Four-day week: trial(ˈtrī(ə)l) finds lower stress(stres) and increased productivity

Study of pilot(ˈpīlət) at New Zealand(ˈzēlənd) firm finds staff were happier and 20% more productive

By Robert(ˈräbərt) Booth

The founder of one of the first big companies to switch to a four-day working week has called on others to follow, claiming it has resulted in a 20% rise(rīz) in productivity, appeared to have helped increase profits(ˈpräfət) and improved staff wellbeing.

Analysis(əˈnaləsəs) of one of the biggest trials yet of the four-day working week has revealed(rəˈvēl) no fall in output, reduced stress and increased staff engagement(enˈgājmənt), fuelling(ˈfyo͞oəl) hopes that a better work-life balance for millions could be in sight.

Perpetual(pərˈpeCHo͞oəl) Guardian(ˈgärdēən), a New Zealand financial(fəˈnan(t)SHəl, fīˈnan(t)SHəl) services company, switched its 240 staff from a five-day to a four-day week last November and maintained(mānˈtān) their pay. Productivity increased in the four days they worked so there was no drop in the total amount of work done, a study of the trial released(rəˈlēs) on Tuesday has revealed.

The trial was monitored(ˈmänədər) by academics(ˌakəˈdemik) at the University of Auckland(ˈôklənd) and Auckland University of Technology. Among the Perpetual Guardian staff they found scores given by workers about leadership, stimulation(ˌstimyəˈlāSH(ə)n), empowerment(əmˈpouərmənt) and commitment(kəˈmitmənt) all increased compared with a 2017 survey.

Details(dəˈtāl, ˈdētāl) of an earlier trial showed the biggest increases were in commitment and empowerment. Staff stress levels were down from 45% to 38%. Work-life balance scores increased from 54% to 78%.

“This is an idea whose time has come,” said Andrew(ˈandro͞o) Barnes, Perpetual Guardian’s founder and chief executive(iɡˈzekyədiv). “We need to get more companies to give it a go. They will be surprised at the improvement in their company, their staff and in their wider community.”

…
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/feb/19/four-day-week-trial-study-finds-lower-stress-but-no-cut-in-output

Using Negative(ˈneɡədiv) People to Slow Yourself Down

By Steve Pavlina

Isn’t it reasonable(ˈrēz(ə)nəbəl) to conclude(kənˈklo͞od) that you’re using this relationship as an excuse to slow yourself down and hold yourself back from working on your own big, scary(ˈske(ə)rē) goals?

After all, wasting(wāst) time and energy on someone who isn’t really committed(kəˈmitid) to a path of growth isn’t actually going to produce meaningful results, will it? You could surely find better investments elsewhere. Learn some new skills. Write that book you’ve always been wanting to write. Branch out and meet new people. Start a new business(ˈbiznəs). Go travel for a while.

But of course, many of those things are scary. They’ll stretch(streCH) you beyond your comfort zone. It’s so much easier to deal with the familiarity(fəˌmilyˈerədē) of a negative-minded person. It almost feels good to hear them whine((h)wīn) at you, doesn’t it? Their problems are probably simple and easily solvable(sälv). You see the solutions even if they don’t. But you love clinging(ˈkliNGiNG) to their intractability(ˌinˈtraktəb(ə)l) because it helps you stay in pause(pôz) mode.

By keeping this person in your life, you also fill up some of your social space — space that might otherwise be occupied(ˈäkyəˌpīd) by people who’d actually encourage, support, and push you to grow. Negative-minded people will never push you to grow. If you became more growth oriented(ˈôrēˌənt) and began speeding up, they’d regard it as a threat(THret). What are you trying to do? Leave them behind?

Such relationships will indeed slow you down. If you have some ambitious(amˈbiSHəs) goals in your life, and you fear working on them, a great way to procrastinate(prō-,prəˈkrastəˌnāt) is to cling to a relationship that’s incompatible(ˌiNG-,ˌinkəmˈpatəbəl) with your greater vision(ˈviZHən).

The most fearful and disempowered(ˌdisemˈpouər) people I encounter(enˈkoun(t)ər) almost always have a constant(ˈkänstənt) source of negativity in their lives. Usually this is a close relative(ˈrelədiv) or a close friend. Additionally, these people wrap(rap) themselves in a belief system that says they have to value that relationship more than their own sanity(ˈsanədē), growth, happiness, and fulfillment(fo͝olˈfilmənt).

Putting your relationships first makes sense if your relationships are healthy, supportive(səˈpôrdiv), and empowering(emˈpou(-ə)r). It’s foolish to be stubborn(ˈstəbərn) and clingy(ˈkliNGē) with unhealthy(ˌənˈhelTHē) relationships though.

While your negative-minded friend may reward you for engaging(enˈgājiNG) in a clingy dependency(dəˈpendənsē) relationship, what you may not realize is that others are punishing(ˈpəniSHiNG) you for this behavior. The most growth-oriented people in your life are surely losing(lo͞oz) respect for you. They’re losing interest in you because you don’t look like a growth oriented person yourself; you look like you’re standing still, making feeble(ˈfēbəl) excuses, and succumbing(səˈkəm) to complacency(kəmˈplāsənsē). You look like someone who’s more interested in delusions(dəˈlo͞oZHən) than real growth. Most likely they won’t tell you any of this because they have better things to do. You don’t seem particularly(pə(r)ˈtikyələrlē) investment worthy(ˈwərT͟Hē).

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2014/11/true-loyalty/

Build-A-Bear(be(ə)r)

Build-A-Bear is a one-of-a-kind global brand that kids love and parents trust. With more than 20 years of making special memories one furry(ˈfərē) friend at a time, we’re grateful(ˈgrātfəl) to the millions of Guests(gest) around the world who will always be part of our family, with special stories of their own.

We now look forward to welcoming our next generation of Guests, as kids who grew up loving their furry friends introduce(ˌintrəˈd(y)o͞os) Build-A-Bear to their own children — who will no doubt(dout) make memories of their own!

After the creation of over 160 million furry friends and countless more smiles, the Build-A-Bear Workshop experience will always be at the heart of who we are, and serve as the special place for families to go to have fun and make customized(ˈkəstəˌmīz) furry friends and special memories.

As we enter our next 20 years, we are also excited about what our future has in store. With the now-iconic(īˈkänik), multi-generational status(ˈstatəs,ˈstātəs) of Build-A-Bear, we have a fresh(freSH) opportunity to imagine new ways for kids and kids at heart to experience our unique(yo͞oˈnēk) world of wonder and stories by creating Build-A-Bear inspired toys, fashions(ˈfaSHən), entertainment(ˌentərˈtānmənt), music and games.

Even as we evolve(iˈvälv), the Build-A-Bear team will continue to focus on putting our hearts into everything we do, recognizing(ˈrekigˌnīz,ˈrekə(g)ˌnīz) that a hug is understood in every language. So, no matter how or where you get to know Build-A-Bear, you’ll always find that our mission remains the same: to add a little more Heart to life.

Hugs,
Sharon(ˈSHarən,ˈSHe(ə)r-) Price(prīs) John
President(ˈprez(ə)dənt,ˈprezəˌdent) and CEO

https://www.buildabear.com/brand-about-story.html

I used to think mice(mīs) were cute(kyo͞ot). Then they moved into my apartment

By Heather(ˈheT͟Hər) Gilroy(gilˈroē)

I once had a couple of drinks with Phil, an old friend from university who lived in Toronto(təˈräntō) and had a mouse(mous) problem.

“Once, I saw one in the bathtub(ˈbaTHˌtəb),” he told me, putting down his beer(bi(ə)r). “I turned on the water, exactly enough so it had to swim. I left it swimming for a couple hours, so it could just die.”

I squirmed(skwərm) and crossed my legs. I was wrong about liking Phil. The guy was crazy or a little sociopathic(ˈsōsēōˌpaTH). Maybe he wasn’t the kind of person you should drink alcohol(-ˌhäl,ˈalkəˌhôl) around.

But then I moved into an apartment in Toronto a few years later. My opinions(əˈpinyən) shuffled(ˈSHəfəl). I saw certain(ˈsərtn) things in a new light. I felt the joy a fresh(freSH) sink(siNGk) sponge(spənj) can bring, for example. I understood the refreshing(riˈfreSHiNG) emptiness(ˈem(p)tēnis) of the trash(traSH) can the day after garbage pick-up. And I learned that mice in real life are different than the ones I knew from children’s books; they aren’t cute, not really.

My first mouse-infested(inˈfest) apartment was on College Street above a video-rental(ˈrentl) store. We’d asked the landlord(ˈlan(d)ˌlôrd) about mice before signing(ˈsīniNG) our lease(lēs), and he assured(əˈSHo͝ord) us in his kindly, grandfatherly way that rodents(ˈrōdnt) were strangers to him. Two months later, when my roommate(ˈro͝om-,ˈro͞omˌmāt) started screaming(skrēm) and gassed a small one to death with her hairspray(sprā), our landlord was more forthcoming(fôrTHˈkəmiNG,ˈfôrTHˌkəmiNG): “Ahhhh, yes. Those are the winter mice!”

From then on, our daily routine(ro͞oˈtēn) involved checking traps(traps) for furry(ˈfərē) little bodies and arguing over who had to throw them out. I remember complaining(kəmˈplān) to a friend: “I wish I had a boyfriend … someone who could just … get rid of them for me.” “That’s not very feminist(ˈfemənəst),” he told me. And I’m sad to say I looked him dead in the eye and said, “Sometimes lived experience is a little more complicated than theory(ˈTHi(ə)rē,ˈTHēərē).”

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-i-used-to-think-mice-were-cute-then-they-moved-into-my-apartment/

Life Without Plastic(ˈplastik) Is Possible. It’s Just Very Hard.

Going plastic free starts with cloth(klôTH) bags and straws(strô). Suddenly, you’re … making your own toothpaste(ˈto͞oTHˌpāst)?

By Steven Kurutz

For Beth(beTh) Terry, the epiphany(iˈpifənē) came when she read an article about how albatross(-ˌträs,ˈalbəˌtrôs) chicks(CHik) are being killed by discarded(diˈskärd) plastics. It was time to banish(ˈbaniSH) plastic from her life.

First, she focused(ˈfōkəs) on her kitchen(ˈkiCHən) and got rid(rid) of the shopping bags, microwaveable(ˈmīkrəˌwāv) Stouffer’s macaroni(ˌmakəˈrōnē) and cheese(CHēz), Clif energy(ˈenərjē) bars and the prewashed(prēˈwäSH) salads(ˈsaləd) in plastic tubs.

Then she turned to her bathroom, where she switched to shampoo(SHamˈpo͞o) bars instead of bottles and made her own hair(he(ə)r) conditioner(kənˈdiSH(ə)nər) from apple cider(ˈsīdər) vinegar(ˈvinəgər). Toothpaste without plastic packaging was exceptionally(ikˈsepSHənəlē) hard to find, so she started making her own with baking(bāk) soda(ˈsōdə).

Sometimes her personal war on plastic created awkward(ˈôkwərd) moments. During a vacation(vāˈkāSHən,və-) to Disneyland(ˈdiznē) in California to run a half-marathon(ˈmarəˌTHän), Ms.(miz) Terry and her husband left their reusable cloth bags in the hotel, soon discovering that the local supermarket only had plastic bags. How to carry a bunch of apples, oranges(ˈär-,ˈôrənj
), avocados(ˌavəˈkädō,ˌävə-) and melons(ˈmelən)?

“We just rolled it up in our T-shirts and carried it that way,” said Ms. Terry, 54, recalling how she crab(krab)-walked back to the hotel to stay true to her principles. “If I let myself off the hook this time, it would be easier for me to take plastic next time.”

Treating(trēt) plastic like a drug habit that needs to be kicked is a lifestyle pledge(plej) being shared by more and more consumers, horrified(ˈhôrəˌfī) by the tens of millions of metric(ˈmetrik) tons(tôN,tən
) of plastic created worldwide each year, much of it in the form of single-use items like straws, that end up in landfills(ˈlan(d)ˌfil) or, worse, the oceans.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/style/plastic-free-living.html

The security(səˈkyo͝orədē) of no security

By Derek Sivers

If you’re a full-time musician, you’ll never have a job, a boss(bäs,bôs
), a salary(ˈsalərē), or insurance(inˈSHo͝orəns). You’ll bootstrap(ˈbo͞otˌstrap) everything yourself. You’ll always struggle against apathy(ˈapəTHē) and gate(gāt)-keepers. And you’ll have to be one-in-a-million to achieve this incredibly(inˈkredəblē) difficult goal(gōl).

To some people, this sounds horrible(ˈhär-,ˈhôrəbəl). To me, it was a dream come true.

Someone with a steady(ˈstedē) 9-5 job asked me how I could handle the lack(lak) of security.

Lack of security? Living this way is like learning wilderness(ˈwildərnəs) survival skills. Being able to fend(fend) for yourself is real security.

You’re constantly(ˈkänstəntlē) thrown into new scenarios(-ˈnär-,səˈne(ə)rēˌō), and learn something new every time.

You’re not given a safety(ˈsāftē) net, so you learn to make your own.

Your career(kəˈri(ə)r) is not tied(tī) to any one company.

Your success(səkˈses) or failure(ˈfālyər) is up to you — not the whims((h)wim) of a boss.

You’re a free agent, so you can take any opportunity.

Your pay is always negotiable(nəˈgōSHəbəl). You can experiment in doubling your rates(rāt), or charging however you’d like.

Basically(ˈbāsik(ə)lē), having no steady job keeps you at your best! To me, it’s the ideal(īˈdē(ə)l) life.

https://sivers.org/no9to5

Chorus(ˈkôrəs)

CHORUS

EXT. A SMALL, SLEEPY(ˈslēpē) TOWN

The NARRATOR(ˈnerādər), a dry soft-spoken type, is watching TODD(täd) walk down the sidewalk.

NARRATOR

(To the audience)

Watch closely the man who always assumes he’s being observed. He imagines his life playing out like the plot of a film. There is never a time when he doesn’t feel evaluated(əˈvalyəˌwāt), catalogued(ˈkadlˌôɡ). He gets embarrassed(emˈbarəst) when he plays the guitar(ɡəˈtär) badly, alone. He hums(həm) theme(THēm) music when driving fast cars around curves(kərv) in the road. He imagines all of the days of his life at work combining(ˈkämˌbīn) into a montage(mänˈtäZH,mōN-,mōn-), a meaningless blur(blər). He doesn’t believe in God, but deep down he imagines there’s an omniscient(ämˈniSHənt) being somewhere watching him, keeping track and deeply fascinated(ˈfasəˌnāt).

I was part of a Greek(grēk) chorus once, you know. We told tales(tālz,ˈtālēz) of highest tragedy(ˈtrajədē) and darkest drama(ˈdrämə). I myself told of battles(ˈbadl) that drained(drān) the seas and shook(SHo͝ok) the land, of men whose helmets(ˈhelmit) gleamed(glēm) like suns, men who stood like mountains. I said things like, “Oh fate(fāt), the venom(ˈvenəm) of thy(T͟Hī) barbéd(bärbed) tongue(təNG) numbs(nəm) all men to the bite(bīt).”

Now I say things like, “Todd was a man who spent his days brooding(ˈbro͞odiNG) before a screen, then wondered where the day had gone.” There’s very little heroism(ˈherōˌizəm) left in the world, and where there is, it is marred(mär) by moral(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) ambiguity(ˌambəˈɡyo͞owədē). There’s no telling which city deserves to triumph(ˈtrīəmf) over another in the tales from today. Were Todd wiped(wīp) out in a missile(ˈmisəl) attack, he would be the first to argue that his country had engaged(enˈgājd) in unprovoked(ˌənprəˈvōkt), aggressive(əˈgresiv) military(ˈmiləˌterē) tactics(ˈtaktik) against third-world countries to exploit(ikˈsploit) them for natural resources.

Perhaps that is the great tragedy(ˈtrajədē). Here I am, with the voice of a poet(ˈpōit,ˈpōət) and words that make men gods, but there are no more gods. Not in the heavens(ˈhevən), not in our minds, not in our stories or even our words.

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Chorus

Three-year-old boy missing in woods for two days says friendly bear(be(ə)r) kept(kept) him safe

Casey(kāsē) Hathaway from North Carolina(ˌkarəˈlīnə) hailed(hāl) ‘a survivor(sərˈvīvər)’ by police(pəˈlēs) after becoming lost in sub-zero temperatures(-ˌCHo͝or,ˈtemp(ə)rəCHər)

A three-year-old boy who survived(sərˈvīv) two nights alone in the woods in freezing conditions(kənˈdiSHən) has told police and family he was helped out by a friendly bear that was with him the whole time.

Rescuers(ˈreskyo͞oər) responding to reports of a baby crying found Casey Hathaway tangled(ˈtaNGgəld) up in thorny(ˈTHôrnē) bushes, cold and soaked(sōkt) but safe on Thursday night. He had gone missing on Tuesday in conditions so bad the subsequent(ˈsəbsəkwənt) search had to be called off.

As it turned out, help – perhaps real, perhaps imaginary(iˈmajəˌnerē) but certainly useful – was at hand in those woods in North Carolina, a state(stāt) that is home to plenty(ˈplen(t)ē) of black bears. Craven(ˈkrāvən) county(ˈkoun(t)ē) sheriff(ˈSHerif) Chip Hughes(hils) said Casey “did say that he had a friend in the woods that was a bear that was with him”.

The claim(klām) was reportedly(rəˈpôrdədlē) repeated(rəˈpēdəd) by the boy’s aunt(ant,änt) Breanna(briannə) Hathaway. “He said he hung(həNG) out with a bear for two days,” Hathaway wrote in a Facebook post. “God sent him a friend to keep him safe. God is a good God. Miracles(ˈmirək(ə)l) do happen.”

Hughes(hyo͞oz) said the boy had been playing with two other children in his grandmother’s backyard in Ernul on Tuesday, but did not come inside with them.

…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/28/three-year-old-boy-missing-in-woods-for-two-days-says-friendly-bear-kept-him-safe

A Grand(grand) Plan to Clean the Great Pacific(pəˈsifik) Garbage(ˈgärbij) Patch(paCH)

Can a controversial(-ˈvərsēəl,ˌkäntrəˈvərSHəl) young entrepreneur(-ˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝or) rid(rid) the ocean(ˈōSHən) of plastic(ˈplastik) trash(traSH)?

By Carolyn Kormann

In May, 2017, a twenty-two-year-old Dutch(dəCH) entrepreneur named Boyan Slat(slat) unveiled(ˌənˈvāl) a contraption(kənˈtrapSHən) that he believed would rid the oceans of plastic. In a former factory in Utrecht(ˈYˌtreKHt,ˈyo͞oˌtrekt), a crowd of twelve hundred people stood before a raised(rāzd) stage(stāj). The setting was futuristic(ˌfyo͞oCHəˈristik) and hip(hip). A round screen set in the stage floor displayed(dəˈsplād) 3-D(dəˈmen(t)SH(ə)nəl) images of Earth; behind Slat, another screen charted(CHärt) the rapid(ˈrapid) accumulation(əˌkyo͞omyəˈlāSHən) of plastic in the Pacific Ocean since the nineteen-fifties. Slat is pale(pāl) and slight(slīt), and has long brown(broun) hair that resembles(riˈzembəl) Patti Smith’s(smiTH) in the “Horses(hôrs)” era(ˈerə,ˈi(ə)rə). He was dressed in a gray(grā) blazer(ˈblāzər), a black button-down, black slacks(slak), and skateboarding(ˈskātˌbôrd) sneakers(ˈsnēkər), which he wears every day, although he doesn’t skateboard. Onstage(ˈänˈstāj,ˈôn-), he presented(priˈzent,ˈprezənt) plastic artifacts(ˈärdəfakt) that he had collected from the Pacific during a research expedition(ˌekspəˈdiSHən): the back panel(ˈpanl) of a Gameboy from 1995, a hard hat(hat) from 1989, a bottle(ˈbädl) crate(krāt) from 1977. “This thing is forty years old,” he said in Dutch-inflected(inˈflekt) English. “1977 was the year that Elvis(evis) Presley(ˈprezlē, ˈpres-) left(left) the building for good, presumably(priˈzo͞oməblē).” The audience(ˈôdēəns) laughed. Slat then held up a clear plastic dish(diSH), filled with shards of plastic. “The contents(kənˈtent,ˈkänˌtent) of this dish are the actual stomach(ˈstəmək) contents of a single sea turtle(ˈtərtl) that was found dead(ded) in Uruguay(-ˌgwā,ˈ(y)o͝orəˌgwī) last year,” he said. A picture of the dead turtle flashed on a screen behind him.

Then Slat made his pitch(piCH). In the next twelve months, he and a staff(staf) of engineers(ˌenjəˈni(ə)r) at the Ocean Cleanup, an organization he founded in 2013, would build the system they had designed(dəˈzīn), assemble(əˈsembəl) it in a yard(yärd) on San Francisco Bay, then set sail(sāl) with it, traveling under the Golden Gate(gāt) Bridge and out into the Pacific. Slat’s destination(ˌdestəˈnāSHən) was the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, midway(-ˈwā,ˈmidˌwā) between California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə) and Hawaii(-ˈwä(y)ē,-ˈwô(y)ē,həˈwī(y)ē), an area(ˈe(ə)rēə) within what is known as the North Pacific Subtropical(səbˈträpək(ə)l) Convergence(kənˈvərjəns) Zone(zōn). The patch is not, as is often believed, a solid(ˈsäləd) island of trash(traSH) but a gyre(jīr), twice the size of Texas(ˈteksəs), where winds and currents(ˈkə-rənt,ˈkərənt) draw(drô) diffuse floating(ˈflōdiNG) debris(dəˈbrē,ˌdā-) onto a vast(vast) carrousel(ˈkarəˌsel,ˌkarəˈsel) that never stops.

…
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/04/a-grand-plan-to-clean-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch

Getting Started with Traveling(ˈtravəl) Ultralight(ˈəltrəlīt)

By Leo Babauta

I’m on a trip(trip) at the moment, and a friend who generously(ˈjen(ə)rəslē) let me sleep on his couch(kouCH) looked at my small travel backpack and commented(ˈkämˌent) on how little I travel with: “That’s impressive(imˈpresiv),” he said.

I was a little surprised, because though I’ve gotten that comment(ˈkämˌent) before, it’s become normal for me to travel with just a small bag (10 lbs.(pound) or less, usually), and I have friends who travel with even less. But then I remembered that I’m far from normal in this way.

I gave him a tip for getting started, and I recommend(ˌrekəˈmend) it for all of you, who want to travel light — or ultralight, as I call it, because for many people traveling light is taking a carry(ˈkarē)-on roller(ˈrōlər) luggage(ˈləgij).

Here’s the tip I gave him to get started: start by getting a small backpack (less than 20 liters(ˈlēdər)) and then just travel with what fits in that.

That’s how to start. But you’ll probably want some guidance(ˈgīdns) on what to put into the bag, and how to travel with so little. Here’s some guidance to get started:

1. I travel with a lightweight(ˈlītˌwāt) laptop(ˈlapˌtäp), a few clothes(klō(T͟H)z), my phone, earbuds(ˈirbəd) and some charging cords(kôrd), toiletries(ˈtoilətrēz), and almost nothing else. A lightweight windbreaker(ˈwindˌbrākər) for wind and light rain (Patagonia(ˌpadəˈɡōnēə) Houdini). An eye mask and ear((ə)r) plugs. A collapsible(kəˈlapsəbəl) water bottle(ˈbätl). My passport. That’s about it. No extra(ˈekstrə) shoes. No books. No suit(so͞ot). No travel pillow(ˈpilō). No extra camera other than my phone. I’m not sure what else everyone else brings, but none of that.

2. I bring clothes that I can wash(wäSH,wôSH) in the sink or shower and that will dry overnight. Lightweight stuff that I can layer. Often they’re workout-style clothes or things from companies like Outlier(ˈoutˌlīər) or Patagonia that travel well. I don’t bring enough underwear(ˈəndərˌwer) or socks(säk) for every day of the trip, because I wash them every couple of days. I only bring one or two extra T-shirts, generally wearing(ˈwe(ə)riNG) the same two shirts(SHərt) the whole trip, even if it’s a month long. No one has ever once cared what I wear when I’m traveling.

3. I bring minimal(ˈminəməl) toiletries: a small shaver(ˈSHāvər) for my head, razor(ˈrāzər), toothbrush(ˈto͞oTHˌbrəSH), floss(fläs,flôs), small tubes(t(y)o͞ob) of toothpaste(ˈto͞oTHˌpāst) and shaving(ˈSHāviNG) cream(krēm), deodorant(dēˈōdərənt), nail(nāl) clippers(ˈklipər), ibuprofen(ˌībyo͞oˈprōfən).

4. For cold places, I have thermal(ˈTHərməl) underwear and a couple long-sleeve(slēv) layers(ˈlāər), and a beanie(ˈbēnē). I don’t usually go to places where it’s snowing (I don’t know why, maybe snow isn’t my thing), so I don’t have clothes to deal with that weather.

5. For warm places, I will bring flip(flip) flops(fläp) and swim trunks(trəNGks), and leave most of the colder layers behind.

That’s enough for a month-long trip, which I’ve done multiple times with this kind of setup(ˈsetˌəp). For a shorter trip of a few days, I might bring even less.

I really love traveling this way, and am more than willing to sacrifice(ˈsakrəˌfīs) bringing extra things for the luxury(ˈləgZH(ə)-,ˈləkSH(ə)rē) of traveling lightweight.

By the way, you don’t need much more than this kind of setup even in everyday life.

https://zenhabits.net/ultralight-start/