I’m increasingly noticing Swedish culture, and I am constantly intrigued by it.

Also, everything about this video makes me want to start getting better at building things. I sometimes still feel like I am renting this house rather than living in it. This means I have a list of small, annoying things about my house that I just deal with rather than experiment with and fix them.

(Paul, since you’re just about the only person I know who reads this blog, I’d love to hear what you think 😂)

I gained a lot of appreciation for people who make things, and lost a lot of tolerance for people who only pontificate. I found myself especially frustrated with my past self, whose default was to complain and/or comment, then wonder why things didn’t magically get better.

The first emphasis in Make Fewer Things Matter is “make.” Things don’t stop mattering on their own. You don’t just ignore them. You do something to make them not matter.

The next emphasis is “fewer.” Some things will still matter, but you reduce the number of them. Make a big list of things you think are important. Look at each item and look for ways to make it not matter.

After you go through everything and you try to make them not matter, you’re left with a few things that truly matter.