Dragos Roua
Dragos Roua

Decision tools and frameworks for autonomous living

Home Blog Apps Books About Archives
Home Blog Apps Books About Archives
Sort by:
Sort:

Blog

Personal development, financial resilience and meaningful relationships - all this while coding or rambling about technology

life has no meaning
Personal Development Spirituality and Beliefs
#lessons learned, #personal story, #self awareness

Life Has No Meaning – In 2026 I Still Think This Is Good News

Last updated: May 25, 2026

In 2015 I argued that life's lack of inherent meaning is liberating. I still think so. But making that case in 2026 requires more honest scaffolding.

diamond cutter
Book Reviews Spirituality and Beliefs
#books, #buddhism, #lessons learned, #personal story, #self awareness

The Diamond Cutter, 12 Years Later — Buddhism as a Daily Practice

Last updated: May 24, 2026

A 12-year test of The Diamond Cutter's Buddhist business principles. Which ones compounded into real results, and where the emptiness concept led me astray.

vibe coding for senior developers
Artificial Intelligence iPhone
#ai tools, #apps, #entrepreneurship, #ios development, #vibe coding

Vibe Coding for Senior iOS Developers – Guidelines after 10 Apps in 4 Months

Last updated: July 3, 2026

10 iOS apps in 4 months, built solo with AI. Vibe coding for senior developers: specs first, two models, heavy verification, and marketing in parallel.

love your life
Motivation and Inspiration Personal Development
#gratitude, #lessons learned, #personal story, #self awareness

77 Reasons to Love Your Life — Why I’d Write This Differently After 17 Years

Last updated: May 23, 2026

I wrote 77 reasons to love your life in 2009. The reasons haven't changed much. But the obstacle to actually enjoying them has, the world is [...]

enjoy life more
Personal Development
#blogging journey, #lessons learned, #personal story

7 Reasons to Enjoy Life More — 16 Years Later

Last updated: May 23, 2026

In 2009 I gave 7 reasons to enjoy life. Sixteen years later: some held up, one needed honest revision, and one wasn't on the original list.

digital nomad
Location Independence Personal Development
#digital nomad, #lessons learned, #personal story, #remote work

Living as a Digital Nomad: Revisiting a 16 Year Old Primer

Last updated: May 23, 2026

I wrote a digital nomad primer in 2010. Here's what it got right, what COVID changed, and how AI expanded what one person can build — [...]

when the shit hits the fan
Motivation and Inspiration Productivity and Effectiveness
#lessons-learned, #mindset, #personal-story, #resilience

7 Things To Do when the Shit Hits the Fan

Last updated: May 20, 2026

In 2011 I wrote this list from inside a disaster. Here's what held across 15 years of crises — personal, professional, and the kind you don't [...]

ways to end your day
Health and Fitness Personal Development
#family, #habits, #lessons-learned, #personal-story, #perspective

How I Actually End My Day in 2026 – Compared to 2011

Last updated: May 19, 2026

In 2011 I wrote 33 ways to end your day. In 2026, the phone colonized the bedroom and a baby changed everything. Here's what I kept [...]

bucket list revisited
Personal Development
#lessons-learned, #personal-story, #travel, #ultra-marathon

77 Things I Still Want to Do, 13 Years Later — and What I’ve Crossed Off

Last updated: May 18, 2026

I listed 77 things worth doing in 2013 just because I could. Marathons, travel, building apps — here's what got crossed off, what expired, and what's [...]

kung fu panda lessons
Personal Development
#lessons-learned, #mindset, #personal-story, #perspective, #wisdom

7 Kung Fu Panda Lessons, 16 Years Later — Po Actually Became a Master

Last updated: May 17, 2026

In 2010 I pulled 7 lessons from Kung Fu Panda. Sixteen years later: what held up, what needed revision, and which one turned out to be [...]

right tool for the job
Artificial Intelligence Personal Development
#ai tools, #lessons learned, #mindset, #personal story

The Right Tool for the Job in 2026: What AI Changes About the Wrench Problem

Last updated: May 16, 2026

In 2018 the wrong tool was obvious — you could see the mismatch. In 2026, AI made it invisible. Here's where the granularity problem actually went.

keep yourself motivated
Getting Things Done Personal Development
#burnout, #lessons learned, #mindset, #motivation, #personal story

15 Years of Motivation: From Tiny, Genuine Sparks to Burnout

Last updated: May 15, 2026

The "get and keep" model of motivation breaks down fast. After 15 years: what three methods actually lasted, what leads to burnout, and what actually works [...]

first six months of blogging
Blogging Personal Development
#blogging journey, #newsletter, #persistence, #personal story

The First 6 Months of Blogging After 17 Years Of Blogging

Last updated: May 15, 2026

I wrote a blogging retrospective after 6 months. Twenty years later: the advice held, the meaning changed, and the economics flipped completely.

steadily fluid
Blogging Personal Development
#blogging journey, #consistency, #lessons learned, #personal story

Steadily Fluid after 10 Years: How Does it Feel to Live with the Paradox

Last updated: May 13, 2026

Stability and fluidity aren't opposites — they're prerequisites for each other. Here's what 17 years of living that paradox actually looks like from the inside.

technology versus ideology
Artificial Intelligence Personal Development
#bitcoin, #cryptocurrency, #lessons learned, #personal story

Technology, Ideology, and What Actually Happened Since 2018

Last updated: May 12, 2026

In 2018 I bet that technology would outpace ideology as the force reshaping society. Eight years later — AI everywhere, authoritarianism still rising — time to [...]

social networking versus real life relationships
Personal Development Relationships and Society
#lessons learned, #mindset, #relationships, #social media

17 Years of Social Networks Later: What Actually Replaced What

Last updated: May 11, 2026

In 2009 I framed social networking versus real life relationships as a match. Neither team won. What happened instead was stranger — and more useful to [...]

100 ways to live a better life
Blogging Personal Development
#goals, #lessons learned, #personal story, #resilience

100 Ways To Live A Better Life: 17 Years After – What Actually Worked

Last updated: May 10, 2026

I wrote 100 ways to live a better life in 2009, then 100 subposts, then watched it float on the internet for 15 years. Here's what [...]

lifestyle design framework
Location Independence Personal Development
#digital nomad, #lessons learned, #personal story, #values

3 Lifestyle Design Blueprints I’ve Lived, Plus A 4th One That Works Best These Days

Last updated: May 9, 2026

In 2009 I mapped 3 lifestyle design modes. After 17 years inside all of them, here's what held up, what broke, and the fourth mode the [...]

raw food diet revisited
Health and Fitness Personal Development
#30 day challenge, #experiment, #habit formation, #raw food

Raw Food in 2026: What I’d Tell My 2009 Self About Eating Better

Last updated: May 8, 2026

I tried a raw food diet in 2009. Here's what actually stuck 17 years later, how the advice holds up against modern nutrition science, and what [...]

how and why we get bored
Personal Development

Boredom Is a Feature, Not a Bug

Last updated: May 7, 2026

In 2009 I wrote about escaping boredom. In 2026, boredom turns out to be a feature, not a bug — and the attention economy's entire business [...]

Showing 41-60 of 1476 posts
← Previous Page 3 of 74 Next →
Work With Me Explore all Topics Browse by Tags
Apps I Made
addTaskManager app icon addTaskManager | ShareByLight app icon ShareByLight | Flight Lens app icon Flight Lens | Hacking Habits app icon Hacking Habits | Zen Tales app icon Zen Tales | Light Njoy app icon Light Njoy | MosquiGo app icon MosquiGo | Just 5 Words app icon Just 5 Words | AI Kiddo app icon AI Kiddo | Coloring Kiddo app icon Coloring Kiddo | 999 Wise Quotes app icon 999 Wise Quotes | Shape Walk app icon Shape Walk | Pane Shatter: Smash Glass app icon Pane Shatter: Smash Glass

Copyright, Dragos Roua 2006 - 2026.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

Dragos

I've been blogging for 20 years

ask me anything

Hi! I'm Dragos. I've been writing about productivity, nomad life, running, mindset, and building apps since 2006. What would you like to know?