Category: Stoicism

I Stopped Renting My Own Mind (a Dead Emperor Fixed It for Free)

A rented mind never really rests. The going rate for calm is $200 an hour. Marcus Aurelius wrote the manual in a tent, on campaign, and never charged a soul. Some debts never show up on a statement. This is one of them.

A shorter version of this ran on Medium, and there’s a video walkthrough on YouTube if you’d rather watch it than read it.… Read the rest “I Stopped Renting My Own Mind (a Dead Emperor Fixed It for Free)”

I Quit the 5 AM Club and My Career Moved Faster (Seneca Saw This Coming)

Watch the short companion video on YouTube, or read on for the full essay. This piece also lives on Medium.

I used to be a proud member of the 5 AM club. At 11:43 PM on a Tuesday, I was answering emails that could have waited until Thursday.… Read the rest “I Quit the 5 AM Club and My Career Moved Faster (Seneca Saw This Coming)”

I Almost Sent the £11,000 Email. Then I Remembered What a Roman Slave Knew.

 

This is a story about stoic self-mastery — and how an ancient Roman slave philosopher named Epictetus saved me from the most expensive email I never sent.

Prefer the tighter version? This essay first ran on Medium: I Almost Sent the £11,000 Email. There is also a short film of the idea if you would rather watch.

… Read the rest “I Almost Sent the £11,000 Email. Then I Remembered What a Roman Slave Knew.”