Dear friend,

I want to share with you my personal lifestyle, and why I love it.

And of course, you shouldn’t live my lifestyle. You should live yours. But I wanna share with you what I learned about myself — in hope that it might encourage you to think about yours.

A day in the life of Eric Kim:

A typical day in the life of Eric Kim looks like this:

Wake up between 5:30am-8am (depends on the day).

First thing: get up out of bed, roll out, walk to the bathroom (in studio apartment) two steps to the right. Get in shower, take icy cold shower (no hot water), step out, brush teeth, put on wax, exit bathroom, put on pants (black), walk to kitchen, start making coffee (Vietnamese ‘Phin’ filter style) preferably with light-roast acidity Arabica/Robusta coffee.

I then walk two steps to my laptop on the left, which is on top of a short table. I crouch down, put on my headphones (Cindy is still sleeping), and I start to either read (either philosophy, like Nietzsche or Seneca) and then start listening to some Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, or Jay-Z. I like to use the generic headphones given to you with your smartphone — because they don’t isolate the noise, so in case Cindy wakes up, and asks me a question — I can hear her. Also note I used to be kind of an audiophile, and obsessed with headphones. Honestly at the end of the day, the default white iPhone/Apple headphones are the best. I just saved you $300.

Anyways, I read my philosophy as text files, on the Mac App: “ULYSSES.” I like the app because it is easy to read text, and to edit the text, and write notes within the text while I’m reading. I no longer read paperback books, nor do I read ebooks on Kindle anymore (Kindle is a prison).

If I get inspired to write about something, I open up the writing app: “IA WRITER” (make it full-screen and ‘FOCUS’ mode), and then start typing.

When I write, I don’t edit. In-fact, the only ‘editing’ I ever do afterwards is changing the sub-headers (H2 headers) on the blog post, and then I add images and links. This is great for me, because I don’t censor my writing, and I can be more prolific.

Of course somewhere in-between, I drink coffee. I always drink coffee black, and I no longer eat breakfast (nor lunch) — in order to feel more energetic, hungry, and focused. Ever since I stopped eating breakfast and lunch (I still have a massive dinner) I have been able to be 10x productive with my time and focus. I used to only write 1 blog post every day or other day, or three days — but now I can write 10 blog posts a day.

Cindy usually wakes up at around 8:30am-9:30am, and I make her breakfast (2 eggs, sliced cucumber, and bread cooked in olive oil topped with garlic powder). I then make her a coffee too, and we will chat a little bit while she has breakfast (and I drink more coffee).

We usually hang out a bit at the apartment, and I might do more writing. Around 10am I’ve already finished writing at least 1-2 blog posts.

We will then usually leave the apartment at around 10am-10:30am, and then head to Cindy’s archive for her to do research. I go to the nearby coffee shop, where I order another espresso, put on my headphones, and get to work. I work straight until around 12:30pm, where Cindy meets me at the coffee shop.

Cindy then tells me about her day, her research, and we chat a bit. She usually orders a cappuccino, and I might order another espresso. Then we both plug in, and do more work.

Cindy then goes back to the archive at around 1:30pm, and I might go for a walk. I usually walk around (no headphones and no phone on), and I look at the street life and trees. If I see something interesting, I shoot it on my Ricoh GR II camera. I then do some pull-ups at a nearby park, maybe some pushups, and then head back to the coffee shop. I have (yes another) espresso, plug in, and work straight until 4:30pm. During this time, I am writing more, recording videos, listening to music, watching YouTube philosophy videos, reading philosophy texts, thinking, writing notes, and philosophizing.

By around 4:30pm, I’ve usually finished 2-4 art pieces (blog posts, letters, essays, videos, music, something else). I then meet Cindy (by now I am burnt out), and we chat a bit, and might walk over to grab an early dinner somewhere. If we eat out, we usually get a single entree and single appetizer and share. We hate over-paying for food. We don’t order alcohol.

Or if we just go straight home, we usually cook a simple dinner comprising of some sort of meat (like beef belly), some veggies (like bok choy boiled), some Kimchi, some sesame seed leaf, some soup, and then enjoy a nice conversation over dinner (no cell phones at the table).

We then have some alone time — she watches Silicon Valley on her laptop, and I read more philosophy on my laptop. We then both take a shower (separately), and then jump together in bed and engage in ‘pillow talk’ — talking about our days for an hour or so, then hold hands, and fall asleep. I usually put on an eye mask and some ear plugs.

And that is my day– in loop, ad-infinitum.

Why I love this lifestyle

To me, this is pure joy and ‘happiness.’ To me, I love this lifestyle because I can do creative work which I believe empowers others. I also have time with Cindy, my best friend and soul-mate in life.

How much do I need to live this lifestyle? Less than 1000 USD a month in Vietnam (both including Cindy and I). Our rent was 380 USD a month, and food costs are more (we often meet friends for dinner). In America, we don’t need more than 40,000 USD a year, or 2,500 USD a month.

So why make life so complicated?

My suggestion: regardless of your situation in life, it don’t matter– just make more art.

Be strong,
Eric