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#FollowFriday: Simple folks on Twitter

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:51:42 +0000

Fail Whale Critter | By tinysparrowscraft

Note: I’ve been sitting on this post since Jan. 19, 2010 (goodness!). After reading Tonia Simeone’s post on Wednesday I figured it was time to update my list and post it )

Twitter makes for some great entertainment, as well as a unique learning and sharing experience.

Along with the latest gossip and news, there are some great folks who are sharing their simple life experiences in 140-character nuggets. Here are some of my favorites for Living Simply:

@sistersimplify – Encouraging the world to enjoy life more with less!

@IttyBittyImpact – ittybittyimpact.com (Tonia Simeone)

@christinesine – Christian, social activist, gardener, interested in spiritual disciplines, liturgy, social action

@joshua_becker – husband, dad, minimalist, blogger at becomingminimalist.com, author of simplify.

@RowdyKittens – Author of Simply Car-free, blogger at RowdyKittens, tiny house enthusiast, cat-lover, and coffee addict.

@ragan – Ragan is a writer and farmer in his native Arkansas.

@sustainabletrad – A Call To Holistic, Embodied, Whole-Life Christian Faith, Intentional Community, Sustainable Agriculture, Justice, Prayer…

@wwje – Theologian, foodie, husband, father, writer, wanna-be farmer… not in any order.

@brokeinthecity – 20-something girl who is a Shopaholic & a Saver & 2 other blogs: EverydayMinimalist.com and StyleString.com

@missminimalist – living a beautiful life with less stuff

@michaelpollan – author Michael Pollan

@re_nest – Account for re-nest.com. Abundant Design for Green Homes.

@foodimentary – Twitter’s @ShortyAwards winning Food~Fact~Tweeter Guaranteed to pepper your day with fun food facts! Impress others with your food knowledge!

For an even fuller list, check out my we live simply list on Twitter. And you can also follow my living simply updates at @welivesimply.

Did we miss any? Who would you recommend?

#FollowFriday: Simple folks on Twitter

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10 Simple exercises to start now (if you haven’t already)

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:18:16 +0000

Guest post by Chris Stroud

Army Reserve 2010 Best Warrior Competition Army Physical Fitness Test | Photo by dvids

Simplifying your fitness routine means choosing exercises that will get the most bang for their buck. Usually these exercise will fall into the four basic movement patterns – Jump, Push, Pick up from ground, and run.

If you are trying to evaluate the merits of a exercise program or develop one your self than using most of the movements included below is a good place to start.

The exercises are a mix between body weight movements, weightlifting, and ways to move distance – i.e running, rowing, and swimming. I prefer having a mashup like this because it ensures that I have a good balance between strength and conditioning. Favoring any one to much will create other deficits in your overall fitness and make you susceptible to over use injuries (yes i’m talk to you if all you do it run).

Some of the movements below have a video with it. These videos were filmed at the gym I work at to assist people with proper technique. If you’re curious to know which one I am, I am the demo guy in the first squat video.

Squat. The squat is the king of all movements. No other exercise has the ability to be the only exercise you ever do and still manage to be in pretty good shape.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Push ups. The best movement to build upper body pushing strength while only using your own body weight.
Pull Ups. The best movement to build upper body pulling strength while not having to use any other weights or machines.
Running short distances and sprinting. Running isn’t just about stepping outside your door and running around the block a few times at a leisurely pace. Our ancestors sprinted fast and hard for hunting and escaping predators. Luckily we don’t have to do much of that these days but alternating between slow long distance runs and short 50 yard sprints is a great way to maintain and develop cardiovascular strength.
Dead lift. The dead lift sounds as daunting as your name. It the heaviest exercise your body can do.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Press. A lot of old school weightlifters believe that the measure of a mans strength is whether or not they can press their body weight with a barbell. You don’t necessarily need to be able to press your body weight but it couldn’t hurt.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Over Head Squat. The over head squat is not only impressive to watch but is great at developing should stability to prevent injuries and also develop core strength.

Click here to view the embedded video.
GHD Situp. The GHD sit up is one of the most difficult abdominal movements if you are doing full range of motion.

Click here to view the embedded video.
Rowing. Most gyms have a rower but no one ever uses it. It sits in the corner and collects dust. This is unfortunate because rowing is more of a total body cardiovascular workout than most other ‘cardio’ equipment.
Swimming. This is the most low impact exercise on the list and probably the funnest. After a hard work out one of my favorite things to do is jump in the pool and swim a few easy laps to get some circulation so I can recover faster.

Chris Stroud blogs at Live Simply and you can follow him on Twitter @LiveSimplyBlog.

10 Simple exercises to start now (if you haven’t already)

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The Simple Life

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:06:19 +0000

The Simple Life – Illustration by Jonathan Blundell

Some musical fun for your Friday enjoyment.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While things are never really as good as we remember them… the simple days of old still sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

And we can still create an even great future.

Who’s with me?

The Simple Life

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The simple life of Francis of Assisi

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:00:26 +0000

Francis of Assisi

Reading several stories of Francis of Assisi and his community this weekend, I’m inspired to see what it really means to live simply, so others may simply live.

Francis of Assisi was born around the turn of the 13th century as one of seven children born to Pietro di Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant.

He was surrounded by the riches of this world and yet at a young age he began to grow disillusioned towards the world that surrounded him.

History tells a story of young Francis selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace, on behalf of his father, when a beggar came to him and asked for alms.

After the business deal was concluded, Francis ran after the beggar.

When he found the beggar, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. And when he got home, his own father scolded him in rage.

Later on in life, Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was based on Matthew 10, in which Jesus tells his followers to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was upon them. He instructs them to carry the message with them, bringing no money and travelling light.

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.”

Francis was inspired by the message and decided to devote himself to a life of poverty.

Another story says that after his revelation, his father was outraged and disowned Francis in a very public argument.

Francis in turn renounced his father’s wealth — and one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father’s feet, and walked away naked.

Francis declared himself “wedded to Lady Poverty”, renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor.

He then began travelling barefoot, without staff with only the bare essentials and began preaching repentance.

He was soon joined by his first follower and within a year, Francis had 10 other followers.

The community would have no money, and no property, either individually or collectively.

The community lived a simple life in a deserted house near Assisi but spent much of their time wandering the mountainous areas around the city, caring for those they came in contact with. Despite their meager life, they were consistently found to be cheerful and full of songs and making deep impressions on those they met on their journey.

And while many expected men like Francis to be ordained as a priest, Francis rejected the idea and he and his community lived as “lesser brothers” in their world.

The prayer of Francis of Assisi

“O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved
as to love; for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.”

So what is it that inspires you to live simply? Who models these ideas for you?

The simple life of Francis of Assisi

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A simple ‘crunch-time’ homemade salsa

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:35:39 +0000

The other night My Life and I were set to enjoy a chicken casserole her mother brought by earlier in the day.

Unfortunately, I realized we were all out of salsa!

Mexican food without salsa?! Say it ain’t so!

I decided to check the pantry and see what I could put together in a flash — rather than spending 20 minutes going to the store and back.

I started with a can of Rotel and our food processor.

I blended the Rotel for a bit and then added the other ingredients to taste. The end result wasn’t your top notch salsa but it was a great crunch time replacement. Perhaps if I had some cilantro it might have completed the salsa for the perfect mix.

Ingredients

1 can of Rotel
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of dried, chopped onions
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

The seasoning of course can be adjusted to suit your taste. Simply add all the ingredients into your food processor for mixing and blending and see what you come up with.

Let me know what you discover!

A simple ‘crunch-time’ homemade salsa

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Simple Manifesto #72: Will this decision simplify my life?

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:54:15 +0000

This is part of our series on Leo Babauta’s Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 72nd (and final) idea in the manifesto is:

Always ask: Will this simplify my life? If the answer is no, reconsider.

Looking for direction | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

In the spirit of this point in the manifesto, I hope you’ll excuse me to keep this post brief.

My mind is a million other places today — and unfortunately one of those million places is not this website.

So I’m asking… and challenge you to ask yourself today… “Will this decision simplify my life?”

If the answer is no — simply reconsider or don’t do it.

As an aside, if you’re the praying kind, I’d appreciate your prayers for My Life and our boys today. They’re OK but there’s been a few areas of concern as of late. My Life has been off work since Thursday and she went to see her doctor (unscheduled) this afternoon while I’m still at work. We’re hoping for a few answers and/or good news from the appointment. We greatly appreciate your thoughts and concerns.

Join us!

Write a blog post about the point above and then share the link in the comments below…

Simple Manifesto #72: Will this decision simplify my life?

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Simple Manifesto #71: Live closer to work

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:44:41 +0000

This is part of our series on Leo Babauta’s Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 71st idea in the manifesto is:

Live closer to work. This might mean getting a job closer to your home, or moving to a home closer to your work. Either will do much to simplify your life.

The Big D Commute | Photo by Jonathan Blundell

This goal in the manifesto may be difficult for many of us to accomplish. If you’re married and with kids you may have chosen your housing based on a number of factors, including schools, where your spouse works, the neighborhood, proximity to family, etc. etc.

For our recent move, all of these factors (and more) played into the equation.

While my dream would be for my wife to be able to stay home with our boys, and for me to work out of my home office all the time, it’s not yet possible at this point in our lives.

I’d even be happy working 10 minutes away, vs. the 30-45 minute commute I have each day — but that’s not in the cards for us right now.

And there’s nothing wrong with giving more weight to other pieces of the equation when choosing a place to live.

For us…

We were living 45 minutes from all of our immediate family — parents, brothers and sister.
We were also driving 30-45 minutes to work.
We had a great community around us but saw the value of being closer to our family — especially when kids enter the equation.
We wanted a good school district for our kids.
We wanted a safe neighborhood.
We wanted an affordable home.
And we knew anywhere closer than 30-45 minutes to work would be a great thing.

So we weighed our options.

While there were great neighborhoods closer to work — it would have also meant smaller homes for more money.

For the price of a 2 bedroom home in one part of town, we were able to get a 3 bedroom (with an office) in another part of town.

And we’re still closer to work than we were and closer to those who mean so much to us.

So like life — it’s a balancing act.

Weigh your options.

Decide what’s most important to you. Where are you going to spend most of your time.

And once you find what matters most to you — go for it.

You make it happen — and leave the regrets for someone else to worry about .

Have a great weekend!

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Simple Manifesto #71: Live closer to work

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Simple Manifesto #70: Leave space around things in your day

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:50:19 +0000

This is part of our series on Leo Babauta’s Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 70th idea in the manifesto is:

Leave space around things in your day. Whether they’re appointments, or things you need to do, don’t stack them back-to-back. Leave a little space between things you need to do, so you will have room for contingencies, and you’ll go through your day much more relaxed.

Otário | Photo by elbragon

This idea seems so logical, but sometimes it’s so much harder to actually put into practice.

Our schedules are so crammed as it is that we barely have time to walk from one meeting to another.

And for whatever reason, we always plan for “the best case scenario” rather than the worst.

We’ll have a meeting at our office from 9-11:30 in one part of town and then schedule a meeting for 11:45-1 in another part of town, thinking “it’s only 15 miles away.”

Of course we leave ourselves no time for restroom or drink breaks, traffic issues or our first meeting running over time.

Then we arrive to the next meeting late and frazzled because we had to rush to get there.

Then it’s off from there, back to our office with only 30 minutes before our next meeting — and we’re expecting to eat lunch during that time as well.

No wonder we’re all running around frazzled and worn out from the stress.

So STOP!

Stop scheduling things so close together.

Or, better yet, learn to say “No.”

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to every client or every meeting every day. Don’t feel bad if you have to ask someone to meet with you 30 minutes later than they suggested.

If it doesn’t work — reschedule for later.

Leave yourself a buffer of time around everything.

Depending on what your schedule looks like, 15-30 minutes is always a good buffer.

Plan for the worst and you’ll end up pleasantly surprised.

You’ll be able to transition from meeting to meeting and event to event with ease and stress free — and perhaps begin to be known as the person who shows up early for things, rather than 20 minutes late.

BTW, be sure and check in on how Chris Stroud and Steve Burleson are doing as they blog through the Simple Living Manifesto as well.

Join us!

Write a blog post about the point above and then share the link in the comments below…

Simple Manifesto #70: Leave space around things in your day

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Simple Manifesto #69: Use a minimalist productivity system

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:13:34 +0000

This is part of our series on Leo Babauta’s Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 69th idea in the manifesto is:

Use a minimalist productivity system. The minimal Zen To Done is all you need. Everything else is icing.

motion gears | Photo/illustration by ralphbijker

Take a look at the illustration above.

Notice anything funny about it?

The gears are at a standstill and won’t be moving anytime soon. They mechanics look great but when you put these gears together like they are — nothing’s going to get done.

Our workflow systems are often exactly like these gears — especially when others are involved.

The mechanics look good on paper, but putting them into practice, using them in the field is an entirely different story.

Call it a productivity system, getting things done or a simple workflow — whatever you call it, be sure you have one that works for you.

Having now read Leo’s Zen to Done, I like it.

It’s simple.

It’s complete.

It gets things done.

My process has been similar although not as exact.

I tend to take notes in several places

Evernote for photos, text, audio on the go via my phone
My phone’s internal camera
Notepads
Post it notes

Following Leo’s advice (and many others) I’d be best to simplify and start inputing my notes in one place.

I’ve been gradually moving more and more towards Evernote while on the go, but sometimes it’s not the easiest input method when meeting with others. However, I do always have my phone with me and it doesn’t require me to carry around one more thing like a notepad.

But there is something about taking analog notes. Even if I lose the paper I made my notes on, I tend to remember the tasks better when I write them out.

And once you notes are taken… don’t forget to process.

Notes are worthless if you leave them as notes and don’t process them as tasks on your to-do list.

Just like inbox zero, be sure you’re processing your notes daily to keep track of your tasks and goals.

And like all these other great pointers — be sure it’s something that works for you.

So what does your workflow look like? Are you a GTD person or ZTD or some hybrid in between?

BONUS: Chase Jarvis’ photo/video workflow (HT ChurchCreate):

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Simple Manifesto #69: Use a minimalist productivity system

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Simple Manifesto #68: Learn to pack light

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:30:09 +0000

This is part of our series on Leo Babauta’s Simple Living Manifesto. We invite you to join us on the journey.

The 68th idea in the manifesto is:

Learn to pack light. Who wants to lug a bunch of luggage around on a trip? Here’s an article on using just one carry-on.

leavin’ | Photo by recphoto

After having my luggage lost for three or four days on a return flight home, I quickly decided I would do everything in my power to pack light and only use carry-ons from that point forward.

And so far, other than using a large duffel bag for two week’s in Nigeria, I think I’ve managed to do just that.

Packing light makes your trip so much easier and much more enjoyable.

Of course I realize, it’s tends to be more difficult for women to pack lighter than for men. Men obviously don’t have to worry much about hair dryers, make-up, curling iron or straightener, heals or flats, etc, etc. (I tell My Life she doesn’t have to worry about those things either — but that may be a harder sell than getting her to listen to NPR with me.)

But I do have a few pointers I’ve picked up along the way…

Make up your mind from the beginning that you’ll only use one carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack. Only use the backpack for things you’ll use on the plane or small electronics. I like to pack my SLR camera and bag in my backpack along with a book or two, my Zune, my Flip HD video camera and any necessary chargers (I need to find a good wall-to-USB charger).
Leave your laptop at home. I know this is a tough one sometimes but if you really need a computer on the trip consider purchasing a small netbook computer or take advantage of local Internet cafes or libraries. Along with taking up space, laptops often become an extra hassle at security.
Pack shoes that will go with every outfit. I usually wear a pair of Sketchers on the plane and pack a pair of dress shoes (if absolutely necessary) and a pair of flip flops if I’ll be poolside.
Keep your outfits simple. I usually try and stick with a pair of cargo shorts, one pair of jeans, a few t-shirts and sometimes a few button down casual shirts. I may also bring a pair of workout shorts as well (which means I’ll switch the Sketchers for a pair of sneakers that I can wear to the gym.)
Be sure you can mix and match everything (shirts/pants/shorts etc.).
Roll all your clothes rather than folding them — you’ll save a lot of room this way.
Wear bulky items on the plane — jeans, coats, etc.
Make a list of essentials — stick to that list.
If you’re uncertain about anything — leave it behind. You can always buy a hoodie, jacket or dress shirt once you arrive.
Remember that you don’t have to pack an outfit for every single day. You can wear the same things several times on your trip. And if you’re worried about getting your clothes dirty or smelly — the majority of places you’ll visit will have washing facilities available. You can either spend a few dollars and a little time washing your clothes, or $25+ for checked luggage. It’s your choice.

There’s a number of other helpful pointers others have shared as well…

And finally… don’t pack like my best friend Matt.

Got any other pointers for the rest of us? What works best for you?

Join us!

Write a blog post about the point above and then share the link in the comments below…

Simple Manifesto #68: Learn to pack light

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