Break the Twitch Articles

Why We Designed A Creative Space

It wasn’t in our original plan, but our decision to design a creative space was intentional.

Yes, it was partly because of the podcast we’re starting.

We designed the creative space to better accommodate the new podcast. But that’s not the only reason.

Several years ago when I started Break the Twitch, it was just a side project. The website started as a way to share my own intentional journey through minimalism. It was something I was really passionate about while I was working full-time and based in Minneapolis.

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New Office Tour & Upcoming New Project

Written by Anthony Ongaro

Over the past two weeks, Amy and I have been hard at work making our back office room into a more functional space (for the before, check out our practical minimalist house tour).

And we’re finally ready to show you the new digs.

We cleared everything out—including the giant white armoire that we took out in pieces—painted, built a DIY-hack using some IKEA furniture, set up our desks, and got more comfortable office chairs. There are still a few final touches, but we’re really happy with how it’s turned out.

Hope you enjoy the office tour!

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The reason we did all this was because of the super secret project I mentioned earlier. Although, apparently it wasn’t all that secret as several people already guessed correctly.

We are starting a podcast.

The Break the Twitch podcast is on minimizing distractions and doing more of what matters through minimalism, habits and creativity. As attention becomes more and more of a commodity, intentionality becomes crucial. Each week during the podcast season, I’ll be sharing conversations with humans from all walks of life on ways to minimize distractions, build habits and do more of what matters.

There have been more than a few asks and mentions on my starting a podcast throughout the years. A podcast was only a matter of time.

But what I’m most excited about is sharing the process of launching this new project with you—the steps I’m taking, the challenges and common questions. If you’re interested, check out considerations we thought about as we started the podcast and the tools we used to launch the podcast.

Ready to take action with secret member-only content and resources? Join Attention Collective, our online community of like-minded humans from around the world, and get full access immediately. See you inside!

New Office Tour & Announcement // The new office makeover is finally done! Take a tour, and learn the reason behind why we're doing all this... the super secret project that's now out. // breakthetwitch.com

Practical Minimalist House Tour

Written by Anthony Ongaro

Minimalism will look different for everyone, and I’d like to share my version of what it looks like for Amy and me. For us, minimalism has been an essential part of doing more of what matters—in a way that works best for our lifestyle and goals.

This isn’t your white-walled, extreme minimalist home. Over the last few years, we’ve used minimalism to create a space that works really well for everything we need on a daily basis. Call it practical or rational minimalism, where you get to define what it looks like for you.

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Some Very Uncomfortable Things You Need to Start Doing for Yourself

Written by Guest Author

Anthony’s Note: This is a guest post written by Marc Chernoff from Marc & Angel Hack Life, an inspirational personal development blog on how to think, feel and live better. Marc (and Angel) Chernoff are amazing people (who truly embody what they talk about), good friends, professional coaches and authors of the new book, Getting Back to Happy.

When you look back on the recent past, don’t think of the pain you felt. Think of the strength you gained, and appreciate how far you’ve come. You’ve been through a lot, but you’ve grown a lot too. Give yourself credit for your resilience, and then step forward again with grace.

The next best step forward?

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5 Habits That Changed My Life

Written by Anthony Ongaro

It’s been an exciting and eventful year for us so far, full of many positive changes.

I’ve managed to lose about 25 pounds over the last several months, and am writing and creating YouTube videos more regularly than last year. While there have been some stressful aspects during this time, much of it has been mitigated by the habits Amy and I have implemented this year.

Overall, I’ve been feeling more productive, creative, and much healthier than I have in quite awhile.

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Minimize The Pressure of Consumer Culture

Written by Anthony Ongaro

Despite the fact that minimalism has risen exponentially in popularity over the last several years, it’s still hard to avoid the overwhelming mainstream consumer culture. It seems like everywhere we go we’re bombarded by advertisements with images of perfect lives that we might be able to capture if we just had that one more thing.

And that’s right where they want to keep us—just one more thing away from having it all.

This pressure to consume can come from all directions, not just from companies wanting us to spend on the goods they have to offer. Sometimes other people in our lives can apply similar pressure, through certain expectations of what a successful life might look like to them.

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