Tag: de-clutter

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Is Minimalism the Answer?

Over the last few months, I’ve been mulling over the idea of eliminating everything I own that serves no purpose. This of course is a lot of stuff.

If I’m to uphold the idea of living with purpose, then that means by extension that I don’t do things without purpose. At the very least, I shouldn’t partake in things that are detrimental to my purpose.

But what about things that are just fun? Can you live “with a purpose” without every single thing you do affected by it? Does your purpose interact with your recreation time? Should you even have recreation time to begin with?

So with great trepidation, let us descend into the depths of the question: Is it okay for devoted, purpose-driven Christians to own stuff for having fun?

The simple answer, of course, is “it depends.” God is not opposed to people having fun. God is, however, opposed to people being self-centered and putting other things before Him.

I don’t think most Christians want to deliberately disobey God. But we are very good at making excuses for doing things we like, even when we know it’s wrong.

And what’s more, there is a never-ending stream of people who will tell you how you can’t have fun, or at the very least, try to tell you how you’re allowed to enjoy yourself.

I don’t want to be either one of those people: not a killjoy, and not making excuses. I want the truth. What does God expect of me? Continue reading “Is Minimalism the Answer?”

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Hard Decisions

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to do is choose between two good things.

Sounds like a good problem to have, right? “Do I take the Ferrari, or the Lambo?”

But I really need to explain.

I can’t become a full-time published writer if I’m fiddling with music stuff, or building things, or even restoring my old car. Could I even carve out more than an hour a day to write? Is that even possible?

I am stretched to my limit as it is, really. I can’t do anything without it cutting into something else on my calendar. I’m double-booking myself in hopes that one of the engagements falls through. I’m on borrowed time.

Time management schemes only work to a certain extent, especially when there’s things to deal with like unreliable vehicles, conflicting work schedules, unplanned emergencies, drama, and a full-time job. There just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done in a timely manner, no matter how much I shuffle things around.

I feel like my days have been short-sheeted. I keep trying to pull the covers to one side, and it uncovers me somewhere else.
So how do I get rid of some of these projects and responsibilities? Guess what? It takes free time- which I am already short on. Something has to give.

I could leave my projects sit, untouched, for months and not be worried about it. But that’s not an option, because the stuff piles up and clutters the house, making it difficult for everybody to get things done. Not to mention it clutters my thought process! But it takes more time and energy to cleanse them from view.

I don’t have solutions yet. I just know where I need to go, and hopefully will be able to document how I get there.

Onward, and upward!

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Getting Back Into Evernote

I’m actually a big fan of Evernote, if you hadn’t heard. However, I haven’t been using it much lately. Partly, that’s because I made the mistake of using it (on my tablet) at work, and for some inexplicable reason, Evernote massively multiplied the photos I had uploaded, which maxed out my free account monthly bandwidth in about 10 minutes. I thought I had fixed it and deleted the offending notes, but alas, as soon as my limit reset, it promptly locked me out again for another month.

After a few tries, I managed to delete (really delete) the posts causing it, and everything returned to normal. By then, however, I had gotten out of the habit of using it!

Now I’ve decided to get back into it. Especially with it being Tax Season in the States, there will be plenty of paperwork and things to keep track of. So how do I get back in the swing? I guess I have to start with some things I have lying around, ready to be filed. The program is free, so the only thing it requires is some planning and a little time.

There are currently only four viable options if you want to use Evernote on your Linux computer (that I know of).

  1. Evernote for Windows client in an emulator
  2. Evernote web client in a browser
  3. NixNote/Nevernote
  4. Everpad

Continue reading “Getting Back Into Evernote”

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One-A-Day

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Today’s de-clutter: Plastic tubs. This one has miles of cables and wires in it. All good stuff, but not things I’d use on a regular basis. If it stays in the tub for a year, then it’s safe to say you don’t need it.

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One-A-Day

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Today’s one-a-day purge item: magazines! I have tons and tons of old car mags. The only subscription I currently have is to Bicycle Times (which is an awesome publication) and they offer it in digital form. How to minimise? Convert your magazines to digital form!

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One-A-Day

Some of you may have heard of the popular multivitamin One-A-Day. The premise is that you need to take one every day for complete health.I’d like to take credit for it, but my wife gave me the idea of getting rid of “one thing a day” to make simplifying easier. It’s genius.

I’ve been working on simplifying my life, living frugally, and generally just enjoying life more. The concept of simplifying everything at once is daunting, and most people never make it past the first day or two. But one thing a day? Just get rid of one thing a day? Anybody can do that. Right?

So here we go. I’m going to try to post up something I’m getting rid of or simplifying every single day. More or less.

Today’s purge item: an old analog 4-port KVM Switch from my computer business days.

4-Port KVM Switch