Taking Simplifying to the Next Level

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Taking Simplifying to the Next Level

Some minimalism bloggers go beyond the superficial, and I so appreciate their writing. Some published authors really satisfy, such as Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez (Your Money or Your Life) and Duane Elgin (Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich). I’ve also found myself looking to religious texts for another level of simplifying.

But I’ve been simplifying, really, for most of my adult life. Now I’m wondering, what’s next? How do I level-up, go beyond “things” and dive deeper?

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The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People

Posted by On Filed under Art, Books, Doing Business Differently, Health, Money
The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People

I’m fascinated by how things (and people) work. So imagine how interested I was in this infographic about the daily routines of famous creative people.

Once you’ve got a handle on the color coding and the creative people documented in it, click on the image to bring it up in a new tab.

On the Podio webpage, you can toggle between the daily routines. Interested in the sleep routines of your favorite creatives? Click on Sleep in the legend and you’ll only see that category in the chart. Likewise, with creative work, day jobs, etc.

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How I decluttered 1,000 things in 3 years

Posted by On Filed under Money, Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism
How I decluttered 1,000 things in 3 years

I moved to Vermont in 2003 with too many things, into a too tiny apartment. I had wall-to-wall stuff and when you constantly have to dust, step over, move or ignore things you don’t even like, it’s time to declutter.

Even when I moved to a huge apartment three years later, I still noticed the sporting goods piled up in the corner and the spare bedroom full of boxes of more stuff.

A bit like Goldilocks, that first apartment was too small, the second was too big, and my current apartment is just right. Nonetheless, I continue to develop an ethos and aesthetic that revolves around simplicity, utility and beauty in all areas of my life.

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Budgeting for the Bucket List Life

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Budgeting for the Bucket List Life

This post was previously published on the BucketList.org blog in December 2014.

Living the Bucket List Life inevitably costs money. Not always a lot, but oftentimes something. So how do you decide what to spend to accomplish your bucket list goals?

I asked some friends how they budget for “vacations” and did some research online, it seems like a lot of people just pick the vacation they want and either save up or put it on a credit card. Very few people actually seem to be budgeting for their bucket list life.

But you’ve got a long bucket list, right? Bucketlist.org readers want to drink vodka in Russia, pay for a child’s Cleft lip surgery, complete a Spartan Sprint, and much more!

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Review: Life Expectancy Calculators

Posted by On Filed under Bucket List, Health, Money, Pause for Reflection, Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism
Review: Life Expectancy Calculators

I focus intensely on living a good life. I actively work on my bucket list, which has provided some crazy adventures. I focus on experiences over material possessions and have gotten my finances in order to support my larger life goals.

Sometimes, this focus inevitably leads to thoughts on how much life I might have left.

From a young age, I wasn’t spared the experience of death. I attended the funerals of grandparents and great grandparents, lost a friend in high school, and have lost many more since, unfortunately. I say this because not everyone has been this close to mortality. Some folks have never been to a funeral, for example, or are lucky enough to still have grandparents around.

I’m just laying the groundwork for what this blog post is about. To be blunt, it’s about life expectancy. But, in reality, it’s about living and living well.

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6 Tips for the Best Beach Vacation (Landlubbers Edition)

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6 Tips for the Best Beach Vacation (Landlubbers Edition)

This post was previously published on the BucketList.org blog in August 2014.

As cold temperatures move in on the northern hemisphere, many are looking to book beach vacations in the coming months. In my first year of getting out of debt, a beach vacation was a top bucket list priority for this Midwesterner living in the Northeast.

Now, there are lots of websites to help you find a great beach spot and figure out what to do once there, so this post is written more for those who’ve never really spent a week on a beach before.

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Getting Out of Debt: The Bucket List Goal to Make All Other Goals Possible

Posted by On Filed under Bucket List, Money
Getting Out of Debt: The Bucket List Goal to Make All Other Goals Possible

This post was previously published on the BucketList.org blog in September 2014.

I’ve been racking up debt since college. A few years after graduation, I had over $42,000 of it, from student loans, a new car and the day-to-day reliance on credit. Over 1,500 BucketList.org users have “getting out of debt” as a goal, so we are not a small tribe.

After getting out of debt in 2013, I can definitively say that this is the one goal that will make many other goals possible.

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