Welcome to The Simplifier, brought to you by…

Contents:

1. A Note From Shawn
2. Our Featured Quote
3. Article: Creating a Simplicity Statement
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

Reading during the summer between school years was a choice activity for me. I loved to read! I devoured books one after another. This summer I’m working on a big book project—however, this time it’s writing, not reading. Sometimes I feel as if I’m soaring along, sometimes jolting in fits and starts. Other times it seems as if the universe is conspiring to keep me from even thinking about Project “Finish Book”. In the end, it all happens in its own perfect timing. At the End of all my ends, will I think, “I wish I had finished the book 3 months earlier!” Or will I look back and observe, “I should have gone to the river more often”? Gratifying progress and enjoying life in all its glory—is the joining of the two a constant juggling act or a beautiful dance? Depends on the day…

Whether it be summer or the middle of winter, I’ll do my best to relax into the graceful dance and continue to encourage others to do the same. After every identification of the “next step towards my goal” the following words should be, “and how can I do this with grace and ease?” In yoga class our teacher leads us into a challenging pose and then asks, “What can you let go of? What can you soften?” Exertion and allowing–simultaneous states of being where there is, surprisingly, minimal contradiction. I’ll leave you with this little bit of yoga in the office. Oh yes, one more yogi reminder: Breathe…..

Enjoy,

Shawn Tuttle

Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier

 

 

 

2. Our Featured Quote

“The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.”

-Ludwig Wittgenstein

3. Article: Creating a Simplicity Statement

By Shawn Tuttle

What is a Simplicity Statement? It’s a personal declaration of what a simplified life means to you.

Once you’ve acknowledged that your life isn’t as simple as you’d like it to be, you’re in a position to take action to rectify that situation. Going through the process of creating your Simplicity Statement helps you clarify how you want your life to be. Once identified, the statement helps you maintain focus as you simplify your life. 

Why is it important? Clarity! A rule of thumb for any endeavor: know what you are working towards. You are a busy person–save yourself time and energy by knowing the purpose of your actions. Otherwise, go take a break. Doing something halfway wastes your and others’ time.

Sound extreme? Well, simplifying your life doesn’t mean you no longer have to deal with responsibilities. Rather, it means you are clear on your priorities and your actions are in line with those priorities. Say hello to firm intentions! 

If you’ve worked with a coach before, you may already have a personal mission statement. How is a simplicity statement different than this? Your personal mission statement speaks to the core of your life purpose. For example, mine is “to help others reach their full potential in the spirit of gratitude”. In comparison, the simplicity statement is a quality of life declaration. It defines the ball game of your experience.

You want change? You’ll get more by understanding what belongs on the playing field and what rules run the game. Then when you set specific goals, your mind will have an easier time determining which questions to ask and how to deal with incoming information and resources.

Yours will be unique and may reflect a variety of aspects of your life:  

• how you spend your time
• physical stuff
• quantity and quality of thoughts in your head
• other people or relationships
• peace of mind

You ask: “How do I come up with my own?”
By recognizing the aspects of your life that can be simplified.

Here are some ideas to get you started:   

Ask yourself questions such as:

1. How do you feel after spending time with the people in your life? Is there room for improvement?
2. What states of mind do you want to experience more of?
3. Do you like all the stuff in your life? Does it support who you want to be?
4. Are you spending time pursuing your dreams?

If you have difficulty getting to the heart of it, think of a time when your life was simple. Describe what you liked about its simplicity. Did it have to do with your mental state, physical stuff (or lack thereof), or how you spent your time? Which feelings would you like to recreate? Which situations would you like to recreate?

Let’s walk through creating a statement so you have a better idea of the desired end result.
(The initial statements come from local “Simplify from the Inside Out” workshop participants.)

Initial statement: I don’t want extraneous stuff in my life.  

Step #1: State in the positive
(Focus on what you do want. Saying you don’t want X keeps bringing you back to X.)

Revision 1: I want good stuff in my life.

Step #2: Add more definition
(What does “good” mean? Give it more detail.)

Revision 2: I want the things in my life to be useful, lasting, and/or aesthetically pleasing.

Step #3: Drop “want”
(This is a word choice issue. In terms of visualization, it’s better to come from a place of completion, i.e. drop “want” from the statement. However, sometimes the brain will rebel against this if the statement is too far from current reality. It might protest, “What? the things in my life are not useful, etc.” and throw the baby out with the bath water. I prefer to come from a place of completion.

It’s also better to drop “want” to get it closer to the tool form. For example, when you are at the store with an object in hand, you’d ask, “Will this be a useful, lasting, aesthetically pleasing addition to my life?”)

Final version: The things in my life are useful, in great shape, and/or aesthetically pleasing.

The following initial statements are put through the same steps as above but without the explanation:

Initial statement: I want to focus on what’s important to me and not have to deal with what isn’t important.
Final version: I engage in activities that are fun, fulfilling, and in line with my goals and dreams.  

Initial statement: I don’t want to waste time–mine or others.
Final version: I use my time well and wisely.  

Initial statement: I want my workflow to be easy, smooth, efficient, and effective.
Final version: My workflow is easy, efficient and effective.

Initial statement: I don’t let other people tell me what’s best for me.
Final version: I listen to my intuition.

Once you have your statements, put them in a visible place where you’ll read them frequently. You want them to become second nature, so until you’ve retrained your brain, keep ‘em handy.

Want to turbo-charge your statement? Develop a visualization of yourself fully living your Simplicity Statements. One client identifies her ideal vision as “Flowing Woman”. Instead of coming back to her specific statements in time of question, she asks, “What would Flowing Woman do?” Powerful!  

The process of simplifying your life will take time and vigilance. The statement is meant to give you inspiration, guidance, and courage when situations are confusing. As you make your way through the fog, there is opportunity in each situation to choose your course through the rocks that line the shores of life. Navigating by the light of your Simplicity Statement will bring you to port safe and sound.—

Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.

4. Your Simplification Tip

Unveiling mysteries, one item at a time

How quickly have you turned a blind eye to a stack o’stuff that has become something to avoid like the plague? It’s funny how quickly the brain will choose to ignore the existence of something that it can’t identify at a glance. The piles on the shelves in the office, or on the kitchen counter, or in the closet…

Last week found me in standing in front of a clothes bag hanging on the closet door outside my office. While I’d turned a blind eye for a month, I was finally ready to see the light. The bag was on the floor in seconds revealing… a skirt and two lonely hangers. Oh! I was wondering where that skirt was! The skirt went to the bedroom closet and the hangers got hung.

How many times have we found some “lost” thing of value–a check, phone number, or piece of client information in one of these piles?! For those stale, stubborn mystery stacks, we need apply one simple concept: take one item at a time.

- What is it?
- Where does it belong?
- Take it there.

One item at a time. 

 

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5. In the News

In the News is compiled by The Simplifier co-editor Lance Brown.

Need help getting organized? (Napa Valley Register)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2glzp4    
A professional organizer appeals to those who may have resistance toward seeking help, by addressing some of the reasons why people postpone contacting her for assistance.

Organize your home office to fit individual needs (Kane County Chronicle)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/yq8nj9
Pointers on the best way to approach the job of carving out a proper office space in your home.

21 Tips to Deal with Info Overload (Web Worker Daily)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/39uq9p                     
These are some really good ideas on how to make sure informationmania doesn’t control you. I just wish there were more. Maybe I should check my e-mail; I may have something there. Or maybe Wikipedia has something on this. Oh, wait! I think that TV show about information overload is on soon. Let me just check the listings. Huh, I didn’t know Oprah was on now. I wonder who she’s got on today. And what’s with that “Stedman” guy I always hear about? I’ve always wondered about that. Wikipedia definitely would have that… Huh, look at this…I didn’t know that “an Internalnet of Nanochondria could allow someone to exhale a Utility fog, in effect allowing them to breathe out a needed tool.” I wonder what that’s all about. (clicks “Utility fog”)

If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!

 

6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com

The face of Project Simplify

Ironically, Shawn will probably have reservations about showing pictures of her. (If you’re reading this, she’s already had–and gotten past–them.) People are funny about pictures that way.

But hey - she’s the founder, the fearless leader, the captain at the helm. When she says “jump”, Project Simplify says “how high?” She writes the Notes, and the Articles, and the Tips, and runs the Workshops…you get the idea. And what’s the point of pictures if you don’t show them to anybody?

And yet, little seen is Shawn in the pages of this newsletter. Until now, of course. These pictures are on the site in various places, but you may not have bumped into them in your travels. Now you can put a face to the name, if you had previously just considered Shawn to be some sort of amorphous writing entity. :-)

Shawn with filmmaker Larry Lansburgh at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival (she’s the one in the hat ;-)).
from: http://projectsimplify.com/out-and-about/wild-scenic-film-festival-a-huge-success/ 

 

Shawn with her new biodiesel-drinkin’ Beetle, at a station in Santa Cruz (CA) where they serve it at the pump…

…and with the proprietor of the station
from: http://projectsimplify.com/out-and-about/the-new-beetle-drinks-biodiesel/ 

 

(this one speaks for itself, right?)
from:http://projectsimplify.com/toastmasters/shawn-featured-in-the-union-for-her-toastmasters-work/ 

 

This is the first-known appearance of the face of Project Simplify at ProjectSimplify.com.
from: http://projectsimplify.com/about/bio 

 

 

7. Keep Smiling

Tales of Mere Existence: Procrastination

Tales of Mere Existence is a video comic series by a cartoonist called Lev Yilmaz. He’s created quite a video library of short animations, which are animated using a unique method. It’s a little complicated to explain, but basically he’s drawing right on the “screen” as the voiceover narration tells the story. His pen strokes become the animation, as items and actions appear before your eyes. It’s very effectively done, and the cartoons are pretty amusing! They’re short, too - the two we’re featuring are both less than two minutes long.

Procrastination (1:19) explains the great lengths the artist went through one day in the service of “getting his stuff done”.

Saturday (1:52) deals with another day, and shows that while planning is important, it’s also important not to overplan.

Thanks to Lev Yilmaz and YouTube for supplying this issue’s smile-maker!

 

 

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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