2 year ago I went for dinner with one of my friends. This was something we used to do every now and then. During the meal, he brought up a book that he recently read that made a huge impact on him. The book in question was The Joy of Missing Out by Christina Crook. And I was interested in this minimalism thing at that moment. Straight after dinner he insisted we walk to a nearby bookstore so he could pick me up a copy.

That book sat on my shelf for 10 months not touched. Last year when lock down happened my mind started to ponder what could I do with this much time. I remembered that dinner and how excited he was to share that book with me. That day I decided I was going to start it. I finished it in a week.

That book has subsequently had a profound impact on me and my attitude towards spending. The core premise of the book is centered on the question, “Do I need this?”, also outlines it by not taking a gigantic course of action. You don't step in the process but rather start with the easiest spaces and move to the more difficult.

The one key actionable takeaway for me was that I needed to develop a strategy on how can I manage my expenses in a more mindful intentional way. The constant biases and influences coupled with endless exposures could be likened to a slot machine I was hooked.


But more importantly, reading the book made me think of that dinner and long for a time when we can all see each other again.