I’ve been using Raspberry Pis since their first release for various purposes (I still have all of them, and they still work with the latest OS even after a decade).

Since 2014, I’ve been using them as a home entertainment system. In this project, I’m using a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4 GB and LibreELEC as the operating system, and this post is all about showing how to set up your own home entertainment system with this hardware and software.

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB should work, but 4GB+ recommended)
• microSD card (4GB and above)
• HDMI cable (HDMI to Micro HDMI or a regular HDMI cable and a Micro HDMI to HDMI Adapter) CableTV or monitor (with a built-in speaker or an audio port to connect to an external speaker)
• Raspberry Pi USB-C power adapter
• Remote control or keyboard/mouse
• (Optional) Raspberry Pi case with cooling
• (Optional) Ethernet cable

Software Requirements

• balenaEtcher

Installation

Step 1: Download the latest LibreELEC release for Raspberry Pi

Go to the LibreELEC Raspberry Pi page and download the latest release

Step 2: Extract the compressed archive

The downloaded file is a compressed archive. Extract the img file inside this by double-clicking on macOS. On Windows, you will need an external tool such as 7-zip.

Step 3: Run balenaEtcher

Click Flash from file

Navigate to the LibreELEC image and click Open.

Click Select target, select your microSD card and click the Select button.

Finally, click the Flash! button.

The flashing process shouldn’t take too long (it depends on the size of the card and your computer performance)

Wait until you see the successful completion

Now you can remove the microSD card from your computer.

Step 4: Insert everything into Raspberry Pi and power it on.

Make sure you’ve plugged in

• microSD card
• HDMI cable
• Remote control or keyboard

As listed on the hardware requirements, you should have a Micro HDMI to HDMI cable or an adapter:

I use a DroiX remote control:

Step 5: Configure Kodi

You should now see LibreELEC booting and resizing the SD card.

Wait until it reboots and comes back to the configuration screen.

A remote control is great for day-to-day use with Kodi, but for the initial setup, I’d recommend having a keyboard plugged in for faster typing.

Select your language and click Next.

On the next screen, focus on the hostname and press enter.

Give it a unique name so you can later identify it in your network.

Select your network. I used a wired network for simplicity and performance. If you are using WiFi, select your network and enter your passphrase.

Accept the default for SSH and Samba settings. They are not needed to consume shared content. It’s a good practice to keep these settings off if you are not going to use them for security purposes.

You should see the message for completion

Click the Next button to close the window, and now you have a working Kodi on your Raspberry Pi 4.

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to install Kodi on Raspberry Pi 4.

You can now test your installation by plugging in a USB with some media on it. Also, you might want to backup your microSD card to an image file. This way, if your microSD card gets corrupted, you can flash your image to a new one and carry on without having to install it from scratch.

You will most likely want to access some shared content by a NAS or a file server over the network. There will be more articles about Kodi and its use as a media centre and home entertainment system. Stay tuned and enjoy your Kodi! See you at the next one!

Why you should care

How many unfinished projects are sitting on your shelf right now? Half-read books with bookmarks gathering dust, abandoned coding projects, that online course you started with enthusiasm three months ago, or the half-built LEGO set sitting in the corner?

If you’re like most people, the answer is probably “too many to count.” We live in a culture of endless possibilities, where starting something new feels more exciting than finishing something old. But this habit of serial starting without finishing is quietly sabotaging your progress, confidence, and mental well-being.

The Hidden Cost of Unfinished Business

Starting multiple projects simultaneously isn’t productivity - it’s procrastination in disguise. When you spread yourself across ten different initiatives, you’re not being ambitious; you’re ensuring that none of them get the focused attention they deserve to succeed.

Every unfinished project in your backlog creates what psychologists call “cognitive load.” Your brain keeps a mental tab open for each incomplete task, constantly reminding you of what you haven’t done. It’s like having dozens of browser tabs running in the background - eventually, your mental computer starts to slow down.

This psychological burden manifests as a persistent feeling of being behind, overwhelmed, and unsuccessful. No matter how hard you work, you feel like you’re not getting anywhere. The reason is simple: you’re attacking many problems at once and failing to solve any of them completely.

The Compound Effect of Completion

When you actually finish something - anything - you experience a powerful psychological boost. Completion triggers a dopamine release that reinforces the behavior and builds momentum for your next project. More importantly, finishing teaches you that you can finish, building the self-efficacy that’s crucial for tackling bigger challenges.

Each completed project becomes evidence of your capability. When you face the next difficult task, your brain has proof that you can push through obstacles and reach the finish line. This creates a positive feedback loop where success breeds more success.

Living Intentionally is What Matters

To live your life intentionally, you need to be on track with your goals, not scattered across multiple pursuits. Intentional living means making conscious choices about where to invest your limited time and energy. When you start multiple books, projects, or courses simultaneously, you dilute your progress in any given area.

Think of it like water pressure in a hose. If you poke ten holes in the hose, the water barely trickles out of each opening. But focus all that pressure through one opening, and you get a powerful stream that can accomplish real work.

Practical Strategies for Finishing

1. The One-Thing Rule Focus on one major project at a time. Not two, not three - one. This doesn’t mean you can’t have different types of activities (work, hobby, fitness), but within each category, commit to finishing before starting.

2. Define Success Before You Start Before beginning any project, write down exactly what “finished” looks like. Is it completing all 20 lessons of the course? Building a working prototype? Reading all 300 pages? Without a clear finish line, you’ll never know when you’ve won.

3. Make Starting Harder Create friction for new projects by implementing a “finish one, start one” policy. Before you can begin something new, you must complete or consciously abandon something from your current list.

4. Embrace Strategic Quitting Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is quit. Be honest about projects that no longer serve you and formally abandon them. This isn’t failure - it’s intelligent resource allocation. Clear them from your mental space so you can focus on what truly matters.

5. Celebrate Completions When you finish something, acknowledge it. Share your success, treat yourself, or simply pause to recognize the achievement. This reinforces the completion habit and makes finishing feel rewarding rather than just another task to check off.

The Freedom of Finishing

There’s a profound freedom that comes from being someone who finishes things. You stop being haunted by the graveyard of abandoned projects. You build trust with yourself, knowing that when you start something important, you’ll see it through. Most importantly, you actually achieve the outcomes you set out to create.

Conclusion

I discussed minimalism in a previous post. The idea is Less is More! To expand on that, Fewer Complete Projects is Better Than More Incomplete Ones! (Not as catchy but you get the idea!)

In a world that celebrates starting - new ventures, new habits, new goals - there’s tremendous power in becoming someone who finishes. Every completion builds your confidence, clears your mental space, and proves to yourself that you can accomplish what you set out to do.

The next time you feel the urge to start something new, ask yourself: “Is this the most important thing I should be working on this right now?” By constantly asking yourself this, you will channel your focus and energy on the stuff that actually matters to you.

The age of AI is upon us! Is there any point of learning new things anymore? The AI will do it much faster than we can ever do anyway. The future might feel a dark and gloomy these days especially if you are a knowledge worker. But maybe there is still some hope for us after all? Let’s find out if there is any value in learning new skills at this day and age or all is lost.

Working with AI agents

Nobody can predict the future. Everybody has their own guesses but as things stand today I’m certain of one thing: AI is a co-pilot and not auto-pilot. If you did any work by employing an AI-assistant you must have quickly noticed that it starts very fast and everything looks great when your work is still in “greenfield” stage. Then after a while, it loses context, starts hallucinating and break things. You start to go in circles. With every fix you notice it breaks something else. So you need to slow it down and completely be in charge. To be able to do that, you must have the skills and know-how to be in the driver seat.

Test working with AI on a completely new tech stack

If you don’t believe me and thinking that AI is doing most of the work by itself, try to create a new project with a tech stack you never used before. I guarantee you will lost so quickly and have no idea what’s going on. The second it breaks, you will be completely dependent on the AI-agent. As stated above, you will keep on asking it to fix it and it will keep on adding lots of more code while breaking more stuff in the process.

We are not in a stage to treat software projects as blackboxes. You can take your to a mechanic and you don’t need any knowledge of the internals of a car because you know the mechanic will almot guaranteed to fix it (if he can’t fix it you won’t be able to anyway). But when it comes to developing a software project you still need the full skillset as if you’re the only one that’s working on it. AI can help in that case, otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Don’t be dependent on a single employee

Things change. Even if you feel like you are happy in your job, your favourite manager can leave, you nca be reassigned to a different team etc. When you work in a team, things get more fragile. One hostile colleague is enough to ruin your entire day. You need your skills up-to-date and sharp so that you can make a move and find a better opportunity. Always be ready.

Build self-confidence by being the “go-to guy”

Be the person that other people come to you to seek advice and pick your brain, not the other way around. Being that person makes you feel much better about yourself. Not only you will feel more confident in the meetings, you will get more respect and admiration from your peers too.

Happiness comes from fulfillment - Mastery gives you fullfillment

Learning new skills and improving to a point of mastery, gives you the morale boost. People always think they will be happy in retirement after long years of misery. But it doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t come automatically. You need to fill your life with meaningful work. By work I don’t mean something you get paid for. It can be anything you enjoy doing. If you want to be happy in retirement, take up a hobby and get good at it. If you want to be happy at work, be good at your job.

Improve your brain health

Just like you need exercise to keep your muscles and keep in shape, you need to exercise your brain as well. Having discipline to read, research and learn will keep your brain healthy and active.

Conclusion

The question isn’t whether AI will change how we work - it already has. The real question is whether you’ll be driving that change or just along for the ride.

Yes, AI can generate code, write content, and solve problems faster than most humans. But speed isn’t everything. The person who combines deep skills with AI tools will always outperform someone who relies on AI alone. When the AI breaks down, hallucinates, or goes in circles, you need the expertise to take control and steer it back on track.

Beyond the professional benefits, learning new skills is an investment in yourself that pays dividends in confidence, mental health, and personal freedom. It’s the difference between being a passenger in your own career and being the pilot. In an age where change is the only constant, your ability to learn and adapt isn’t just valuable - it’s essential.

So pick up that programming language you’ve been curious about, learn that musical instrument gathering dust, or dive into that hobby you’ve been putting off. Your future self - and your brain - will thank you for it. The age of AI doesn’t make human skills obsolete; it makes the right human skills more valuable than ever.