up my need for two things:
> 1) Meaning
> 2) Joy
> Said differently. I decided it was “okay” for me to accept my present rather than comparing it to a arbitrary ideal that I constantly fell short of.
> And my world got a lot quieter.

And reading through the replies, it's interesting how many folks misinterpreted that tweet. He didn't give up on meaning and joy. He gave up on the unhealthy attachment to constantly making himself miserable by comparing to fuzzy ideals related to joy and meaning. And ironically, by giving that up, he got closer to joy and meaning.

And to be the realest of a real human being, remove so much that there's nothing left to remove.

No more fascades.
No more masks.
No more lies.

Acts of omission > acts of commission

Elimination > addition

This tweet by [@jakobgreenfeld](https://twitter.com/jakobgreenfeld/status/1609932779143192579) got me thinking about my Twitter feed and who and what kind of influence I'm letting into my head:

> Unfollow: content creators, coaches, thinkers, framework guys, writers.
> Follow: doers, founders, people actually building and doing interesting things.

So now my 2023 mood for Twitter:

Follow more doers who are the deep thinkers, who had not just done the concrete work but wrestled through the hard intellectual problems too.

Why? **Because the best doers are often the major thinkers.**

I didn't say that. [Steve Jobs](https://youtu.be/WkJpEG4KbN4) did:

> "The people that really create the things that change this industry are both the thinker-doer in one person. And if we really go back and we examine, you know did Leonardo [Da Vinci] have a guy off to the side that was thinking five years out in the future what he would paint or the technology he would use to paint it, of course not.
>
> Leonardo was the artist but he also mixed all his own paints. He also was a fairly good chemist. Knew about pigments. Knew about human anatomy. And combining all of those skills together, the art and the science, the thinking and the doing, was what resulted in the exceptional result.
>
> And there is no difference in our industry. The people that’ve really made the contributions have been the thinkers and the doers. And a lot of people of course, it's very easy to take credit for the thinking.
>
> The doing is more concrete. But somebody, it's very easy to say, oh I thought of this three years ago.
>
> But usually when you dig a little deeper, you find that the people that really did it were also the people that really worked through the hard intellectual problems as well."

That's why I've always enjoyed following folks who build in public *and* write about it.

Not just tweet about it, mind you, but write looong form.
Not just build, but build and launched products out into the wild.
Not just launched, but had wins and many more fails than wins.
Not just successful products but also helped others succeed with their products.
Not just helped others but also thought deeper and broader about the actionable, transferrable lessons from his experience and observations of other's people's experience, and translated that into frameworks, ideas and stories that others can benefit from.

The best doers think deeply. The best thinkers are the doers.

Theory and practice – the twin wings that makes true flight possible.

*Know anyone like this?*

There's lots of talk about dopamine fasts or detoxes, but I think they got it wrong. Dopamine is not the villain here. Not all dopamine are created equal. It's how and what triggers it. It's about the quality or source of where you're getting the dopamine from.

🤡 Fake dopamine:
- eating junk food
- doomscrolling Twitter
- mindlessly scrolling Tiktok
- sitting in front of the TV all evening
- window shopping aimlessly in a mall
- fighting with/cancelling someone online
- constantly checking your phone notifications
- gossiping on someone's Instagram post or IRL
- letting Netflix pull you into yet another episode
- buying random things you don't need from Amazon

💎 Real dopamine:
- eating well
- working out
- sleeping well
- going for a run
- getting some sun
- achieving your goals
- taking a walk in a park
- spending time with family
- working on your side project
- not missing a day in your habit streak
- cooking a great meal for your loves ones

... well you get the idea

It's ultimately about ***mindful consumption***, not just of eating and drinking but also media, conversations, sensual pleasure, or even unwholesome ideas, emotions, thoughts.

Real dopamine is definitely something I want to chase more of in 2023. And there's no need for guilt around it - the more the better!

I just deployed the markdown preview feature on Lifelog. Previously you could only see the text formatting after you publish. Now you can preview the formatting while writing on the `/write` page before publishing. Just hover your cursor outside of the text area and it'll display the text *with* formatting right there. On mobile, tap anywhere outside the text area to preview.

So FINALLY... after more one year (since 21 Nov 2021) without building new features!

A new start for my very first SaaS project for the new year.

Confession: To be honest, I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve not deployed new features for more than 1 year, all the while receiving monthly subscription dollars.

The past 2 years had been a tough journey figuring out marketing and growth for Lifelog. What was hardest to swallow was the slow dawning that it won’t live up to my expectations as my ONE true SaaS to bring my indie solopreneur career to ramen profitability.

But the good news is: Since letting those expectations go, I’ve in fact felt more relieved than ever. I feel like I don’t have to figure out how to grow it anymore. Instead I can now just build features! How ironic, right?!

In the end, I'm circling back to what this project at its core had always been for me:

A passion project.

I love writing.
I love building products.
I love living a reflective life.
I love the friends I've made here.

So cheers to more of doing what I love for Lifelog in 2023! 🍻

And to @everyone here, thanks for being patient with me. And for all the support by sticking around this long. I'm grateful.

Confession: Tbh, I’m not proud I’ve not deployed new features for more than 1 year.

The past 2 years had been a tough journey figuring out marketing for Lifelog, and the slow dawning that it won’t live up to my expectations as my one true SaaS to bring me to ramen profitability.

Since letting those expectations go, I’ve in fact felt more relieved than ever, and feel like I don’t have to figure out how to grow it anymore. Instead I can now just build features! In the end, it’s me circling back to what this project at its core had always been for me: A passion project.

To more builds in 2023! 🍻

✅ NEW features on Lifelog
A new start for the new year.

🔮 Markdown preview is here. Previously you could only see the text formatting after you publish. Now you can preview the formatting while writing on the /write page before publishing. Just hover your cursor outside of the text area and it'll display the text *with* formatting right there. On mobile, tap anywhere outside the text area to preview.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! 😊

I've always been building lifestyle businesses, even before I'm aware of that term. I'm not chasing venture capital. I'm not aiming for billion-dollar valuations. I'm not about getting rich, even though it'll be nice to get there. I don't want—or need—to change the world, disrupt any market, or crush anything.

All I want is freedom of location and creativity, as much autonomy as I can afford, time for family and fun, and hopefully, eventually, financial freedom. Essentially, lifestyle. Because if your business doesn't improve your lifestyle, then what is it for? I don't want to be rich with a poor lifestyle, or a lifestyle that's dictated by others.

[Justin Welsh](https://twitter.com/thejustinwelsh/status/1610356620709568514) tweeted these questions that I found were good questions to ask for anyone—not just solopreneurs—who are after a lifestyle-first way entrepreneurship:

> Solopreneurship is about priorities. Every time you have an idea, ask yourself:
>
> - Does this fit into the life I'm building?
> - Do I really want this responsibility?
> - Will I be happy in 6 months?
>
> If the answer is no to any of these, 100% skip it.

I realised I ask some version of those questions myself when considering any existing or new project, just that I've never wrote them out loud. Here's my first attempt:

- Do I enjoy working on this? Am I sure it's not a fad (e.g. AI art)? Will I be happy working on it in the long run (like 2-3 years later)?
- Will I be able to walk away with minimal downsides if it no longer serves me? Will it lead to personal ruin?
- Do I even like my customers? Is the problem they have something I feel for?
- Do I call the shots or do I have to oblige, negotiate or share responsibilities?
- Does the project require high engagement over prolonged periods of time (e.g. running a cohort/community, or lots of tech support)?
- Will it require frequent sacrifice on my family time? Will it force me to work at ungodly hours, evenings and weekends, every week over months or years?

If I answer no to any of them, it's a red flag for me to re-consider.

Congratulations, it's a new year. It's your second chance.

At anything. Everything.

All the things you couldn't do last year, now is the time. Stuff you got wrong for years, you just had yet another opportunity to make it right. Good habits that never stuck, side projects that never launched, investments never made – today's the day.

Because you're still alive. And being alive means every day is a second chance.

Writer Jeanette Winterson via [James Clear](https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/december-29-2022) on second chances, in her book *Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal*:

> "I know now, after fifty years, that the finding/losing, forgetting/remembering, leaving/returning, never stops. The whole of life is about another chance, and while we are alive, till the very end, there is always another chance."

It's such a beautiful way to describe life. It's all about another chance. Right till our deathbed, our last breath.

I wrote a lot about my [aspiration](https://golifelog.com/posts/my-word-for-2023-real-1672530920033) and [intentions for the new year](https://golifelog.com/posts/2023-in-8-forms-of-capital-1672630377703), projects I wish to do, [questions I want answers to](https://golifelog.com/posts/open-questions-for-2023-1672709959575). But verily, all of it aren't NEW new things. They are all second chances. Shots on goal where I missed previously. Some for many years already. Like my fitness goals. Or sleep. Or revenue. Maybe I might hit them this year. If I do, there'll be a new target to replace what I hit, and I'd miss again somewhere down the line.

Over and over again.

Indeed, "the finding/losing, forgetting/remembering, leaving/returning, never stops".

It's second, third, fourth chances all the way.

Redemption.

Next: Add a button for it for mobile

I first did the [open questions writing exercise](https://golifelog.com/posts/open-questions-for-the-year-ahead-1641344137895) last year, and enjoyed it. I love how it made me list out all my doubts and uncertainties for the year, and through that, clarified those fuzzy thoughts into something I recognise and can work with. The list was also useful to look back on after a month or a year, and see which ones were inconsequential worries and which ones were important questions to keep in view.

So here goes. My fears and dreams, worries and wishes as open questions for the year ahead:

- **Survival:** Will I earn enough, and survive yet another year being indie?
- **Money:** Will I hit $5k/m revenue this year? Will abundance return?
- **Travel:** Will we get to travel this year? Will we ever return to Bali?
- **Health:** Is this the year where I achieve a deep sense of well-being? Will my chronic ailments return? What would it take to feel fit and whole again?
- **Stress:** Can I manage my stress levels so that it's not chronic?
- **Sleep:** Will I finally nail my sleep?
- **Family:** How do I better juggle family and work with more intention and mindfulness?
- **Products:** Will any of my indie products ever get to ramen profitability?

Now, onwards.

And he wrote his first post!