I only got about 1/4 of the way through (ironic, since Robbins challenges that most people won't finish the book) and it was intriguing, it just had tI only got about 1/4 of the way through (ironic, since Robbins challenges that most people won't finish the book) and it was intriguing, it just had to go back to the library before i could get much further. Robbins is a handful, but I do appreciate his thesis that humans do a great job of getting in their own way almost all of the time. Control your mind, control your life. I'll get back to it at some point....more
I LOVE the YNAB software/website, so I was curious how Mecham's words would compare to his system. It was a very easy listen (I read it on audiobook).I LOVE the YNAB software/website, so I was curious how Mecham's words would compare to his system. It was a very easy listen (I read it on audiobook). I'm a Dave Ramsey follower, so I don't necessarily agree with Mecham on everything (and I don't agree with Ramsey on everything), but I like this software better than Ramsey's Every Dollar, so I'm inclined to listen to what Mecham has to say. Very practical. HIGHLY recommended for anyone feeling overwhelmed by their budget....more
I LOVED this. I already started making some positive changes before I read it, but I've had it for over a year, just waiting to be read (...or has it I LOVED this. I already started making some positive changes before I read it, but I've had it for over a year, just waiting to be read (...or has it been 2 years??) Everyone raved about this book, for good reason. I've read Gretchen Rubin's habits book, and dug it (it's very practical), but there's something so systematic about this one that absolutely spoke to me. He has a 4-step actionable to adopt good habits (and like the title says, break bad ones--basically by doing the opposite of the good habit behaviors) and it's so, so useful.
I've been using the Streaks app, and while I've used it in the past with so-so results, this time I've got a whole 2 pages (12 items) of tiny little habits. For some reason I want to complete ALL of them--that's the streak--versus just complete each one. And for a few weeks I have (some streaks have been longer than others since I've added some). It's almost like a high. He talks a lot about changing your identity--I realized I want to have the identity of being a person who takes care of herself--meditating, walking every day, reading--so I've made those my habits. And it's working! I got off Twitter in November, and I feel awesome. I've even lost a few pounds with fasting in the mornings. It's crazy.
The other big thing that's stuck with me is the 2-minute rule--the idea that a habit should only take 2 minutes or less to start. But I've also thought about it this way--when I'm feeling unmotivated, I force myself to do it for 2 minutes or less (like 2 minutes of meditation instead of my normal 10) just to keep the streak going. Just to say I've completed it. And that's been huge for me.
My biggest takeaway is I'm working to eliminate my perfectionism, which he talks about in the book--that's what's tripped me up and made me fail in the past. So now I just try to focus on completion--completing the behavior to keep that identity going (as a "meditator" or as someone who flosses) rather than having it be perfect due to an arbitrary set of rules. I ask myself regularly--what's the purpose of me doing this? And it's not just to "get 8,000 steps" but to be a person who moves her body every day. It's not to have to write 2 pages in my journal but to write down my daily gratitudes and reflections, even if they're just 3 sentences. It's been a total mindshift. I'm pretty pleased with it. And James Clear helped with his book--bless him! ...more
THIS WAS SO GOOD. I read about this on a Facebook group as an answer to the question, "what book had a lasting impact on your life?" And I've read a vTHIS WAS SO GOOD. I read about this on a Facebook group as an answer to the question, "what book had a lasting impact on your life?" And I've read a variety of simplicity/decluttering books, so I was intrigued when yet ANOTHER decluttering book made someone's list. I love Marie Kondo and her KonMari method, but it definitely felt completely overwhelming to start (or continue). The fun of the Netflix show is just how DRAMATIC decluttering can be (take it all out! See what a mess you have! Go through each item one by one!) and also--Kondo is the one controlling the process (well, the overall process--the person declutters by themselves). The KonMari method is very orderly, very precise, and there are lots. of. rules.
Dana K. White ain't got time for that. She has methods to help you declutter in 5 minutes or 5 hours, and you don't leave a bigger mess than when you started. You're able to make visible progress without getting stuck. Live for the life you have NOW and not the life your had, or hope you might have. Some of my major takeaways:
- Start with visible surfaces. This is what gives you momentum. - The idea that your home/closet/drawer/cabinet is a CONTAINER. You can keep your entire collection of Beverly Cleary books from childhood, as long as they fit on your bookshelf. Don't buy a new bookshelf. This keeps the process as unemotional as possible--make your container be the bad guy. Your house can only fit what it can fit. This is where I think Kondo's "touch it and see how it makes you feel" method is helpful--it helps you identify which stuff is the most important. Also a fun corollary--whatever you're using most (dishes/clothes) is what you really like to wear/eat on/use. So those should be first to keep. - Avoid the KEEP box. Or in my case, the KEEP laundry basket. I would clear off a surface by putting everything into a keep box (it was beautifully simple, and that surface was SO clear) with the promise--the promise!!--that I would go through that stuff later. But often, I didn't for days (or weeks, or months). So her idea is that you have to trash it, donate it, or figure out what to do with it.
She has 2 cluttering questions to avoid the dreaded "Keep box." 1. If I needed this item, where would I look for it? (then take it there) 2. If I needed this item, would it ever occur to me that I already have one? (If not, get rid of it because I’d just buy a new one if I needed it.)
Oddly I really struggled to understand the 2nd question--to really understand it. But I get it. I have some blank greeting cards in a nightstand. When I go to send a card to my mother, would I even remember I had it? Would I look for it in the nightstand? If not, that thing is just a waste and taking up space.
She also has a really empathetic section near the end about decluttering dreams and how emotional it can be to declutter. We have a ton of clothes, maternity wear, and baby items with the idea we'd have a 2nd baby. I don't think we'll have our own 2nd baby, although we might adopt (and someone wrote to her with exactly this same issue--the idea they were letting go of the thought they'd have another baby). There can be grief and strong emotions in delucttering--ignore them at your own folly. Process them while you process your stuff (...but don't start there. Start with that ugly pot you hate).
I thought she could've addressed the emotion of decluttering clothes a little better--especially clothes that don't fit (but you think MIGHT fit if you "just lost those 5/10/20 pounds...which you will soon!"). I've had this issue and it is SO hard to let go of clothes that I used to love that don't fit anymore (although I've done it, and honestly I haven't missed them--so maybe I just answered my own issue.)
Is this life changing? I think it's actually life changing. But some books just hit you the right way at the right time. This was one of those books.
Her blog tagline is "reality-based decluttering and organizing". Ha! Live in your reality right NOW!...more
I think the biggest value of this book is the subject alone--don't leave your friends and family to deal with your crap after you die. Clean out your I think the biggest value of this book is the subject alone--don't leave your friends and family to deal with your crap after you die. Clean out your stuff! The tone is of a nice grandmother (which the author seems to be) telling you stories about her stuff. Depending on your interest in her Swedish stories (and advice) is how you'll grade this book. Most of what she said was repetition, but again, the value of the book is the idea that you shouldn't leave this for someone else to handle. I've got members of my family who have worked hard to clean out their stuff as they've moved from house to house, and I've got other members who will be a challenge to handle when that time comes. I'd rather be the former.
Some good little nuggets here, but it's a pretty slight read....more
This was a perfectly pleasant way to pass a few hours. Cruze is Dave Ramsey's daughter, so if you're familiar with his financial model and the Baby StThis was a perfectly pleasant way to pass a few hours. Cruze is Dave Ramsey's daughter, so if you're familiar with his financial model and the Baby Steps, this will be mostly review. But she's a more engaging writer than her dad (he's pretty cut and dried and to the point, with a sense of humor) and she packages it in a more narrative format. It did get me to think about things in a slightly different way, and the advice is solid and timely, for those of us who spend much time in social media which can be a comparison suck by its nature. A nice, light read with some terrific information. Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover is more straightforward, if you prefer that sort of style....more
I really, really loved this. Kondo is a little kooky (I think even she might admit that), and definitely obsessed with tidyness, but she had some realI really, really loved this. Kondo is a little kooky (I think even she might admit that), and definitely obsessed with tidyness, but she had some really great ideas and I just want to put them into practice RIGHT NOW. I read a variety of feng shui/organization/decluttering books/websites regularly, but she said things I hadn't seen before.
1. Don't do a little at a time. Do it all at once (even if it takes 6 months, don't repeat yourself).
2. DON'T SORT BY AREA. Sort by category. Not "the kitchen, the master closet, the bathroom", but clothes, shoes, books, kitchen stuff, miscellany (she has an order...I'm pretty close with this list).
3. Take out EVERYTHING in a category, pile it on the floor, and TOUCH IT. Touch everything. Touch it and see how it makes you feel. She made an interesting distinction between throwing things away and deciding what to keep. The latter is much more positive. So when deciding what to keep, touch it and see what emotional reaction you have to it. If it's not joy (or exist for sheer purpose, like your car title), get rid of it. That seems so obvious, but I have held on to books (she says this is normal) for years because I think I'll read them, but in my heart I don't really care about them that much. Or clothes (and I'm wearing a sweater as we speak) that make me self-conscious because they either don't fit right, or I SHOULD like them but I don't, or I paid a lot of money for them, etc. I have a pair of black heels that I dread putting on because they always slip off my feet. Always! They need to go!
Kondo believes that once you do this entire process, you won't have to do it again. You'll KNOW what speaks to you and what you really want to own. You'll appreciate what you have because everything you own is exactly perfect and not too much. And you won't shop/purchase mindlessly because you won't really want to. You'll be more aware of how you really feel about something and whether it belongs in your home or not. And best of all, everything will have a place to go because you put it there consciously. She also believes that things want to be useful, to be used. If you're not using something, it's not living out its purpose, so give it away to someone else. Or maybe it's already lived out its purpose (a greeting card, a broken coffee machine), so let it go. Not everything is meant forever--just like people. And you can't do this for others, just yourself because everything is personal to you. I don't know, it just moved me. Your stuff is a composite of your life, and says things about you. I think my life will be quite transitional this year...do I want to haul things around to new places that I don't even like? Do I want to merge with someone else's stuff when some of mine doesn't matter to me? No! I want to feel joy from my things. I really want to get started...I just need a little time to do so!...more
I found this in my bedside table where I must have swiped it from somewhere and then forgot about it (ironic!) when I decided to clean up a little on I found this in my bedside table where I must have swiped it from somewhere and then forgot about it (ironic!) when I decided to clean up a little on New Year's. But after flipping through this (but before really reading much of it) I decided to really declutter my place, and this book was my feng shui guide! Yes, a lot of feng shui is woo woo, but I believe that stuff has energy, much of it negative, and it can hold you back because you feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you have. I got rid of 5 big bags of trash and donated an entire rolling bin of goods to Salvation Army. I've touched every closet, drawer, cabinet, and shelf in my place. And you know what? I don't miss ANY of it. One of the most interesting things Kingston mentions is that yes, some of your things can be sentimental, but they don't have to have value forever...their time of sentimentality can pass. And so I looked at sentimental items in a new way, and thought--I've wrung as much sweetness out of these things as I need, and they've served their purpose. Bye bye, things!
I'm sure I could take another pass around my apartment and get rid of a whole new batch of stuff, but you know what? This was a huge first step. I'm breathing a sigh of relief when I walk into my house!...more
Before I picked up this book, I felt like I knew a lot of the subject matter--I mean, I'm an academic librarian, I work with information (and the InteBefore I picked up this book, I felt like I knew a lot of the subject matter--I mean, I'm an academic librarian, I work with information (and the Internet) every day, and I'm regularly telling students the importance of choosing and evaluating the right online sources for their papers. But in the past year, I've had a variety of experiences that make this book uber-relevant: finding undesirable information about someone on the Internet by simply searching their name, having my Facebook account and email get hacked, hearing countless stories of businesses pass over young graduates because of things they've shared on their (open) Facebook page, and being able to, with just a little clicking, find someone's entire digital life including photos of their children and their spouse that shouldn't have been so easy for me to access (via Picasa and a wide-open Facebook account). And I myself have a very active "digital life": I post on my blog, I write reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Yelp, I'm active on Facebook daily--the online environment is a place where I'm very comfortable "living" (although I knew someone who ended up closing his Facebook account while going through his divorce because he didn't want any information to possibly get leaked to her, and he was almost horrified by the amount and types of information people revealed about themselves on FB, including me. And yet--he posted reviews on Yelp. Pot? Meet your kettle.)
It seems day after day we give up tiny bits of privacy for convenience, things we would never do if we could see the "online paparazzi" stalking us, involved in our business with our own eyes. But because it's online, we share all KINDS of information--credit card data, personal information, personal stories, etc.--and don't even give it a second thought.
It is clear from the first page that the authors know their subject. Mr. Claypoole is a co-chair of the cyberspace privacy and data security subcommittee for the American Bar Association, and Mrs. Payton has her own business specializing in internet security, as well as serving as the CIO under President Bush (the younger). One of the most useful things about the book are the various resources sprinkled throughout the chapters telling you to check this site, or run this search, or ways to make your internet identity more secure. It's eminently practical and easy to read. I think a big reason so many of us have given up trying to manage our online identities is because it seems overwhelming, and the authors make it easy to divide that job up into bits and pieces, allowing you to feel like you have more control over your information and identity. And I have no children, but if I did? I think I'd be an Internet lockdown nazi (and Claypoole and Payton tell you how!) Goodness knows what kind of information kids would post about themselves if they were allowed to (and I've heard of horror stories about people finding things their children have posted on YouTube and FB).
Most of all, the authors are practical about how to manage your information and they certainly don't expect you to stay off the web entirely--but you can keep your life private. The last chapter, entitled 'Turning off the lights: choosing to be invisible online" gives you specific tips to regain your anonymity online. It's an interesting, relatable, easy-to-read book on something that we pretend doesn't affect us, but it definitely does. Every day. Every time we touch or click that icon that connects us to the web. So protect yourself!...more
I don't think of myself as a huge procrastinator, but I think all of us are in some form or fashion. I'm messy. I'd rather read than do dishes right aI don't think of myself as a huge procrastinator, but I think all of us are in some form or fashion. I'm messy. I'd rather read than do dishes right after I make dinner. I leave my shoes everywhere. I'm on Facebook too much. And I'm trying to streamline things that I do, make my life a little easier by getting on the ball. I think had interesting things to say as to why we procrastinate, and how to get around it. The most intriguing one is the Unschedule--you only get to "treat" yourself after you've done 30 minutes of uninterrupted work, and once you've done that work, put it on your calendar. So your calendar doesn't fill up with tasks you dread (11am--work on Jones report), but AFTER you've worked on the Jones report, you put it on your calendar, thereby a) giving yourself a tiny gold star, and b) being able to track how long it REALLY took to finish the Jones report. I think often I'm not honest about what I'm actually doing or how long that thing actually takes, and then the day just fritters away. I'd probably be amazed at how much or little time I spend on certain activities that could best be spent some other way. Seriously, if you could figure out how much actual, concentrated work you do a day (and shut up, it's not 8 straight hours daily) I think we'd be much more productive. I'm going to try out a few of these habits and see how they do for me.
However, I did try a simple habit last week of immediately doing something (dishes, putting away the shoes) as soon as I saw/thought about it, and it made me feel so much better! I didn't feel guilty about relaxing. Fiore is big on "guilt-free play", so schedule your time to get the annoying stuff out of the way first!...more
I am tabling the "did this work?" part of my review until I actually see if I can put some of the principles of GTD in action, but at the moment, I'm I am tabling the "did this work?" part of my review until I actually see if I can put some of the principles of GTD in action, but at the moment, I'm really excited to start! I've actually made a project list for home and for work (seeing me do this last night, mom said "That looks really stressful!" And I said "not having a list and having no clue just how much I should be doing and I'm ignoring is what's stressful!") I've even reorganized my work email to start fresh--I've got about 100+ things in my "Pending" folder ready to be managed.
One of the things that's stuck with me so far (and I blew through this in a few days) is the 2-minute rule: if it can be done in 2 minutes or less, DO IT. Don't put it off to be one more thing to do or to remember. I'm really bad that way. So I've already started doing the two minute rule, even for dumb stuff, this weekend: returned phone calls, taken my pills, updated a contact name in my phone book...whatever silly stuff is floating around in my head, I resolve it and finish it. I got it done, son! We'll see if I can get it working on a bigger scale.
I bugged my parents all weekend with Allen's signature phrase: "What's the next action???" That's his answer to any project that is stuck, muddy, or too large to comprehend. Well, this girl's next action is to get to bed so I can start work fresh tomorrow and get some crap done! Inspire me, David Allen!...more
I don't know where I heard about this originally, but I found it and downloaded it from Netgalley. What a charming little book! I've taken a real inteI don't know where I heard about this originally, but I found it and downloaded it from Netgalley. What a charming little book! I've taken a real interest lately about my finances and where my money is going, for a variety of reasons, so these kinds of books appeal to me. I do a couple of things she mentions in the book already--try to buy local food when i can, and I love consignment shopping (some of my favorite clothes are from little consignment shops), but I learned some useful tips from Amish living. Craker makes the book really flow together from her year-long interviews of her Amish neighbors (and i think it helps that she grew up Mennonite). She opens the book with an amazing fact--that when the market crashed a few years ago, the Amish were the only ones who actually INCREASED their business at the bank. How did they do this? She lays out their strategies (while humorously comparing them to her own shortcomings)--determining wants vs. needs, the importance of spending time with family and friends at home, cooking yourself, not having credit, not paying interest or late fees, shopping second hand and in bulk, etc. Much of this is doable, and it made me appreciate the old cliche that money CAN'T buy happiness, and we often take that for granted. The Amish do many admirable things, and the way they manage their money to create growth and prosperity (and not just for themselves), is one of the biggest. Just a delightful read....more
A really useful book about how using cash for necessities only (no Starbucks! No dinners out! No clothes or movies!) for 21 days can change the way yoA really useful book about how using cash for necessities only (no Starbucks! No dinners out! No clothes or movies!) for 21 days can change the way you look at money, how you budget, and how you can give away more than you thought you could. Singletary definitely comes at this from a Christian perspective, but the Christian perspective on money--spend on what you need but deny yourself things on occasion, enjoy the stability that money gives you but don't hoard it, give money away to those who need it more than you--is a reasonable one, I think. I budget pretty well, and save, but I've recently felt that my money disappears faster than I'd like it to (usually on books and meals out with friends), and I buy things I don't really need and don't have space for in my house. And as I'm contemplating whether I want to redecorate my living room or not, I don't want to be cash poor for furniture, you know? This book keeps things in perspective and reminds you that simply accumulating money (or credit) to spend on stuff WILL NOT make you happy. It's a good lesson to remember....more
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