Break the Twitch Articles

Playing the Minsgame

In December of 2014, my wife and I removed 992 items from our home. It started with a discussion over a fresh cup of french press at a friend’s place.

Before dropping my laptop, notebook and pen on to its surface, the dining room table had been completely clear. So were the countertops—other than the water filter, blender and a few of the other kitchen normalities. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it felt different being there. The overwhelming sensory input that comes with the all so common household clutter didn’t happen.

Instead, the view was relaxing.

Noting my admiration, my friend Jeff said, “You should try minsgame”.

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The Decision Filter: How To Reduce Daily Decision Fatigue

Written by Anthony Ongaro

We make thousands of decisions every single day both consciously and unconsciously and it’s hurting you more than you’d think.

Decision fatigue is real.

This post will discuss decision fatigue, how it affects you and how to create a mental filter that helps you figure out how to choose what really matters to you.

From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep, we ask our brains to guide us in the best possible way—always hoping to end up making the ‘right’ decision.

To snooze or not to snooze? Glasses or contacts? White or brown socks? Eggs, oatmeal, or no breakfast at all? Drive, bus, or bike? Do I need a jacket? Drip or Cappuccino? What should I work on first? Which email should I respond to first? What do I want for lunch?

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The Amazon.com Story at SimpleREV

Written by Anthony Ongaro

In October at SimpleREV I had the opportunity to share the story that became part of the reason why Break The Twitch exists today. After reviewing four years of Amazon Prime order history I realized that I had a serious problem. I had spent about five to six international plane tickets worth of money on $20-100 dollar items delivered in two days via Amazon.com.

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New Year’s Resolutions That Stick

Written by Anthony Ongaro

At the beginning of each new year most of us make resolutions that we believe will improve our lives and lead us to become better human beings. It’s a fresh start, a brand new year with infinite possibilities. It’s finally our chance to step up to the plate and get things done without the baggage of the previous 364 days weighing us down. The problem is, out of the ~60% of Americans that usually make new year’s resolutions, only 8% are successful in achieving them. This is a pretty depressing statistic, but here’s the flip side: People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t.

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Minimalism: It’s Not What You Think

Written by Anthony Ongaro

If you don’t consider yourself to be a minimalist nor desire to be one, then you may not understand what minimalism can do for you. You have a lot to gain from thinking like a minimalist, and here’s why.

The modern economic environment has been developed into a massive machine with only one mission:

Separate you from your time and money as frequently (and efficiently) as possible.

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What A Six-Day Headache Taught Me About Gratitude

Written by Anthony Ongaro

It’s can be really difficult to have gratitude for something you didn’t know you actually had. In the digital age, our time and attention can be very limited, bouncing back and forth constantly. It is not often that we get a moment to pause and think about not only what is going on with us, but what isn’t. “Hmm, what would it be like if I didn’t have ______ right now.” For me, the most recent example of this is a relatively crippling headache. In my 29 years, I’ve never had frequent headaches and definitely never one lasting more than a few hours. This week, I’ve had a headache for six straight days.

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