I am a big fan of StumbleUpon. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure to pass a little time in the evening. For those that have not used it, you set up a profile with your interests and hobbies and then by clicking stumble the site recommends sites that you may have an interest in. You can indicate which type of sites you like and the application better "learns" your interests.
While stumbling, I would frequently get referred to ZenHabits.net, a site by Leo Babauta. I found that I really enjoyed reading the posts on the site, and later found out that Leo had written the book The Power of Less.
I was drawn to Leo's posts and book as much for his thoughts on simplification, doing less while getting more done, etc. as I was his story. He himself is a father, husband, employee and he felt constrained by commitments, a poor diet, lack of exercise and ability to focus. By using the system that he developed he has transformed his life and now has two successful careers (one as a writer, which would be a dream of mine), has more time to spend with his family and runs on a regular basis.
I have set goals / resolutions to be more organized in 2010. Three months into the year, I am happy with the progress that I have made and the small successes have motivated me to do even more. I started a new job in Sept '09 and am proud to say that I have been able to manage my workload (including lots of travel), go to the gym (not as often as I like or should) and have begun to tackle some of the projects at the house including a major de-cluttering effort (we can park both cars in the garage for the first time in two years!)
Some thoughts from Leo's book.
12 habits to start with:
1) Set your 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks) each morning.
2) Single-task. When you work on a task, don't switch to other tasks.
3) Process your in-box to empty.
4) Check e-mail just twice a day.
5) Exercise 5 to 10 minutes a day.
6) Work while disconnected, with no distractions.
7) Follow a morning routine.
8) Eat more fruits and veggies every day.
9) Keep your desk decluttered.
10) Say no to commitments and requests that aren't on your short list.
11) Decluter your house for fifteen minutes a day.
12) Stick to a five sentence limit for e-mails.
Pick three projects and work on them until completion. (when you complete one, do not add another, complete all three)
Focus on completion:
Have an outcome in mind.
Move from projects to tasks
Each day, choose a task to move you to completion
Reassess your progress
Track your internet usage:
Toggl, yatimer, tick
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Some of the points were very obvious and simple, but I guess that is the point, right?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Laws of Simplicity
Welcome 2010.
As I look back on 2009 it certainly was a year of ups and downs (mostly ups). We got a lot of projects off of the list in the past year, I switched jobs and I continue to be a proud father and fortunate husband.
Not going to get into a list of resolutions here but needless to say there is always room for improvement and adventure. I did start off the year diving into Lake Michigan in 17 degree weather. After not feeling my feet for a few minutes, everything returned to normal and I would consider doing it again.
The single biggest area that I would like to improve upon is organization. The house, my workspace, my digital life (e-mail, songs, photos, files, etc.).
I got the jump on 2010 by organizing all of my contact information in one place(Google Contacts) and sent out an e-mail to everyone in the list giving them the vitals (e-mail, mobile, facebook, twitter, etc.). Something I have wanted to do for a long time and a great feeling to have accomplished. A nice by-product is that I was able to reconnect with some people that I have lost touch with.
In late December I finished reading the Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda. Maeda is a professor at the MIT Media Lab. As such, I will share some of the "golden nuggets" in the book.
Central to the book - 10 Laws
1) REDUCE - The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
2) ORGANIZE - Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
3) TIME - Savings in time feel like simplicity.
4) LEARN - Knowledge makes everything simpler.
5) DIFFERENCES - Simplicity and complexity need each other.
6) CONTEXT - What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
7) EMOTION - More emotions are better than less.
8) TRUST - In simplicity we trust.
9) FAILURE - Some things can never be made simple.
10) THE ONE - Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.
3 Keys
1) Away - More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.
2) Open - Openness simplifies complexity.
3) Power - Use less, gain more.
Use the SLIP method for organizing - Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize
Tools for using can be found on lawsofsimplicity.com
Use your BRAIN
Basics are the beginning
Repeat yourself often
Avoid creating desperation
Inspire with examples
Never forget to repeat yourself
Always be learning (example):
In Karate, it is a symbol of pride to wear your black belt long enough so that it turns white again.
Focus:
Become a light bulb vs. a laser beam. You can either brighten a single point with laser precision or use the same light to illuminate everything around you.
Swimming:
A swimming teacher kept having his students lean back in the water. The students kept wanting to swim. After numerous times leaning back in the water, the teacher instructed the students to roll over in the water and flap their arms and legs. A formative moment occurred when the students learned that they could always swim they just needed to trust the water.
And BTW, a book about simplicity was 100 pages long. Easy enough to finish on a shorter flight.
2010 is going to be a great year.
As I look back on 2009 it certainly was a year of ups and downs (mostly ups). We got a lot of projects off of the list in the past year, I switched jobs and I continue to be a proud father and fortunate husband.
Not going to get into a list of resolutions here but needless to say there is always room for improvement and adventure. I did start off the year diving into Lake Michigan in 17 degree weather. After not feeling my feet for a few minutes, everything returned to normal and I would consider doing it again.
The single biggest area that I would like to improve upon is organization. The house, my workspace, my digital life (e-mail, songs, photos, files, etc.).
I got the jump on 2010 by organizing all of my contact information in one place(Google Contacts) and sent out an e-mail to everyone in the list giving them the vitals (e-mail, mobile, facebook, twitter, etc.). Something I have wanted to do for a long time and a great feeling to have accomplished. A nice by-product is that I was able to reconnect with some people that I have lost touch with.
In late December I finished reading the Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda. Maeda is a professor at the MIT Media Lab. As such, I will share some of the "golden nuggets" in the book.
Central to the book - 10 Laws
1) REDUCE - The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
2) ORGANIZE - Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
3) TIME - Savings in time feel like simplicity.
4) LEARN - Knowledge makes everything simpler.
5) DIFFERENCES - Simplicity and complexity need each other.
6) CONTEXT - What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
7) EMOTION - More emotions are better than less.
8) TRUST - In simplicity we trust.
9) FAILURE - Some things can never be made simple.
10) THE ONE - Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.
3 Keys
1) Away - More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.
2) Open - Openness simplifies complexity.
3) Power - Use less, gain more.
Use the SLIP method for organizing - Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize
Tools for using can be found on lawsofsimplicity.com
Use your BRAIN
Basics are the beginning
Repeat yourself often
Avoid creating desperation
Inspire with examples
Never forget to repeat yourself
Always be learning (example):
In Karate, it is a symbol of pride to wear your black belt long enough so that it turns white again.
Focus:
Become a light bulb vs. a laser beam. You can either brighten a single point with laser precision or use the same light to illuminate everything around you.
Swimming:
A swimming teacher kept having his students lean back in the water. The students kept wanting to swim. After numerous times leaning back in the water, the teacher instructed the students to roll over in the water and flap their arms and legs. A formative moment occurred when the students learned that they could always swim they just needed to trust the water.
And BTW, a book about simplicity was 100 pages long. Easy enough to finish on a shorter flight.
2010 is going to be a great year.
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