What is the benefit of this book (75 hard) beyond:
After 5 minutes of research, it seems like a book that could be condensed into 10 pages without losing a lot of information/value. Am I wrong?
like many books of this genre?
Yes! Sorry, didn’t want to be rough on @IdleThought at all.
I was genuinely curious if he thought buying the book might be worth it.
Or if most valuable could already be found in this picture:
Even if information can be condensed/summarized, I prefer a book because it has a bigger impact on me, I get more motivation from a book, I recall the information many times, and the information tends to stay with me longer. I think the very reason that a book is long and has to be read over many days is a value in itself.
A one page Summary, could still be on a good use if you print it and stick it to your bathroom mirror so no escape!
Another trick is to share your engagement publicly with family and friends. You will feel oblige to follow your engagement and do not loose face.
exactly - the book is fully optional. a quick checklist every day for 75 days. that is all you need.
2 45min workouts per day! Wow
It isn’t my idea! 
Seems like a recipe for injury if not done right for people not previously fit.
Also drinking a gallon a day is unnecessary.
(I understand that the challenges might be somewhat arbitrary because the aim is to challenge yourself, not to follow sensible challenges. But still, there would have been an opportunity to combine the two things.)
I did it during the lockdown. It was really nice.
A swift walk is what I often do. You know your body
It’s the same for me, but I usually do a 1-1.5h walk in the evening. Maybe splitting it into two would make even more sense but I have a hard time making a break during the workday. And on weekends it’s hardly possible - I don’t have time when my son is at home and he’s not sleeping.
Same for m as I tend to do a 40 minutes walk to the office in the morning and in the evening listening podcasts. Next level is to run back from the office to your place so it’s saving me workout time and commutting.
I do it early in the morning to avoid having my attention sucked into my phone right after waking-up.
It’s pleasant to feel sore muscle at the end of the day !
Random comment: heard Neil Doig in a podcast with FIRE Fighter and liked his acronym: FISH - financial independence, seek happiness. So true!
BTW. I need to watch this TED talk daily:
Hey Bojack. I feel somehow related to your posts about hobbies, the guitar, etc. so allow me to give you some advice, as it comes from seeing myself there.
A few ideas:
Manual work of creating/repairing. Look around your house, what could you improve with your own hands, to make it even more comfortable and make it feel more “yours”. It applies to vehicles also : car, boat or bicylcle. I find a lot of joy fixing my own vehicles as much as I can. Urban garden or some way of carpentry are options. So it is an entertainment + a goal that brings you benefits in terms of cozyness. It has to involve manual tools (screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc.)
You seem to like to write (at least on the forum) and you write good and structured. Have you though about writing for leisure? I know it involves being with a computer/using cognitive skills (or maybe not?). You know a lot about ETFs, investments and stuff… maybe write a guide but not in the traditional sense but with your personal touch on it. After all, it is going to be a hobby, so you can write there whatever you want, you can make jokes, curse, scramble other topics into the ETF ones. It doesn’t have to be monetized as you are close to FIRE already so you have pure freedom.
This came to my mind while reading the thread.
Oh another one @Bojack as you seem to be spending a lot of time in winter indoors with your gf. Both of you learn to do proper massages or Shiatsu or something like that. You use your hands (which is important as we said about staying away from computers) and gives a very pleasant feeling mentally and physically. And you learn a new skill and things about the human body.
Hope it helps. Again: Feels a bit weird to say this to a stranger on the forum but I felt related to your posts + I kind of feel in debt with people on this forum for all the valuable info and advice.
Very interesting thread by the way. A few comments from my side:
@ma0 I am exactly living like your description of the “Polish immigrant”. And suffering a lot because of it. My point of view is that I am not going to be many years in Switzerland so I prefer to have a “not very good life” for X years and get done with it rather than have a “bearable swiss life” for X*3 years. Although it is hard to stick with the original plan as time passes because of what you said.
Regarding obsessiveness with frugality… yes. It is totally insane. I remember reading some of the poor swiss blog articles and thinking… my god this guy is mental. Spending so much energy and time doing all those calculations and tricks using many different cards one for each occasion to accumulate a few hundred bucks (if at all) on cashback, etc.
Well, one of his recent articles talk about this. He found himself it is not worth it. You have to find a balance. Otherwise is insanity.
Thanks for your tips. I’ve gotta say, I suffer from a total lack of motivation. The works sucks it out of me. E.g. I was planning to sell my old xbox for years, haven’t even taken the time to take photos. All this housework seems like a waste of time when your hourly rate is 180, I wish there was someone I could outsource this to.
Thanks, I am actually surprised by that compliment. At school, Polish was always my least favorite subject and I got the worst grades. I guess the years of online experience helped to improve. But I think there is so much content, so many personal finance bloggers and youtubers, I wouldn’t add much.
Definitely sounds like a lack of motivation produced by a too tiring job. And I can totally relate to that as well, I had jobs in the past that sucked the life out of me so bad that… yes. Everything else seemed a daunting task. And not even remotely close to 180 CHF per hour. That’s a very good income.
Two last things:
Btw one of my goals for FIRE (in reality it will never be FIRE because I started too late but more like semi FIRE or Slow FI as they call it) is to not having to do any of those jobs EVER AGAIN in my life.
It was basically from bed to shower, from shower to office, from office to couch, from couch to kitchen, back again on the couch, bed. Loop. Not for me. I would do it for 180 CHF hour definitely and go full throttle to FIRE, but at normal hour rates… fuck no!
