The Simplifier #37 - Beginning the Journey
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Contents:
1. A Note From Shawn
2. Our Featured Quote
3. Article: Beginning the Journey
4. In the News
5. Keep Smiling
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1. A Note From Shawn
I took time this week to read through the article topics from the past year’s worth of newsletters (which now make up Volume 1!) Each article reflected ideas I was exploring at the time, and the topics wander all over the map. The body of subjects in its entirety shows that simplifying is a multi-faceted concept. It’s not just organizing the office. It’s not just getting rid of stuff. It’s not just maximum efficiency in the shortest number of steps. It’s all that and so much more.
I’ve loved exploring the lay of the land and have been constantly amazed at the scope of ideas that contribute to simplifying. Now, going forward, we’re going to lay out a series of articles that support a simplification program for you, assembling the concepts in a cohesive manner. They’ll cover visualizing, clearing, planning, doing, and YES! (Your Essential Self), a.k.a. the 5 Core Concepts. Also included will be supporting ideas and tools to make these core concepts easier…and there might even be some exercises should you want to take it a step further.
As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated!
Enjoy and keep it simple,
Shawn
Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier
Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier
P.S. - You’ll notice that this week’s issue is a couple of sections short. We may be making some changes in the coming weeks—but fear not, Your Simplification Tip will be back in the next issue.
2. Our Featured Quote
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
-Annie Dillard
3. Article: Beginning the Journey
By Shawn Tuttle
Your life.
Do you want to simplify? Are you ready and willing to ask questions that may resist answers?
The Journey
The process of simplifying can include questions like:
Why are you committed to the things you are committed to?
What is stress telling you about your responsibilities?
How do you want to be living your life?
Exploring these questions indicate that you embrace the process as a journey.
We can boil the journey of simplifying down to “understanding what to simplify and how.” And a journey it is, make no mistake—often a long and arduous one. Topical fixes will float off like band-aids worn while swimming.
Just like starting a new job, the beginning can be a bit bewildering. It gets easier as you get your bearings. Putting energy into the process results in increasing clarity, as does your mind’s ability to identify draining or unproductive situations.
Each step is a unique step just as each day is a new day. Embracing the journey keeps it fresh and interesting.
Choice
Every moment you have choice. Some choices are broad in scope (”What do I want to do with my life?”). Others are more situational (”Why am I doing this? What’s the purpose?”) or in the moment (”Continue reading or do something else?”).
Understanding you have a choice in every moment gives you enormous power on your journey—in fact, it is the key to making progress. In order to accept a new way of thinking you must be willing to actually do things differently.
For example, deciding on a case by case basis to buy less or take on fewer commitments can seem minor at the time. It’s hard to see the accumulative effect of single decisions over a period of time. But your choice in each situation does make a difference.
Ironically, even though the simplification journey can result in the changes you’ve wanted, it’s dangerously easy to set it aside. You might say, “I’ll work on it later.” However, isn’t this the very claim you are challenging?
Yes, the work can be tough. You’ll challenge firmly entrenched habits. High stakes and tough work… lead to big rewards! Whether you decide to stick with it or not is up to you.
Goals
Where does the motivation come from, when saying “I’ll do it later” is so easy? This for me is the best part, because now we are talking about your dreams for yourself.
What do you dream about doing? How do you want your life to be different? What calls your heart to action? That’s what you want to connect with! If there is no reason to change a habit, then why bother? If, however, changing a habit will clear an obstacle that’s keeping you from where you want to go, I’ll bet you’ll figure out a way to clear it.
If you don’t have a specific goal, at least determine a direction. In either case, it’s important that you really want it. “I want a clean desk” isn’t big enough. Think beyond your desk. Imagine your whole new life and what it will be like. Visualize the new you in stereo and in full color. They say the best way to connect with a mental vision is through smell… how will the new you smell? ;-)
Tapping into that vision provides the motivation to do now what may have been left for later.
Upcoming
You’ve embraced the journey. You understand and accept that you have choice. You know where you are headed. Now, how about those tools to simplify?
There are two types. One is practical tools and systems. The other is a set of concepts that illuminate the root (not just the symptoms) of our disorganization “problems”.
Over the next year, I’ll help you weave these tools into personalized solutions, one article at a time. We’ll explore simplifying concepts and give food for thought to make it your own. Many of the ideas will probably be familiar—not necessarily because you’ve read them here, but because you’ve experienced them before. (Just as old friends, almost forgotten, can turn up for a welcome re-acquaintance.) They rest in your memory, waiting patiently to be invited to the table.
I look forward to the journey and to hearing about your adventures along the way. Keep it simple!
—
Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify
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4. In the News
In the News is compiled by The Simplifier co-editor Lance Brown.
No new stuff (The Seattle Times)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/ytt84l
Take The Compact…add a little clothing swap…sprinkle on some Freecycling, and a touch of thrift store—voila! You got yerself some “No new stuff” brewin’!
Living tiny: a 96-square-foot house?! (Evansville Courier & Press - Evansville, IN)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2pyh8n
Jay Shafer’s ultra-efficient home designs are much more impressive than they are large. They are smaller than most single rooms…so small that they are illegal in most places! And Shafer’s actually scaled down from 96-sqft to a 70 square foot model. (Why waste space, right? ;-))
Managing the Thieves of Time: Procrastination (Jamaica Gleaner)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/yulsft
Procrastination is probably this editor’s #1 productivity problem—I’m sure I’m not alone in that respect. The only solution, of course, is to get started on no longer procrastinating. This article can help. Don’t put it off! ;-)
If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!
5. Keep Smiling
How to Laugh, or…
Officially, this week’s Keep Smiling item is the “How to Laugh” page at wikiHow. It’s a serious list of tips on how to turn that proverbial frown proverbially upside-down—and if you find yourself without cheer or the means to bring it about, these are some really good ideas. Some may seem silly, especially if happiness comes naturally to you…but hey, silly is halfway to happy anyway, so it’s all good. :-0
…How to Stop Laughing
And from the rebel underground, we offer you a slightly twisted source of humor. We can’t quite put our finger on why, but we both got a serious chuckle from wikiHow’s “How to Stop Laughing When You Laugh at Inappropriate Times” guide. Since there is actually a medical condition that causes people to lose control of their laughter, we felt a little guilty getting the giggles while reading about all this awkward laughter and how to stop it, but there it is. Laughter makes us laugh…even inappropriate laughter. (Is that inappropriate?)
Here are the URLs:
How to Laugh
http://wikihow.com/Laugh
How to Stop Laughing When You Laugh at Inappropriate Times
http://wikihow.com/Stop-Laughing-when-You-Laugh-at-Inappropriate-Times
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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
