You can’t take everything with you. (Photo: BrittneyBush)

The act (or is it art?) of packing light is different for everyone. In my previous article about being prepared for being unprepared, carefully choosing the gear in your packing list is worth the time spent.

Packing light to some people might be just going around the world with just a jacket like Rolf Potts (I’ll do this within one year).

To others, it may be having just two full suitcases of clothes and gear. I don’t recommend this approach at all because even if you are not going from place to place, it becomes a reason to stay where you are.

Think why you may have not moved yet. Wouldn’t it be a pain to get all that stuff you have to your new home? Buying boxes, buying tape, getting movers or renting a truck yourself. Packing the boxes, and moving them onto the truck and moving them off the truck and unpacking them, and organizing it all.

Some people love the process of moving. Is it a really effective use of time? Could you be building your business? Spending more time with your kids and loved ones?

Wait, what does this have to do with packing light? Well, everything.

Are you ok with having an apartment full of stuff while you are trekking the world? This choice I leave up to you, but I didn’t want to have stuff to worry about while traveling.

If you decide to pack light (I say one medium sized back pack and one small bag works just fine) you’ll gain mental freedom.

Carrie talks about clutter, and clutter really causes more problems than you may know. With minimalism, you’ll also gain physical freedom.

If you don’t like where you are staying, find a new place, because it takes you 10 minutes to pack up your bag and 5 minutes to book a room in another hostel. Of course if you wanted an apartment while traveling, that will take a little more effort, though it is still very easy.

Another benefit of packing light is no checked bags. A lot of US airlines are now charging for checked bags, and I’m sure there are international ones doing it too.

I don’t know much about international ones doing it because I always carry on my gear.

Losing gear and waiting for gear at baggage claim are just a waste of time while traveling (even though time is plentiful when you don’t have a schedule).

I wanted to include what I packed for my travels. Most people who see my gear think I’m crazy, which is fine, I get all the function I need and I have a lot less to maintain. While my list isn’t the cheapest, I won’t need to buy much stuff in the long run.

A large portion (most of it really) was inspired by Karol’s list. Karol is already traveling and I trust his experience and expertise, which saved me a lot of time and experimentation with different gear (like I’m doing for you).

How to Travel Light

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1. Start with a smaller pack, those backpacker packs that are 40L+ are far too big to lug around everywhere. I use a 28L pack and I suggest anything 35L or below. Most packs bigger than that risk having to be checked in.
2. Pack enough gear to wear for at least two days. You’ll be hand washing your stuff frequently. Once every few days. Bring essential stuff.
3. Buy what you can where you travel. Unless you have a special formula of some sort of awesome tooth paste you need for your teeth to stay on, you’ll find a lot of stuff you can buy locally. Buying an Umbrella in Taiwan for $3.00 instead of lugging it around is not so bad. I’ll tell you that Taiwan doesn’t have much deodorant or ANY almond butter, so plan accordingly.

It’s as simple as those three things.

My Gear

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I find I have everything I need and if I don’t have something, I can easily buy it from a grocery store, like tooth paste. The list might seem huge, though it’s really not all that much stuff.

Everything fits into my 28L bag just fine with some space to spare.

There are some affiliate links below, so I’ll leave it up to you if you want to click the links for the items.

Clothes

1) Black Icebreaker Men’s Bodyfit150 Ultralite

This shirt dries fast, and lets air flow very well in the humid weather I’m in. It also is odor resistant, I’ve worn it 4 days without a wash and it still smells fine mostly.  Very comfortable. A bit tight around the mid section. A bit expensive.

Buy the Icebreaker Men’s Bodyfit150 Ultralite

2) Black and Red Stoic Merino Bliss Shirt

I bought this for a future layer shirt for when winter rolls around. I use it mainly on days I wash my other shirts. Dries fast and odor resistant as well. Very comfortable. Was a bit expensive.

Buy The Stoic Merino Bliss Shirt

3) Black Icebreaker SuperFine 200 Kent Polo Shirt

A little thicker than both other shirts, though it fits very well and is made out of the same wool. Great for being a little better dressed. Dries fast, breathes well, and odor resistant. Very comfortable. A bit expensive.

Buy The Icebreaker SuperFine 200 Kent Polo Shirt

4) ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go Boxer Brief x 3

They dry fast, they resist odor, and can be used as swimming shorts. A bit expensive.

Buy The ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go Boxer Brief

5) SmartWool PhD Outdoor Light Micro Sock x 2

Just like my shirts, they dry fast, they resist odor, and they breathe well. Very comfortable. A bit expensive.

Buy the SmartWool PhD Outdoor Light Micro Sock

6) REI Thermal Pants

Great for layering and wearing when all my other clothes is drying. Resists odors, and dries fast.

7) Patagonia Sock

Bought these at an REI sale, just like the other wool, they dry fast, and resist odor.

8 ) Running shorts

They were originally shorts I bought a long time ago to run in, I use them mostly when I’m washing my pants or doing something active.

9) Biking gloves

Bought them a while back when I had my road bike, will be using it with the layering clothes when it gets cold or when I do some hiking.

10) Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge II Convertible Pants

They dry fast, and they convert to shorts. Handy for hot days or when you go to a place with a dress code (keep the pants in the pockets) Karol had trouble finding darker ones for his size and these are the darkest ones I found.

Buy the Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge II Convertible Pants

11) Wal-Mart flip flops

Cheap flip flops that were just too large for me, I couldn’t find any ones that fit me well so I just use these old things. Great for short walks around town or if it’s raining.

12) Sketchers Shoes from Macy’s

Fancy enough for the night clubs, though strong enough to do rigorous things with.

13) Black SEV Tropical Vest Jacket

Converts into a vest, carries a ton of my stuff while flying or on a scooter. Folds into itself, the jacket works great.

Buy The SEV Tropical Vest Jacket

Toiletries

1) Tiny tooth brush

2) Bigger tooth brush from dentist

3) Deodorant x 3

My friend brought me some back from the states because they don’t really have any here where I’m writing this from (Taiwan).

4) Multiple tiny toothpaste things from dentist

5) Multiple floss things from dentist

6) Multiple Floss threaders (for my permanent retainer)

7) Tweezers

8 ) Razor

9) 3oz bottles of almond Dr Bonner’s soap x 3

I use this to hand wash my clothes

10) MSR Packtowl UltraLite

I got the medium size, dries my whole body perfectly. Easy to wash in the shower and ring out and use it to dry myself and ring out the water again. Dries in a few hours or a few minutes on a fan. I recommend not letting it stay wet too long because it can stink and stay stinky.

Buy the MSR Packtowl UltraLite

11) MSR PackTowl Personal

My friend just gave me this because my other towel is not doing so hot. Medium size again.

Buy the MSR PackTowl Personal

Electronics

1) iPhone 4

Got rid of my flip video camera, and  my point and shoot camera. Also use the GPS and compass on this to find my away areas I don’t know. Tons of great travel apps, and essentially compressed 5 or more items into one (camera, phone, itouch, video camera, kitchen timer). If your iPhone 4 ever blacks out and doesn’t turn on even though you know it has battery power, press the home button and power button at the same time, and release it after 15 seconds or after it shows you the Apple logo.

2) Apple Mac Book Pro 13.3-Inch Laptop + Charger

My Windows 7 computer crashed and broke. I lost a months worth of data, and this is probably the 7th time it has happened to me since I started using computers 15 or so years ago. I bought the Mac because it just works, and it just works. It still has it’s own problems, though I spend more time getting work done than trying to make things work in Windows.

Buy the Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-Inch Laptop

3) Sansa Clip MP3 Player

Bought this a long time ago for use during workouts and just regular use overall. Still works great for when I don’t have anything as an alternative.

Buy the Sansa Clip

4) Head phones with Mics x 3

1 Came with the iPhone, I brought two from home for just in case. One is a factory included blackberry curve headset.

5) JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds

To block out sound in busy places when I’m working. They were very cheap to buy compared to most head phones.

Buy the JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds

6) 250GB Hard drive

I use this to back up some data and put videos and other larger files on.

Buy the 250GB Hard Drive

7) iPhone Cable + Hong Kong iPhone wall charger

8 ) All in one Converter

Bought this one from a store in Hong Kong

Misc

1) Emergency Blanket

For just in case situations where I may need a blanket.

Buy the Emergency Blanket

2) Medium Eagle Creek Pack-It Compression Sac Travel

Carry around my clothes in my bag with this and keep it on my bed at hostels

Buy the Medium Eagle Creek Pack-It Compression Sac Travel

3) Small Eagle Creek Pack-It Compression Sac Travel

To compress dirty clothes or my jacket if I’m not using it

Buy the Small Eagle Creek Pack-It Compression Sac Travel

4) First Need Trav-L-Pure Portable Water Purifier

Haven’t used it yet, though it’s for countries where I can’t drink the tap water and hiking trips

Buy the First Need Trav-L-Pure Portable Water Purifier

5) Exercise Rope

I was using this to do some weight training while traveling, though I just gave this to my friend because I have a book on body weight exercises, so no more lugging around this rope.

Buy the Exercise Rope

6) Sleeping Mask

Have only used on planes so far.

7) Petzl Tikka Plus Headlamp

Great for when you need to see in the dark! Since it is a headlamp, you have two hands free to do the things you need to do. Hasn’t failed me yet after 4 years, get LED.

8 ) SilentEar Reusable Ear Plugs  x 3

Mostly used on planes. Reusable, and work great.

Buy the SilentEar Reusable Ear Plugs

9) Laptop screen wipe cloth

10) Micro SIM Cutter

The iPhone 4 requires specially shaped SIM cards, so instead of using scissors, I will use this card to cut SIM cards in the different countries I visit.

11) 12×12 Aloksak bag x 2

I gave one to my friend to wash his clothes or hold stuff. I use these to hold dirty clothes and hand wash clothes.

Buy the Aloksak

12) 6×9 Aloksak bag x 2

I gave one to my friend. I hold my valuables in here in my bag.

Buy the Aloksak

13) Quart zip lock bags x 4

Back up for when my travel quart bags rip.

14) 55L Bag Lock

Heavy, and bulky, though it gives me peace of mind when I’m in a place with no lockers or I just need to lock my stuff up.

Buy the 55L Bag Lock

15) Neptune Krill Oil

Need my Omega 3′s yo.

Buy the Neptune Krill Oil

16) Bottle of Probiotics

Keep a healthy digestion system while eating random foods and tons of street foods.

Buy the Probiotics

17) Bottle of Digestion Pills

To keep my digestion system good (they are preventative measures unlike indigestion pills, which you should NEVER take the in digestion pills that is).

Buy the Digestion Pills

18) Fiber Harmony Whole Husk Psyllium

There is not much fiber here! Where are the beans, lentils or fiber stuff at? This is a bulky item, which may seem silly, though I’m glad I can have one serving a day.

Buy the Fiber Harmony Whole Husk Psyllium

19) Clothesline

Hang up my wet clothes if there is no where to hang them up.

Buy the Clothesline

20) Check book

In case I need to write a check.

21) Combo locks x 3

I use these to lock my 55L Bag Lock and zippers when I travel. Better than needing to carry around keys.

22) Foldable Water Bottle

Great water bottle for travel as it compresses down when there is no water in it. It still tastes great after using it for many months now. Great for when there is filtered water.

Buy The Foldable Water Bottle

Travel Gear

1) Deuter Futura 28 Backpack

Awesome bag which fits everything I have perfectly (with room to spare). What I like about this bag is that it has a bottom compartment so I don’t have to dig through the whole  bag to get to certain items. It also comes with a rain cover.

I restricted myself to a smaller bag so I wouldn’t take so much stuff with me. I always carry this bag onto the plane with me so no need to pay or wait for checked bags.

Buy the Deuter Futura 28 Backpack

2) Kiva Key Chain Pack

Great for taking stuff around a hostel and keeping near me when I sleep.

Buy the Kiva Key Chain Pack

Gear removed since traveled

1) Travel Pillow Case

2) Mac book pro Extension Cord

Having this would be an excuse to be tethered to one area for too long. Also didn’t need it as it was just extra weight.

3) Camera Stand (tiny)

4) Flip HD Camera

5) Olympus Camera

Terrible camera.

6) Kiva Duffel Bag

Gave to my friend to carry around as we travel. Was far too big when expanded.

7) Metro200 side bag

I felt too metro sexual even in metro capital Taipei. It was too heavy and it dug into my shoulder when I would carry it around.

8 ) Cotton shirts x 3

They dried slowly, they dried badly, and they stunk fast.

9) Sleeping Bag

Yea, totally didn’t need this, though I wouldn’t turn down a linen

10) Cotton socks x 3

Dried slow and smelled fast.

11) REI Jacket

I may get this jacket back if the other jacket proves not warm enough for colder places

12) Teeth whitening crap

13) Exercise Shorts

14) Multiple Feng Shui items my mom gave me to keep so I wouldn’t drown in August

15) Necklace from Australia

16) Travel clock/alarm/currency converter

Cheap eagle creek thing broke after 2 drops.

17) Kitchen timer

18) Scissors

Taken away at Hong Kong airport even though it fit the requirements for scissors.

–

That is my whole packing list!

What sort of tips do you have for packing? What are your must have items for traveling?

Let me know in a comment below!

Posted 6th November 2010.

I wish you were here with me. (Photo: snowriderguy)

Ni Hao.

OK, I haven’t talked about this much. I moved around California a lot, even to big weird cities like San Francisco. It was a fun experience, though not the place for me.

I didn’t really plan where I was going, I just found things which interested me and choose to seek out the areas.

I’m now across the ocean in a far time zone away from the places I called home. I packed my 28L bag, and side bag and flew away.

This awesome tropical island I’m at is called Taiwan. I don’t speak Mandarin at all. Doy-ba-chi.

I have to say the people here are very friendly. It started raining and I stood there in my shorts and no umbrella near a jewelry shop. I took the rain cover out of the bottom of my backpack and covered my backpack.

I stood there staring at the rain to slow down for 5 minutes. This was so I may run to the train station 5 blocks away without getting too wet.

The shop owner of the shop I was standing near walked out side and beckoned me to come over to him, he handed me an umbrella. He made the motions to throw it away when I’m done with it. This was awesome.

I went to the local 7 eleven (they are on most corners, literally 1 block away from each other) and bought an umbrella. I brought back his and thanked him.

I didn’t come to Taiwan prepared for a lot of things, I took the time to figure it out while I was here. I prepared myself with clothes, and the ability to reach the Internet, though beyond this, all I did was book a plane and a hostel (the day before the flight) and figured my way around as soon as I landed.

Some folks I talk to here say I’m really prepared when it comes to my gear. Not really. I just put a lot of research before hand to have stuff which works great around the world. I’m not prepared for everything, just most things.

It basically boils down to this, be prepared for 20% of the important stuff, and you’ve covered 80% of the important things. Of course this is the 20/80 principle or whatever, just apply your numbers in whichever way works for you.

This 20/80 principle basically applies to all of life. The numbers might look like 10/90 or 5/95 or even 30/70.

If you focus on the important aspects of ANYTHING, the rest usually falls into place or is worth putting mediocre effort on.

This applies to jobs, school, and yes, even relationships and especially traveling.

Wait, relationships? Are you saying I shouldn’t give it my all? Well think about it. Did you give 100% of yourself throughout every relationship (lover or friend)? Definitely not. Over time we sometimes start taking things for granted.

What if you focused on the really important things to your important people, like making sure they feel loved, surprising them randomly, and spending some quality time with them? Things usually fall into place. The small things are important as well, they are part of the 20%!

How to be Prepared for Being Unprepared

Now here are a few ways you can do the 20% of important things while traveling. You’ll get an adventure out of it because you get to figure out the rest and spend more time doing the important things. The bonus for using these tips is you carry less stuff and travel light, which is a whole different experience compared to having heavy suit cases.

-Use a laptop/smartphone/itouch and know where to find everything you need or grab a map

I got an iPhone 4 (which has maps, currency conversion, translators, video camera, camera, and tons more useful stuff).

Before I got my iPhone, I navigated my way around town using google maps on my laptop (before hand I’d preload the maps and during my travels I’d find my location with location finding services/gps, there are lot of wi-fi open signals in more populated areas).

I’d get directions from other folks, and just asking the public transit people for tickets to cities I didn’t know how to get to.

It’s easy to book stuff on hostelworld.com/hostels.com and many other websites. You can book your plane tickets on your computer, use virturaltourist.com and lonely planet to get more information from other travelers.

If you don’t want to use tech, GRAB A MAP! I can’t tell you how many times I got lost and if I didn’t have my computer or something, I’d go bonkers. When you arrive at the airport in your destination, there are usually visitor/tourist areas where you can pick up some free maps in English.

-Bring an all in one converter for your world travel electronics/buy one in the airport or electronic store of the country you are visiting.

I don’t want to get into voltage conversions and all that other stuff, but to make sure your electronic stuff works with the local wall outlets, get a device which can at least convert your electronic devices to many other different outlets. There will be times you may want a transformer and a surge protector though, you shouldn’t need to worry about it too much.

When I stopped by Hong Kong a few months ago, I picked up a 5 in 1 outlet converter and was able to charge my laptop right away. Just pick one up or buy one before you leave home.

Here is a handy dandy link to some converters.

-Use a translator program for websites countries you don’t know the language or grab a translation book! I don’t have any recommendations as I don’t use any, though there are phrases and stuff in Lonely Planet books.

I use google chrome, and it has a built in translation feature. I also use an extension for google chrome, called Google Translate. It’s not the best translation, though for most things, it gets the job and gist done. Stuff is getting smarter and smarter to the point where I believe you are able to take a photo of something and it will be translated if you have connection to their databases for some products/ companies.

Here is a handy dandy link to some translation books (which none I recommend over the others as I haven’t used any).

-Pack enough clothes where you need to wash every other other day or every other day.

Do you really need loads of clothes for traveling? Naw, not really.

Here is a good amount of stuff, took me a lot of experimenting, and you’ll see my travel list soon.

Avoid cotton. It dries slow, it smells fast, and it weighs a lot. If you are ok with wearing animal products (like wool), avoid synthetic stuff as it smells faster than cotton! I recommend merino wool because it dries fast, literally  a few hours, it doesn’t smell much (odor resistant), and it’s light.

• 2-3 shirts (I like merino wool shirts because they don’t stink and they dry fast, they are pricy though)
• 1 Pants (I like convertible pants because I get shorts too!)
• 1 Light workout shorts (for when you wash your pants or workout/be active)
• 2-3 Underwear (Yes, there are underwear out there which will not smell, dry fast, and are great as swimming shorts too)
• 2-3 Socks (Merino wool socks are awesome…)
• 1 Awesome Jacket which is not too bulky, good mid range for cold weather, though breathable for rain and water resistant
• 1 Long sleeve shirt (I still like merino wool here and it’s for layering when it gets a little cold, of course if you are only in tropics, you won’t really need it)
• 1 travel towel, smaller size (they dry fast, and pack well)

-Learn a few good phrases and words for the country you visit or have them readily available when you visit.

I recommend checking if Pimsleur has a program in the language of the country you want to visit, you’ll learn conversationally faster than any other program to speak conversationally.

I find the following words and phrases as important and most used as a traveler:

• Hello
• Thank you
• Do you speak English (or your language)?
• I’m (nationality)
• I want to eat that (and you point)
• Excuse me
• Where is the bathroom?
• One
• Two
• Three
• Four (fingers work for numbers too, just avoid the middle one most places and the thumbs up in Iran)
• Are you single? (only for the single travelers yo or sleaze balls or different area code people)
• How much?
• Chicken
• Pork
• Beef
• Vegetables

If you decide not to learn these words, learning how to read body language and conveying meaning by body language will help a lot.

-Know the currency conversion wherever you go using apps on your phone or just remembering the conversion for your destination.

As long as you know this, it makes ripping you off a little more difficult. It’s also good to know the general prices of things in the countries you visit.

Here are some resources:

Free iPhone/iTouch/iPad App XE Currency

XE Currency Website

Free Android App XE Currency

-Have a good international ATM card.

This is a great way to save money while taking money out of the ATMs in other countries, and of course let your companies know you are out of the country. They reimburse most or all the fees other ATM’s charge you, which includes international. Sometimes ATMs group ATM fees into the total amount pulled out and it makes it difficult to impossible to know how much the ATM charge was for. This is where your fee’s are not reimbursed.

Not all countries take United States ATM Cards, so plan ahead accordingly.

Two banks I know that offer ATM reimbursements:

Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking

Fidelity mySmart Cash Account (I use this one personally)

-Ask for help at the hostels or from people you are able to communicate with

I’ve learned that when I meet a person, they always have something I don’t have and I can seek them out to learn things.

Before I learned this, I thought I had all the answers, I never sought help, I never read books and lost a lot of valuable potential relationships and information because I never sought it before.

My life changed when I started looking at everyone and realizing they knew more about something than I knew. I started to seek out very valuable people and creating relationships with people. I’m not saying to only seek people who have something that can help you. I’m saying seek out people who you can provide value to and them providing value to you.

-Be prepared to compromise when things don’t go your way. Be prepared with semi actionable back-up plans.

By semi actionable, I mean to know what resources to use to find what you’re looking for or something you’ll be OK with.

You wanted to see all those sights right? Well that typhoon hit and you can’t. See other places or meet some people if you are staying at a hostel, that’s what I did.

You wanted to stay at that hostel tonight right? Well, they are full. Ask them for a referral or search online or ask local people where to stay. People will help travelers most of the time if you have some way to communicate and friendly about it.

–

The most important lesson is “Be prepared with semi actionable back-up plans.” I should have given this concept it’s own category or post, though it works out because I’ll talk about it a little more here.

Be warned, I’m not telling you to have back-up plans for your dreams, just for your travels. I actually think it’s OK to have semi actionable back-up plans for your dreams, because all they would be, are things you can do which will push you further toward your dreams.

As long as you know a course of action to take to solve your problem, you’ll be fine winging things. Most people who “wing” things have some sort of actionable steps they may take for different sets of problems. It only seems like they might wing them out of spontaneity. Once you know how to solve problems which might arise, you can wing it out of the blue. This applies to all of your life, not just travel.

You can either curl up into a ball and complain the world isn’t fair, the train was too slow, the people are unfriendly, or you can find the solution.

An example would be what to do if you are walking around in the middle of the night trying to find your hostel. OK the action steps here depend on what you prepared before hand and where you are at, though they are still actionable steps you can take.

1. Find a store that may be open late and ask them, even if they may not speak your language, the local people may know more than you think.
2. If you have a device which can catch wifi (such as an iPhone/iTouch/iPad/Android/Laptop), try finding a place with wifi and find more information on where you are at. Wifi may just be some one’s open network you are borrowing (which is illegal in a lot of places) to find where you need to go or call on skype/gmail.
3. You can use a pay phone to call the hostel you are looking for and ask for help.

These are just 3 examples of what you can do, think about the other actionable steps and let me know what you would do in the comments below, I would love to hear them. I dare you to.

Posted on October 31st 2010.

Our spines support our whole body. (photo: diice)

Do you have back pain?

Does it bother you when you sleep? When you wake up?

Does it make it difficult to do what you really want to do? Spending time with loved ones or doing kinky things hurt by your back?

Hey, I’m in my twenties, and I have back pain. That’s right, I’m in my twenties and  I have back pain. Not as bad as some people, though it gets pretty bad sometimes.

It gets to the point where I can’t even go out and do anything.

I know a lot of older folks and even younger who also have immense back pain.

Some people try to fix it with Icy hot, or some bengay cream. Some use ice as well. This is all temporary relief. It doesn’t last for a long time.

Remember when I said to fix the system not the symptom?

This is one of those situations.

Do you want to know one of the biggest causes of back pain is?

Guess.

What is back pain from?

Posture? Yes.

Picking up things with your back and not your legs? Yes.

Sleeping in a bad posture? Yes.

These aren’t the largest cause of back pain though.

There is something invented by humans, something we do everyday and is becoming more prevalent as we become knowledge workers more and more in the population.

It’s something we’ve been doing since we were young, something most people do to relax or work.

Have you figured it out yet?

Most back pain comes from SITTING.

Sitting is the worse thing we can do for our backs.

My disclaimer here is, I’m no doctor, or special fitness dude who knows all, so don’t take what I say as medical advice or any of the sort.

Sitting. Did you guess it was this? It took me a while the first time someone asked me all these questions.

Think about it, how much do you sit in a day?

What sort of pressure is on your back and other parts of your body?

It’s a lot more than you think.

You might be asking, but sitting is sort of a requirement in everyday life, and you’re right.

What can you do?

There are times when you can choose to stand instead of sit.

I’m standing up as I write this article. I know use a standing desk. Most office workers sit 8-9 hours a day, which includes the commute.

Students sit just as much or more.

What do office workers do when they get home? They usually sit watching TV.

Same for students.

For some reason, I’ve always had the habit of standing when most people were sitting. I think my body and mind knew somehow that standing was so much more beneficial than sitting.

How do you cure this back pain? Start working standing up if it is possible for you.

Standing up and working is NOT possible for everyone, so for those who NEED to sit, look for ergonomically correct chairs. Just search them via google and you’ll get a ton of reviews.

For everyone else, get a standing desk. You could even use a music stand.

Right now I’m using a standing desk to write this, I’ll show you a video soon with what I use.

It’s very portable and it is the perfect height for me.

Use this website as a guide for how tall your standing desk should be.

Now, you can also use counters as your desk or other places which match with where a standing desk should be for you.

How should you stand?

The best way to stand is with good posture. Roll your shoulders back and distribute weight evenly on both your legs. Back straight and neck not tilted over, but straight.

When you first start working while standing up, you will probably get tired pretty fast. I still have a chair I use to take breaks in, eat or watch anime.

I stand most of the day though, at least 80% or more of my awake time.

The thing is, my back starts hurting the second I sit down, because I’ve been sitting for 16 hour days for the past few months.

I’ve been using my standing desk for about 10 days now. It took me a while to stand correctly with good posture.

It may take you a while too. Try standing on two weight measurement things and you’ll see how you distribute your weight unevenly.

Standing while working or in daily life is another habit you’ll need to pick up. It takes a while. Watch my Day 6 No Shampoo/Q-tips video to learn about habit gravity escape velocity.

I don’t have back pain much anymore except when I sit in my uncomfortable chair. I haven’t had any sharp stabbing back pain either that I have had in the past.

In this example for standing versus sitting, we’re changing the system not the symptom. We’re changing the cause of the problem to not have the same problem. While this may not solve all your back problems, this will really help and cure some.

Here is a video of the Instand.

This is the table I use now on to stand while working.

It’s very portable and light.

Alright, let me know how your back pain goes!

Posted June 20th, 2010.

Anti-social is the new social. (Photo: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid)

Have you seen a group of friends typing away on their phones instead of talking?

I have. I use to be one of these people in fact. I had my blackberry (aka crackberry). Now seeing these people waste the precious time they have with their friends or loved ones to type away on their phones, allows me to value my time spent with others.

It isn’t just about being anti-social either. It is a big time waster to type away on these phones most of the time. I know a lot of people who use unproductive behavior as an excuse to not be productive. Do you find yourself tweaking with your new iPhone App instead of finishing that paper or making that sales call? Do you press on the iFart application and laugh in the corner?

I would find myself wasting time on my phone doing useless things like tweaking settings here and there instead of working. When hanging out with other people I would pull out my phone every few minutes to check email or other items. Now, with a few tweaks, I can focus on the important things in my life. Dinner and special time will be interrupted no more. To me as a Vagabond, these few steps allow me to focus on relationships more.

I’m actually planning to experiment life with no phone and only use Skype. Though I would actually want to keep a phone just to keep in touch with the special one. You might find me typing away at times still on my blackberry, though it is only very productive messages to a person who matters.

Benefits of Taking the 6 steps:

• Save Money (No need for a data plan, possibly reduced texting plan)
• 5 Extra hours of free time
• Focus on important tasks
• Focus on loved ones
• Less interruption in life

Cons of Taking the 6 steps:

• Not up to date on useless matters
• Not able to make excuses to participate
• 5 Extra hours of free time

Yes, take the next few steps for the unimportant matters in life, keep alert for the people you find important as you do now, or if you have ignored them, now you can focus on them like me.

Make the choice or pick and choose what works for you.

6 Steps and 2 minutes to an Extra 5 Hours a Day

One key item you need to apply with all this is:

“Make a decision today and take action, and apologize later.” It is not word for word from Tim Ferris. It is best to try something out instead of asking for permission. Just apologize later.

1. Remove access to email on your phone.

Depending on the type of phone you have, you will usually have email with a smart phone. A smart phone is an iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, Android and etc.

Many companies are requiring employees to carry around a blackberry with them now so they become 24/7, and some of these employees have struck back with lawsuits.

Removing your access to email will seem very difficult in the beginning. You are probably checking it every 10 minutes. You can test with auto responders informing the emailing offender that you only check your email twice a day due to a busy schedule and for them to call you if it is truly an emergency. Start checking twice a day on a computer.

This might seem crazy and you think your boss will get angry you didn’t respond to their inquiry right away or at 10pm at night. Well, it is going to take some training for your boss in this situation. Plus, who needs you at 10pm? I would say only those special to you. If people treat every business related matter as an emergency, those people NEED to learn to plan ahead.

2. Remove any social media related applications. (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Instant Messengers, etc.)

If you have these apps on your phone, you probably already waste enough time on the computer looking at which friends got drunk the weekend before, or those witty comments by your friends too hip to be defined.

Why do you need to know what your friends did if you are hanging out with them? Just ask!

It is just a huge time waster to consistently check for new information in social media. You can always do it later on a computer.

Instant messaging on a phone is a great time waster too. Waiting for their reply, typing out your reply, hours and hours can go by with nothing getting done. Reply back later.

3. Hide the Internet browser on your phone and do not use it.

I checked CNNMoney everyday on my phone to waste time. I didn’t even like the information they had, it was just a good time waster.

Just hide the Internet browser and only use it for occasions you really need it. When do you need it? When you decide to go to a movie with your special ones and you do not have a computer near you. Finding information you need in a REAL emergency like someone being hurt.

4. Disable notifications.

Don’t disable all your notifications. If your special ones are fans of texting you, you may want to be notified of those.

If you use your phone for your calendar, don’t disable those notifications. Just disable whatever is distracting.

I’m sure you found yourself checking your phone if you received a notification even if it didn’t notify you. It just becomes habit.

Just disable notifications and check your phone at intervals. This is a great solution if you don’t want to remove programs, you can always batch checking your phone at certain times.

5. Put your phone on vibrate forever.

There are so many benefits for vibrate, though the best con you can give me, “what if I miss a call?”

Sometimes it is actually good to miss a call. Though you don’t want to miss your special persons’ calls, so don’t train them that you wouldn’t answer their calls.

It is the calls from your boss, possibly high demanding clients, and other time wasters.

Most of the time, they think they are calling you with an emergency, though if they planned ahead, it would have not happened. The problem can be easily resolved if steps were in place before.

I actually started to ignore calls, these “emergencies” stopped coming to me and many times the person would find the solution themselves. They can also leave voice mails.

Though the special ones to me or you can still reach you because when your phone vibrates, it will usually be them. Text message or call.

Another benefit is not bothering others with a call or text during a meeting or other events where silence is required. Yes you can always change the settings for those times, though it is easier just to walk in the room and focus.

6. Ignore unimportant phone calls and text messages.

This is similar to the vibrate step.

What I call unimportant is anyone you do not deem special. A special person may be your spouse and kids.

Just stop answering calls, have them leave a voice mail and get back to the person when it is convenient for you, not them.

If the text is from an unimportant person, check it later and get back to them then.

Bonus!

7. Have your phone turn auto-off and auto-on

Only have your phone turn on or off at set intervals if you DON’T need to be on call.

If you have a sickly family member and they need to reach you just in case they need a ride, it is best to be reachable.

Having it turn on and off at set times means no one wakes you up and bothers you during sleeping time or after work.

For example, if you use your phone for business and personal, have it set off at 11pm before you sleep and on at 8am after you wake up.

If you don’t want to be on call after work, have it turn off at 5pm, and on at 9am.

The 7th step is similar to step 5 and 6 where unimportant people don’t have their calls answered right away. They have to leave a voice mail, email, or fix their problem themselves.

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Now you have just freed 5 hours daily from your phone.

Spend time with those who matter. You are not looking at your phone anymore during dinner, and now look straight at the special ones.

Posted on January 26th 2010.