Every day we’re faced with thousands of decisions and it’s been proven that we get progressively worse at making them as the day goes on.
Moleskine Ramblings #1
Often, I prefer analog writing in my Moleskine notebook, particularly with a Papermate Flair M Felt-Tip Pen. When recently explaining to Amy why I enjoyed it so much, I had a realization: I type around 120 words per minute at my peak, which means that my typing often leaps my brain’s ability to come up with sufficient words to write. Creative writing often ends up being a choppy, overly calculated process. I especially love this particular pen for its dynamic writing feel, but something about it feels artful. Due to penmanship being inherently slower than typing, it creates a constant flow. One sentence moving seamlessly to the next without interruption, so writing seems to come out… differently. I’ll use this category to post a series of hand-written ramblings from my Moleskine journal, unedited, word for word.
[Read more…] about Moleskine Ramblings #1The Weekend Trip: Living More By Packing Less
Last weekend I made the trip from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to take care of some business and visit some good friends. When booking the flight, I was using an app called Hipmunk (which I’d recommend) to find weekend deals to different places I want to visit. I saw a $170 direct flight on Spirit Airlines to Los Angeles and decided to go for it. It was about $100 cheaper than the next competing airline so it was a no-brainer, but I quickly learned about some of Spirit’s restrictions.
[Read more…] about The Weekend Trip: Living More By Packing LessThe Minimalism Effect: Three Benefits to Getting Rid of Stuff
Moving towards minimalism and getting rid of many of possessions might seem pretty overwhelming, but keep in mind that we don’t have to do it all at once.
Even small improvements can be very powerful.
Remember, it’s up to you to decide what minimalism means in your life. Although we’ve been working on this since late November, it still feels like we’re right in the middle of it all. There are still areas of the house to improve, areas that still feel ‘heavy’ with things.
Although we’re not done, the minimalism effect from what we have accomplished is profound.
[Read more…] about The Minimalism Effect: Three Benefits to Getting Rid of StuffBook Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
After hearing continual praise from just about everyone I know about how amazing this book is
Amy and I had just gotten rid of over 100 books in December, (some completely unread) and while I was hesitant, I ended up purchasing the book via Kindle. The first major (unrelated) observation I made was that I easily finished this book in a few evening reading sessions.
I’ve previously found it difficult to read a book all the way through due to the number of unread books on my bookshelf asking for my attention. Reducing the number of ‘obligations’ that I had on my bookshelf allowed me to relax and focus on the one book I was reading.
This realization and learning caused me to create the following rule:
[Read more…] about Book Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and OrganizingPlaying the Minsgame
In December of 2014, my wife and I removed 992 items from our home. It started with a discussion over a fresh cup of french press at a friend’s place.
Before dropping my laptop, notebook and pen on to its surface, the dining room table had been completely clear. So were the countertops—other than the water filter, blender and a few of the other kitchen normalities. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it felt different being there. The overwhelming sensory input that comes with the all so common household clutter didn’t happen.
Instead, the view was relaxing.
Noting my admiration, my friend Jeff said, “You should try minsgame”.
[Read more…] about Playing the Minsgame