Long ago I realized that a lack of understanding why I was doing something was a recipe for “not going to happen”. The reason for action is a huge part of the motivating factor me. Money, nope. Fame, nope. What everyone else was doing, nope (wouldn’t that be easy?!). Where was the heart? the drive, the contribution to the world? Project Simplify has been my exploration in connecting my passion with usefulness.

However…
lately I’ve been feeling like some clarity is in order. While my drive is wide-ranging and humanistic, my services seem a limited slice of a much larger picture. How do they relate?

Combine those questions with the exercise of creating a plan for the upcoming year and it was clear. My vision statement needed to be re-visited, even re-created.

So here we go…

My Vision is to help people who are making the world a fantastic place to live in:
full of JOY, Creative Solutions, Inclusiveness, and Respect for ALL Beings

Guiding and modeling principles:
- Model a life & work that is joyful, diverse, sustainable, and service-oriented.
- Show respect for self, others, and nature in all situations.
- Express creativity and have fun!

What I like about this is how broadly I may interpret it. 1:1, workshops, speaking gigs, volunteer work, writing…

My question now is: “am I speaking as boldly as possible?” I’m thinking not. When I read my words I’m not sensing the urgency and passion that I think the world needs right now.

There is so much going on in the world, it’s moving so fast, the momentum is ever increasing, and yet, the direction is influence-able. This is important. There is so much S#*T being presented and with the intent of influencing us. Which means that, it’s our job to know what’s right for ourselves without being told. It’s time to affect the course of our history and we need to be LOUD!!!!!!

I truly hope Obama is elected. AND I truly believe his election would be a drop in the bucket considering our current state of affairs. It’s time for ground swell. It’s time for everyone to be speaking their truth about what they believe to be important. It might not be words, it might be art, it might be song, it might be gardening. NOTHING is too small if it is rooted in the heart.

Looking ahead, I’m choosing a world that is fantastic! People are doing what they love and loving what they do. Community by community, we satisfy our resource needs. Pollution and stealing from others is a thing of the past. We are aware of our friends downstream and send them ample, clean water–literally and figuratively.

Begin now. Smile at strangers, say no to guilt-driven action, take responsibility for your experience right this moment.

Let’s have a great time making this world a fantastic place to live in!!!

Office moving activities will get a-happening soon. I start paying rent on Nov 1–oh! is that my birthday week? uh, I think so! =) yee haw! Here’s to extravagant sushi dinners!

While shutting down the computer last night I thought about the Clean Desk Challenge from earlier this year, probably because there have been a couple of misplaced lingerers on my desk this past week. Not a big deal in my home office since very few people see my desk. While the clean desk is definitely for my own piece of mind, the always cleared & cleaned desk is also for other people’s benefit.

I’m not one for extremes–I don’t see them as sustainable or conducive to leaving much space for multiple interests. There’s a lot to do in this world… get it done and move on to the next thing, eh?

In the upcoming shared office space however…. I’m not going to allow the luxury of desk lingerers. My visual office organization is the easiest and simplest form of marketing for office mates and their visitors.

Is that extreme? With a good system to rely on, no. Then why are there even lingerers worth mentioning? Yup, even your friendly neighborhood simplifier skates occasionally. How exactly? By not slowing down to make decisions on the not-so-obvious papers. This is by far the greatest culprit in my client’s offices–skipping the decisions that require you to pause the speedy thinking brain. One straggler turns into two, breeds into 10, multiplies into 50 and next thing you know, you’re calling in the troops for help because you forgot what the surface of your desk looks like. Each of those pieces of paper represent something: a decision, an action to take, a system to set up, a project imagined… if you aren’t going to take the time to figure out where it should park, how in the world are you going to take the time to do the dang thing?

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-hour Workweek, had some interesting insights into keeping the desk clean in his post called Rethinking the Office - Dutch Design (Plus: Pics of My Home Office). The first part of the post is an excerpt from an article about the new style of office that is throwing the cubicle out the window (finally!!)

The second part of the post is about Tim’s own office. The idea I want to point out is how he sets himself up for a good “office” experience. Beauty, intention, and a strategic lack of surfaces to clutter helps him keep his space sacred (my word, not his). He sums it up: “Don’t want to eat too much chocolate? Don’t put it in your house.”

Stuff has to be managed, surfaces have to be cleaned, files need to be purged.

Keep what you really need, don’t even consider letting in the rest!

(and did I mention my birthday is coming up?)

Newsletter co-editor Lance digs up all kinds of interesting articles for the In The News portion of the The Simplifier. The most recent issue (#75) featured an article about an organizer, Kerith Paterson aka visual girl home therapy in Vancouver, Canada whose approach and website straight up just made me happy.

Start with her name “visual girl home therapy”. Love it! “Organizing” can be such an uninspiring word (especially when saying it several times a day). “Home therapy” is so much more descript and to the point of what actually motivates someone to reach out for help.

And I find “visual girl” interesting because (reading from the perspective of a potential client) it makes me think that when she leaves, I’m going to like what I see. Perhaps (again as a potential client) I’m not enjoying my space because it’s always a mess. I’d think that not only will she help me organize my stuff, but I’ll also regain aesthetic appreciation of my home.

She also emphasizes “reclaim. respect. revitalize. your space.” Ahhh, that gets me thinking that she understands that my home should be my personal sacred space. The place where I can retreat and replenish my energy after being out in a fast-paced world. A place that encourages me to leave any tense muscles outside the front door. Where I love everything around me, such that I feel an energy boost from the appreciation I feel for the things around me.

That’s what I want my home to be for me, and her words tap right into that.

I hear a lot of people pooh-poohing “branding” but ya know, Kerith’s site is a fine example of a great brand. If I was in Vancouver and I was wanting the help of a home organizer, you bet I’d respond to her site over many of the professional organizer’s sites I’ve seen. (Helps, too, that I’m a huge spiral fan.) Now if she doesn’t deliver what she puts forth–that’s a different story, and the anti-branders will get game for that one.

See? Dig the spiral. This one has been on my neck more often than not for the last 5 years. But I digress.

The seventy-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
Networking, new methodology, and sweet, sweet blurbs
2. Our Featured Quote
by Pearl S. Buck
3. Interview: Jesse Locks, Countercultural Multi-Doer
by PS Head Simplifier Shawn Tuttle
4. Your Simplification Tip
Living a Ding-Free Life
5. In the News Home Therapy; Simple living saves resources; and More is less if life becomes a tyranny of tasks
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
NAPO!
7. Keep Smiling
Hulu!

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

This is some extra background info that came out of my interview with Jesse Locks (which is featured in The Simplifier issue #75).

Please share an overview of your professional life and interests.
I’ve worked in the music and publishing industries for over 10 years.  While attending UC Santa Cruz from 1997-2001, I was a freelance music writer for several national publications and also handled the publicity and marketing for the Catalyst nightclub, an 800-person venue in downtown Santa Cruz.  While there I had the privilege of meeting and writing about such great musicians as Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Bad Religion, NOFX, Modest Mouse and the Shins among others. 

After college and a brief stint as a booking agent for bands in LA, I went to work for a nationally distributed skateboard, snowboard, and music magazine called Heckler, in Sacramento.  It had been THE magazine my younger brother and I had grown up, using it as our textbook on riding the mountains and asphalt around us.  It was a small magazine, with people wearing several different hats, so I handled the advertising and marketing, while also writing and editing the music section of the magazine.  While at Heckler, I traveled much of the US and Canada.  We also published a book with Chronicle Books called Declaration of Independents. 

A little ditty inspired by a co-coaching buddy who got caught up on her bookkeeping last night in 3 hours with the help of a half of a bottle of fermented grape juice:

(sing to the tune of “A Spoonful of Sugar”)
Just a ha-bottle-o-wine sure makes the bggkping go quick, the bggkping go quick, the bggkping go quick;
Just a ha-bottle-o-wine sure makes the bggkping go quick;
In the most delightful way!”

While booze and the books don’t always mix, her celebratory email upon completion was a perfect testament to doing what it takes to get the job done. =)

This article was originally published in The Simplifier #74.

—

Article: Amplify Your Business with the Power of Love

By Shawn Tuttle

We are at a fascinating time in U.S. history in which the lives of millions can change drastically overnight. Institutions we once thought solid are crumbling or vanishing. News sources are reporting startling statistics and constant stories about the economic crisis. According to the “experts”, our raft is racing uncontrollably on fast, relentless water toward a huge drop. Even making it past the rocks jutting into the air is uncertain, surviving the plunge even less so.

While a freak-out response might seem natural, staying the course in these turbulent waters is necessary for healthy survival. Activities to help clarify your purpose, connect with your best self, and develop community are powerful antidotes for holding steady in these unpredictable times. And it just so happens that these activities greatly benefit from simplifying. Booya! =)

You have a well-spring of dedicated strength around you that is likely under-tapped: your friends and family. Their help tends to be gentle on the wallet and provides an excellent opportunity to discover the skills and expertise they’ve gained through their own professions.

I’ve been writing a lot about becoming a Natural Professional. The second phase, Framework, is about customizing the systems that support the specific work you do. Tracking and focusing on your goals is one of the most important activities you can do to stay on track. It’s also one of the easiest things to let slide when getting inundated by day-to-day responsibilities. Invite friends and family to be a part of your crew. Let them help maneuver your raft through the rapids of building your business–and help contribute to your success!

Below are two suggestions for staying afloat and heading in the right direction through the help of friends and family.

Goals Timeline Chart
We are masters of coming up with a gazillion reasons not to settle down for a good planning session (especially us self-employed types who don’t have deadlines imposed on us from upper management). Yet planning is crucial for taking a birds-eye view of your project, staying realistic, and keeping on track.
Here’s the idea: make an appointment with a friend to make a goals timeline chart (one for each of you).

Bring to the date:

• large paper, for ex. big pieces of butcher paper, flip chart paper, or newsprint sketch paper

• stickies (a.k.a. Post-Its)

• pens and markers

• a long straight edge if you prefer precision lines

• your schedule for the upcoming year

Step #1: Define main and supporting goals

Complete this process for one person, then switch and repeat it for the other person. Use a big piece of paper for each person.

1. Decide who will do the writing. (If you like to pace or do headstands while you brainstorm, then have your partner write. If writing assists your thinking process, then you write.)
2. Write down your primary goal–for example, “Make at least $2,000/month playing music by Oct. 2009”.
3. Make sure it’s a SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
4. Write down several supporting goals to support your main one. For example: make a CD, get paid gigs playing for parties and wedding receptions, publicize in newspapers, write new music, find backup musicians, develop email list. If your list gets really long, say more than 10 items, you may want to group in broader categories.

Note: while you are welcome to contribute ideas for the other person’s goal, take care not to micro-manage the process. Each of you are ultimately responsible for your own commitments. 

Here’s an example of doing this in a mind-mapping style:

Step #2: Make a Timeline Chart

Now, working individually,