When I was a boy, I hoarded Stuff. I had what my parent’s called a “rat’s nest”, a closet full of the Stuff I’d gathered. Why did I hoard Stuff? Was it because we were poor and I wanted to own things? Or was it something deeper?
As I grew older, I became more discriminating. I didn’t hoard everything — just certain things. Books, especially. But it was difficult for me to throw anything away. When Kris and I moved out of our old house four years ago, I was forced to dump all the Stuff I’d been collecting in our storage shed. So many magazines — gone! It was a painful experience.
My own compulsion to hoard is minor. Martin Hampton has created a short film highlighting four excessive hoarders, people who cannot rid themselves of any of their Stuff.
POSSESSED from Martin Hampton on Vimeo.

In a parallel world, I could be any of these people (especially [...]

One of the fundamental premises of the Get Rich Slowly philosophy is that by making sacrifices and smart moves now, you can create a better life in the future. It’s a philosophy of deferred gratification.
But what if you don’t want to wait to enjoy life’s rewards? What if you want to take advantage of opportunities while you’re still young? Is there a way to do this while still maintaining a smart approach to money?
Timothy Ferriss says there is.
In The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich [my review], Ferriss describes creative approaches to career and retirement. He advocates taking radical action to increase your productivity, which in turn gives you more time to do the things you really want. It almost sounds crazy — and it may not be for everyone — but the book’s ideas are helping me to mold my lifestyle.
Ferriss recently agreed to field questions from [...]