Simplicty is the only thing that can sufficiently reorient our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us.
-Richard Foster
Author of "Freedom of Simplicity"
Quote: Duane Elgin
The making of money and the accumulation of things should not smother the purity of the soul, the life of the mind, the cohesion of the family, or the good of the society.
-Duane Elgin
Author of "Voluntary Simplicity"
Making Your Life Plan - Phase 3 - The Art of Scheduling
Today we'll be talking about Phase 3 of making your Life Plan.
Each of us is given a gift every week. We're all given the same exact gift, and what we do with it will determine our success or our failure.
We are all given 10,080 minutes. That's how much time there is in a week. We ALL have the same amount of time, and how we use it is the key to flyin' high or crash and burn.
Scheduling is a discipline that can be a real challenge for a lot of people. If you are not a detail oriented person, it is really a difficult thing to live by a detailed schedule.
Once you have made your goals, you need to look at your time like a budget.
Make a chart, Monday through Sunday at the top, and 6am (or about two hours from your normal wake up time) until midnight (or a little after your normal bed time)
Plot out BLOCKS of time that recur ever week, or everyday.
Do you work a 9-5? Plot it out. Are you a swing shifter? Than you'll need to plot this out for each different shift.
Now, determine what time you want to go to bed and wake up. Sleep is vital to healthy operations. Your brain won't function well if you don't sleep. Write it down.
Do you plan on working out everyday? or several days a week? Plot them out.
Swimming lessons?
Drama Practice?
Church?
Coffee with Grandma?
Date Night?
Whatever recurring weekly or daily things you have to do, you need to draw them on your chart.
Just for the record, I use paper as my first draft for PLOTTING these things, but I go digital when it comes to officially scheduling.
You can use a paper calendar, or a planner if you like, but I prefer Google Calendar. It's free, it's easy to use, and I can set it up to send me SMS reminders, email reminders. I can access it from any computer, at work, at home, at my mom's house.
I can send a TXT message to update my calendar if I'm out on the street and someone wants to schedule an appointment.
My wife has a separate calendar, and we can share access to each other's calendars with whoever we wish, making changes that we both can see. Her items are color coded differently than mine.
I can set up certain recurring events weekly, daily, monthly, etc, making it really easy to program it.
And I get a daily agenda in my email inbox every morning.
Be sure to schedule EVERYTHING you do. If you like a little spontaneity, you can be flexible, but things like payday, bill paying days, trash day, work outs, grocery shopping, and anything that is routine needs to be on a schedule. It take discipline to make it, and even more discipline to stick with it.
Since you've made your NEXT STEPS on your goals, did you set milemarkers for some of them? Plot your milemarkers on your calendar so that you can see them along
Making Your Life Plan - Phase 2 - Next Steps
In our last installment of Making Your Life Plan, we talked about Setting Goals.
Today we're going to talk about Next Steps.
Remember that great movie What About Bob? Richard Dreyfus told Bill Murray he needed to take BABY STEPS.
So let's take that master sheet of goals, and break them down into "baby steps" or Next Steps.
Let's say one of your goals for this year is to get out of debt.
That is going to take a series of next steps.
Let's break it down.
Get out of Debt:
1. Get A Copy of my Credit Report
2. Contact my Creditors and try to work out a payment plan
3. Revisit my monthly budget, and start paying $20 extra monthly on my credit card
4. Consolidate Student Loans
5. Increase Car Payment
6. Cancel Cable TV to free up income
Let's say your goal is to Lose Weight:
1. Find a Diet Plan
2. Call the YMCA to ask about membership
3. Talk to Justin to see if he will be my partner for accountability
4. Work out M - W - F after work.
You've got to break down those goals into next steps, baby steps that you can manage!
Making Your Life Plan - Phase 1 - Setting Goals
It's a new year, and it's time to sit down and put together a Life Plan.
What's that you ask?
Simple. It's a plan for life.
If you hop in your car and head off on a trip to Disneyland, how will get there?
Sure, you could just start heading south, and look for road signs.
But without a roadmap, and a plan, it's going to be difficult to get there.
In fact, it's going to be much less efficient and affordable, and you could have long sections of the trip where you are lost, and not quite sure where you are! You might know where you're going, but how to get there? Not a clue.
I recommend at least once a year to sit down and determine your goals for the new year.
I like to work with Flow Charts and Bubble Graphs. So I start with a great big piece of paper. (At work we have some old continuous computer paper for an old fashioned tractor printer. We use it for scratch paper, and I can have a great big workspace to brainstorm.)
I break up my life into a few areas:
Personal
Employment
Business
Then I break them down into subcategories:
Personal>
Family - Spiritual - Physical - Educational
Under each of these, I make a list of what I hope to accomplish this year. Don't set an easy goal. Set yourself several goals, some that are easy to accomplish, some that are lofty.
For example, under "Physical" I determined that this year I hope to:
1. Get myself trained to work out three-four times a week.
2. Lose 100 pounds
Under Educational, I hope to:
1. Learn Wordpress coding
2. Read "Foxe's Book of Martyrs"
3. Read at least one blog post a day on freelancing
Employment>
At the moment for me this is only at the local community Center, so I make a list of my work goals for the coming year.
For some, this spreadsheet/graph/flowchart will take up more paper than others. I filled about six pages of standard size paper just on my goals for the coming year. For others, it might be much more simple.
When I'm done, I type them up, and post them in a visible place.
But if you don't write them down, if they're just a dream in your head, you'll never reach it.
It's like getting in the car, and saying, Disneyland would be a nice place to go, and then never even trying to go that direction!
New Year's Resolution - Sparkpeople.com
Sparkpeople.com is a great way to help you lose weight.
It simplifies your weight loss system by giving you a place to track, measure, and monitor your success, as well as giving you the workouts, diet plans, and more to help you with the weight.
It also has an online community where you can interact with others, on your journey...
Quote: Henry David Thoreau
Our lives are frittered away by detail; simplify, simplify.
-Henry David Thoreau
(11817-1862)
GTD Sequel
Lifehacker.com wrote this piece plugging the new David Allen book.
I'm a big fan of his system, and have modified it a bit to work for me.
Control and perspective are closely intertwined dynamics, but achieving each one involves different approaches, whether the matter at hand is your teenager doing homework, your soccer team’s practice, your next vacation, or your product launch. If your kitchen is a mess, for example, cleaning it up and placing all the tools and equipment where they belong will be a very different exercise from deciding what to cook and how to present it. But the two activities remain very connected, in that without an organized kitchen, it will be very challenging to stay focused on the dinner itself; likewise, an insufficient focus on the recipes, the various components of the dinner event itself, and the plan for deploying them will allow the situation to quickly get out of control again.
Ebay for Christmas
Just got finished ordering some used DVDs online for Christmas presents.
So what if it's used. Who says everything under the Christmas tree has to be new?
The only difference is that someone watched it once or twice...
Christ and Christmas - Thoughts on the Secular and Sacred
As a Christian, I'm bothered by an increasingly disturbing trend to erase anything Christian from the public eye.
NPR is running a hannukah special, but frequently says little about the Christian aspects of the Christmas season.
Stores say "Happy Holidays" in favor of a more "tolerant" expression of holiday cheer.
While I don't want to see my faith pushed to the side, I'm also not offended if a Jewish person wishes me "Happy Hannukah"... I should not be!
In a town not too far from here last year, Christian groups worked together to have a nativity scene placed in front of City Hall. A local wicca group petitioned to have a large pentagram painted on plywood and placed right next to the nativity. Some bonehead ran over the pentagram, causing a flurry of emotions and religious debate.
In my town, the local ministerium decided that rather than to push for a nativity in front of City Hall, why don't we encourage all of our Christian friends, family and neighbors to place a nativity in their front yard.
Instead of fighting over one Baby Jesus and family, there would be THOUSANDS of Baby Jesus-es across the city.
I have no problem with the fact that people don't want to be FORCED to recognize the divinity of Christ. They don't want to be FORCED to worship a God they don't believe in.
But even from a secular, purely historical standpoint, what's so bad about the story of a man who came, was born in a stable, encouraged people to love each other, and do good, and treat people with the respect that we wish we were treated with?
Can't we recognize Christmas as a holiday honoring a really good teacher and man?
I personally believe Jesus is more than that!
But why invent all the crazy mythology about flying reindeer and elves and singing snowmen?
Isn't just the story of Jesus worth celebrating, whether you believe it is true or not?
18 Tips for Buying Used Clothing
The Get Rich Slowly Blog gives tips for saving money on buying used clothing.
PS
I do have one question. Does anyone have advice for buying used clothing for big guys? I'm a large man, and there is never any big and tall clothes at the thift stores in my area.
A friend requested I check out ebay, but it's slim pickin's there too.
Any advice?
Simplify Your Real Tree
I'm all about simplicity, so when someone gave me a pre-lit tree, I say "woo hoo" no more messing around with lights (until a bulb blows, and I wonder if it really is more simple.)
If you are a hardcore "real" tree person, check out this Hidden Self Watering Christmas Tree System at Lifehacker.com
Free Cars For Life
I saw this video this weekend, and was amazed at how simple it is to redirect and make your money work for you.
Wow. So delay that gratification of a new car for a little bit, and then you can get free cars for life!
The blue book values combined with a little savings make this a great way to shop for automobiles.
Recessionista
The October 08 edition of Business Week has an interesting side bar, defining "recessionista".
The magazine says the terms is in Glamour magazine, the Irish Times, and everything in between to describe a "modern sort of girl who is trying to survive the credit crunch the best she can."
The word was coined in 2001 with a different meaning entirely, referring to the people that constantly predict economic downfall... with the flair of "Henny Penny."
Truth be told, I think my "recessionista" at home is quite sexy when she saves me money!
Frugality is fast becoming a hip trend, as Salvation Army and Goodwill outlets report growth of 6 to 15 percent this year.
Bargain Basement TJ Maxx is also expected to make a pretty chunk of change this year as well. What do you know?
Blackwater: How NOT to fight a war
We are not pacifists, but the recent news about Blackwater Security contractors in Iraq and the wholesale slaughter of innocent Iraqi's makes me sick.
I'm all for fighting against the insurgents in Iraq, and doing what is necessary to bring peace. But the goal should be peace, and not profit.
Peace on Earth. Goodwill toward men.
Cenegenics - Staying Young at All Costs
Saw this article on Newsweek about Cenegenics - a growing and popular science that tries to invigorate youth into the not-so-young.
I think that there is something a little vain about trying to keep the body of a 20 year old when you are clearly 60. Sure, striving and trying to be healthy and strong is important, even vital for survival.
It would be stupid to let your body decay, but what if cenegenics has it all wrong?
What if we're supposed to age?
National Geographic says that the reason we have so many wildfires now is that we worked so hard to stop them from happening. Overgrowth and underbrush has created a virtual "tinderbox" in the west. Now, because we didn't let nature run its course and purge itself with fire, our fires are bigger and harder to control.
What if Cenegenics poses a similar problem down the road?
Unintended Consequences are a scary concept.
Congratulations Nick and Starr and Ken and Tina
Nick and Starr Spangler won the Amazing Race last night, winning the $1 Million.
They were front runners pretty much the whole time...
I wonder how they'll use that million?
The best two moments of the whole season:
- The Fighting Cholitas in Bolivia... watching the two nerds get beaten badly by South American women in floor length skirts and superhero capes was hilarious.
- Former NFL football player Ken and his wife Tina put their rings back on at the end of the race, committing to make their marriage work.
Ken and Tina were good competitors, and they started the race separated, and hoping to restore their marriage.
At one point at the end, Ken said, "This hasn't been easy. But we're going to do what it takes to make it work."
That's really the key to a successful relationship, commitment to make it work, even when it's difficult, uncomfortable, and painful!
The Simple Things - A True Holiday
I am convinced that it's not the rich and lavish gifts, the music, the parties, the cleaning of the house for the in-laws that make a holiday what it is.
The word Holiday comes from the concept of a "holy" day....
Holy means: sacred or set apart.
So when you get that mega-mart flyer in the mail, and you are feeling stressed about your christmas budget and your crazy party schedule, stop. Take a breath. And Ask yourself:
1. What is it that makes this season sacred to me?
2. What is it that sets this time of the year apart from the rest?
3. How can I enjoy the sacred moments?
4. What memories of the "holiness" of Christmas do I have in my head, and how can I recapture them?
5. Is this thing that has me stressed REALLY that important?
It's the simple things that are the most important.
Making Christmas Meaningful
Make Christmas Meaningful: Thoughts on Turning Your Holiday Focus Outward
What if Christmas was more than presents, trees, and Santa?
View more »
Contact Us
If you want to get in touch with us at the Simply Family Blog, shoot us an email:
Josh Hatcher
Zoe Hatcher
A Long December
Right now, many of us are looking forward to December - and to the holiday season - with some joy and some trepidation.
Can we afford to travel this year?
Can we afford to put a lot of Christmas presents under the tree - or should we?
Shouldn’t we scale back this year - big time?
Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I’m asking myself these same questions, as are millions of others out there
What is a Recession?
Now that they have officially declared that the US has been in a recession since December of 2007, the stock market is reacting with it's typical (as of late) downward spiral.
So what exactly is a recession?
but what does that mean for you and me, and our own economic activity?
The key is to start making steps to live within our means.
Don't spend more than you bring in, and find ways to make extra money if you need to.
If you have money in stocks, it doesn't mean the best solution is to take that money out. Sometimes it's best to leave the money in a mutual fund, and wait for the markets to turn back up.
We've had four recessions since 1980, and we've recovered from each of them.
Be prepared for company downsizing. Your job may be in jeopardy, so prepare accordingly. Start saving as much as you can, to get you through any job loss or potential loss of income. Dust off that resume, and be sure to update it with your most recent employment history. You don't need to start sending it out yet, but you might. Read up on unemployment benefits, so that you know the ins and outs of the system, just in case you need to file for them in the near future.
Resolve to live simply. Cut down any bills and expenses that you have and can live without, so that you can save more, just in case your income does drop.
Don't listen to those that tell you to "spend" to get out of a recession. But if you must spend, spend responsibly. Shop locally whenever possible, to support local and small businesses that might not be able to survive without your support. Do you really want to help the rich get richer? Skip the mega-mart and support main street whenever possible.
Tina Fey's Scar
I hate to admit it, but I'm a fan of Tina Fey.
30 Rock is often raunchy and irreverent.
But there are moments that make me laugh way too hard.
I never really noticed that Tina Fey has a scar on the left side of her face.
What a horrendous thing for her to have suffered as a young girl!
Here's to making the world a safer and better place... so that these kinds of things don't have to happen.
Beating the "Blue Christmas" Syndrome
Don't let the Christmas Blues get you down.
Here's seven ways to keep your holiday simple, and make those blues "red and green"
1. Make a list, check it twice - Instead of the mad dash to the mega-mart, throwing items in your cart left and right, make up a shopping list, and do your best to stick to it. In fact, why not get your WHOLE holiday organized with Flylady? Download and print off her Holiday Control Journal here. Zoe does this every year. You wouldn't believe how much simpler it makes the holidays!
2. Remember the reason for the season - Why do we celebrate Christmas? Birthdays were not even celebrated at the time Jesus was born! Why did this holiday originate? The reason Christmas resonates with us is that it's about giving, and sacrificial love - (God loved the world so much, He gave His only Son...) Remember that Christmas is not about fancy presents and credit card bills. It's about giving love...
3. Count your blessings - The holidays are a natural time to reflect and be grateful. Make a list of all of the things you have to be thankful for.
4. Relax - Don't stress. Sit on the bench at the megamart, take a break, make funny faces at the little kids when they walk by. Enjoy some time in the dark with your sweetie with only the Christmas tree lights.
5. K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid! - Have a family meeting. Work with the whole family to set a reasonable family budget for Christmas. Make sure that budget fits your budget! Don't go into debt going crazy at Christmas. Instead, determine how much (or little) you are willing to spend on your family, and decide to stick with it. Don't spend 600 dollars on plastic toys that will break and end up at the bottom of the closet before next year. Buy timeless, meaningful gifts that your family will enjoy.
6. Grieve - Sometimes the holidays are hard for those who are missing loved ones. It's okay to cry, to hurt, and to grieve during the holidays. Don't feel bad about it. Find someone to talk to about it - a counselor, a pastor, a friend, a spouse. Write down some of your favorite holiday memories of your lost loved one. Don't feel bad about feeling bad. It's normal, and expressing those feelings will help you through the process.
7. Give Back - Find a local charity that you want to support, like your local Salvation Army. Volunteer to serve as a family at the local soup kitchen. Buy a goat for a family in Africa. ( Find out more at Samaritan's Purse. )
7. Give Back - Find a local charity that you want to support, like your local Salvation Army. Volunteer to serve as a family at the local soup kitchen. Buy a goat for a family in Africa. ( Find out more at Samaritan's Purse. )
Skip the Hotel - Surf the Couch
If you love to travel, but can't afford staying in hotels, here's an interesting option.
Couch Surfing.
The Couchsurfing.com mission statement says this:
It's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents, and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world.The premise is this. log on to the website CouchSurfing.com , and book your stay at someone's home. A complete stranger will open up his or her home to you for you to stay as you travel.
Seems like it could have a number of pro's and con's... but the concept of skipping the hotel stay and saving a lot of money could be very beneficial! I will have to check it out personally, and see how well it works.
Quote: James N. Watkins
"The least of these" includes 24,000 people worldwide who die daily from starvation and malnutrition. That's over 8 million annually. Three of four who die are younger than 5 years old. But it's not an unsolvable problem. Hunger relief groups estimate that it would take $13 billion a year to end hunger for the earth's poorest citizens. North Americans and Europeans spend $18 billion each year on pet food.
-James N. Watkins
in the article "Purposeful Simplicity" from Light and Life Magazine July/August 2008
Quote: Duane Elgin
We can describe voluntary simplicity as a manner of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich, a way of being in which our most authentic and alive self is brought into direct and conscious contact with living.
-Duane Elgin
Author of Voluntary Simplicity.
About Us:
The Simple Family Blog is about simplicity...
In a world of carpools, swim meets, online banking, financial crisis, and a screaming debt to income ratio, we've found that people are longing for something simple.
That's why Apple and Google are successful. It's clean, clear, basic, simple, easy...
We thing that simplicity can translate to family life, and create the kind of synergy in a family that can help marriage grow stronger, personal budgets be more effective, children grow up better...
Our culture is constantly creating more and more clutter.
In the 1960's the average american was influenced by about 600 advertising impressions a day.
In 2008, the average american is hit with 1700 impressions each day.
Experts say by the year 2010, that number will near 5,000.
We're not against advertising, we're just saying that too much can clog our brains,
We're all about frugality, simplicity, and using technology to make families run smoother, and more efficiently.
Welcome to the Simple Family Blog!
Today's world is increasingly complicated. Here at the Simple Family Blog, we're all about making family life simple!
Get tips on parenting, finances, relationships, recipes, faith, and life!
Got thoughts of your own? Leave a comment!
The Brown Bag - "An Excellent Source of Happiness"
When you are headed a couple hours away, or across town, and you know you will be away from home over dinner time, the temptation to stop for at the Pizza King or the Burger Hut for dinner is huge.
Why not plan ahead a bit, and pack some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the family?
Sandwiches, a piece of fruit, some crackers or pretzels and a bottle of water can save quite a bit of money, and it can help take care of that hunger feeling.
Stop by the park to eat your picnic lunch with the family, or pack a couple stickers, or a little toy in the kids' lunchbag, so that they can enjoy the excitement of a "Happy Meal" without making your wallet unhappy.
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