Focus on LESS but do it better.
(via)
I’m a minimalist. Well, that’s actually not true, but I intend to be.
Somewhere in the southeastern suburbs, my mother is laughing at me right now:
“MY DAUGHTER? A MINIMALIST? Have you SEEN her room? Her CAR? HA!
No seriously, have you?”
I dabbled in what was deemed Project: Simplify all year, getting rid of clothes here and there, selling a few DVDs I haven’t touched in years, cleaning out a drawer or two, but I haven’t really simplified. At least not where it counts.
We’ve all been there. Suffering from information overload, multi-tasking work and life all at once, and a thousand more ideas for things we want to accomplish. I am pretty much the queen of that.
And guess what?
Everything is getting tackled in tiny little increments, never really completed. Then I find more to do, more to read, more to think about.
And where has that gotten me?
Half-way through everything I suppose, never really accomplishing anything.
Over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve stumbled across a lot of different sources of information with essentially what’s been the same message. I feel like I’m being told in every direction to SIMPLIFY! MINIMALIZE! ZENIFY!
Yes, I just made up the word zenify. I think. (Don’t tell me if I didn’t)
I wasn’t looking for this kind of instruction, but it’s what I seem to be finding myself paying attention to as I searched for the slightest bit of order in an increasingly BUSY life.
It’s likely that the start of my Yoga Teacher Training program in just TWO WEEKS has something to do with this. Maybe I’m subconsciously seeking out all of these things, or maybe they’re really just finally on my radar because they’re relevant ideas right now when I’ve been feeling overwhelmed a lot lately and about to start a program that embraces these ideals.
Whatever it is, I’m embracing it, and because this is Social Media, I’m sharing it!
In the last couple of weeks, I have found a lot of inspiration and amazingly awesome writers in these places:
Blogs
- Gwen Bell – all-around KICKASS 20-something blogger, social media guru, yoga instructor, world traveler. I think it goes without saying that she’s pretty much my HERO right about now.
- Maggie Mason - MightyGirl.com – She made her Life List and is now living it and blogging about it, and who doesn’t daydream about doing that?
- Leo Babauta - Zen Habits and mnmlist.com
- Chris Guillebeau - The Art of Nonconformity
- Less, Marc Lesser
- The 4-Hour Work Week - Nicole actually brought me this audiobook back in May, swearing that I just had to read it. I finally popped the first CD in my car stereo this morning on my way to work, and so far? Interesting stuff. Best line so far (on running away from it all to try to figure it all out):
“I took a vacation to Italy where I basically spent 10 hours a day in internet cafes FREAKING OUT. Shitballs.”
(Hearing that on audio book made it even better.)
I’m trying to absorb everything and find a way to personalize these ideas about being more productive, effective, and accomplished, but with more focus and energy committed to doing everything I do – work, write, relationships, read, run, live, car-dance, learn, LOVE – more completely.
This summer was really strongly focused on community. This fall? Looks like it may be a little more introspective. And homebodied. I’m ready for some serious weekend re-bonding with my beautifully fabulous city.
Any other recommendations, readers and friends? If I want to FOCUS ON LESS but do it BETTER, and simplify my life, and facilitate a minimalist and happy-place lifestyle, what should I read? What should I practice?
What do YOU do?
I'm Doniree. I live in Portland, Oregon where I practice yoga, obsess about the local farmers' markets and vineyards, and work from home or one of my many favorite coffee shops. I also 
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I say, go lay in some grass that's away from the sounds of traffic, or find a wooded area to take a meandering hike in. There's something about nature that slows most people down. Being surrounded by real earth, not by man-made things, can be very healing.
When I figure out how to answer this, you will (obviously) be the first to know.
I'm trying to get away from multi-tasking and am geting into that One Thing At A Time, totally in the moment mindset that I get into when I'm traveling and translate that into my daily life.That, and I'm making the time to read books, which is just the most deliscious, indulgent thing that I can think of these days =)
I've made it a priority to read also, there are so many I've started but notfinished, and I'm committing to finishing some. We should keep in touch andcompare notes. What are you reading right now? What's your favorite book? Hrm, I smell another post coming on, ha.
I say, go lay in some grass that's away from the sounds of traffic, or find a wooded area to take a meandering hike in. There's something about nature that slows most people down. Being surrounded by real earth, not by man-made things, can be very healing.
Very well-written and said. This post REALLY spoke to me because I really need to simplify my life as well. Thanks for the great resources to check out!
Oh my god, you'll LOVE them. They're so good! Glad this resonated; I'm soin the middle of this right now.
I'm trying to get away from multi-tasking and am geting into that One Thing At A Time, totally in the moment mindset that I get into when I'm traveling and translate that into my daily life.That, and I'm making the time to read books, which is just the most deliscious, indulgent thing that I can think of these days =)
When I figure out how to answer this, you will (obviously) be the first to know.
I've made it a priority to read also, there are so many I've started but notfinished, and I'm committing to finishing some. We should keep in touch andcompare notes. What are you reading right now? What's your favorite book? Hrm, I smell another post coming on, ha.
um you are all sorts of awesome and yay for being a yoga teacher! that is so exciting!
Very well-written and said. This post REALLY spoke to me because I really need to simplify my life as well. Thanks for the great resources to check out!
Oh my god, you'll LOVE them. They're so good! Glad this resonated; I'm soin the middle of this right now.
i feel a lot like this– like my attention is in way too many places. sometimes i don't even START on what i want to do because i can't decide which thing to start on first. not only is my attention pulled in a million different directions but i am terribly indecisive. i did just spend three or four days doing nothing but watching season one of American Dreams. i'm not sure that counts as accomplishing anything but it felt really nice and really necessary to take a break from everything else in my life. but if you figure out the secret to minimalizing (the red underlining on this word tells me i just made it up. did i?
) let me know. i'm working on it too.
"Zenify". Something that I need to do as well? Seeing my room make me wanna cry sometimes.
i feel a lot like this– like my attention is in way too many places. sometimes i don't even START on what i want to do because i can't decide which thing to start on first. not only is my attention pulled in a million different directions but i am terribly indecisive. i did just spend three or four days doing nothing but watching season one of American Dreams. i'm not sure that counts as accomplishing anything but it felt really nice and really necessary to take a break from everything else in my life. but if you figure out the secret to minimalizing (the red underlining on this word tells me i just made it up. did i?
) let me know. i'm working on it too.
um you are all sorts of awesome and yay for being a yoga teacher! that is so exciting!
“Zenify”. Something that I need to do as well? Seeing my room make me wanna cry sometimes.
I've been trying to focus on one day at a time. Not worrying about what I have to do at work/home/school/whatever tomorrow, but instead on the day that's in front of me. It's lessened my stress load immensely because I am not constantly fretting about what I didn't know but instead relishing in what I did do. I'm also taking at least 30 minutes a day to read, 30 minutes a day to walk my dog (not necessarily consecutive but overall) and allowing myself the freedom of flexibility. No hard schedules. Not afraid to say yes/no to different things. All of this is still relatively new for me (last six weeks or so?) but so far, so good! Zenify is a great word, btw.
Brilliant! I love it, thanks so much for the inspiration
I've always tried to minimalize my life. It's mostly because I've moved around a lot in the past 6 years and dragging everything with me has always been a pain. But I've always used the rule if Ihaven't used it in the past 2 months- it goes. Sometimes I feel really wasteful, but I donate everything I get rid of to the epilepsy foundation/friends or family/other donation places or I find new ways to use things. Plus for me to keep zen- I do deep breathing a lot. Good luck in zenifying yourself!
2 months, wow! I've heard 6 months, 1 year, etc., but 2 months is a prettydisciplined goal. I like it!
2 months, wow! I've heard 6 months, 1 year, etc., but 2 months is a prettydisciplined goal. I like it!
Check out the goodreads app on Facebook. Reader's paradise. Ideas galore.
I'm starting this on a very, very basic level. When I'm not working or doing homework, I'm "working" at being present in the moment. Enjoying the grass between my toes and the dog's excitement when we fetch. Feeling the wind in my hair, tasting whatever I'm putting in my mouth. I stop myself from thinking about the bills, the paperwork, the separation, the job, the house- anything but what I'm experiencing right then and there. When I can do that, I seem to be in a better frame of mind to "zenify" my life.
I've been trying to focus on one day at a time. Not worrying about what I have to do at work/home/school/whatever tomorrow, but instead on the day that's in front of me. It's lessened my stress load immensely because I am not constantly fretting about what I didn't know but instead relishing in what I did do. I'm also taking at least 30 minutes a day to read, 30 minutes a day to walk my dog (not necessarily consecutive but overall) and allowing myself the freedom of flexibility. No hard schedules. Not afraid to say yes/no to different things. All of this is still relatively new for me (last six weeks or so?) but so far, so good! Zenify is a great word, btw.
I've always tried to minimalize my life. It's mostly because I've moved around a lot in the past 6 years and dragging everything with me has always been a pain. But I've always used the rule if Ihaven't used it in the past 2 months- it goes. Sometimes I feel really wasteful, but I donate everything I get rid of to the epilepsy foundation/friends or family/other donation places or I find new ways to use things. Plus for me to keep zen- I do deep breathing a lot. Good luck in zenifying yourself!
2 months, wow! I've heard 6 months, 1 year, etc., but 2 months is a prettydisciplined goal. I like it!
2 months, wow! I've heard 6 months, 1 year, etc., but 2 months is a prettydisciplined goal. I like it!
Brilliant! I love it, thanks so much for the inspiration
Check out the goodreads app on Facebook. Reader's paradise. Ideas galore.
I'm starting this on a very, very basic level. When I'm not working or doing homework, I'm "working" at being present in the moment. Enjoying the grass between my toes and the dog's excitement when we fetch. Feeling the wind in my hair, tasting whatever I'm putting in my mouth. I stop myself from thinking about the bills, the paperwork, the separation, the job, the house- anything but what I'm experiencing right then and there. When I can do that, I seem to be in a better frame of mind to "zenify" my life.
Um…Well there's…Maybe try…Yeah, I've got nothing (And now I'm worried that I have no answer to this.)
Um…Well there's…Maybe try…Yeah, I've got nothing (And now I'm worried that I have no answer to this.)
I still have to take the time to do this, but back in El Salvador, I had found my "Zen" place. A place where I felt comfortable just BEING there, not doing anything in particular, but just thinking.The level of introspection I got was amazing. Whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, I'd go to my backyard (yes, that was my Zen place) with a blanket, and I'd just lay there, watching the tree above me (that was giving me shadow) and looking at the sky lost in my thoughts.I have to find that Zen place here in Strasbourg.
I still have to take the time to do this, but back in El Salvador, I had found my "Zen" place. A place where I felt comfortable just BEING there, not doing anything in particular, but just thinking.The level of introspection I got was amazing. Whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, I'd go to my backyard (yes, that was my Zen place) with a blanket, and I'd just lay there, watching the tree above me (that was giving me shadow) and looking at the sky lost in my thoughts.I have to find that Zen place here in Strasbourg.