Are you struggling as to what the first step is take in Minimalism? Or do you feel like you got rid of a bunch of stuff and you’re struggling where to go? May I suggest Uncluttered.
Uncluttered is a 12 week online course led by Joshua Becker, a minimalist whose voice has resonated with me, as well as many others.
What do you get out of the course?
Videos with step-by-step instructions
Interviews with thought leaders in productivity and minimalism
Live webinars tackling specific tough-clutter topics
Live Q&As for members to ask questions
Weekly challenges
And accountability and encouragement from a super-engaged community.
One of the best parts I think about this course is that you get LIFETIME membership! That means that if you get to a “stuck point”, you can come back and review the material covered.
The course is offered 3 times a year and registration starts today and goes through September 2nd. The cost for the course is $89. Check it out and sign up here!
Friday, August 24, 2018
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Minimizing your screen time
One of the primary things people talk about and think about when it comes to minimalism is getting rid of stuff. And that’s a big part of it. However, I feel, as do many others, that minimalism is about relationships.....with things, people and in the case I’ll be talking about today, technology.
Technology is awesome, isn’t it? Well, it can be. I remember growing up without an answering machine until I was in high school. We had a rotary dial phone until I was in 6th grade. And in the time since the 90’s phones have gone from big and bulky, to fitting in your pocket...if you have the right sized phone. But technology can be distracting. How often do you look around, if you’re looking up from your phone at all, to see people walking and looking down at their phones? We’re obsessed with our screens. We’re connected whenever we want to, which is good and bad.
I did a personal experiment when we were on vacation in July. I didn’t really look at my phone much for anything at all. I used it to play podcasts and music when I went for walks, but that was pretty much it. I limited my time to check e-mail, rarely checked social media. The shocking thing was....I SURVIVED! Tomorrow, my girls start back to school. We’re getting back into routines. And that’s the one thing I’m going to be doing more often. Getting back to using my phone to make and receive phone calls, minimal texting, and checking social media and e-mail twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I’ve realized that I’ve personally become very engrossed in my screens, and it’s something that I cannot continue to do if I want to be productive.
I’d encourage you to consider your interaction with screens. Are you also finding yourself distracted by them? There are times I’ve considered going to a “dumb phone”, but haven’t gone there yet. Maybe you have. That’s great if you have. I think that getting rid of apps goes a long way. If I want to use Facebook, I have to log in and use it. It takes more time and work to do it. So I have to think about it before I do it. Breaking habits are hard. This week will be tough, no doubt about it. But I know that I can intentionally do it. I’d love to hear your feedback on what you do in regard to screen time!
Technology is awesome, isn’t it? Well, it can be. I remember growing up without an answering machine until I was in high school. We had a rotary dial phone until I was in 6th grade. And in the time since the 90’s phones have gone from big and bulky, to fitting in your pocket...if you have the right sized phone. But technology can be distracting. How often do you look around, if you’re looking up from your phone at all, to see people walking and looking down at their phones? We’re obsessed with our screens. We’re connected whenever we want to, which is good and bad.
I did a personal experiment when we were on vacation in July. I didn’t really look at my phone much for anything at all. I used it to play podcasts and music when I went for walks, but that was pretty much it. I limited my time to check e-mail, rarely checked social media. The shocking thing was....I SURVIVED! Tomorrow, my girls start back to school. We’re getting back into routines. And that’s the one thing I’m going to be doing more often. Getting back to using my phone to make and receive phone calls, minimal texting, and checking social media and e-mail twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I’ve realized that I’ve personally become very engrossed in my screens, and it’s something that I cannot continue to do if I want to be productive.
I’d encourage you to consider your interaction with screens. Are you also finding yourself distracted by them? There are times I’ve considered going to a “dumb phone”, but haven’t gone there yet. Maybe you have. That’s great if you have. I think that getting rid of apps goes a long way. If I want to use Facebook, I have to log in and use it. It takes more time and work to do it. So I have to think about it before I do it. Breaking habits are hard. This week will be tough, no doubt about it. But I know that I can intentionally do it. I’d love to hear your feedback on what you do in regard to screen time!
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Living in the moment
“Christopher Robin, what day is it?”
“Pooh, it’s today.”
“Oh good. That’s my favorite day.”
I had the opportunity to go with my wife and daughters last night to see the movie Christoper Robin. It’s an excellent movie, and that quote (as best as I can remember it) happens at the end of the movie. Without spoiling it, it’s an excellent movie that I knew would punch me in the gut and make me cry. It sure did.
So what does the movie have to do with minimalism? I’m glad you asked. Minimalism isn’t about stuff....completely. It’s about an attitude, a relationship with things, people, and your surroundings that frees you up to focus on what is most important. And when we’re at the heart of it all, what is most important is today. It’s what we’ve got.
This thought has been rolling around a lot in my head, but over this past week, it’s been so much more apparent. You see, my mom has been a widow since March of 2017. So I’ve been trying once a month to go visit her (she lives 3 hours away) and check in on her, do some projects for her, and give her some company. I went Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon. This trip had a fairly main objective. Go through my dad’s model HO gauge train stuff and figure out what I wanted. You see, growing up in Wisconsin, we had basements. And in the basement was an 8 foot by 8 foot train table that my dad built. I spent so much time with him putting cars and houses together, laying out track and tacking it down. And then, when my parents moved to Texas 17 years ago, no more basement. Not much space at all for the full train layout. So it sat. And sat. Funny thing is, my dad kept collecting. So in my excavating of things, I found buildings I put together by myself, buildings I helped my dad piece together. Even 2 buildings still in the box, not put together. Train track galore, even....more track that was still in the packaging! You may be wondering how model trains have to do with living in the moment. I am excited about getting my own train layout set up and running. It reminded me about those happy, simpler times of being a child, spending time with your dad, doing something fun. And it made me really think about what living in the moment looks like.
For each individual, living in the moment looks completely different. Even at different points in life, it’s different. When I was in college and just out of college, I wanted stuff. I got credit cards....I paid for that stuff on those credit cards. I didn’t care about the cost. Now, stuff just doesn’t excite me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for what I have, and I’m quite blessed. But I know that I have far more stuff than what I need.
Without giving too much of the movie away, Christopher Robin has grown up. He’s lost that sense of imagination and wonder. In his book “Love Does”, Bob Goff talks about it as “whimsy”. It’s the doing stuff just because. Christopher Robin is so focused on his work that even though he says certain things are important, he doesn’t show it in his actions and choices. And looking in the mirror, that’s the biggest gut punch for me. I know that I’m capable of doing that, and I know that I have. We all have.
So what does living in the moment look like for me? I’m figuring that out. I’m going to be trying to figure it out. I know it involves being sillier, laughing more and enjoying things as they come. Does that mean that I slack off on my responsibilities and duties or not do the best job that I can? Absolutely not! But, I know that it does mean that my attitude and my approach to those duties and responsibilities has to change. For you, living in the moment may be looking at similar things. Maybe it is different things. But I strongly encourage you to take a good long look in the mirror and remind yourself that today.....it is your favorite day.
“Pooh, it’s today.”
“Oh good. That’s my favorite day.”
I had the opportunity to go with my wife and daughters last night to see the movie Christoper Robin. It’s an excellent movie, and that quote (as best as I can remember it) happens at the end of the movie. Without spoiling it, it’s an excellent movie that I knew would punch me in the gut and make me cry. It sure did.
So what does the movie have to do with minimalism? I’m glad you asked. Minimalism isn’t about stuff....completely. It’s about an attitude, a relationship with things, people, and your surroundings that frees you up to focus on what is most important. And when we’re at the heart of it all, what is most important is today. It’s what we’ve got.
This thought has been rolling around a lot in my head, but over this past week, it’s been so much more apparent. You see, my mom has been a widow since March of 2017. So I’ve been trying once a month to go visit her (she lives 3 hours away) and check in on her, do some projects for her, and give her some company. I went Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon. This trip had a fairly main objective. Go through my dad’s model HO gauge train stuff and figure out what I wanted. You see, growing up in Wisconsin, we had basements. And in the basement was an 8 foot by 8 foot train table that my dad built. I spent so much time with him putting cars and houses together, laying out track and tacking it down. And then, when my parents moved to Texas 17 years ago, no more basement. Not much space at all for the full train layout. So it sat. And sat. Funny thing is, my dad kept collecting. So in my excavating of things, I found buildings I put together by myself, buildings I helped my dad piece together. Even 2 buildings still in the box, not put together. Train track galore, even....more track that was still in the packaging! You may be wondering how model trains have to do with living in the moment. I am excited about getting my own train layout set up and running. It reminded me about those happy, simpler times of being a child, spending time with your dad, doing something fun. And it made me really think about what living in the moment looks like.
For each individual, living in the moment looks completely different. Even at different points in life, it’s different. When I was in college and just out of college, I wanted stuff. I got credit cards....I paid for that stuff on those credit cards. I didn’t care about the cost. Now, stuff just doesn’t excite me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for what I have, and I’m quite blessed. But I know that I have far more stuff than what I need.
Without giving too much of the movie away, Christopher Robin has grown up. He’s lost that sense of imagination and wonder. In his book “Love Does”, Bob Goff talks about it as “whimsy”. It’s the doing stuff just because. Christopher Robin is so focused on his work that even though he says certain things are important, he doesn’t show it in his actions and choices. And looking in the mirror, that’s the biggest gut punch for me. I know that I’m capable of doing that, and I know that I have. We all have.
So what does living in the moment look like for me? I’m figuring that out. I’m going to be trying to figure it out. I know it involves being sillier, laughing more and enjoying things as they come. Does that mean that I slack off on my responsibilities and duties or not do the best job that I can? Absolutely not! But, I know that it does mean that my attitude and my approach to those duties and responsibilities has to change. For you, living in the moment may be looking at similar things. Maybe it is different things. But I strongly encourage you to take a good long look in the mirror and remind yourself that today.....it is your favorite day.
Friday, July 27, 2018
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
One thing lacking
Before I dive in to this post, if you’ve read my blog and looked at timestamps, you’ll notice that there’s been a lull in my writing. It’s not for a lack of ideas. I was on vacation, then dealt with the busyness of the return from vacation. On top of that, I’ve been focused on creating a podcast for Church musicians, called The Healthy Church Musician podcast. Now that things have settled down, I’m going to get more in a routine of writing and my goal is to have a post up on Tuesday and Friday each week.
In our worship service this past Sunday, we looked at the 10th chapter of Mark. We’ve been going through the Gospel of Mark in our services. But there was something about this section of Scripture that jumped out at me. And it was in verses 17-31. It’s the story of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminds this young ruler about the commandments, to which the ruler responds that yes, he has kept those. Jesus doesn’t argue with him about this, but says, “One thing you lack...go sell everything you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This young ruler couldn’t do it. Was because he was rich? Somewhat. It wasn’t the things (or lack of it) that caused the issue. It was the relationship and value placed on the things. Jesus and His disciples traveled regularly. They didn’t have much and they relied on the love and generosity of others. They trusted in the provision of God. It seems that this rich young ruler didn’t want to or couldn’t do these things. So Jesus told him that one thing was lacking.
So let’s fast forward to today. As a Christian, I trust in God, but....the reality is that there are plenty of times that I focus more on my wants, my needs as opposed to the needs and care of others around me. I allow stuff and things to get in the way of what’s most important to me. In the end, whatever I collect or own on earth will just go to someone else when I die. It’s not that important. But yet, for whatever reason, I seem to think from time to time that it does matter and collecting and owning these things are important. I’m moving away from that mindset more and more, but I find myself returning occasionally to thinking that stuff matters.
What’s the takeaway from all of this? Are we supposed to just sell all of our stuff and live on the streets? Of course not! But, it is definitely a step toward evaluating what our belongings and “possessions” really mean to us. That’s the thing with minimalism. As I’ve walked down this road, I’ve seen many struggle with the “what are the rules” question. And really, to each person, the rules will be different. Over the past 8 months or so, we’ve definitely gotten rid of a lot of things in our house. Looking forward, I’d hope that we would continue to do that as a family and continue in that mindset. It’s hard, it takes lots of work, but I’ve found it to be freeing, encouraging and extremely valuable. I hope that you’re encouraged and challenged to look at your stuff and your attitude and relationship toward it and determine what the best course of action is for you.
In our worship service this past Sunday, we looked at the 10th chapter of Mark. We’ve been going through the Gospel of Mark in our services. But there was something about this section of Scripture that jumped out at me. And it was in verses 17-31. It’s the story of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminds this young ruler about the commandments, to which the ruler responds that yes, he has kept those. Jesus doesn’t argue with him about this, but says, “One thing you lack...go sell everything you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This young ruler couldn’t do it. Was because he was rich? Somewhat. It wasn’t the things (or lack of it) that caused the issue. It was the relationship and value placed on the things. Jesus and His disciples traveled regularly. They didn’t have much and they relied on the love and generosity of others. They trusted in the provision of God. It seems that this rich young ruler didn’t want to or couldn’t do these things. So Jesus told him that one thing was lacking.
So let’s fast forward to today. As a Christian, I trust in God, but....the reality is that there are plenty of times that I focus more on my wants, my needs as opposed to the needs and care of others around me. I allow stuff and things to get in the way of what’s most important to me. In the end, whatever I collect or own on earth will just go to someone else when I die. It’s not that important. But yet, for whatever reason, I seem to think from time to time that it does matter and collecting and owning these things are important. I’m moving away from that mindset more and more, but I find myself returning occasionally to thinking that stuff matters.
What’s the takeaway from all of this? Are we supposed to just sell all of our stuff and live on the streets? Of course not! But, it is definitely a step toward evaluating what our belongings and “possessions” really mean to us. That’s the thing with minimalism. As I’ve walked down this road, I’ve seen many struggle with the “what are the rules” question. And really, to each person, the rules will be different. Over the past 8 months or so, we’ve definitely gotten rid of a lot of things in our house. Looking forward, I’d hope that we would continue to do that as a family and continue in that mindset. It’s hard, it takes lots of work, but I’ve found it to be freeing, encouraging and extremely valuable. I hope that you’re encouraged and challenged to look at your stuff and your attitude and relationship toward it and determine what the best course of action is for you.
Friday, June 29, 2018
Collecting
One of the things that I’ve noticed about myself, and people in general is that we like to collect things. Back when I was younger, I collected baseball, basketball and football cards. That was my focus and passion, second only to music. Once I was in college, I was faced with a dilemma. Do I lug my expansive collection of cards with me or do I get rid of them? They weren’t valuable because they were of the 80’s and 90’s, when cards were overproduced, so I just got rid of them. I haven’t thought much about collecting cards since then.
My girls love Barbies, as many girls do. My youngest daughter’s room has all of the Barbie paraphernalia in it. The dream house, the cars, and a whole ton of Barbies. Many of these things were given to them by a family in our church whose daughter didn’t want her collection anymore. And my girls play with the Barbies quite regularly.....but there’s so much of it!
I could keep going with more examples from my life, but as you’re reading this, you can probably think of many more yourself. We collect things. And when we find something we like, people feel compelled to give us things that help us with that collecting. Now, inherently, there’s nothing wrong with that, until your shelves, your rooms, your house is filled with your collection. And you’re facing the “now what” with all of it. You’re overwhelmed, And you don’t control the stuff, the stuff controls you.
While the optimal first encouragement I’d give in regard to collecting is don’t do it, I have 3 encouragements in helping to deal with your collecting:
1) Find a manageable number. When one new thing comes one, it has to replace another item in your collection. I collected nutcrackers. I’d only put them out at Christmas. I kept a few out regularly. So I decided that 28 nutcrackers were not worth storing, so I kept the 8 I really liked, and got rid of the rest. If I get a new one, it replaces one in my collection.
2) Keep asking yourself why. Ask why you collect these things. Do they bring you joy? Cheer you up? Awesome. Do they serve a purpose? Because if you don’t keep asking why, you may end up with the dinner plates of the world collection and not really have them serve a purpose or have a place to store them!
3) Don’t be afraid to say no. As a musician, much of my music has been handed down or picked up through giveaways. And I’m thankful for that because I’ve found some great music. I’ve also found some awful music, music I’ll never use and music that’s falling apart. Why should I keep it? So, I’ve become more discerning. I’ve learned to look and if there’s music I know I can’t use, I’m not just going to take it and hold on to it to take up space.....I’m not taking it in the first place. No is a hard word to say, but it’s so necessary and beneficial!
Happy collecting!
My girls love Barbies, as many girls do. My youngest daughter’s room has all of the Barbie paraphernalia in it. The dream house, the cars, and a whole ton of Barbies. Many of these things were given to them by a family in our church whose daughter didn’t want her collection anymore. And my girls play with the Barbies quite regularly.....but there’s so much of it!
I could keep going with more examples from my life, but as you’re reading this, you can probably think of many more yourself. We collect things. And when we find something we like, people feel compelled to give us things that help us with that collecting. Now, inherently, there’s nothing wrong with that, until your shelves, your rooms, your house is filled with your collection. And you’re facing the “now what” with all of it. You’re overwhelmed, And you don’t control the stuff, the stuff controls you.
While the optimal first encouragement I’d give in regard to collecting is don’t do it, I have 3 encouragements in helping to deal with your collecting:
1) Find a manageable number. When one new thing comes one, it has to replace another item in your collection. I collected nutcrackers. I’d only put them out at Christmas. I kept a few out regularly. So I decided that 28 nutcrackers were not worth storing, so I kept the 8 I really liked, and got rid of the rest. If I get a new one, it replaces one in my collection.
2) Keep asking yourself why. Ask why you collect these things. Do they bring you joy? Cheer you up? Awesome. Do they serve a purpose? Because if you don’t keep asking why, you may end up with the dinner plates of the world collection and not really have them serve a purpose or have a place to store them!
3) Don’t be afraid to say no. As a musician, much of my music has been handed down or picked up through giveaways. And I’m thankful for that because I’ve found some great music. I’ve also found some awful music, music I’ll never use and music that’s falling apart. Why should I keep it? So, I’ve become more discerning. I’ve learned to look and if there’s music I know I can’t use, I’m not just going to take it and hold on to it to take up space.....I’m not taking it in the first place. No is a hard word to say, but it’s so necessary and beneficial!
Happy collecting!
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Social Media
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been a bit busy with launching a podcast (The Healthy Church Musician Podcast) and being a husband and a dad, along with doing lots of fun things for the music ministry I serve. Today, I want to spend some time diving into social media.
There are some pros to social media. It’s a great way to keep in contact with family and friends that you don’t regularly get to keep in contact with. I’ve used Facebook to join groups and get ideas and encouragements for lots of different things. But there sure are plenty of cons to social media. Not only the absolute time suck that it can become and the control that it can take on your life. And on top of that, the arguments, disagreements and whatever else that may come across the way.
So, how do you get control of it? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself lately. I’ve spent way too much time on social media. What I’m trying to do is schedule my social media time. 15 minutes in the morning when I wake up and 30 minutes in the evenings. But on top of that, this coming weekend, I’m planning on a social media fast. What does that mean? No posting, no reading, no nothing on social media. I’m going to start Saturday morning and actually go through Monday afternoon. Why that time? I’ll be doing lots of yard work on Saturday, so I’ll be outside most of the day. Sunday and Monday we’ll be going to my wife’s aunt and uncle’s house, so I’ll be busy with that, then go to a baseball game Monday night.
What are your thoughts on social media? How do you control your time and your interaction with it?
There are some pros to social media. It’s a great way to keep in contact with family and friends that you don’t regularly get to keep in contact with. I’ve used Facebook to join groups and get ideas and encouragements for lots of different things. But there sure are plenty of cons to social media. Not only the absolute time suck that it can become and the control that it can take on your life. And on top of that, the arguments, disagreements and whatever else that may come across the way.
So, how do you get control of it? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself lately. I’ve spent way too much time on social media. What I’m trying to do is schedule my social media time. 15 minutes in the morning when I wake up and 30 minutes in the evenings. But on top of that, this coming weekend, I’m planning on a social media fast. What does that mean? No posting, no reading, no nothing on social media. I’m going to start Saturday morning and actually go through Monday afternoon. Why that time? I’ll be doing lots of yard work on Saturday, so I’ll be outside most of the day. Sunday and Monday we’ll be going to my wife’s aunt and uncle’s house, so I’ll be busy with that, then go to a baseball game Monday night.
What are your thoughts on social media? How do you control your time and your interaction with it?
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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 relationshi...
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been a bit busy with launching a podcast (The Healthy Church Musician Podcast) and being a husband...
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The next 3 posts will be dealing with storing digital things. While digital things take up less space than physical things, they still take ...
