Spiral Findings

learn, share, grow

Minimalism & Books

By

When I first started exploring minimalism, I had a real question of whether or not I could minimize my incredibly large stock pile of books.  I don’t know what it is about books, but I love them, and I had made up my mind to simplify, but to hold off on attacking my personal library.  I have tons of books from childhood story books to college text books to books I don’t think are even mine but that I inherited from family or friends and books I love to read over and over and over again because I really enjoy the story as well as books I’m fairly certain I’ll never read and I’m not even sure where or when I bought them and then there is the occasional book that I bought just because everyone else was reading it but I’m pretty sure I’ve never even cracked the binding.  There are bookshelves full of books and bins full to the brim of them as well.  I also have an unhealthy amount of notebooks from school that I haven’t quite let go of yet either.

Recently, after considering yet another move, and moving all of these books again, I decided enough is enough – at least for the notebooks, and I’m scanning them in so I have a digital version.  I tried to do this myself, but it’s much too cumbersome and I’m not sure I really want to spend hours doing this so I am going to give Blue Leaf Scanning a try.  I’m not sure how expensive it will be but I’ll do the math.  Regardless, it’ll be much cheaper than moving all those notebooks again, of that I’m sure.  I’m quite proud of my notebooks (as you can see, I’ve created a whole blog about it) so just pitching them doesn’t sit well with me.

On the book front, I’m still not that comfortable with the idea of purging my book collection however I have found a couple resources that have me warming to the idea which I’ll share with you below.  First off, libraries are great.  I’ve found that most of them have a digital catalog as well, and I’ve been taking advantage and downloading content to my kindle to read.  I’ve also found a non-profit company that takes book donations and in turn runs a book store/cafe that teaches local youth in need how to run a business.  The proceeds of the book/cafe sales go to paying the wages of those youth in their employ.  I feel like donating my books to this cause will give new life to those books and maybe help someone in need.

  • My friend Xandra had the same philosophy of minimalism but excluding books which she discusses in her blog post.
  • Courtney Carver recently posted on the joy of reading, and letting go of books.  My favorite quote from these posts is:

    The joy of books isn’t found in organizing them alphabetically, storing them on shelves or in boxes, or moving them from home to home. – Courtney Carver, Be More With Less

  • Tammy Strobel wrote an article on her blog and for AOL about letting go of paper and books which I think started me thinking about this whole concept in the first place.
  • The Minimalists also talk about how getting rid of books actually got them to start reading more in this post.

I hope you have a great weekend, and happy reading! 🙂

Music Love: Ed Sheeran & Passenger

By

I love music.  I don’t think I would be able to function without it.  When I first started working, I was blessed with a job that allowed me to sit in front of my computer and listen to music all day while I worked.  It was great – at the time – and I’m glad I got to unplug and just lose myself in my work and my tunes.  Music sets the mood for how I feel and can change my mood as well.  It’s an integral part of I start my day as part of my morning routine and how I end my day before I go to sleep.

I always enjoy finding new artists and, depending on the location, taking in a good concert.  So, I thought, maybe I could share the music that I’ve been enjoying…and maybe this could be a regular thing?

This week, I’ve been really into Ed Sheeran’s album Multiply and Passenger’s album All the Little Lights.  I just downloaded their albums to my phone and have pretty much had them on repeat all week.

In the last several years, I’ve also been trying to learn how to play some music of my own – namely on the acoustic guitar and on piano.  Recently my piano got damaged, so I’m back to my guitar and plan to start working on this little number from the Bollywood movie Aisha.

Rock on! 🙂

There is no perfect

By

There is no perfect.

No perfect job…

No perfect day…

No perfect spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend…

No perfect workout routine…

No perfect whatever…

Even that email you’ve been agonizing over for the past few weeks, and this blog post I have been agonizing over for the past I don’t know how long, it’s not perfect either.

I’ve been spending a lot of time researching different types of way to perfect things – my morning routine, my exercise routine, doing work more productively, journaling – can you imagine trying to perfect journaling – what does that even mean?  Journaling is just for you, not for anyone else, but I’ve taken 3 courses on journaling to learn how to journal…and let me fill you in on something, you don’t need 3 courses on journaling to learn how to journal…you just need a pen and a piece of paper, and not the “perfect” piece of paper or notebook either, just a regular ol’ piece of paper, college ruled, or wide ruled, back of a napkin, whatever.  Just write that stuff down type of paper.

In any event, perfection, this ideal world, it’s just a fantasy – and reality is the days where I don’t get enough sleep because I spend half the evening binge watching a TV show and then at 11 pm I decide, whoops I should be productive, and then push through some guilt to do something productive.  Or the days where I don’t wake up with enough time to sit and meditate in the morning or have a cup of tea.  There is no perfect morning routine.  Something is invariably going to be different.  And that difference, well that is what brings the unique experiences we have.  And isn’t that how we learn and grow in the first place?  Because if every day was exactly the same, and you produced the perfect amount of work, and ate the perfect amount of food, and did exactly the same thing every day, day in and day out…that’s not perfect, that’s not even mildly fun either, that’s just not reality.

I don’t know how I got to this epiphany, but these blog posts really helped from Leo Babauta.  So i’m sharing them with you.

I hope you have a wildly imperfect and lovely day.

Inspiring Links: Happy New Year!

By

Happy 2015!  I hope you all had a safe and restful holiday season and a wonderful ring in to this new year.

I wanted to share some fun posts I found that might help you start the new year with intention.

I love Susannah Conway’s blog, and at this time of year, I really enjoy her free workbook for unravelling the year ahead.  This will be the second time I’ve gone through the workbook and it’s a great way to reflect during the holiday break. This year she created a new project for her readers to help us find our word to guide us during the new year.  What’s your word for this year?  🙂

Courtney Carver had a great post recently on how to redefine our resolutions.  I love how the post is called “unresolution.”  As of a few years ago, I stopped doing resolutions altogether, and I’m considering the following ideas for this coming year based off Courtney’s suggestions to un-resolve: the capsule kitchen challenge, and continuing to start my day mindfully with my morning routine and simplify my stuff, maybe actually doing the minimalist challenge game.  Maybe I’ll start with the kitchen 🙂

Michelle’s blog is full of fun ways to start off the year with a new planner and readying that planner for the new year.  I love the pics she posted of her new filofax and it has me jonesing for a new planner myself!  I’m currently resisting the urge, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

I’ve supported the Passion Planner project and get my print version of the planner next month.  It’s an inspiring story of an idea turned into a business.  She’s had a few bumps along the way, but I think it’s been pretty cool to follow the progression.  I’m going to have an extra planner that needs a home in February…i’m trying to decide if I can give it to someone or just save it for next year.

Happy New Year and Best wishes for 2015!

Comments

By

It was a tough call, but I had to turn off comments on my page.  I just wasn’t enjoying the mass of spam messages every time I logged in and it was keeping me from posting on the blog.  So off it goes.  If you want to connect with me, feel free to tweet at me at the link below.

Other bloggers I’ve followed have debated over this as well, and this information was helpful to me as I thought through keeping or getting rid of comments on my blog.

The Minimalists on Comments

As much as I wanted to establish a community, I think that’s a bit of a ways away, and I’m ok with that…as long as I am able to use this platform as a way to share what I’ve learned, that’s good enough for me.  For now.  🙂

Inspiring Links: From Planners to Comics

By

I’ve really enjoyed following the progress of the Passion Planner project.  I donated to the kickstarter and encourage you to check it out, even if you’re not a planner type person.  Angelia’s story is pretty awesome.

I tried a new notebook/journal that I found on sale at Michael’s, and it made me miss the size and convenience of the Midori Passport sized notebook.  I am considering finishing this one up or abandoning it so I can get back to my midori!

Love this post by Michelle on how to make a great day!  It made me reflect on what I can add to my days to make me happier throughout the day.

I found this comic strip by Lucy Knisley the other day, and lost myself on the website going through all her older posts.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Inspiring Links: From Aereo to Notebooks

By

I’ve really enjoyed the weekly links posts of some of my favorite bloggers: Tammy Strobel, Susannah Conway, and Joshua Becker.  I’ve been thinking about adding some links to my blog for two reasons – to share fun articles I’ve read that week and to cultivate a regular practice of posting on my blog, even if I don’t have an idea for a post that week.

So here we go:

I’ve been following Aereo’s story for quite some time, and this video of the all dog Supreme Court overlaid with the Aereo proceedings made me chuckle.

An interesting approach to decluttering your home by Marie Kondo.

33 thoughts on reading.

I’m a huge fan of my Midori Traveler’s Notebooks that I purchased from Goulet Pens.  I first learned about them from Tammy & Michelle.  I’ve also found some great refill options for the passport size notebook from Wit & Whistle and The Tiny House Film stores.

Have a great weekend! 🙂

 

Morning Routine

By

One of the best things I recently started was implementing a daily practice of a morning routine.  I first heard about the idea of a morning routine from The Art of Simple Tsh Oxenreider’s book One Bite at a Time.  I came across the idea again from Courtney Carver, and I downloaded her microcourse which is what I was able to use to actually start implementing my routine.

Before I implemented a morning routine, I was always rushing, rushing, rushing.  Hurry up and get out of bed, get ready, eat quickly, run out the door!  You’re late…GO FASTER!  This was a horrible way to start the day and I didn’t even realize it at the time. Once I gave myself time to get up slowly, mindfully start my day with a warm cup of tea, a little bit of reading, and some ambient radio from Pandora, I realized my days were much more enjoyable.  I was more centered at the beginning of the day which carried throughout the day.  Of course, I’d have bad days like everyone else, but at the root, my threshold for handling complex topics at work or challenges in general in life was much higher.

I highly recommend giving yourself some time in the morning, even if it’s just a few minutes, to start your day mindfully.  Take some time for your self, relax, and then get started.  It is truly a great way to start your day!

Everyday Magic

By

I first starting following Tammy’s blog when I began exploring simplicity and living a simpler life.  When I came across her photography practice of her morning view, I was inspired by how she captured the world around her.  I think the coolest part of observing her practice was how she used photography to practice gratitude, something I was trying to do as well given the challenges of every day life.

I questioned whether I really wanted to pursue a photography practice, or if this is something new that I was excited about for a short while.  Tammy’s Everyday Magic course was a really reasonably priced, effective way for me to explore an interest in photography, and I’m happy to say it was a great introduction to the basics of photography and has helped me cultivate my own photography practice.

The three best parts of the course for me were:

  1. the way that Tammy broke down the course material, presented the information clearly, and added some cute stories and pictures to go along with the discussion
  2. the community of classmates who were very encouraging and helpful.  We’re still in contact via the Facebook group and I think that was the major catalyst for me to enjoy the process of taking pictures – because I had people to share photos with and discuss our learning process.
  3. how the photography practice I started in this class has forced me to slow down and notice the world around me, and started nurturing not only a gratitude practice, but also a focus on mindfulness or presence.

I highly recommend taking Tammy’s course if you’re new to photography or even a seasoned photographer.  I took 100% of my photos with my iPhone and was super excited to learn that you don’t need a fancy camera to take great photos.  Tammy’s class gives you the tools to get started with your own practice.

If you want to learn more about Tammy’s journey, feel free to check out her blog, or her photography book.

Oh, and one last thing…if you want to follow my photography practice, you can find me on Instagram.  Link is at the bottom of the page! 🙂

99 Days of Freedom

By

I’m experimenting with this activity of staying logged out from Facebook for 99 days.  If you want to try out the experiment, check out the site, 99 Days of Freedom.

In the first day, I already accomplished some things I wasn’t expecting with the free time!

  • Adding a reading list to my blog
  • Updated my Pomodoro blog post with my actual experience

I might catalog some other things here that I’ve accomplished with the free time.

When you undertake this experiment, I think it’s important to give yourself a day to get alternate contact information to your FB friends.  I found that people didn’t have my phone number or email address to contact me outside of FB.  I even had one request for my mailing address which I was super excited about because I love getting and sending real mail.  I don’t mail letters as much as I’d like to but perhaps that’s something else I can accomplish with my Facebook-free time. 🙂