The Simplifier #34 - How to Pay for a Lovely Moment
Welcome to The Simplifier, brought to you by…
Contents:
1. A Note From Shawn
2. Our Featured Quote
3. Article: Healing Journeys Interview - Shawn Tuttle
4. Your Simplification Tip
5. In the News
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
7. Keep Smiling
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1. A Note From Shawn
David is back. He’s still such a handsome guy at 500 years old! (And now you can see—in this week’s special Article—where my obsession with Michelangelo’s statue began!) Makes me wonder what my house or office would look like in 500 years. Would I be excavating centuries’ old papers from the files, squinting to read the faded ink? or would things be moving through with smooth flowing efficiency? Maybe paper would be totally irrelevant by then. That’d be cool.
I’ve heard many people talk about the influence our early (and elusive) spring has had on their desire to purge and scour. Yes, the primal urge to make room for the new life that is beginning to explode all around us! Thinking of cleaning, the statue of David was the center of debate a few years ago regarding how to safely and carefully clean him in a manner that did the least damage to him. Happily for us, clearing all types of clutter doesn’t require quite the same scrutiny and debate. Maybe a little guidance, inspiration, and motivation is all you need…? Well hey! The 4-week April series Simplify from the Inside Out workshops begin next week, and there are are a few spots left—three in the Thursday morning session and one for Wednesday evening. Pre-registration for this Nevada County, California workshop is required so give a call if the series speaks to you!
Enjoy!
Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier
Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier
2. Our Featured Quote
“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.“
-Richard Bach
3. Article: Healing Journeys Interview - Shawn Tuttle
By Suzie Daggett
Note from Shawn: This interview/article was intended to run last week in Suzie Daggett’s weekly column, Healing Journeys, which is published every Friday in The Union newspaper. The article is a co-creative effort of Suzie and myself, in a question and answer format. Unfortunately, the editor of the newspaper pulled it because I had been granted front page above-the-fold coverage for an organizing story in January. I’m still not sold on that logic, but I don’t make the decisions at The Union. Luckily, Suzie has given me permission to share the interview with readers of The Simplifier. Here it is!
Healing Journeys
The art of simplicity - seems so simple, right? Well, it depends on your personality, your belief system and how you choose to live your life. When you need someone to come in to your home or office to determine how to filter through the confusion you have spent years creating, you may need the services of someone like Shawn Tuttle of Project Simplify - an angel of a simplifier! Shawn lives the art of simplicity and she has the techniques down pat, so you can learn how to live with less, de-stress and be relieved of things that are weighing you down. Shawn teaches classes and inspires her clients to new heights of simplicity, to create the synergy between their internal and external worlds to achieve their goals.
Was there a defining moment when you realized the need for simplicity?
More than a defining moment, I would say there were two primary factors that led to my desire for simplicity. One was my experience performing administrative and bookkeeping work for several Santa Barbara-area non-profit organizations. They seemed to constantly function in crisis management mode, always stressed and rushed no matter what was going on. It just seemed so unnecessary! A little more planning and organization would have made a world of difference, yet the impetus to change just was not there.
The second factor was a question I learned to ask myself after working as a bicycle tour guide in Italy and France. My job was to make sure other people’s vacations were enjoyable, smooth, fun, and safe. We visited Florence, Italy to visit Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. The renowned artist was asked how he created this masterpiece out of a large piece of marble. His answer…”I just took away everything that was not David.” His answer struck me profoundly. His clarity of what David was meant to be made it obvious when something did not belong. Similarly, even working 16-hour days as a guide was a piece of cake because I was clear in my purpose and was not hindered by distractions. When I returned to the states, I discovered I could integrate the sweetness of that enjoyable lifestyle into the life I wanted by living a focused simplified life - removing what did not belong.
What are some benefits for living a life directed by less chaos and more simplicity?
For one thing, there is a lot less stress! Unfortunately, most of us have come to expect stress as an unpleasant but necessary part of the modern world, and have forgotten what life is like without it. We have also forgotten that there are tangible steps we can take to reduce stress in our personal and professional lives. I help my clients identify the steps that work for them with my business, Project Simplify. I have found that once my clients start practicing those steps, they experience much more than just reduced stress. They usually free up lots of time for the things they love to do. They have better success at reaching their goals, and they get to enjoy more quality time alone or with family and friends. Once you begin to experience benefits like these, it is hard to turn back. Simplicity becomes less of a task and more of a lifestyle that goes far beyond getting rid of the stress and clutter in your life. The result is a more peaceful, fulfilling, sweeter, richer life. Plus, your choosing this lifestyle choice gives inspiration and permission to others to shift their lives in a positive way as well.
What are some of the tools you use when you work with your clients?
I co-create solutions with them by using a variety of tools, dealing with time management, work flow, clutter control and chatter-brain management. While the tools are varied, they have the common theme of identifying what is hindering them and their goals. In a single session, we might go through a guided visualization to connect with your goals and then strategize how to best organize your filing system to support those goals. As a Simplifier, I draw from the tool sets of Professional Organizers and Life Coaches. A Professional Organizer focuses on your external life and a Life Coach focuses on your internal life. I tie the two together because I believe your surroundings play a huge role in supporting your dreams, and your internal state of being provides the momentum to create order in your surroundings.
Can your ideas be used in both your business and personal life?
Of course! In fact, most of my one-on-one clients are self-employed or run small businesses. They choose a one-on-one format because they want fast, customized solutions for their mess. The workshops I teach focus on time, clutter, and chatter-brain management, all useful skills for anyone with a schedule and stuff to manage—whether for family, oneself, or for a business. The overarching theme is for your activities to support your goals-personal or professional.
What do you get out of your work?
I love this work! I get to engage with interesting, creative people, all with different needs. I love the diversity and problem-solving challenges. When it comes right down to it, supporting others to manifest their dreams in a practical way is incredibly rewarding and fun.
Shawn Tuttle, Project Simplify is offering two April workshops, Wednesday April 4th (6:30pm-8:30pm) and Thursday, April 5th (9:30am-11:30am). Register by calling 530-205-5775, or go to projectsimplify.com/speaker.
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Suzie Daggett is the publisher of the INSIGHT Directory of Healing Arts Practitioners; she can be found at www.insightdirectory.com.
4. Your Simplification Tip
The 360-degree method for clutter clearing
by The Simplifier Co-Editor Lance Brown
If clutter is starting to overwhelm your office, yard, car, or any other three-dimensional space, and you can’t seem to figure out how to make any headway, the 360-degree method is a simple way to make quick, visible progress.
Simply put yourself in the middle of the space you want to declutter, facing some fixed point on the perimeter. Point to that spot with your arm out. The line between you and that fixed point is your starting line. Now pick a direction, left or right, and pivot in that direction until you are pointing at clutter of some sort (if you’re just starting, you’re probably pointing at clutter from the start!) And simply resolve all clutter as you come to it, item by item, a sliver at a time.
Eventually, the sliver will become a wedge, the wedge will become a quarter, the quarter will become a half, and before long, the whole 360 degrees of your space will be clutter-free.
How do you “simply resolve all clutter” as you come to it? That’s the beauty of the 360-degree method - it asks you to resolve your clutter one object at a time. If you find yourself pointing at something which shouldn’t be there (i.e., clutter), take that item and put it where it should go. If it doesn’t have a place where it should go, create one. If you simply can’t find or make a place, then you may have to consider reducing your overall load of stuff.
Clutter taxes your peace of mind, and with zero benefits. It has to be dealt with one way or the other. The 360-degree method is a good way to achieve triumph over your clutter in an incremental but very noticeable way.
P.S. - Of course, it’s key that you don’t let the wedge that you’ve cleared get recluttered while you’re completing the circle. If it does, start back at the starting point again. Don’t worry - clearing that section will be easier the second time around!
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Spread simplicity - forward The Simplifier to your friends and colleagues!
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5. In the News
If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!
Storage Units: Friend or Foe? (Orlando Sentinel)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/yt9wef
Space for rent…it’s a tempting solution. Or it’s a treacherous trap. Who would have guessed that a simple metal box could be so complex?
Free your mind from ‘doing’ to just ‘being’ (Contra Costa Times)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2gl2m5
“Neuroscientists are picking the brains of Buddhist monks.” Why? Mindfulness.
Debate: Is messy better than neat? (NPR)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/29426d
No, we don’t think messy is better than neat…but it’s an interesting point to ponder. A new book which was included in this section in issue #31 does just that. Now, a debate on NPR between one of the book’s authors and a professional organizer.
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
New Simplicity in Nature Photos
Shawn has uploaded a sweet new batch of photos to our Simplicity in Nature photo gallery. Here’s a sampling of thumbnails; you can find more by browsing that gallery. You’ll also be seeing them pop up in the Random Gallery Image in the site sidebar.
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Mmmmmm….nature.
7. Keep Smiling
Bernie DeKoven, funsmith
A “funsmith”. Sounds like a fun job, no? Well, Bernie sure seems to be having fun on his Deep Fun website. His motto? “Having fun, just for fun.” So you can see why his site is being featured here at Keep Smiling. If you’re having fun, you’re probably smiling - so it passes the test. :-)
Bernie’s site grabs you right off the bat, so we’ll just let it speak for itself. He’s a funsmith - it’s fairly self-explanatory!
Here’s the URL: http://www.deepfun.com/
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Thanks for reading!
Publication Information
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The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: (newsletter@projectsimplify.com) newsletter (at) projectsimplify (dot) com
