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SLT 011: Becoming Minimalist With Joshua Becker and “But Wait, There’s More!”

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Becoming Minimalist With Joshua Becker and “But Wait, There’s More!”

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Main Topics  

Interview with Joshua Becker of BecomingMinimalist.com

We had an amazing interview with, Joshua. He shared so much information with us!  He is truely an inspiration and has fantastic advice on how to simplify and get more out of your life by living with less.  Here is a list of questions we asked Joshua (believe us…you definitely want to listen to the podcast!):

1. So, Joshua…who are you and how do you make people’s lives simpler?

2. Could you tell us about the “catalyst” that helped you decide to become minimalist and if there were any other factors or events leading up to your decisions?

3. Tell us about how you approached your wife about your idea to pursue minimalism…her reaction…and your collective decision to move forward. Was there any “pushback?”

4. Can you describe how long it took you to get to a point where you called yourself a ‘minimalist’? Can you explain the process?

5. How do you define or explain minimalism?  What does it physically look like to you…how does it feel?

6. Does minimalism for you also include letting go of mental and digital clutter? Bad relationships, overcommitment? Do you have any recommendations for doing that?

7. In your book Inside-Out Simplicity you talk about healthy relationships. I know from personal and professional experience that it’s usually easier when couples are on the same sheet of music, but what advice would you give if couples have different ideas of what simplifying is?

8. In Living With Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness (Simply for Students) you tell a story about your son and his birthday money. I think every parent has experienced that at some point. Could you describe that experience and give some advice to those of us with kids about how to deal with the constant consumer pitch of “more, more, more” and “bigger is better” from every aspect of the media?

9. In your book Simplify, you say that living simply is “the real secret to financial freedom.” How have you found that to be true in your journey and do you have any financial pointers for us?

10. If someone asked what the benefits are to a lifestyle like yours, what would you tell them?

11. How can people learn more about you?

12. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Dan’s Topic: “But Wait, There’s More!” The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show

Alright, so this past week I was in Las Vegas for the 2013 New Media Expo and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and I thought I’d  discuss some of my experiences there. So, I’ll let the irony of that sink in for a moment…a guy trying desperately to fight consumerism and simplify his life…at the CONSUMER electronics show…the LARGEST Consumer Electronics Show in history with over 100K people in attendance.  Yeah…trust me…the irony wasn’t lost on me either! I was actually there on business because I help my clients with tech for their businesses and even some individuals who just want tech coaching.

So, first off, I walked the show with a couple of friends from morning until dinner time and let me just say that the show was pretty amazing!  It would be impossible to cover everything but I thought I would summarize my experience including the good, the ridiculous and some thoughts I had on the whole experience:

– We walked 9 miles, and still didn’t see it all. If I had to guess, I’d say we saw maybe half, if that. Other folks tracked in over 15miles!  That’s a lot of consumer products!

– Companies from every country on the globe were there selling their wares. All the new lines of gadgets and even super hi-tech robots.

– Joshua eluded to the fact that we are bombarded with about 5000 advertisements a day.  Well…think of the CES as that on steroids…like full blast, no holds barred, in your face, just a crazy consumerism extravaganza….”But wait there’s more!” kind of  world!

– I couldn’t help but evaluate it all as I was going through the show, and what struck me was the word lure. You know, like a fishing lure.  I came to the conclusion that the intent of most advertising is simply to lure us in with flashy attention getters, that lack any real substance.

– Lures were everywhere!  From swag bags to” booth babes” and none of which had anything to do with the products.

– And after all that walking around, not much at the show really impressed me as new, innovative or “must have”.

– Products I did like were the new ScanSnap scanner and some very nice Harmon Kardon headphones (they fit perfectly, had amazing sound and can be used corded or cordless…and you know I can’t stand cords).

– On the ridiculous end were $1000 ear buds…I mean really?…earbuds…$1000? And then the worst was they iPotty. Yes…taking one of Nature’s most basic functions (kids learning how to go to the bathroom) and adding the iPad to it. (You’ve got to listen to my rant on the podcast!  I had Vanessa vapor-locked!).

– So, you know what I’ll remember most? Sitting down to dinner at Beni Hanna’s with friends Cliff Ravenscraft from GSPN.tv and Gordon Firemark from Firemark.com for Gordon’s birthday meal. I cherish the personal experiences I had with friends.

– The same goes for my experience at New Media Expo. The NMX staff did a wonderful job…but as much value came from the natural interaction, mingling…some would call it “networking”… as it did from the speakers and sessions.

– So, once again I think this is an example of paying for experiences and opportunities as opposed to paying for “stuff.”

– I leave you with this:  Ask yourself “If I had twice as much stuff, would I be twice as happy?” What about three times more? What about half?”  I know what the answer is for me, and only you know what the right answer is for you.

– And next time you feel yourself getting reeled in by advertising, try to figure out if they are using bait or just a lure. Choose wisely…watch out for the lures…and maybe help out a few of the other fish in the sea while you’re at it.

Vanessa’s Topic: Edit & Forget Challenge Update

We wanted to give you an update on our Edit and Forget It Challenge.  To date, we’ve gotten rid of 322 items…we actually got rid of 120 things on the first day!  Not bad for just starting, huh?!  We’ve also created a spreadsheet to track all the items and what we’ve done with them…DONATE, TOSS, RECYCLE, SELL, ETC.  Additionally I’ve been taking photos and keeping notes on my observations, discoveries and some funnies along the way.  Here are a few examples:

– When editing my memorabilia box, I started going down memory lane and bored Dan with my stories of the past.  I even read a letter from a former boyfriend.  Who does that?  (Listen to the podcast to see how I redeem myself!)

– I also got busted by our 5 year old daughter.  I tried to toss an old hair scrunchie and she busted me red-handed!  She obviously had use for it.

– We also discovered that sometimes items can bring up bad feelings…like the universal remote Dan got years ago that apparently was the bane of his existence at one point in his life.  The only thing it “switched” on was his frustration! (But he hasn’t given up hope!)

– And we also got rid of some rather odd things….like caution tape (huh?)…a feather duster (what the?)… and Christmas golf towels (we don’t golf)!

For those of you who’ve signed up for the Edit & Forget It Challenge…thank you!  We’ll be emailing you very soon with updates. When we had 10 folks sign up we were impressed. Then we got 20 folks to sign up and we were like, “wow!” Now we’ve got even more!  If you haven’t signed up but are interested in the challenge, just click on the Edit and Forget It icon on the left hand side of this page.  Remember, it’s not just about letting go of your things…it’s about renewing your mindset and discovering that less is more!

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Live Different

Vanessa’s “THING” was about an article titled “Live Different” by Pete Tegeler on a blog called The Unitive.  In the article he talks about living in a place of tension…and the struggle between Escapism (when you feel threatened) and Conformity (the need to be relevant). And he also talks about the struggles of pluralism and materialism. Vanessa relates to this article, especially with how we are intentionally living different lives by living with less.

Dan:  An Invisible Thread…an interview on Huckabee

While in Vegas he had the TV on and saw Governor Huckabee interviewing a lady named Laura Schroff and a man named Maurice Mazyck. They have an incredible story that she shares in her book, An Invisible Thread.  It is the story of the mysterious, unseen connections that exist between people who are destined to meet—and how, if only we open our eyes and our hearts to them, these connections can be the great blessings of our lives (Its a must see!  Link is below).

Closing Thoughts:

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

  • In iTunes just search for Simple Life Together…
  • Click on the green “Simple Life Together” picture…
  • Scroll down to Customer Reviews where you’ll see “Write a Review”
  • Click on”Write a Review”
  • Write your review…
  • Click “Submit”! It’s as easy as that and it really helps to get the word out about the the show.  Thanks for doing that.  

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

So, here are the links we mentioned in the show:

Becoming Minimalist Blog

Simplify by Joshua Becker

Living With Less: An Unexpected Key To Happiness by Joshua Becker

Inside Out Simplicity by Joshua Becker

The Unitive Blog

Pete Tegeler’s Article Live Different

An Invisible Thread website and video

Cliff Ravenscraft at GSPN.tv

Gordon Firemark at Firemark.com

 

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SLT 007: Organizing Tips From an Unlikely Source & Life Lessons From the Playground

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Organizing Tips From An Unlikely Source & A Few Life Lessons From The Playground.

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

Main Topics:  

Vanessa’s Topic: Organizing Tips From A Toddler

Vanessa realized the lessons that we have been teaching our daughter since she was a toddler are also great lessons that adults can apply to their lives when it comes to getting and staying organized.  Here are the lessons/tips that were discussed:

  • Limit the number of toys (or projects) that you are playing with or working on. 

Too many projects gets overwhelming and cause you to loose focus.  Multi-tasking isn’t all that great.  Having few toys or projects also makes for easier cleanup.

  • Clean up after yourself.

Make cleanup part of your project.  Whether you’re baking in the kitchen or working on a craft project, part of the project should include cleaning up after yourself.  Don’t let it all pile up to point where cleaning up your home is an all day affair!

  • Designate a spot for everything.

Try using the same concept that preschool or kindergarten classrooms use…create zones and homes for everything. By creating zones in your home and having “a place for everything and everything in its place,” cleanup and finding things will be a heck of a lot easier!

  • Make cleanup easy.

Using open containers to store things is a key ingredient to having kids clean up after themselves. Same thing applies to adults. It’s much easier to toss an item into a basket or bin than having to lift a lid.  Bins are great inside drawers, on shelves and in cabinets. Hooks are another great tool to use to hang up coats, backpacks, scarves, belts and purses.

  • Create rules and routines.

We’ve previously dedicated  1/2 a podcast to this very topic. Creating rules and routines helps establish expectations so that you and other family members know who, what, when and why certain tasks need to be done and how.  Knowing what is expected prevents you from wasting time, duplicating effort and trying to figure out who does what…which cuts down on bickering as well!

  • Limit the amount of stuff you own.

It’s pretty simple…the less stuff you have the less you have to clean and maintain. You can control the amount of things in your home by practicing the “one in, one out rule,” editing your possessions regularly, controlling impulsive buying habits and thinking long and hard about how making a purchase might affect the harmony in your home.

  • Reward yourself.

If our daughter wants a snack or to go outside and play, we make a deal with her.  She’ll get the treat if she cleans up first. Her motivation to clean up is all based off of that reward.  You can reward yourself too. Tackle your most important tasks…then treat yourself to a little reward like a movie, reading time or extra time running (yes…Vanessa loves to run).

Dan’s Topic: Life Lessons Learned on the Playground

Flashback to Episode 5

  • LEARNING: “Knowledge makes everything simpler.”
  • Do you capitalize on things we’ve already learned?
  • How do our kids learn life’s lessons in today’s fast-paced world?

Life Lessons Learned on the Playground.  For each, ask yourself two things:

  • Do I still use this lesson today?
  • How are today’s kids learning these lessons?

Lessons:

  • SeeSaws or Teeter Totters: Teach us balance and leverage. Use Pareto’s 80/20 Rule for leverage.
  • Swings: Teach us to take action, coordination, and how to harness & use momentum. Swings also teach us situational awareness, looking out for trouble, timing our actions.
  • Monkey Bars: Let go in order to make progress. Sometimes you have to stretch. You can’t move forward without letting go of the past and the now and reaching for tomorrow.
  • Jungle Gym: How to meet a challenge, overcome fear, and enjoy the view. Be careful of others’ fingers as they climb to the top with you.
  •  Merry Go Round: It’s fun to go fast, but not sustainable.  Getting off a merry go round is a transition. Take time to get your bearings, to stabilize.
  •  Bullies:  They’re obstacles. You learn to go over, around, under, or in some cases, right through a bully. Sometimes it’s easiest to avoid, but in most cases it’s best just to deal with challenges head-on…
  • Sandbox: It’s fun to just get in, get dirty, dig and create. Mistakes in the sandbox are cheap, so practice there.

Key take-aways:

  • When you find things out of balance, leverage your skills by focusing on that 20% of effort that Pareto highlights.
  •  Don’t forget to take action when action is necessary and learn to harness and capitalize on your momentum.
  •  Become more situationally aware by paying attention to your environment, looking for dangers as well as opportunities.
  •  Remember that sometimes you need to let go of the past and “the now” to reach where you’re meant to be. Set your goals and move forward to meet them.
  •  Enjoy the climb to whatever you consider to be the top. Define your own top and be careful not to step on fingers and toes as you reach your goals.
  •  Prepare yourself for transitions and know that sometimes Life’s merry go round can throw your bearings off a bit sometimes.
  •  Know there will be obstacles in life. But most often challenges are just opportunities in disguise.
  • Our playground life lessons served us well. Today’s kids need a good mix of “old fashioned” and “modern” Life Lessons, plus a good friend, parent, coach, teacher or mentor to tap into the teachable moments we face in life.

Final thoughts:

Life is a playground.  And the playground isn’t nearly as much fun when you’re by yourself. What makes it the most fun is enjoying the playground with others you care about and that care about you.  Sometimes it’s ok to have a little alone time out there…but for the most part, Life’s Playground is best when it’s shared. Just like your Simple Life Together.

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: The One-In, One-Out Rule To Control Clutter

Dan:  How much he enjoys his Big Green Egg!

Listener Feedback:

  • Laura: Saw a pin on pinterest and followed to “…your simple life together. Enjoyed the Organizing and Having Less …Your dialog was interesting and fun to listen to. I’ve been wanting to have a house of order for some time and keep looking for encouraging guidance to do so.”
  • Derek C. Olsen from BeatnikBudget.com left us a voice message that he loves the podcast! He also shared his passion for juicing, as he heard us talking about juicing in Episode 5 (see links below for more info on juicing).

Closing Thoughts:

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

  • In iTunes just search for Simple Life Together…
  • Click on the green “Simple Life Together” picture…
  • Scroll down to Customer Reviews where you’ll see “Write a Review”
  • Click on”Write a Review”
  • Write your review…
  • Click “Submit”! It’s as easy as that and it really helps to get the word out about the the show.  Thanks for doing that.  

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

There are links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles and other contact info on the left side of the website. We’d love to hear from you !

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Links we mentioned in the show:

Laws of Simplicity and the Pareto Principle in Episode 005

Dan Mentioned his Big Green Egg (BGE). He buys BGE accessories here.

Our listener feedback talked about juicing…here are a couple of links to Dan’s posts: Juicing journey,  Juicing Day Six: A Personal Tragedy and if you’re interested in a juicing clinic that Dan participated in check out Your Chance to Learn About Juicing, Juicers, and the Benefits of Juice Fasting

Get Simplifized! Links:

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Pie

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No Bake... Chocolate Peanut Butter Yofu PieOh…My…Goodness!  Is this a simple yet great tasting pie! And it is by far one of the easiest pies I’ve ever made. Just put all the ingredients in a blender…mix…pour into a pre-made graham cracker crust…and chill for 2 hours. That’s it! It doesn’t taste super sweet (at least not to me) and that’s probably because the only sugar is from the 10 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips and the peanut butter (if you choose one with lots of sugar in it).  I guess it’s kinda like a super-thick/firm mousse. Anyhoos…I like the simple taste and the simple prep!

RECIPE (adapted from Vegetarian Times Magazine):

Ingredients:

10 oz semisweet or milk chocolate chips

12 oz firm tofu, sliced into 6-8 slabs and dabbed dry with paper towels

1 cup creamy peanut butter (all natural will probably cut down on the sweetness just a tad)

1/2 cup vanilla or chocolate soymilk (I used unsweetened chocolate soymilk)

1 tsp agave nectar or honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1  9-inch prepared graham cracker pie crust

Instructions:

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 15 second intervals for a total of 45 seconds max. After each 15 seconds, scrape the chocolate chips from the sides of the bowl then heat again for another 15 seconds. Repeat till chocolate is completely melted.

Combine melted chocolate, tofu slices, peanut butter, soymilk, honey and vanilla in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Stop and scrape sides if necessary to make sure it’s all blended.

Pour into pie crust and chill for 2 hours.  Serve with chocolate syrup or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

GS Sig 210 x 106

 

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SLT 005: The One Secret To Accomplishing Anything and the Laws of Simplicity

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The One Secret To Accomplishing Anything & the Laws of Simplicity

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

Feedback:

  • We got some terrific voicemail feedback from John Bukenas from  LetsReverseObesity.com. John’s podcast Let’s Reverse Obesity is fantastic! John is doing great things chronicling his weight loss and is helping so many others along the way.
    • Thanks, John, for listening, subscribing, and taking the time to send us some feedback.
  • We also got a very, very nice comment here on Episode 004 from Marshall Ponzi. Thank you Marshall for your kind words and you’re so right…it IS amazing what we can do without. And, I think we’d agree that doing without all the extra allows us to truly appreciate what we do have all the more.
    • Marshall also has a terrific podcast over at InboundInFocus.com that gives great inbound marketing tips for business owners. If you’re a business owner you’d be well served to check out Marshalls podcast, Inbound In Focus, as well.

Main Topics:  

Vanessa’s Topic: The One Secret To Accomplishing Anything

 “I’m often asked what my secret is to being organized and how I get my clients to become more organized.”

The single most important component to becoming organized is commitment.

So why is commitment to change so difficult?

1. It’s not a priority….at least not yet.

2. Change is hard…even when you know it’s good for you.

3. It takes a lot of work…and that can be daunting and discouraging.

4. Unfortunately, often times people have to reach some sort of “breaking point.”

Vanessa highlights some of her efforts to change:

Finances

  • $24K in debt
    • Electricity and phone cut off
    • Creditors hounding her for payments.

Fitness

  • 40 lbs heavier than her current weight

Combined, the struggles led to:

  • Low self esteem
  • Depression
  • Low energy

Keys to her commitment to change:

  • Stopped playing the victim
  • Committed to a lifestyle change vs “quick fix”

Results?

  • Paid off debt in 2 years
  •  Rebuilt credit score
  • Kept the weight off
  • Better level of fitness than in high school (20 years ago! Wow! She’s OLD!)

Vanessa’s Truths:

  • Truly believes “If I can do it, so can you!”
  • One key is to be realistic about the change you want to make…and understand that it’s a process…not a quick fix.
  • Be patient, systematic and strategic…otherwise you might do something you’ll regret or resent.
  • One positive example is a blog she subscribes to, “Becoming Minimalist” by Joshua Becker.  I like the word…Becoming…because it implies that it’s a process.

So, here are some points to ponder if you are thinking about making a change in your life:

1. Change your mindset…it’s a lifestyle change not a quick fix. Just like my progress with weight loss and fitness.

2. Change doesn’t happen overnight.

3. Realize that you may get discouraged at the task ahead.  But don’t sell yourself short.  You can do it! Again, think of it as a process and break it down into bite-sized chunks. (organize one space at a time…pay off one bill at a time…try one eating lifestyle or fitness plan at a time)

4. Realize that you may “fall of the wagon” and that maintaining your lifestyle may be difficult.  Pick yourself back up, and hop back on the wagon!

5. Once you get in the groove, you’re probably going to get addicted! Ask Dan…I can be a real grouch if I’ve missed a few workouts and if my house gets too cluttered.  That’s because I’ve gotten addicted to the results and love how they make me feel.  Feeling comfortable in my clothing and in my home are incredibly elating.  You’ll feel the same once you get in the groove. These are healthy addictions in my opinion.

6. You’ll start to build confidence!  And reduce stress.  You won’t have those negative thoughts lingering around in your mind.  Instead you’ll be thinking about taking the next step…decreasing your debt further….trying a new fitness routine…shedding some more clutter…etc.

7. You’ll love the results! And the freedom you’ll experience. Creating goals and setting out to achieve them is one thing…accomplishing them is nothing short of AWESOME!

 Dan’s Topic: The Laws of Simplicity

Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda

  • John Maeda is the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, where his bio says he’s dedicated to linking design and technology.
  • Entertaining TED talk on YouTube (link below)
  • While the book covers more, Dan discussed just the ones below
  • Actually “rules” more than “laws”
  • There are some really terrific take aways

Some of the “Laws”

REDUCE – The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction

ORGANIZE – Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.

TIME – Savings in time feel like simplicity.

LEARN – Knowledge makes everything simpler.

DIFFERENCES – Simplicity and complexity need each other.

You can only appreciate “highs” if you’ve experienced “lows.”

CONTEXT – What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.

 Think of this like “margin” … room in your schedule to breathe, margins on a sheet of paper that highlight what’s within the margin, etc… Simplicity is highlighted by margin.

FAILURE – Some things can never be made simple.

Yep! Unfortunately, this one is true and we just have to accept it.

THE ONE – Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.

Much like Dan’s quotation in Episode 001 from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Dan’s Musing’s About More Simplicity “Laws”

  •  Sometimes complicated leads to simple. (Example: Apps and computer programs are very complex in the programming/designing process; yet hopefully simple for the user).
  • However, sometimes complicated leads to more complicated, as there is always a human element and relationships can easily be very complicated
  • Positivity tends to lead to simplicity. Negativity tends to lead toward complication. Much like Sir Walter Scott’s line: “Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practise to deceive”
  • Simple does not equate to easy.
  • Over-planning for contingencies causes complexity. Considering Murphy’s Law (“If anything can go wrong, it will”), but don’t let it stifle simplicity.

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Vanessa’s “THING”:  Vanessa discussed a client’s successes since implementing some strategies that Vanessa suggested during an organizing session. The client relayed how much more effective and easy organizing had become, how the Action File Vanessa recommended had drastically reduced their paper clutter, and how Evernote (after some “getting used to it” time) has become part of her workflow.

Dan:  Being a “tech guy,” Dan talked about how much he loves RSS feeds. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and “pushes” out updates on blogs and podcasts so you don’t have to go searching for new episodes and “pull” them into your reader or audio device.

Dan’s RSS uses:

    • He uses Google Reader to collect content from his RSS feeds.
    • He links his Google Reader account to apps like Flipboard on the iPad
    • Going through his feeds is part of his morning routine…like reading the paper used to be back in the day

Closing Thoughts:

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

There are links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles and other contact info on the left side of the website. We’d love to hear from you !

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Links we mentioned in the show:

John Bukenas’ Let’s Reverse Obesity Blog and Podcast

Marshal Ponzi’s Inbound in Focus Blog and Podcast

Get Simplifized.com: Vanessa’s article, How to Create and Use an Action File.

Vanessa’s article The One Secret To Achieving Anything

Joshua Becker’s Becoming Minimalist BlogJohn Maeda’s Blog: lawsofsimplicity.com

John Maeda’s TED Talk:  John Maeda on The Simple Life

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

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SLT 004: Benefits of Organizing & Having Less, and Some Weird Sounding Simplicity Tools That Might Just Help You Out

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Benefits of Organizing & Having Less, and Some Weird Sounding Simplicity Tools That Might Just Help You Out

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

In Episode 4, we discuss Benefits of Organizing & Having Less, and Some Weird Sounding Simplicity Tools That Might Just Help You Out.

Main Topics:  

Vanessa’s Topic: Benefits to Organizing and Having Less

You’ll save money, have less debt and be better able to handle tough financial times.

  • It’s pretty simple: less stuff  =  less money you’ll have to spend…especially on off-site storage rentals!
  • You’ll cut down on buying duplicates when you’re organized and know what you have.
  • You’ll save on late fees and interest rates if you have a good system of tracking and managing your bills.

You’ll have more usable space.

  • You’ll be able to properly utilize desktops, countertops and your dinner table. And maybe your garage too!
  • Less stuff means you can use the spaces in your homes for their intended purposes and not just for storage.

You’ll help avoid “analysis paralysis.”

  • We talked about this in Episode 3. When you have too much stuff it’s difficult to make decisions.
  • With less choices, there’s less time wasted.

There’s less to clean and maintain!

  • Average home 3 bedroom home has over 350,ooo items in it!
  • Knick knacks and all those other things require lots of dusting, laundering, storage, cleaning and maintenance…and lots of money!

You can invite guests over without hesitation.

  • Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have them over without feeling embarrassed or in a rush to clean it up?
  • Having simple routines and “a place for everything and everything in its place” makes for easy clean up.

You’ll be more productive.

  • Start getting organized by having scheduled routines(mentioned in Episode 2): laundry, housecleaning, meal planning, etc.
  • Helps ensure the “must-dos” get done…plus allows more  time to focus on other priorities or those…“want-to-dos.”

You’ll  have better concentration.

  • Piles of papers, heaps of laundry and sinks full of dishes are haunting reminders of stuff you still have to do.
  • It’s hard to concentrate when your home and office are a mess.

You’ll save time.

  • The average person wastes about 55 minutes per day searching for things…keys, files, tools, clothes, etc. That’s a lot of time over the course of a year!
  • Again, having “a place for everything and everything in its place” helps speed up the time it takes to clean up or find things.

You’ll have a sense of control.  Control = Confidence = Nicer You!

  • Knowing where things are and when important tasks will get done creates confidence.
  • Most folks are ashamed of their clutter and therefore ashamed of themselves.

You’ll have less guilt

  • Don’t you feel guilty when you buy something when you know you really didn’t need it.
  • It’s way more empowering when you can say “no” to those buying impulses and not bring in more stuff.

You’ll have more Joy and be more content.

  • Striving for more and waiting for the day that you’ll strike it rich will deplete the joy you could be experiencing every day.
  • You’ll never be content if you’re always comparing, striving for more stuff, collecting, etc.

You’ll have more time and better relationships.

You’ll have a feeling of calm and peace of mind.

Dan’s Topic: Backing Up Your Digital Information: Some Weird Sounding Simplicity Tools That Might Just Help You Out

Occam’s Razor: “Of two equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred.”

  • Benedictine monk…William lived in Ockham, England from 1285-1349. William wasn’t the person who came up with the idea behind the razor, but he was widely known for professing it’s benefits, so it soon came to be known for him. The first time the term Occam’s razor was used, was in 1852, over 500 years after Occam’s death.
  • Occam’s Razor Take Away: Try to develop the simplest solutions to problems and challenges. Much like the KISS method, keeping processes, workflows, recipes, you name it, simple, helps you to be able to replicate successes.

Next up is Parkinson’s Law which states: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

  • C. Northcote Parkinson (30 July 1909 – 9 March 1993)
  • Storage requirements will increase to meet storage capacity
  • Data expands to fill the space available for storage.
  • Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
  • Expenditures rise to meet income
  • The amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task.
  • The Stock-Sanford Corollary to Parkinson’s Law reads, “If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do.” I call that the “Homework Corollary.”
  • Parkinson’s Law Take Away: Realize that the “status quo” can quickly turn into the status “whoa!”  What that big house because you enjoy the extra space? It’ll fill up. 

Pareto Principle: Often called the 80/20 Rule. 80% of the results likely comes from 20% of the effort.

  • Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population
    • Developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas. This same 80/20 split kept revealing itself.
    • Led ol’ Villy to determine that, generally, 80% of effects likely come from the 20% of causes.
  • Another way to think about isOrganization: Do you keep the 20% of the things you use almost every day in logical places to maximize your efficiency?
    • Are the other 80% of your belongings getting in the way when you don’t need them? Maybe it’s time to look at how much stuff you really need, identify your vital 20% and pare the other 80% down a bit?
  • Productivity: When it comes to productivity you need to think “systems.”
    • Look at the vital few tasks you do that have the biggest impact.
    • Do you have a system in place for your “to do” list, paying bills, buying groceries, filing important documents, home and vehicle maintenance, etc.
  • More about Pareto’s 80/20 Rule at SimpleLifeTogether.com/Pareto
  • Take Aways from Pareto: Use Pareto’s Principle to determine key actions that have the most results in your life, your most important 20% of effort, habits, possessions, etc, to learn where you can pare down what you do, have and use.

Use these tools individually and together to your advantage to simplify your life.

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Michael Hyatt Blog Post:  The Gift of Today-Lessons from a Monk.  This post featured a beautiful video that Michael Hyatt forwarded and wrote about .  It’s an absolutely beautiful video that’s narrated by a monk where he encourages us to be grateful.  Here’s one of his excerpts:

“You think this is just another day in your life.  It’s not just another day  It’s the one day that is given to you today…It’s the only gift that you have right now.  And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.”

Dan: The Decline of Fascination and the Rise in Ennui (on-wee). A blog post by Seth Godin…a fellow Buffalonian and some consider him a modern day philosopher.  Here’s a quick excerpt from his post:

“The real opportunity, I think, is in trying to build longer arcs. Now that the cycle of new is eating itself in a race to ever-faster, there’s a bigger chance to make long term change by consistently focusing on what works (and what’s important), not what’s new and merely shiny. What’s important, what’s always important, is useful change.”

Closing Thoughts:

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Links we mentioned in the show:

Get Simplifized.com: Vanessa’s article on Benefits to Organizing and Having Less.

Very good article on Occam’s Razor over at You’re Making Me

More about Pareto’s 80/20 Rule at SimpleLifeTogether.com/Pareto

Michael Hyatt Blog Post:  The Gift of Today-Lessons from a Monk.You can find more of Seth Godin’s work at http://sethgodin.typepad.com

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