Category: Minimalist Experiment

Crippling FaceBook

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I’ve already Minimized Twitter, now it’s time to cripple FaceBook. Like Twitter, I think that FaceBook has its positive attributes, but I also think that it’s too easy to spend far too much time on there. And I want to spend less time on my computer.

What I like about FaceBook

  • Allows me to keep in touch with family and friends who are geographically spread out
  • Provides an opportunity for business to keep in touch with clients/potential clients

That’s it, two things. I don’t care for the games, for the ads, or for the idea that just because I’ve met someone we should be FaceBook friends.

Steps to Cripple FaceBook

  • Just like with Twitter, I had too many friends on FaceBook. Well over the 150 that Dunbar’s law states we can be friends with. So it was time to cut back. I went from around 300 to just over 50. This wasn’t a one-time event, but whenever I had a few free minutes I would go and scan through the list and delete people that I don’t actually talk to or keep tabs on.
  • Since I’ve got fewer people clogging up my feed stream, it is easier to read through it and get up-to-date. I can now do so in less than 5 minutes, including responding to any messages that I may receive.
  • After reading this post by the Practical Nerd, I went into FaceBook and turned off all of my email notifications (the only kind that I had). Now I won’t know when someone has sent me a message, unless I log into FaceBook and check. But that’s ok. They are never urgent, and checking once a day is more than enough.
  • Finally, since I’m also tired of all the ads on FaceBook, I installed a GreaseMonkey script for the FireFox browser that hides all of the ads and suggested friends and junk on the right side of the screen. Now when I log into FaceBook, there are fewer distractions and less clutter on the screen.

As of right now, FaceBook has been crippled. I can use it to do what I want, without getting sucked in for hours. I’ll try it out like this for now and see if I want to change it any more.

Packing for the “100 Thing Challenge”

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I’ve begun to pack things away for the “100 Thing Challenge”, and it’s interesting to see how it’s coming. Not the packing away part, that’s easy enough. The challenge is feeling like I have enough to cover the “what-if” questions that pop up while being realistic about the answers.

For example, I continually worry that I won’t have enough clothes. What if some event comes up when I need a particular outfit? Realistically, what I’ve set aside is more than I actually wear on a week-to-week basis. On a long-term basis, if I really needed something else, I would go out and either borrow or buy it. I can do the same thing this month, unless I already happen to have it, then I can just pull it out and be good to go (which is just another form of borrowing).

I get to cheat a little

It’s easier to plan what clothing to keep since I’m only covering a month’s time. If I were planning for a whole year, I would have to be prepared for temperatures ranging from 0°F to about 100°F. That makes for additional clothing that I would need (especially for the colder temperatures).

Of course, this advantage didn’t occur to me until I was separating my clothes. I started to stack my shorts on the upper shelf in my closet, right next to my sweaters, when I realized how good I have it. Of course, I then went back and added two sweaters and a hoodie to my list, since I’m trying to be realistic about this. (Good thing that I have those extra spaces left!)

Current progress

  1. All of my socks, underwear, doo rags, and bandannas now fit into a single drawer in the dresser.
  2. I’ve moved the clothes that I’m “keeping” onto one shelf, and the non-100 onto a separate shelf.
  3. My motorcycle gear was already separated, so I didn’t have to do anything different about that.
  4. The shoes that I won’t be wearing are stashed in the back of the closet, out of sight.
  5. I cleared my desk of non-100 items.
  6. My dresser and bedside table are now empty of non-100 items.
  7. Purged my backpack of non-100 thing items.

I think that I’m mostly done and ready to go. The hardest part is separating school stuff from non-school stuff. Do I need to keep out that canvas, or am I just doing so because I might “want to maybe use it sometime?” Hard as it might be, when I run into a question like that, it’s time to pack it away.

I discovered that other than clothes, most of the pruning consisted of decorations and doubles. I stashed away a lot of things that I never use (jewelry box with jewelry that is never worn), some mementos, and a lot of spare items (ie: the 15 pencils and pens that I had in my backpack)

Fortunately this wasn’t hard work. It consisted more of making the time to move things things around than it was a challenge to separate them. If I were actually getting rid of things, that might have been a whole different story!

“100 Things” List

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Since I’m working on the 100 Thing Challenge, I thought that it would be a good idea to have an easier to find, more permanent list of the 100 things that I’m keeping. So created a permanent list and added a link at the top of the screen. It’s called “My 100 Things”, which I thought was pretty self explanatory. Any time you want to see what I’ve got, or how my list has changed, just head to that link to check it out.

Trying the “100 Thing Challenge”

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I’ve read about the 100 Thing Challenge before, and found the idea intriguing. Recently I’ve been thinking about it again, this time with more interest in giving it a try. Unlike Dave, the originator of the idea, I am not interested in selling all but 100 of my personal possessions. However, I think that I could happily live for an extended period of time while limiting myself to 100 personal items. So, as an extension of the Minimalist Experiment, I’m going to pack away almost everything that I own and give it a try for one month.

The Basic Concept

The Goal: Live for with only 100 personal things for the entire month of October, 2010.

The Rules

  • “Personal Things” means things that are entirely or mostly mine. Shared objects (like the bed) are not personal and thus won’t be counted.
  • A few things are counted in groups. For example: the power cord, mouse and earbuds always go with the computer, so together they are a system: one item. In the original rules, like items could be clumped together: underwear, 1 item; socks, 1 item. I may do that, once I determine how many items I will be using.
  • I won’t be throwing things away, or getting rid of them. I will simply be storing them away for the month’s experiment. After the experiment, I may decide to get rid of some of them, or not.

I’ve got a couple of weeks to prepare for this experiment. I’ve been thinking about what I use on a daily basis and made a tentative list of the 100 things I’ll need to keep out. Over the next few days I’ll pay more attention to what I use day to day so that I can tweak my list before the month starts.

My 100 Things

    Clothes

  1. jeans
  2. jeans
  3. jeans
  4. khakis
  5. gym shorts
  6. swim trunks
  7. shorts
  8. track pants
  9. pj pants, silk
  10. pj pants, cotton
  11. pj pants, fleece
  12. running shoes
  13. sanuks
  14. dress shoes, brown sketchers
  15. dress shoes, brown other
  16. belt, leather
  17. belt, leather, 2-sided
  18. belt, fabric
  19. tie
  20. watch
  21. bandanna
  22. handkerchief, white
  23. handkerchief, blue
  24. suit
  25. underwear, group counted as 1 item
  26. socks, group counted as 1 item
  27. dress shirt
  28. dress shirt
  29. dress shirt
  30. dress shirt
  31. button shirt
  32. button shirt
  33. button shirt
  34. polo shirt
  35. polo shirt
  36. polo shirt
  37. t-shirt
  38. t-shirt
  39. t-shirt
  40. t-shirt
  41. running shirt, black
  42. running shirt, gray
  43. rain jacket
  44. sweater
  45. sweater
  46. hoodie

    47. Daily Use

  47. glasses, prescription
  48. wedding ring
  49. desk chair
  50. pillow
  51. pillow case
  52. wallet
  53. pocket knife
  54. chapstick
  55. keys
  56. sticky-note pad
  57. cell phone (incl: charger)

    58. Hygiene

  58. razor (incl: brush, soap, stand)
  59. washcloth
  60. towel
  61. deodorant
  62. toothbrush
  63. electric clippers

    64. Work

  64. backpack
  65. laptop (incl: mouse, power cord, headphones)
  66. camera (incl: case, charger, mini-tripod)
  67. Moleskine planner
  68. fountain pen (incl: bottle of ink, needle for refill)
  69. 3-ring binder
  70. misc. writing instruments

    71. School

  71. books, 2
  72. sketchbooks, 2
  73. cardboard tube – for transporting work from home to school on motorcycle
  74. art supplies, drawing
  75. art supplies, painting

    76. Transportation

  76. motorcycle
  77. helmet
  78. boots, slip-on
  79. boots, lace-up
  80. doo rag, skulls
  81. doo rag, American flag
  82. jacket, leather flight
  83. jacket, textile motorcycle
  84. gloves, leather

    85. Eat

  85. bowl
  86. plate
  87. mug
  88. glass
  89. fork
  90. spoon
  91. knife
  92. stainless steel water bottle

    93. Other

  93. books in library
  94. tools
  95. camping gear

As you can see, I still have some extra items that I could hold on to. I’m leaving the slots open so that I can easily see where I am at.

I went ahead and included the dishes that I use on a regular basis. Since I’m thinking about limiting myself to only a single set, I will have to wash them after eating every meal. I may quickly tire of having to do dishes after every meal, but I think it will also add an interesting twist to the experiment. They may not make it to the final list, replaced as I pack away the rest of my items and discover that I have overlooked a few things that I will need.

We’ll see how it goes. It is, after all, only the preliminary stages of an experiment.

I Don’t Need An iPhone

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While reading this post on mnmlist.com, I realized that this is exactly what I need to do. I need to subtract the desire from my life, not the need for the object.

I don’t need an iPhone, but I like the idea of having one and often want one. I think that one would be quite useful, for a variety of reasons:

  • Use it as a phone, to make and receive calls and check my voicemail.
  • Use it as an alarm clock.
  • Built-in camera.
  • Utilize the calendar function to track my schedule.
  • Keep track of my contacts.
  • Start lots of lists/notes to myself to capture data.
  • Play games.

The thing is…

I can already do those things with what I already have. Sure, my system’s not as flashy, it has more parts, but it’s entirely functional. Here’s what I’ve already got:

  • A cell phone that does far more than I want.
  • Including have 5 alarms that cover my alarm needs.
  • And a camera, even if it’s not quite as good as the iPhone’s.
  • I carry a Moleskine planner around. It’s small enough that it fits into my pocket, but large enough that I can track my schedule and other stuff.
  • Such as carry a contacts book in the back with more space than I have entries to fill it with.
  • And enough space for me to scribble in, as well as a handy surface to attach sticky-notes with that day’s todo list.
  • My current cell phone has some games on it, they just aren’t as fancy. Plus, I have more than enough to occupy me without killing time with games.
  • I always have a writing instrument or two with me, so I don’t have to worry about scrounging for a pen.

Why Would I Change?

Since my current system works just fine, and has for over a year now, there are only two reasons that I might change it.

  1. Because of my minimalist desires I can see where it would be a good thing for me to carry a single device instead of the 3 (cell phone, Moleskine planner, fountain pen) that I am currently using.
  2. It’s new and shiny and I want it. Basic desire. I don’t need an iPhone, but I want one because I see so many other people around me who have one.

Why I Won’t Change

Despite the two reasons above, I won’t be getting an iPhone any time soon. Here’s why:

  1. It’s a single device, yes, but is it wise to become dependent upon a more fragile system? My current phone can be replaced very cheaply. Sure, my Moleskine shouldn’t get wet, but it will dry out and keep working, which I’m not sure can be said about the iPhone. Likewise, I can drop my Moleskine and not have a heart-attack. I don’t ever have to be concerned that the batteries in my Moleskine might run out. Part of my minimalist goals are to minimize the stress and worry in my life; I feel that a gadget like the iPhone would be counter-productive in light of this goal.
  2. I don’t need it. Why spend money on something that I don’t need? This is the Modern Luddite coming out in me. The technology would be nice to have, but it’s not needed and isn’t necessarily “better” than my current system.
  3. I can’t get it without a data package. If I could, I might consider getting an iPhone. However, I just can’t justify increasing my monthly cell phone bill just to have a shiny new toy. If you look at my list of things I would use an iPhone for, you’ll notice that none of them require the internet. If I did want to check my email, I could easily use the WiFi access that I am around the majority of the time. A data plan is a waste of my money and would only provide an added distraction.

An iPhone (or any other “smart” phone, for that matter) isn’t something that I see in my near future. Even though they might offer some decent advantages to my current system, over-all they are not a step in the right direction. Too dependent on modern technology, too expensive, too distracting, and too stress inducing. I’ll keep my dumb phone for now.

Minimalist Twitter

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Now that I’ve started over with Twitter from scratch, how do I keep using it in a productive way without letting it take over my life? Careful time management. (If you don’t know what Twitter is, find out here.)

Twitter in 10 Minutes a Day

I once read that twitter can be used in 10 minutes a day. Putting that advice to use has proven to work for me. Since I’m trying to spend less time on my computer I figured that returning to this strategy would be a move in the right direction. It is easy enough to schedule 10 minutes during the day to spend on twitter, and then be done until the next day.

Even though I have downloaded and used TweetDeck, I find that I am more likely to stick to my time limit when I just use twitter.com.

The first 4 minutes

I spend the first 4 minutes checking messages that I have received. Either Direct Messages or @replies. Since these are the messages that are specifically intended for me, I feel that they deserve the first of my attention and a response.

The next 4 minutes

I then use the next 4 minutes to see what’s going on. I read other people’s tweets, retweet the ones that I like and generally get a feel for the trending topics. No, in 4 minutes I won’t see all of the tweets since the last time I checked, but as I scan through them I can read quite a bit (especially since I’ve drastically narrowed down the people that I am following) and pass on some good information to my followers.

The final 2 minutes

Now that I’ve gotten up to speed on what has happened since I last checked, I finally tweet about myself. This can include things that I’m doing (what I’m reading, which includes interesting links), adventures I’m taking part in, or interesting things that I’ve found (recipes, books, photos, etc). If I have a question, either for someone in particular or just for twitter in general, I will ask it now. When I have a product that I’m promoting, I can also carefully mention it now.

My 10 minutes is up

Since my 10 minutes has been spent, I’m done with twitter for the day. If I do decide to come back later in the day, I follow this same schedule, so that I don’t end up spending too much time on the site.

Forgotten Clothes

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If you remember, as part of the Minimalist Experiment, I went through my closet and got rid of the clothes that I don’t wear on a regular basis. Some of the clothes I threw away, some I donated to goodwill, and some I put in a duffel bag and stashed in the back of my closet (now that I had the room).

Over the weekend I remembered that I had that duffel bag tucked into my closet. I had completely forgotten about it! One month has passed and I’ve easily made it on about one-third of my clothes.

Clothing List Changes

  • I’ve had to throw away a couple pairs of socks, which was expected.
  • I purchased a new pair of sleep pants. I definitely wear these enough to keep them around! (I might need to get rid of the other ones that I kept, however.)
  • I received two t-shirts as gifts. Again, I wear them often enough to keep them around. (Also again, it might be worth weeding out my unworn t-shirts.)

Challenges

  • Since I only kept 7 undershirts, I have run out a time or two, on laundry day. Not a problem, just an inconvenience. My wife would say that I should do the laundry a day earlier.
  • Similarly with the socks; since I haven’t opened the new packs of ankle socks yet, I’ve run out once or twice. Again, not a problem.
  • Apparently I don’t love all of my dress shirts. I keep wearing the same two over and over. I guess I need to weed out the ones that I don’t wear and keep an eye out for new ones to replace them, as I would like some variety in my options.

About That Forgotten Duffel Bag

Since I’d forgotten about the bag being in the closet, much less what was in it, I suppose that it is time to donate its contents to charity. The best way to do this is to just dump the contents into a bag without looking and then go drop it off.

Of course, I’m not going to do that. -sheepish grin- Because I wish I had some different dress shirts, I will see what is in my bag (no point in buying new ones if I have good ones already in my possession). If there is nothing that I like, it will be donated immediately. I have specific items that I am looking for, and can safely ignore anything else that I find.

Empty Closet Space

With the duffel bag gone, I’ll have some extra space in my closet. I imagine it will quickly be filled with art supplies, since I had to bring them all home from school. A dedicated storage space where I can organize them would be quite a relief. Now, if only I could figure out where to install a studio space…

What would you do with an entire empty shelf in your closet?

No Spend Week

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Do you ever realize that you just spent too much money? My wife and I did this weekend. To even out the budget, we’re going to have a “No Spend Week”. Fortunately, this fits in with the Minimalist Experiment quite nicely.

The concept is simple, we won’t spend any un-necessary money this week. So what do we consider necessary?

  • Gas. The tank’s about half-full, so we’ll have to fill ‘er back up in a few days.
  • Charitable donations. We’ve already planned our donations for the week and set the money aside, so it will be given just as we planned.
  • Rent. As with the donations, the money is already set aside. That and we like living here and don’t want to have a hard time with our landlords.

That’s it. Nothing else.

We have a fridge full of left-overs, and a well-stocked pantry. We certainly won’t go hungry this week, even without a trip to the grocery store. At worst we’ll have to forego fresh fruit with our lunches, instead breaking out the bag of frozen fruit we’ve stashed away.

It will be easy to avoid shopping, as we simply won’t head to any stores. We have enough daily-use items that we aren’t concerned about running out. I’ve already simplified my clothes so I know that I can get by without anything new for a while.

The hardest cut-off will be our coffee shop visits. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I use them for their parking spaces. Those mornings I am playing taxi for my wife, waiting while she’s in class. It’s easy to find parking and I can generally get some work done (many posts have been hammered out in the 50 minutes I’m sitting on the sofas in the back.)

This week I’m hoping for nice weather, so that I can head over to the arboretum and possibly get some sketching done. This time of year, when the flowers are just beginning to bloom, it’s a beautiful place to be. If not, I’ll find somewhere else to while away the time.

While this week will provide us with some challenges, we know that we can do it. It will be quite an exciting feeling to know that we won’t have to be checking our account balances, since they won’t be changing this week!

Simple Finances

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I find it amazing how complicated one can make their personal finances. Especially since all it really amounts to is “spend less than you earn.” (This is something I struggle with, as well.)

I know I’ve written about personal finance before, but I’ve recently been wanting to redo my tracking/planning system. As part of the Minimalist Experiment, I’m going to try and make it as simple as possible.

The tracking/planning system needs to be easy to use, take little time, and provide a lot of useful output. To these ends, I will be sticking with a spreadsheet. One page will be an over-view of my finances, and the other 12 will show each month’s budget and expenses. Since I’ve already created a tracking system, it shouldn’t be hard to come up with a newer, simpler one.

Hopefully I’ll have this ready to share by Wednesday. Check back to see what I come up with!

Minimalist Packing

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Cleaning out my closet really helped me as I packed for my spring break trip. It’s harder to over-pack when you don’t have much to carry in the first place!

I’ve already talked about how important it is to pack light when traveling, but in light of the Minimalist Experiment, I thought I would revisit this topic.

My wife and I are just finishing up our week-long spring break trip to San Antonio. Because of the added cost for any checked baggage, we made sure to bring everything we wanted in our carry-on luggage. Since I only kept about a week’s worth of clothing, this was a simple enough task. I just took everything I had. (Not really, but I did clear out a few drawers.)

So, the rule (1!) of minimalist packing: Don’t take anything that you won’t need. It’s that simple.

It’s very easy to pack extra things, “just in case”. One extra item in each category, and you quickly wind up with far more than you need or want to carry. Do you really need a separate outfit for every day, or can you get some laundry done at your destination? Can you just use the toiletries at the hotel instead of carrying your own (and having the hassle of airport security)? Will you really get so dirty that you need an extra outfit?

Our trip involved a good bit of work, would include working out three days a week, and, of course, a couple of plane rides. I didn’t need to dress up for anything, which always makes it easier. I managed to fit everything into my carry-on.

Packing List

  • 2 jeans – for working/ painting, etc
  • basketball shorts – for running, sleeping, lounging
  • 9 shirts – 1 for each day, and one for exercising
  • 9 socks – 1 for each day, and one for exercising
  • 9 underwear – 1 for each day, and one for exercising
  • hoodie – for the chilly night temperatures
  • 2 handkerchiefs – they take up no space, and are handy for many things
  • toiletries – since I will be sharing my room, I decided not to rely on hotel toiletries – deodorant, soap bar from last trip, toothbrush, and toothpaste
  • sketchpad, watercolors, waterbrush – I’m working on sketching more often throughout the day, I’ll get lots of practice in the airport/on the plane
  • notebook – studying to do, and also lets me write out my ever-present lists
  • book – distractions for the airport and before bed
  • assorted – camera, charger, phone, phone charger, water bottle

This might seem like a lot. However, it was planned so that upon returning home, everything I have has been used, and the only clean clothes are the ones I’m wearing. While I could have packed lighter and done a bit of laundry half-way through the week, I didn’t want to. I minimized the work necessary while still providing me with everything that I needed.

The trip was wonderful, and easier because I had less to deal with. One backpack is quite manageable. Flying with carry-on only is the way to go when possible!