The forty-fifth issue of the Project Simplify newsletter The Simplifier is now archived on our newsletter archives page.

Here is a brief summary of the contents:

1. A Note From Shawn
Immensely complex Burning Man offers lessons in simplicity
2. Our Featured Quote
by Michael Althsuler
3. Article: Taking Inventory, Part 1
by PS Head Simplifier Shawn Tuttle
4. This Week’s Simplification Tip
Disengaging graciously
5. In the News
9 Steps to Organize Your Closets; Giving it up (not living it up); Breathe deeply. We’re going to clean your office; and Learn to prioritize
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
The best of August
7. Keep Smiling
Reasons to Smile - Burning Man edition

Read the full issue here.
Subscribe to The Simplifier here.
[posted by Lance]

Collecting your thoughts helps you stay focused on your goals. Let’s set up a Simplification Binder to collect your thoughts. The current series of articles in this newsletter includes information that may trigger ideas and solutions for your situation. Organizing these discoveries and thoughts in a simplification binder creates a toolbox to support you on your simplification journey

1. Start with a three-ring binder. Separate sections with dividers. (Try Post-its on a blank page. This simple method makes it easy to make new sections on the fly.)
2. You may want sections for:
-blank paper to explore thoughts in a journal writing style
-articles, tools and/or tips that particularly speak to you
-worksheets
3. Label the spine of your binder with a descriptive title such as “Simplify!”

Make sure you keep your binder nearby, so it’s handy when you need it to be. (Like when reading The Simplifier.)

If you have more things than you know what to do with, or feel like you spend an inordinate amount of time rearranging too many things in your space, I highly recommend feng shui expert Karen Kingston’s book: Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui.

I feel the title is a bit misleading because she focuses on clearing your space in preparation of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is an ancient practical art for optimizing the energy flow of a space. I feel it helps with intention and really gets your space to support you in your endeavors. This book, however is about clearing your space before you make Feng Shui changes. Since Feng Shui can increase your intentions in areas, if you have clutter in an area that you want to focus on, say your professional life, or relationships, then Feng Shui will magnify the chaos. Not good!

She explains that everything in your space influences you on an energetic level. Something will either give or drain your energy. An item may do both, but very rarely will the item have zero effect on you. I especially like her book because she offers so many insights into why people collect too much stuff that you can’t help be inspired to start purging!

Say you have an assistant. She runs errands, does light cooking, makes phone calls, places orders, and will water the plants if needed. You are happy with her work. She’d like more hours, and you have paperwork tasks that you’d like to delegate. Sounds like a solution is at hand.

Except…. that she doesn’t take to that paperwork stuff too well. “No matter,” you think, “it’s not hard. She’ll catch on and it makes such perfect sense!” You wouldn’t have to look for or get to know anyone else. Besides, you don’t really know where to look for another person.

No matter how much “sense” your brain tries to convince you of, remember to get the right person for the job. The wrong person means:

• more explanation = more time (which is what you are trying to get more of by delegating!)
• more disorganization and errors occur because when someone is unclear on the concept and just following specific directions
• more checking-in to get it right = more time (see above)
• more avoidance of the tough tasks which leaves you wondering if something delegated ever got done
• more frustration, a big factor in job dissatisfaction!

When you aren’t sure if your tasks are being completed, whatever space that was freed up by delegating is replaced by concern that stuff isn’t getting done, needless worrying about where in the process something is, or worse, excessive micro-managing.

On the contrary, getting the right person for the job provides relief, satisfaction, and a job well done in a timely manner.

I understand this puts the self-employed person in a bit of a predicament. You want someone for half a day a week but this doesn’t seem to warrant the effort of going through a full job search.

Besides, experienced and skilled assistants probably want more than half a day of work a week, right? A couple of options are available.

• ask colleagues if they have a part time person who might like to pick up some hours
• if your colleagues, instead, say, “let me know if you find someone!” you could join forces to be able to guarantee 15-20 hours a week
• temp agency
• Project Simplify is putting together a freelance assistant program which will be a great resource for finding that local skilled someone who is willing to assist half to one day a week for you. Coming soon…

Make it easy on yourself by playing to your assistant’s strengths!

We just posted an ad for freelance office assistance for the Nevada County area. The Simplifier training program is in the works and slated for completion in the not too distant future… in the meantime, clients are wanting help! They love that their offices are now organized, but realize that maintaining is easier with some competent, cheerful assistance.

The full ad posting is here.

For the archives.

The Northern Mines Business and Professional Women submitted this blurb to The Union newspaper about my talk there in July.

Have you ever found yourself in this situation:

• you are out on the river boulder hopping at Edwards Crossing on a beautiful August morning



• the leather of your well-worn sandal is ripped from use, which was fine for the first 30 minutes of walking and jumping
• at approximately 35 minutes a blister begins to form under the torn leather at the edge of the ball of your foot
• at 47 minutes said blister makes its presence known to you
• at 55 minutes you realize the ripped leather is your worst enemy for the day
• and you don’t have anything in your backpack besides consumables, keys, and your wallet
• after stopping to consume the consumables, the blister spot feels even worse once you start walking again
• your hiking partner suggests a business card slid under your foot might help
• being the good marketer of your business that you are, you just happen to have your own business card in your wallet
• the result for desired blister relief might look something like this picture:



• relief is fantastic and you think hiking partner positively brilliant
• until the card begins to slip back towards your heel
• you think maybe this is a sign from the universe that maybe you should have stayed in town to make use of business cards in a more orthodox manner, like distribute them to potential clients
• then decide nah, a lovely day at the river is just plain good for the soul, blistered foot withstanding.
• extend heartfelt gratitude to the universe because you have feet, a river, boulders, consumables, hiking partner, and a glorious morning to enjoy them all at the same time.

=)