November 14th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and photography by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
Being minimalist is about having an honest relationship with your life.
Every action is balanced and effective. Every possession is used with appreciation and regularity. Every thought is worth thinking. Every person is an honor to know.
This is the best approach, that I can think of, to being a better person.
By simplifying your daily approach to everything, you can free up space to explore an uncomplicate the world.
November 13th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and Photography by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
Hey blogaudience! I’ve got a lot of work to do this week.
As I’m writing blog post for you to read, I’m also doing these things:
Whew, that’s a lot of work that I’ve got to do, and most of it involves a hard-to-harness skill called ‘Creativity’.
The problem is that for the last three hours I’ve been trying to do all of this stuff at the same time. I’m getting somewhere, but I’m not seeing the results that I need to see in order to get all of these projects to done in an acceptable amount of time.
It’s a well known fact that multitasking is a productivity killer. Minimalists try not to multitask, because by doing so we’re wasting time that we could be enjoying our lives.
So why am I engaging in the ultimate productivity sin?
Because I haven’t stopped myself yet, which is why I’m writing this post. I’m going to turn this situation around. I’m going to be a minimalist productivity master, and so are you!
How a minimalist can single-task his way to done.
1, Identify which of these tasks can be finished in under 2 minutes. Do these tasks first, so you don’t have to worry about them. Do them one at a time. Until all small tasks are completed. I’m going to make sure my email is back at inbox zero before I start on big projects.
2, Figure out the first big project that you want to complete. If you need to write this project on a post-it and paste it somewhere visible, as a reminder that you shouldn’t be Tweeting.
3, Eliminate all distractions. Turn off email, twitter, Facebook, etc. Stop reading the New York Times. Finish eating your sandwich. Lock yourself in a room and don’t come out until you need to eat.
4, Stop doing other projects while you’re working on this project. I find myself googling research material for my short informative stories, but I should wait until I’m actually writing them. We’ll get to other things when the time comes, right now you need to focus on this thing.
5, Break down the larger project into actionable tasks. It’s important to break big projects down into smaller task that you can do in a reasonable amount of time. If you don’t you risk being paralyzed by the scope of what you need to accomplish. For instance, I’m going to designing that logo with an outline, then create a 3D object, then play with color, then play with texture.
4, Work on the project that you choose until it’s complete, or until you need to take a break. Save it, publish it, send it on to your boss. Good, it’s done.
5, Repeat from step 2 until everything on your to-do list is done.
Yay! Now we’re minimalist productivity masters! Now let me get to that logo design.
November 13th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and Photography by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
Far Beyond The Stars subscriber Jeff Morris just sent me an email wondering if I had completed the 100 things challenge. I have indeed! I figured now was a good a time as any to whip up a quick list of my possessions.
The history and reason behind of 100 things.
100 Things is a challenge originally issued by David Michael Bruno. The idea behind it is that human beings only need 100 things to survive, but most of us have way more than that. By restricting ourselves to 100 things, we’re creating less waste, we’re more flexible in how and where we live. It’s a win-win situation! One of the more famous bloggers who has 100 things is Leo Babauta.
I mentioned in my 100 Minimalist Ideas article that I had 79 things. I was wrong, I have 97 things!
You’ll notice that some of these things are in New York, in a box that my friends are keeping at my old apartment at the School House in Brooklyn — I’ll be fetching these at some point. I also have some warm winter clothing in Chicago, which I sent to my mom when I left New York. I’ve counted all of these in my 100 things, even though they’re not with me right now.
I did NOT group my underwear or socks into one thing. I believe it’s fine to cheat on underwear and socks, but I didn’t need to so I listed them all. You’ll also notice that I don’t have any kitchen stuff (except the coffee grinder in New York,) this is because I’ve only lived in shared houses where kitchen stuff was already present. I’m probably never going to live by myself, so these things will always be shared. I also didn’t count food that I have in the fridge, because I’m going to eat that. I also didn’t count absurd things like cords and power plugs, assume these go with the computer, camera, hard drive, etc.
You’ll also notice that I have no books or CDs. I read my books in the library, or at the bookstore. When I do buy books, I donate them or sell them after I finish reading them — they’re in my head, I don’t need them anymore. Books are freakin heavy, why don’t we put them back into the system after we’re done with them? I mp3ed all of my CDs years ago, and donated them to the universe. I get all of my music online now.
Here are my 95 things, as of November 12th 2009.
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Take the 100 things challenge and let me know how you’ve done in the comments or on Twitter!
November 12th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and Photography by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
Let’s face it, the world can be terrifying. Do you know what you’re going to be doing next month, six months from now, or even a year? At the moment I certainly don’t.
I’m moving around, without a base of operations, freelancing out of coffee shops for clients that I’ve never met. Some days I get a little bit anxious. I wonder if I’ll ever see enough money to pay for my train ticket that I put on the Discover Card to Chicago. I wonder if I’ll ever eat again. I wonder if the sky will fall, and if I’ll be run over by a bus, or maybe I’ll never find happiness or success. Oh my god, panic!
And then I think of these 10 simple ways that I can calm myself and bring my confused mind back to reality. I remember that I am responsible for saving myself from this situation, and that I’m the one who that put me here anyway.
Anxiety is largely a construction in our minds. It’s a self-preservation instinct left over from when lions were lurking around the next bush and we didn’t want to be eaten. No one is going to eat you, in actuality, the world is pretty damn safe in most places.
The other horrifying truth is that anxiety can prevent us from achieving our goals. Have you ever stayed home, not returned a call, or even sent an email because you got scared? I know I have.
This supposed self-defense reflex is really costing us something: opportunities.
It’s time to get this anxiety under control, people!
Here are the ten techniques that I use to eliminate anxiety:
1, Take ten deep breaths.
This is one of the most important practices you can do for yourself. So often we rush around doing repetitive things endlessly, with no break for ourselves and our minds. A lot of anxiety stems from being simply overwhelmed. Start by taking one natural breath in, hold it for a second, and then blow it out. Repeat, this time a little bit longer on the inhale. Good! Now do that seven more times. You’ll notice your mind begin to clear and the world will start to seem a little bit lighter.
2, Go on a walking meditation.
One of the best ways to eliminate anxiety is just to drop everything you’re doing and go for a walk. Don’t aim for any one place, and don’t put a time limit on how long you’ll stay out. Leave your technology at home (but don’t forget your keys!) or at the office. Just walk, breathe, think. The world will start to calm and you’ll be able to see clear solutions overcoming difficult situations.
3, Turn off your cellphone.
Phones can make anyone overwhelmed. I like to turn mine off, or just ignore it. When the cellphone rings, 9 times out of 10 it’s just going to add one more thing for you to do. You’ll either have to dodge drinks with your old buddy, or another work problem will surface. Just let every incoming call go to voice-mail. Set aside a time later in the day, once you’ve calmed yourself, to catch up the calls that are actually important.
4, Stretch your body.
This can alleviate a lot of stress and help your body regain it’s natural balance. Start by doing a forward bend, just touch your toes, and stay there. Relax. If touching your toes is difficult, touching your knees is fine. Don’t judge the forward bend, just do it. This will relieve a lot of tension that’s built up in your back and hamstrings. Stay in the bend for two-five minutes, slowly roll back up to standing. Are you calmer? Yes!
5, Make every action deliberate.
Think about every action that you take, and move through it with precision and mindfulness. Do NOT multitask, instead single-task. Do NOT do anything faster than you need to, instead slow down. When you take the time to do every action with completeness, you’ll be so much more effective. You will start to see progress in your actions, which will relieve your anxiety.
6, Remember one time you overcame anxiety in the past.
Recall that one time that you called that beautiful girl you wanted to ask out, and she said yes? Wasn’t it scary? It worked out in the end didn’t it? Remember that job interview that you were so scared you wouldn’t get, and you prepared, and sweated, and walked four times around the block before you went in? You nailed it didn’t you? You can replicate that moment, you have to try first though.
7, Go to a public place.
I like being surrounded by tons of people as they go about their lives. Grand Central Station in New York is good for this, Powell’s bookstore cafe in Portland is good for this. Navy Pier in Chicago is good for this. I like to go to a crowded public place and then just stand still and watch the people swirl around me. I observe how stressed everyone is. How serious they are. And I realize that I’m just one small part of a bigger picture, and that everyone is freaking out too, this makes me feel better.
8, Stop doing so much.
We all do way more than we need to. We’ve got the Twitter window open, with our email, with our Facebook, with that spreadsheet we’re working on, with the copy of the book proposal that we’re writing. Stop doing so much. We expect way more of ourselves than we can ever expect to handle. Take a moment a eliminate a few tasks that you do every day that you’re doing out of obligation, not because these things you’re doing are actually important.
Here is what is important to me: cooking food, writing on this blog, working on projects that are remarkable, completing projects that end in paychecks, yoga, meditation, sleeping, reading. I have to ask myself hard questions before I engage in anything outside these activities.
9, Take a moment to contemplate what’s most important.
Do you have a larger goal in your life? If you don’t then don’t think about this, because it’ll just make you more anxious. If you do have a goal, think about that end result. Everything you’re doing should lead to that point, don’t deviate from your plan.
10, What’s the worst that can happen?
When all else fails, I ask myself the above question. Because seriously, in most cases it’s not that bad. I try to envision that worst possible situation, and I realize that there’s no way it’ll end up as bad as I think it will. In most cases the projections that our brains are making are overestimating the challenge or the danger, and the future will be so much brighter than you imagine.
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If you know someone who’s having trouble overcoming anxiety, do them a favor and send them this post! Don’t be scared, they’ll appreciate it.
November 10th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and photography by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
Phil, a dedicated FBTS reader, had an interesting question in the comments last week. I’m re-posting it here:
“One question that does intrigue me, as I have dreamed of following this Really Minimalist lifestyle for quite some time. With having so little, and moving around a lot, how do your friends and family know where you are? I suppose having a minimal of monthly bills means you do it all online, but how do you get mail, or do you? How will anyone rent to you without solid long term histories? has your credit been affected? I guess along those lines, does it matter? Without a Base of Operations, how do your customers get billed? Ok, these are way more than one question.†– Phil Huffstatler
I’ve been dropping a lot of clues about how much I’ve been moving around lately –I flew from New York to Portland OR in September, I’m leaving Portland for Chicago in a week, and then I intend to return to New York for a few weeks, at which point I’ll be going somewhere else.
I’m able to do this with very little money, because I live such a minimalist lifestyle. If I was moving more than I can carry on my back then I wouldn’t be able to support this life.
Here are the gritty details on how I’ve been traveling, in the interest of complete transparency:
1, I don’t intend to keep moving forever. Eventually I will settle down somewhere — my girlfriend and I visited Seattle this weekend, and after being there it’s high on our list of places to move. We’ve both been in New York for six years, and while New York is awesome, it’s time for a change in scenery.
2, I’ve been preparing to live and work in a non-geographic setting for awhile now. I’ve put a lot of time into developing freelance clients that don’t want me to come into an office, and my skills (photography, web design, writing) don’t require me to be in any one place.
3, I’m currently in a fair amount of student loan debt from going to college at NYU (this isn’t a lot, a lot of my fellow students have much more debt than I–the cost of education is outrageous and just keeps growing). I’m currently paying this back for an unknown amount of time. It was a difficult choice to leave my well paying full time job and start traveling. I knew if I waited until all of my debts were paid to start to explore the world I’d wouldn’t be staying true to myself and my ambitions.
4, Let me answer the rest of Phil’s questions: This excursion isn’t negatively effecting my credit. It’s pretty easy to rent for short periods of times in most cities, as long as you’re willing to reach out to the right people and compromise in some situations. You have open to everything that’s available. Most of my clients pay me via Paypal, but if I get an inflexible client I just have them send a check to a friend in New York who can do a deposit for me.
It’s not a perfect world, but it’s the world that we live in.
I’m trying my best to live a freer minimalist life, to travel around a bit, and still keep the money flowing. The advice I give on this site is the basis for my survival, quite literally.
I have known a few people who’ve traveled the United States in a much different fashion than the way that I’m traveling. These are the kids you see on the sidewalks begging for change in ratty clothes with cardboard signs saying that they’re ‘just trying to get back to Ohio’.
I’m not interested in traveling like a homeless vagabond kid. I need a roof over my head, the security of knowing where I’m sleeping at night.
Any of these homeless vagabond kids have the skills, if they put their minds to it, to travel while supporting themselves with non-location specific income. Gathering freelance work is hard, but because of developments in the internet over the last few years, it’s might even be easier to find non-location work on the internet than it is to find work in cities at brick and mortar locations.
In the past people had to work hard to find a job that would pay them to stay where they are.
Now we have option to work hard and find jobs that don’t care where we live.
The internet has changed everything, and it’s time to start embracing that change.
Here’s how to start engaging in post-geographical society.
1, Live frugally.
This is obviously the point of this blog, but I can’t stress it enough. Freelance jobs aren’t always there, and you never know when work is going to come and when it’s not. When I have an abundance of work I save as much as I can, because I never know when there is going to be a drought. When money isn’t coming, then I know it’s time to start working on awesome projects for free in order to build my portfolio and my reputation.
2, Be a good, friendly, awesome person.
Don’t be a downer, don’t be one of those people who expects the world and doesn’t give anything in return. There is a lot of trust involved in doing business over the internet, and people who are writing you checks want to know that you’re a good person. Be happy, be friendly, and most of all be generous with your time and your abilities.
Make your work shine and the people with jobs will be more than willing write the checks and recommend you.
3, Learn to love having less.
I really enjoy living a simple life, I like knowing that I won’t need a U-Haul to get my stuff to Chicago. I’m love freely parting with my possessions. I love cooking inexpensively at home, and cooking this way is a lot healthier and you can make a lot of really awesome dishes at home, once you learn. I love knowing that I can afford simple things like a bottle of wine, because I’m not spending on things I don’t need.
4, Do the work. Provide value and deliver quality to your clients and your colleagues.
A lot of people have this expectation that they shouldn’t be doing any work unless they’re being paid for it. This is one way of approaching business, and it works if you already have a steady full time job that’s all nice and cozy (or so those who have full time jobs would like to think, in reality full time jobs are the first thing to go when times are tough.)
Being selfish just doesn’t work when you’re freelancing and trying to engage in work on the internet. You have to give in order to get, and you have to do the work before you’ll get paid. I commonly will submit stellar mock-ups of my work to perspective clients before I even give them my quote. This way they know exactly what they’re getting, which is quality.
Also, I do a significant amount unpaid work for friends in order to build my reputation and get referrals. This might sound like madness to some, but it’s not. Giving free services is the best way to get paid gigs. I always start my client calls with ‘what’s your budget?’ and if they’re a poor artist with a big idea, I’m more than willing to do everything I can to make it happen.
The best example of this that I have is my work on GHOST Magazine recently. My friend Kendall Herbst, who recently got laid off from Lucky Magazine (those full time jobs aren’t as secure as you think.) started this awesome magazine to appeal to twenty-something readers, and we decided to self-publish it via Magcloud. I did all of the design and layout work, some illustration work, and photographed a fashion spread for the magazine. I did this all for free, because the project was awesome and is great material to show clients.
You can download a free PDF of GHOST Magazine here: http://issuu.com/evbogue/docs/ghost_magazine or you can order the printed version here (we make no profit off the printed version, the cost is just for printing.)
I could have said no to this project because it didn’t pay, but then the magazine wouldn’t have looked as phenomenal, and I wouldn’t be able to show it to anyone. By agreeing to work for free on these kinds of awesome projects, you can set yourself up for future work.
So, what’s the secret?
I guess after all of that you’re wondering where the secret is, how do you find this work? There is no secret. It’s different for everyone. I have specific skills that land me specific jobs online, you aren’t me and you have skills that are completely different than mine.
The important thing to know is that you can live this lifestyle. You just have to trust that the work is out there. Do the work, show what you’ve done, make everything you do online remarkable, and be brave enough to reach out to people who might need what you can offer.
November 10th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Text and photo by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
I recently read Twyla Tharp’s Creative Habit, and she starts the book with this line: “I walk into a large white room.†She then explains how she’s expected to create something beautiful out of nothing.
All dancers have to do this, walk into a white room and create something out of nothing. There is no exception.
I haven’t mentioned this before, but I trained as a dancer in Chicago for four years, and in New York for three. I went to NYU on a dance scholarship, and trained with some of the foremost minds in the New York City scene.
Then I started working in magazines–because it was easier to sit at a computer and play with photos? Regardless of how my career progressed, the training in dance that I’ve received has had a profound effect on the way I interpret the world.
Dance is very hard. After reading Twyla’s book on creativity, it’s so apparent why her book gets so close to the root of where creative energy comes from. She’s writing it from the perspective of a creative person who has to engage on a daily level with one of the hardest creative mediums on the planet.
Every day is a challenge when you’re work is pulling art out of a group of people in a blank white space. But at least it’s a fresh and exciting challenge.
It’s impossible to create work in a cluttered space. This is why Twyla works in a blank white room. It’s hard to come up with any decent work to put on a dancer if you’re working in a room full of crap. They could trip and fall.
I think we could do well to apply this theory to every creative field, maybe to everyday life.
Ideas don’t appear in clutter. They don’t magically manifest in chaos. Ideas need space to first generate, and then be executed.
Why ideas need space.
1, It’s impossible to come up with ideas when your constantly moving. A lot of people lead lives where they’re constantly moving, doing things, and just keeping endless busy. They feel like they’re being productive, but this is far from being in a creative mindset. They’re just endlessly turning the wheels and meanwhile they’re not doing anything useful.
2, When you find space the ideas will come. I find that most of my good ideas stem from boredom. I’ll have everything that I need to have done, all of my work is out of the way, all of the paychecks are on their way, and then ideas will just start hitting me one and after the other. Then the only challenge is just getting them down and executing them.
3, Empty space has openness. When you create an idea in an empty space, there is nothing else to judge it. There are no other ideas to interact with that idea poorly. When you create ideas in relation to other ideas there is a tendency to shoot one idea after the next down because you feel that they won’t work. Any idea can work in empty space, so you can work on the idea without pressure for it to perform. Then, of course, you execute the idea, if to doesn’t show results you know it’s bad, but at least didn’t give up on it before you started.
How to create space for ideas to flourish.
You’re probably wondering how to create space for ideas to begin to form. This is of course a challenge. Here are a few ideas that I try to focus on when I’m having trouble coming up with new ideas.
1, Stop moving so fast. As I said above, ideas are impossible to create if you’re keeping endlessly busy with busywork. Stop moving. Sit yourself down in that empty room, or at that empty desk and just breathe. The ideas will come. When they do, write them down.
2, Trust yourself. It’s important not to second guess everything that you do. If you kill every idea before it gets out of the starting gate you might as well not have thought of any ideas at all. Even if an idea sounds like it’s impossible to achieve initially, try to implement it anyway. Maybe impossible is not nearly as hard as you originally thought? Or maybe your idea isn’t impossible after all.
3, Don’t worry about being perfect. Nothing is perfect. Even most of Einstein’s theories have been proven wrong, or built upon after they were initially written down. Everything is imperfect and there is always something that can be improved upon. But if you spend five years tweaking idea, that’s five years that you’ve waited to publish that idea. Just get it out there, and revise it later.
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If you found this story useful, please send it to a friend who it would benefit. I’ll be so grateful, and so will they. Thank you.
November 6th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Written and photographed by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
We live in a reality that’s filled with deception. Every day when you step out on the street, when you log onto your computer, you’re being attacked.
You might not even be aware how often these assaults are happening, and I guarantee you that you’re encountering more danger than you’re even aware of.
What is this threat I speak of? Marketing and advertising. People getting you to buy stuff to fill up your life. This is the reason your life is so cluttered now, and it’s the reason you had a coffee this morning (and I had coffee this morning, they told me it’d make me think better!) When you’re reading that magazine story, you’d better bet a publicist called a journalist at some point down the line and gave access to the information you’re reading.
Somewhere along the way we lost the battle against the constant barrage of advertising impressions and ordered that Big Mac.
One of the most important aspects of being a minimalist is learning to overcome the power of advertising, and free yourself from being overpowered by the constant messages to buy that surround us.
What is the first line if defense against marketers?
You have to recognize when you’re being marketed to. Signs that have products on them are obvious, but that friendly smile the sandwich man gave you at the mall? That’s marketing too. Smiles are good, they make people happy, they also sell MacBooks.
The Internet is marketing to you as well. That blogger who just read that amazing book? He’s getting commission. That tweet about the cool story that someone just read? Planted by someone selling something. Your yoga studio is selling something, and your doctor is selling something.
There are a billion other ways that you’re being marketed at, I can’t list them all here.
Wow, I hope this isn’t news. If it is I’m probably blowing your mind.
Why should you avoid marketing?
Because buying stuff costs money and clutters your life. If you successful avoided every marketing scheme on the planet, for a year, you’d be healthier, richer, and also infinitely happier than you are buying into that nonsense.
How are you going to exist in a world where everyone is a marketer?
Study marketing. You have to know one to avoid one, right? Start noticing every single sign, advertisement, reading material, on so on, until you believe you’ve thought about the product all the way down the line to its starting point. Maybe read some books on marketing, so you know the modern day strategies that are employed by people who are selling you stuff.
Realize that some of the best things for you don’t have marketing teams.
One of these is vegetables. No one is setting up a tasting table for kale and apples at your local grocery store, because there isn’t a big incentive to. Kale and apples don’t make big corporations tons of money, so there’s no need to push them. But they’re really good for you!
Basic forms of exercise also don’t have a marketing team. Yes, you’re going to be marketed at by a gym, a yoga studio, or asked to buy a bow-flex by your television. You have to recognize that the best types of exercise also don’t have a marketing team working for them.
When was the last time you saw an ad on your television telling you to get out and take a short jog? Exactly. No one is trying to get people to go jogging because jogging doesn’t make corporations money. You might see ads for jogging pants, but not the basic act, which is free.
How do you decide when to buy stuff.
If you avoid every form of marketing, you might say that it’s hard to decide when to actually make a purchase. Here is how I decide, because I do need some things to survive after all.
1, I ask myself will I use this every day? Every week?
This is a big factor, because I move around a lot, and I can’t be bogged down by a closet full of clothes I don’t wear or kitchen utensils that I don’t eat with.
2, How many times will I use this?
There are a lot of one-off products out there, like digital movies for instance. I have to balance the cost versus how much money I actually have, and how much I’m trying to invest that money in my future. A ten dollar movie is taking me ten dollars farther away from my dreams, is it going to be worth it?
3, Do I already have these?
A lot of companies are selling a better something than the last company, in hopes that you’ll upgrade. Upgrade only when necessary! Do they want you to buy better clothes? The clothes you have are fine, until they’ve worn out. Do they want you to buy a new cellphone? Yours takes calls, doesn’t it? Upgrades can quickly become an cash-draining vortex.
4, Will this give my life value?
This is even more important. I use this as a guiding light when I approach every purchase that I make. Will I learn something from this? How will this make my life better? I never buy something that will make my life worse, I never buy anything that will lead to my being less free. Think about this rule when you’re eating too, because there are some foods out there that will really make your life have more value, like kale!
5, Is there any way I can get this for free?
I use this one a lot too. You can read books at the library, if they’re not at the library, you can read them in the bookstore. TV shows are available on Hulu.com (cover you eyes though, there are ads!) Craigslist and freecycle have huge free sections which are constantly being replenished as people move or discard their old stuff.
It’s a dangerous world out there, hopefully these marketing self-defense tricks will keep you safe. Good luck!
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What have you avoided buying recently? I’d love to hear in the comments.
November 5th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Tammy Strobel of Rowdykittens. Follow her on Twitter. Photo by Everett Bogue (I’m driving to Seattle, so Tammy is covering today!)
Prior to my downsizing journey, I read a lot of fitness and health magazines. Most of the magazines and books advocated buying more stuff, joining an expensive gym or promoted diets that were not healthy. I walked away from those magazines feeling depressed and overwhelmed.
Discovering the simple living movement helped me reconnect to my body and start taking small steps toward my fitness goals. Unplugging my television and selling my car gave me the time to meet my goals. Within the last few years, I started swimming with a master’s team again, ran a marathon and developed many long lasting friendships.
I can’t offer one solution to fit all; but here are a few simple fitness tips and activities that have helped me get in shape without buying new stuff.
1. Pick an activity you enjoy.
Getting fit means you have to move your body. So it’s essential to pick an activity you enjoy. It could be running, walking or yoga, but you need to like it. If you don’t like the activity, odds are you won’t follow through.
Running, walking, riding a bike and yoga are all low cost activities. You probably already have a pair of walking/running shoes, a bike and maybe a yoga mat at home. If not, start checking out local shops for sales.
Micro-action: Brainstorm 4-5 activities that you love. What gives you joy?
2. Move your body.
Move your body as much as possible. This can be hard in the modern world, especially if you have a desk job. I sit in front of a computer all day, but I do sometime of physical activity before arriving at the office and either walk or ride my bike to work.
If you don’t have a lot of free time, I’d encourage you to move closer to your place of employment. Moving closer to work and walking or biking to the office are great ways to get moving and don’t cost a lot of money.
Micro-action: Find 30 minutes in your day and get active.
3. Eat fresh and real food.
Eating good, real food has become part of my simple fitness plan.
Last year, I read In Defense of Food and changed my diet dramatically. Rather than eating packaged foods, most of my produce comes from the local farmer’s market. Eating real food has increased my energy level and is actually a lot less expensive.
If you have a local farmer’s market in your city, take advantage of it. I used to think that fast food was quick and easy. But I’ve changed my perspective. Cooking food at home saves time, money and it really is healthier and simpler.
Micro-action: Does your city have a farmer’s market? If you don’t know, find out and take a trip to the market.
4. Make time.
Make time in your life for physical exercise. Everyone has at least 30 minutes a day to participate in some-type of physical activity. If you don’t have the time, consider reorganizing your priorities.
Other options include unplugging the television or selling your car. I did both and finally moved off the couch and went outside.
Micro-action: Schedule a physical activity everyday.
5. Be patient.
Reaching any type of fitness goal takes time, so be patient. Getting in shape won’t happen over night. For instance, I just started doing yoga and realized how weak my core is! I have a lot of work to do when it comes to strength training and I know it will take time.
Starting out is the easy point, but sticking with your fitness goals is the hard part.
Micro-action: Connect to a support network or find a workout buddy to keep you focused.
Closing Thoughts…
Above all, do what you love and brings you joy. Your body will thank you.
November 4th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Writing and photo by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
I’m going to get a little scientific on you, and let me tell you in advance that I’m no scientist, so forgive me if I have this all wrong. I was reading My Stroke of Insight this afternoon, which is a brilliant book about a woman who loses use of the left half of her brain because of a stroke and discovers oneness with the universe, she later regains use of that side of her brain and writes the book –anyway, I’d suggest reading it.
The author, Jill Bolte Taylor Ph.D., was explaining the difference between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain. The left hemisphere is the side that worries about things, thinks about the past and the future, it’s that little voice inside your head that’s always screaming at you that you’re doing things wrong. She was describing the right side of the brain as like the part of the brain which embraces the now, and can comprehend the big picture. The author lost use of the left side of her brain, hence finding Nirvana.
This got me thinking about how elegant minimalism is.
By adopting a minimalist approach to life you’re reducing things like…
…You start to free up space in your brain to be creative, to look at the big picture, and just be open to what happens to you. It’s a very effective way of balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
And this opens you up to an entire universe of understanding that just isn’t possible when you’re overwhelmed and overburdened by your life.
Pursuing this way of life can open you up to an entire new universe.
…Which I’m going to be doing this weekend. I’m out for the rest of the week, because my girlfriend is town for a brief 5-day period and I’m going to spend every second with her! Because she’s awesome.
But be sure to check in. Tammy from Rowdy Kittens will be guest writing an exciting post tomorrow, and my minimalist roommate Anika will be posting on Friday. Don’t miss what they have to say by subscribing to our RSS feed.
November 3rd, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink
Written and photographed by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
My minimalist roommate Anika just exclaimed “This life we lead is good, isn’t it?†It is, I say. She’s been living out of a backpack for awhile now, traveling from here to there, you’ll hear about her adventures and advice on Friday when she’ll be guest posting here. Tammy from Rowdy Kittens will be guest posting here on Thursday, which I’m incredibly excited about. Maybe subscribe to the RSS feed, so you don’t miss their posts!
I’ll be in Seattle for the end of the weekend with my girlfriend who’s visiting from NY, we’re seeing what that city is all about. If you know the area, let me know what to check out while we’re there.
How I made the decision to liberate myself.
I’ve always had very few possessions, but being a minimalist isn’t just about what you carry with you. It’s your entire engagement with the world. I spent the last three years in New York living with very few possessions, but I admittedly did spend a lot of money. New York is like that, it sucks you in and spits you out without your wallet.
There’s a moment when everything changes, when you can’t turn back.
I think there was a tipping point, when I figured out just how rewarding this life would be. Living day to day, place to place, consuming the minimum, existing a little bit on the fringes. Watching the busy people running around frantically trying to support their overextended lifestyles, smiling, and then going back home and writing a little. Trying to help spread a little more knowledge about where I’ve been, where you can go.
I think the moment when I couldn’t go back came when I started meeting people who were living this way, at the minimum, traveling from here and there making their living doing new and exciting things. I saw how they could get by with little, and I started to realize that I didn’t need to be making as much money (and spending as much money) as I was in New York. I hope by writing this I can help a few more people achieve this state of being.
I gradually began to stop consuming and started living.
Minimalism is like the secret room that no one wants you to know about, and how peaceful it is. We’re all bombarded by advertising every day, claiming that we need one more thing, that we’ll be happier if we just buy more. It’s not hard to understand how we’re conditioned to want to spend, but it’s hard reversing the work of (rough estimation) hundreds of billions of dollars of corporate spending to make us want just one more thing.
The rewards are infinite though. Freedom can’t be bought, it can only be found.
It’s sitting right here, you’ve just got to slowly work your way backwards from the grand buildup of possessions and spending and join us on the minimalist path.
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Hi! I'm Everett Bogue, a cybernetic yogi supporting mindfulness in the future of human/technological evolution. I'm the author of
This blog is about existing in the modern age of augmented humanity.
Ev has spoken at Stanford, worked at New York Magazine, and was named one of Problogger's top bloggers to watch in 2011.
Ev is speaking at This is Mindful in Melbourne Australia on May 21st 2011 #cometomelbourne.
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Required reading:
What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly.
Required viewing:
Augmented Humanity by Eric Schmidt
You're a Cyborg by Amber Case
Brainwave Headsets by Tan Lee
5,000 Days of the Web by Kevin Kelly
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