simplify your life

Digital Sabbatical

I started simplifying in 2009 and documenting Project Simplify here on Tumblr in Aug 2010. I have sold and given away a lot of stuff, lost weight, increased my cash-flow, achieved inner peace, improved my information diet, been recommended on Becoming Minimalist and given a few talks on simplifying (among other things).

It’s been a very rewarding journey towards becoming a minimalist.

This 2013, as I’ve set to do a few (but big) things well, I’ve decided to take a digital sabbatical from Tumblr. By giving my undivided attention to these few (also time consuming) things, I’d be increasing my chances of success.

Don’t worry, Simplify Your Life will always be here. I won’t delete it. Just like what my favorite comic book character did (Amazing Spider-Man #50), I’ll be back (for sure). For now, feel free to check out the archive or search for specific topics.

Well, wish me luck as I focus on my new venture for now. To the thousands following, thank you so much for understanding. Always keep in mind: Use simplicity as a tool to focus your life towards what really matters.

Always Simplifying,

Danny

PS1: By the way, I’ve added a resources section and shared the people I follow (most of them minimalist). Check these cool people out.

PS2: Interested to go on a digital sabbatical as well? Here are some related posts from Tammy Strobel (Rowdy Kittens) and Courtney Carver (Be More With Less). Enjoy! :)

(Source: simplifyyourlife)

Posted 2 months ago

21 notes

Weekends Reads | Becoming Minimalist

I like going through Joshua’s suggested Weekend Reads. The various angles and approaches to simplicity and minimalism that I learn from these links add to my growing understanding and appreciation of the subject matter.

So, to go through the latest one and find something you just wrote also got shared is a pleasant surprise.

Stop Using Your Cell Phone as a Pocket Watch. It’s actually distracting you. | Simplify Your Life. Some interesting statistics about cell phone usage are included in this short post. Also, a thoughtful new look at how we use them.

Thanks so much Joshua! You made my week! :)

Posted 2 months ago

8 notes

Be honest: what place do these things have in the life that you imagine for yourself? Because, if the stuff you accumulate isn’t actively helping get you closer to a life you truly want, then it’s getting in the way, and it needs to go. Period.

- Cool Tools - It’s All Too Much

Posted 2 months ago

41 notes

Stop using your phone as a pocket watch. It’s actually distracting you.

According to a recent study published in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing (pdf), humans look at their phones 34 times a day. That’s pulling a device out of a pocket or purse or off a conference table more than twice an hour (assuming they’re not checking during an eight-hour night’s sleep). Almost half of people with cell phones say that their phone has replaced their watch. -Quartz

A few years ago, I started giving away my watches to my nephew, my wife and my daughter. It felt really good, really minimalist, not having to wear any watch or jewelry (except my wedding ring).

However, after a few years, I realized I’ve been using my iPhone like a pocket watch. All that’s missing is a chain and I’d be back in the 16th century.

The not so good part was, once I checked the time, I checked if I had any messages, calls, notifications and so on and so forth. Before I knew it, I’ve been fiddling with my phone for some time already. This wasn’t simplifying. I had to do something.

So I bought an inexpensive and classic Casio F-91W so I don’t have to grab my iPhone from my pocket just to check the time (and then wonder where time went afterwards). I’ve been using it for a month now. Here are my observations:

1. The Casio has everything that I need. Time, day, date. The alarm wakes me up same time everyday.

2. It also beeps every hour, which I need, since it helps me pace myself through out the day. Time doesn’t slip by since I have notches in my day. Every hour, I also get to ask myself, “Is this the best use of my time?”

3. I don’t get tempted to unnecessarily fiddle with my iPhone anymore.

Now, I sure feel more focused being less dependent on my phone.

Simplifying,

Danny

Posted 2 months ago

49 notes

Reblogged 2 months ago from becomingminimalist

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Lessons from the Mundane | Happy With Less

happywithless:

My smartphone croaked.

I nearly went out of my mind for two weeks - not being able to organise emails on the go, schedule tasks, or take photos in the moment.

Surely, this is a necessity in this day and age? A tool that makes life immensely easier.

Thanks for sharing what life is without a smartphone (not by choice). Love your story! :)

Reblogged 3 months ago from happywithless

20 notes

Less is More. Seriously. | BNN

buynothingnewforayear:

January 2013 started off for me with a digital purging. I went through my email and deleted a ton of messages. I unsubscribed from at least 200 email lists I had knowingly and unknowingly signed up for and systematically filed everything I wanted to keep into folders. I was left with only…

I love reading stories like this. Go BNN!

Reblogged 3 months ago from buynothingnewforayear

90 notes

Buy less. Choose well.

Reblogged 3 months ago from becomingminimalist

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Get rid of the trash to make room for the treasures. Let the things that are important take center stage.

- Peter Walsh, Clutter Organizer

Posted 3 months ago

65 notes

I haven’t heard about Peter Walsh before. Recently, I read a few quotes from his books. I like his philosophy on getting rid of stuff. Here are some of my favorites quotes:

Getting truly organized is rarely about “the stuff.” This is the bottom line: If your stuff and the way it is organized is getting you to your goals… fantastic. But if it’s impeding your vision for the the life you want, then why is it in your home? Why is it in your life? Why do you cling to it? For me, this is the only starting point in dealing with clutter.

If it’s taken you ten years or more to accumulate your mess, it’s impossible to make it disappear overnight. Letting go is a learning process.

Those things we hoard for an imaginary future do little other than limit our possibilities and stunt our growth. When I urge you to get rid of them, I’m not telling you to discard your hopes and dreams. It’s actually quite the opposite. Because if you throw out the stuff that does a rather shabby job of representing your hopes and dreams, you actually create room to make dreams come true.

You spent a lot of money on it. To throw it away would mean admitting that the money was wasted.

Posted 3 months ago

20 notes

Advice For Clearing Literary Clutter | Ask MetaFilter

To some extent, I think de-cluttering involves recognizing that regret is part of life, and being OK with that. Yes, I’ve given away books that I now often wish I still owned. But I’ve also screwed up relationships, made iffy career choices, etc. — you suck it up and move on. If you try to cling to every single thing (material, spiritual, or emotional) that you might need one day in the totally hypothetical future, you’re going to end up bogged down in a lot of stuff. -occhiblu

Love the insight about regret and that it’s part of life. Understanding and accepting this makes it easier to let go of things.

Posted 3 months ago

23 notes

less but better

Reblogged 3 months ago from salimmajzoub

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The ultimate tool for corporations to sustain a culture of this sort is to develop the 40-hour workweek as the normal lifestyle. Under these working conditions people have to build a life in the evenings and on weekends. This arrangement makes us naturally more inclined to spend heavily on entertainment and conveniences because our free time is so scarce.

- Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed | Thought Catalog (via becomingminimalist)

Reblogged 3 months ago from moneyisnotimportant

1,036 notes