Where to start?

So you’ve been looking at this idea of minimalism for a while now and it sounds great and all, but you’re not quite sure where to start. Great question! You can be paralyzed quite quickly and not be able to make any progress because you’re not sure where to start.

The easy answer.....PICK A PLACE! Start simple. Maybe it’s the drawer that you just throw things in. Here’s the thing....don’t just “go through” it and “organize” it. You’re just rearranging the junk and the clutter. What do you use and what don’t you use? What has value and what doesn’t? You can start with books. You can start with your kitchen utensils. It doesn’t matter where, just picking a place and starting is the most important place.

If you join The Minimalist Musician group on Facebook, I’ll be starting a challenge in August. It’s really, really easy. Each day, you choose the number of items to get rid of corresponding to the number of the day. So, August 1st, you get rid of one thing, the 2nd, you get rid of 2, and so on until you get to the 31st. On the 31st, you’ll have to get rid of 31 things. If you follow this, you will get rid of 496 items. That seems like a lot, but I think once you get going, you’ll see it’s not hard at all! I’ll be giving more details over the next few days in the group so we can get ready to start on August 1st!

Simple

In response to my post yesterday "Discipline and focus", I received a comment. It said "Wow, you mean the secret to getting things done is just doing them? And the cure for a lack of discipline is sticking to your calendar? Why didn't I think of that!" 

If eating healthy were so simple, why is the diet and exercise industry so large?

If keeping a neat and tidy home were so simple, why are there so many resources out there to help you, or how many people pay someone else to clean their homes?

If staying disciplined were so simple, why are there so many books about how to be more disciplined?

I don't ask these questions to argue, rather, to make the point that these things aren't as simple as they seem to be. While we may have the best of intentions to do things, there are other things that get in the way. Or, as was my point in writing the post yesterday, we lose focus. As I said, I'm awesome at being focused for short periods of time....and then I fall off. And I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

While I may have the best of intentions for my calendar, being a church music minister, things come up. Like funeral. The last 2 weeks, I've had 2 funerals to prepare for and play for. That takes priority over other things when it comes to practicing. 

When you work, when you have children, or even if you don't, maintaining focus and discipline is not the simplest thing in the world. If the secret to get things done is just doing them, then we'd have no problems. We'd be the most productive people on the planet. The productivity section in your local bookstore would cease to exist. If the cure for a lack of discipline is sticking to your calendar, then calendar sales would be off the charts! But neither of these are the case. Why? Because it's not that simple.

Life is a series of choices. Sometimes we choose well. Sometimes we choose poorly. I've made my share of good choices. I've made my share of poor choices. As I've grown older, I've learned that I don't have all of the answers, and I try to look to and lean on others for help. Because it's not that simple. 

So is that it? Just throw your hands up and say, "well, it's not that simple, so I'm sunk"? Not at all. My point in writing the post yesterday and this one is to share that while it isn't simple, you keep trying. While I did awesome in January at eating healthy and exercising, and staying focused, I didn't in February, March and so far in April. Does that mean that I'm sunk for the year? Of course not! It's only April! There's 7 and a half months to learn from those mistakes, make better choices and make progress. I haven't managed my time as well as I should have. Same point applies. And the same thing goes for you. It's not simple. But it's doable. And it's necessary. So I pray that you are able to find those things that bring you focus and discipline, as I pray that I am too. 

Discipline and focus

Yesterday I came across a post on Facebook which really hit me. It was “Clutter is no just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self.” There’s a lot to unpack, but I’m going to deal with what hit me out of that quote.

I’m awesome at something. I do really great at it. It’s a talent that I have.....but I don’t want to be that way anymore. What am I awesome at? Being focused, successful and disciplined for a short period of time. And then I fall completely off the wagon. Whether that’s exercise, practicing music, composing music, being organized and cleaning up regularly, blogging, and more....I’m awesome at being focused and doing great for short, maybe 2-4 week spurts....and then for whatever reason, I quit. I stop.

So how does it change? That’s the struggle. Of course the easy answer is, “suck it up buttercup”. But that only goes so far.  So what changes? What is different? I wish I could say there is a magic bullet that if you do this one thing, everything falls into place. Ain’t gonna happen. What it is going to take is a plan, focus and consistency.

So how do I exercise more? Well, back on about Ash Wednesday (February 14th) I quit walking. Why? I chose sleeping in. This morning, that changed. I got up and took the dog for a walk, even though it was cold (for Texas) and it’s going to be a long day. That’s even more reason for me to do it.

How do I practice more? I calendar it. And I stick to that calendar. This is one of the hardest ones because throughout my week, my schedule isn’t always “regular”. There may be meetings that come up, funerals to practice for (that’s happened the last 2 weeks after Easter) and more. So it’s a matter of doing my best and when I’m practicing, focusing on using that time as well as I can.

How do I compose more? That’s easy. Just do it. Actually, the laptop I’ve used to compose is a few years old and it’s run slowly....which, of course, works great when you’re fantastic at making excuses. Of course I made excuses to not do anything because of schedule, computer being slow, and really, honestly, what the answer is, I was scared. Composing music puts you out there. You’ll get plenty of rejections, non responses or tepid encouragements. I’ve gotten plenty of all of them. But I feel called to be a composer, so the only way I can call myself a composer is......to do it.

How do I get and stay organized and keep the house clean. Funny, right? Well, yesterday was my oldest’s 9th birthday. We got the house (and her room) cleaned. So, keeping up shouldn’t be too hard. It’s about doing a few things each night after the girls go to bed. Of course, moving (as we’re hoping to) will lead to even more of a focus and attention to organization, what needs to stay or go, etc.

And finally, blogging.....how do I do it regularly? Just like doing things before bed, I sit down and write out posts. Whether that’s going to be daily or a few days a week, that remains to be seen. But in a previous blog incarnation, I planned out the month coming up and topics to write about. That helped to keep me focused. With this blog, I haven’t. I’ve basically been spitballing, throwing things against the wall, and been unplanned.....and yet you still read it. So thanks for that! I know that I’m capable of giving you better ideas and information than I have in the past, and I look forward to doing it.

How about how? Where do you struggle with discipline and focus? What habits are you wanting to adjust, change or drop completely? Comment with those habits!

Week 4 check in

Wow! We’re 4 weeks into the new year! How have your goals and resolutions gone? Did they go by the wayside? Or are you still going strong?

For me, with my primary goal, it couldn’t be better. I’ll give a more detailed wrap up of Whole30 in my post on Wednesday, but I feel amazing. My clothes fit and people at church yesterday said I should be called “The shrinking man” and “Slim”. I don’t know if I’d go that far.....yet, but I do notice a difference. I have plenty more to go, but slow and steady wins the race. Except that my slow and steady plan of losing 8 pounds by now (2 pounds per week) was totally blown out of the water by losing 16.6 pounds. Now, I knew I’d probably lose more than 8, but had I made my goal 20 pounds, I’d be frustrated and probably quit, because I “failed”. Nevermind that I’ve lost weight, clothes that I couldn’t wear now fit comfortably. My psyche would have told me that I missed my goal and I was a failure. That’s what my friend Jon Acuff talks about in his book “Finish”. When you’re setting goals, you want to have your goal, then cut it in half. When you feel like you’re beating that goal, it helps motivate you to continue on. But the Whole30 has helped immensely with that. More on that on Wednesday.

As for my garage project, that didn’t get much done on it this week. But it has definitely improved since the 1st of the year. There is less stuff and more space to walk around out there. And there has been progress inside the house as well, because of the colder weather outside. But there’s lots to do as we have our deadline to be out of this house by the end of June. Plenty will get done! It will just take the same process as losing weight. Slow and steady.

So how about you? What were your goals for this month? What are your goals for next month? What’s your plan to be successful? Mine are to lose 8 more pounds, and to bring order and decluttering to our home office, which is a total catch-all space. Comment with what you’re going to be working on or your success story from the past 4 weeks!

Week 3 check in

Here we are. Week 3. 21 days since January 1st. Things seem like they’ve flown by. So how are you doing with your resolutions/goals? Still keeping up? We’re almost there, so keep going strong!

For me, the Whole30 has been exactly what I needed. I’ve got only 9 days left, and it’s made so many changes. On the scale, I’m down 4.6 pounds since last Monday, and down 16.2 pounds for the month so far. My goal was 2 pounds a week, so according to my goal, I should be down 6 pounds. This weekend was the biggest challenge for me, which I met with flying colors. I went to my mom’s Friday afternoon and came back Saturday. Traveling is usually the time where I want to be snacking. So I took along diet friendly snacks, and made it just fine. Once I got to my mom’s I got some steak and potatoes, and made my dinner, breakfast and lunch on Saturday. And it was great! The off the scale things have been so much more. I have so much more energy throughout the day. My clothes fit better. I’ve had to tighten my belt....as well as regularly wear a belt! I’m excited to get up in the mornings. I’ve had many people come up to me and say that I’m looking good. Overall, this journey has been off to a huge start. And that’s been my priority for this year. When we’re talking about minimalism, the primary focus many go to is stuff. And that’s important. But if you’re not taking care of you, you won’t have the mental or physical energy to deal with the stuff, and most importantly, you may not be around to deal with the stuff.

For the physical stuff, this week I didn’t really get much done in the garage. This week was messed up. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, followed by no school Tuesday and Wednesday, along with ice and cold. I did get a good bit done in the garage on Monday, and got my bags of pine needles out of the garage on Friday. So it’s looking much better, but there’s still more work to do. Which I’ll get to this afternoon. But we were able to get things done inside the house while we were stuck inside for a little while. It’s all about progress and making baby steps.

Keep up work on your goals! We’re almost there! Comment with how you’re doing!

Change of plans...

How well do you adapt when plans change? I’m awful at it. I’ve gotten much better as I’ve gotten older, but still there is this internal temper tantrum when things have to change. Outside, I’m pretty cool and comfortable. But what does plans changing have to do with minimalism?

We have our plans and our ideas and goals that we want to accomplish. Most of the time, they don’t always go in that straight line that we’ve planned or projected. Usually it looks something like this:

We have those ups and downs along the way. Those slow downs and get back to its. How we respond is important to how successful we will be. This has been on my mind a lot over the past couple of days. Monday, my girls were off school for the MLK holiday. I forgot that my wife was off as well. So I was able to do more in the garage and outside than I had originally planned, which was fantastic. I knew it was going to get cold this week and there was a potential of freezing rain and ice, which is not normal for Houston. And Monday late afternoon, school was cancelled for everyone for Tuesday. And it got nasty outside. For Texas. But because it was cold, working in the garage wasn’t going to be the most fun or really most productive. I needed to work inside. So I started working in our office. I dealt with files and paper that needed to be dealt with. Of course my work to-do list got much longer, but I was able to get a few things done remotely. Organ practicing for Sunday morning...not so much. I don’t happen to have an organ at my house! And now we fast forward to today. ANOTHER day off of school. It’s still icy, but should clear up by later today. So I’ll be able to get out, but even this morning, I was still able to work on some more projects. The girls got their rooms picked up yesterday, so that’s a huge first step for them. But the garage still sits.

The garage was my goal for the month. Now, I could pout and be frustrated that I didn’t get much done in this great extra time I had. Or, I could stop, take a breath, and realize that there are still 14 days left in the month, and warmer weather to come. I’ll have time on Monday, and the following Sunday/Monday. What I want to get done will happen. I just have to be patient and go with the flow. But gosh, that’s really hard. Tomorrow morning, everyone will be back in a normal routine and our 2 day work/school week will commence. But it’s all about being adaptable and able to change with how life goes. You can do it!

How do you measure progress?

Yesterday, I spent time working in my garage. At the first of the year, and pretty much when I started yesterday, it looked like this:

And by the time I was done, it looked like this:

Am I finished? Goodness no! But it’s progress. So let’s talk about that word progress. Who measures progress? You are the one who can and should measure your progress. That can be on your terms, in your own measurements. Does my progress mean that I got my entire garage cleaned out? No. But there’s places to walk in there. I brought in my plants from outside, because it’s below freezing outside. There are two old bikes that my girls have outgrown that need to go away. That pile that’s basically in the middle is stuff that needs to be gone through. Most of it will go away. Get rid of all of that and you’ve got a whole lot more space and organization. I got as much of the boxes in the recycling container, and as that gets emptied, I’ll add more boxes. So the progress keeps going. Slow, but steady.

So how do you measure progress? I think one of the most helpful things that you can do is to come up with a plan before you start. If you have an hour, or 30 minutes, or 15 minutes, make your plan. Focus on one area, then if you have time, go to the next. The most important parts to remember in making progress is that YOU are the one who determines your progress, and YOU are the one who measures your progress. Sure, you can (and should) enlist the help of others to help hold you accountable. But in the end, the responsibility lies with you. So, make a plan and get to it!

Speaking of plans, I’ve had to alter mine a bit, because while I was supposed to be working today, my wife was supposed to be working and my girls were supposed to be in school, we’re having an ice/freezing rain day. So, instead of trying to do more in the garage (once I do some work from home), I’m going to switch up my focus to inside, where it’s warm! I’ll share some of those results tomorrow.

Week 2 check in

I know I haven’t posted since last Monday. Getting back to routine kicked my tail, but I’ve been making progress. So let’s get to it.

The Whole30 diet is insane, but I haven’t had much trouble with it. After my big drop of 9.2 pounds from January 1st through January 8th, I dropped 2.4 pounds from last Monday to this morning. 11.6 pounds in 14 days isn’t bad at all!! Especially when my goal for that point was 4 pounds. 2 pounds per week. I’ve been drinking a lot of water daily, and ended up getting 101,465 steps last week. Not the best, but it was the first time over 100,000 since the end of November. This week may be a bit tougher on steps because we’re supposed to get a cold snap and possibly ice over the next couple of day, so walking the dog may not happen like I want.

The garage is my other goal for the month. Today had been and still is my main day of focus. I had forgotten that my wife was off of work today, and so she’ll be doing some things with the girls (and we’ll do some things together as a family), so that I can focus on the garage. The biggest thing for today is getting the boxes from Christmas broken down and in the recycling, and putting things back in the places that I had previously had them. That will make a huge difference and a big starting point to make progress.

So how about you? How are you doing 2 weeks in to the new year? Are you on track? Comment with how you’re doing!

Week 1 check in

It’s been a week into the New Year. How are your goals going? Still crushing them? Feeling a little stagnant? They’re totally blown?

Here’s how mine are going. First goal was to lose 2 pounds per week. So, last Monday morning, I stepped on the scale. 278.6. Fairly typical. I have resided anywhere between 270-290 over the past 3 or so years. Not good. I started the Whole30 diet for the month of January, so that started on the 2nd. Over the past week, I have felt amazing. The Whole30 diet is insane, but it’s a reset. No beans, no dairy, nothing processed or added. It’s forced me to look at labels and plan a whole lot more. But the food I have eaten in the past week has tasted amazing. And so, when I stepped on the scale this morning. 271.4. Down 7.2 pounds in a week. My goal was 2. I figured that with starting a new diet, and something this intense (and drinking a LOT of water), I’d probably lose more than 2 pounds. But, 2 pounds was my goal. So, why didn’t I say 4 or 5 pounds, especially for this first week? Well, our bodies can do strange things, and what happened if my goal was 5 pounds....and I lost 2. I’d feel like I failed and giving up would be a whole lot easier. But, I’ve absolutely crushed my goal. Do I expect to lose 30 pounds by the end of the month? Nope. Only 8. Because that’s my goal.

My second goal was to spend the month of January focused on the garage. It’s a disaster area. Well, the first step was to get the Christmas decoration boxes out of there. And in a couple of hours, those will be back in their storage space above the house. So that’s a good first step. Then I’ll spend a bit of time this afternoon on the Amazon and other boxes that threw up in the front of my garage. Every bit of extra time I have, that is where I am going to focus. Not just on organizing the junk that is out there, but figuring out what is needed and beneficial.

That’s it. My goals for the month of January. Comment on how you’re doing with your goals!

Happy New Year!

I know, we’re already 1 day into the new year. The past couple days I wasn’t feeling all that great, so I was resting and spending time with my wife. But today, I’m back at it. So how about you? What are you going to tackle and take on today? Is it going to be stepping on the treadmill for the first time in a while? Is it going to be taking on your closet? That catch all drawer? Whatever it is, here’s a couple of suggestions to help you.

Simple is key. Instead of starting with the entire closet, start with a part of it. Once you get that done, then your goal is to get to the next part. That whole idea I wrote about on Sunday of bite-sized goals. Make it manageable and easy to achieve. My way of breaking my weight loss goal down into bite-sized goals was a weekly 2 pound goal. Now yesterday was a date day with my wife and no children. We had lunch at a steakhouse, had massages and watched The Greatest Showman (I highly recommend it!) So, yesterday, for my breakfast, I had a fruit smoothie with frozen fruit, almond milk, coconut oil and Greek Yogurt. I had a 6 ounce steak for lunch, and sweet potato fries (which I only ate half of). And we did have an appetizer of jalepeno shrimp things which were delicious. But we only had 4 between the two of us. For dinner.....I had popcorn. Yes, popcorn. But here’s the crazy thing. Yesterday morning, I stood on the scale to get my starting point for the year. 280.6. Today, I stepped on the scale....278.6 And that’s without starting my Whole30 eating (which I am today). And exercise, which I’ll be adding in as well.

The other thing that we forget about is making it fun. Jon Acuff did a great job of writing about this in his book Finish, and I think that’s something we lose sight of. Whatever we’re doing has to be drudgery because it’s “work” and it’s “cleaning up” or it’s “getting healthy” or whatever you want to call it. But seriously, if you want to get some serious cleaning done.....put on some “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and get that stuff knocked out! Or before you workout, make yourself a motivational playlist that’s going to get you going. Music helps lots! Or maybe once you get that small goal done, you give yourself a small reward, and once you get that big goal done, you give yourself a big reward! You know you better than anyone else, so you have to decide what is going to motivate you to do it.

So start small and have fun!Bite sized goals

Bite sized goals

We’re almost to 2018. Most people will make resolutions. And most of those resolutions will be unsuccessful. Why? Primarily, because the goals/resolutions are way too big. Let me explain a little clearer by going through my goals for 2018

The first thing in 2018 that I want to do is lose weight and be healthy. Many people will be making this resolution. Now, if you put a target for the end of the year, that’s nice, but that’s 365 days off. Why not break that down into something smaller. For me, my goal is to lose 2 pounds per week. In January, I won’t be having any processed food, no alcohol, basically the whole 30 diet, with a couple of modifications. I’m going to allow myself pinto beans and cheese. I have to make a change in my life, and I know that I can, because I did great in October and November. And then the end of November and December hit, and I didn’t do great at all. I have to be more consistent. And that’s where those smaller goals come in.

Our lease on our rental house expires the end of June. We will either be moving to another rental house or buying a house. There is a lot of work that we need to do to downsize and minimize our stuff. Again, instead of making a large goal, I’m breaking it up into smaller, more focused goals. The month of January will be focused on our garage, February will be focused on our office and March will be focused on our bedroom. This way, we can spend the time needed to go through things and figure what is needed and what isn’t needed.

And that’s it. Those are my two goals for 2018. The other thing we try to do is that we try to do too much and again, we lose focus and direction and end up failing.

So as you’re thinking through your resolutions or goals for 2018, how are you making them bite sized? How are setting up a strategy to succeed? Comment with what you’re doing!