[nkohari]

(OP here.) I have a follow-up post in the works about minimization. I think that one of the major stresses in my life comes from waste. My wife and I have always been pretty minimal in the things that we choose to buy, but after we sold our company I think we lost sight of the importance of that a bit. I'm starting to suspect that some of my stress has come from having more than we need, and having to maintain it. (Particularly having to move it all from one house to the other, which always sucks.)

Anyways, my point is, your lifestyle can expand and contract rather readily, and money is power. The more money you have in the bank (and the further you can stretch that money), the less influence external pressures have on you -- and the more freedom you have in life.

I've also instituted a reasonably strict at-work/at-home policy with respect to email. I simply don't read my work email at home anymore, ever. If there's an emergency, the people I work with know they can always call, but emails will only be responded to the next morning. This also includes weekends, which I spend doing things that I find enjoyable, and never work.

Just some random thoughts. Remember (as I've had to) that people can only do well at things that they enjoy, and they only enjoy doings things that they do well.