A Day at the Jjim Jil Bang (찜질방) in Saigon, Vietnam
Golden Lotus Jjim Jil Bang in Saigon offers Korean spa rooms, saunas, and relaxation for under €30/day. Here's what to expect and why it's worth visiting.
Breathe In, Breathe Out
The most underrated life hack costs nothing. Conscious breathing without attachment clears your mind and dissolves stress—no exotic techniques required
An Early Riser Is A Failed Late Riser
Fifteen years ago I forced myself to wake early. The experiment revealed something unexpected—early risers aren't special, they're just reformed late risers
Exactly 9 Years Ago
October 7, 2012—overweight, beaten, crawling toward the finish line of my first marathon. The moment that changed everything about what I thought I could do
Overheating – A Primer
Engines overheat when pushed beyond design limits. Humans work the same way. The warning signs appear long before catastrophic failure
Healthy And Unhealthy Routines
Not all routines serve you. Some become prisons. Healthy routines create freedom through structure. Unhealthy ones trap you in automated suffering
Rest Before You’re Tired
Resting after exhaustion is recovery. Resting before fatigue is strategy. The difference determines whether you sustainably perform or repeatedly crash
A Little Bit Of Rest
I have a really hard time resting. When I get into "work mode" I summon all the resources available in the moment and keep pushing forward.
Finding The Center
The last year has been challenging for all of us. But it was challenging in different ways. For those of us leaning into fear, it created [...]
Smiling On A Gloomy Day
Smiling on gloomy days isn't toxic positivity—it's rebellion. Refusing to surrender mood to weather or circumstances reclaims agency over internal state
Monday Moving Forward – Have Breakfast Outside
Breakfast outside changes Monday's frequency. Fresh air rewires morning energy. Small environmental shifts create disproportionate mood improvements
Sapiens, Neanderthal And The Potential Covid-19 Split / Switch
Species split when environments diverge. COVID responses could divide humanity—lockdown compliers versus freedom seekers. Evolution through cultural selection
How Fast Are You Waking Up?
Waking speed determines day quality. Slow wakers drag grogginess hours. Fast wakers claim morning immediately. The transition matters more than sleep hours
Optimizing Brain Cycles
Brains run on cycles—focus, diffuse, rest. Optimizing means matching tasks to states. Fighting cycles wastes energy optimization saves
The “New Normal” Is The Old Abnormal, With A Twist
New normal rebrands abnormal as acceptable. COVID measures normalized authoritarian overreach. The twist—temporary becomes permanent through habituation
You’re Improving While You’re Resting, Not While You’re Running
Muscles grow during rest, not training. Skills integrate during sleep, not practice. Improvement happens in recovery—work breaks you down, rest builds you up
A Short Fitness Recap Of 2020
2020 fitness during lockdowns—improvisation, home workouts, running empty streets. Constraints revealed what's essential versus what's convenient
Gravitational Habits
Some habits pull everything toward them. Exercise attracts better eating, early rising attracts productivity. Gravitational habits organize life around themselves
We Don’t Need Balance, We Are Balance
Lately I’ve seen a lot of people doing sugar-free challenges. Like, you know, not eating sugar (or sweets) for at least 30 days.
A Few Downsides Of The Overachiever Syndrome
Overachieving has costs—burnout, relationship neglect, diminishing returns. Success addiction creates treadmill you can't exit