Simple Life Together

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Well, if the show sounds a bit different it’s because we’re on the road. That’s right, we’re taking you on vacation! It’s actually a “working trip” for us.

We’ve never recorded on the road (we literally recorded our segment in the car).  The sound quality is just a bit off from our normal audio but not bad considering the circumstances! The interview however is excellent!  Just sayin….

Anyhoos…typically when we have a guest interview we do a combined topic.  Since we want you to enjoy the entire interview, we decided to do a shorter segment for our topic.

Additionally, when we know we are going to be out of town for a week, we try to record an episode in advance.  Well, we ended up having  such a busy week with clients leading up to our trip, that we simply ran short of time to prepare two episodes in only 3 days!

It may not seem like a lot of work but each episode takes at least 16 hours to prep, record, edit in post-productions, post show notes, post in iTunes, etc.  We are still on our journey to simplify this process…believe us we are! Thankfully it is a labor of love…truly!!!!

So, speaking of simplifying and in keeping with our philosophy on most things in life…we decided to keep our segment…well, you know…simple. 

And since we’re on a road trip we decided to share a few travel tips with you.  Here are the things we discussed:

We’ve mentioned on the show before that we like to juice. We started juicing a little over a year ago in December of 2011 after Dan was completely and totally inspired by Joe Cross’s film, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (this is an Amazon affiliate link but the movie is available for free on Netflix if you’re a member) which he saw on Netflix over 20 times since.

Dan decided to try juicing and Vanessa decided to jump on board too and we’ve been hooked ever since.

So, we thought it would be great to invite Farnoosh Brock (a friend we met at the World Domination Summit in 2011) who just published and released her new book, The Healthy Juicer’s Bible. It was released by Skyhorse Publishing and is selling out everywhere!

Farnoosh is amazing, talented and a such a delight to talk with.  We think you’ll really love the interview!  Here are some of the questions we asked!

1. So Farnoosh, who are you and how do you make people’s lives simpler?

2. Do you remember your first fresh juice? If you can, tell us where and when that was, and what went through your mind before you drank it?

3. When we talk about juicing, one of the first questions we’re asked is what’s the difference between juices and smoothies, or juicing and blending. How would you answer that?

4. So Farnoosh, what would you list as some of the benefits of juicing?

5. How do you recommend people get started with juicing?

6. Dan’s been a member of your Green Juicing Clinic for almost a year now…since the start…and I love it! Tell us how you came up with that concept and a bit about the clinic.

7. That leads us to your brand new and beautiful book “The Healthy Juicer’s Bible.” We love this little book! It is jam packed with great info, terrific tips, and the pictures are absolutely beautiful, too! Tell us how the book came about.

8. You know we’re all about simplifying and for new juicers the whole process can seem a bit intensive. Can you share some tips on how you’ve simplified your juicing?

9. Alright…we gotta ask…you’re stranded on a tropical island…thankfully there’s a solar powered juicer there and and this tropical island just happen to grow all the ingredients to your favorite juice. What juice would that be?

10. Do you have any tips for juicing on the go or when you travel?

Dan’s Thing:  His love of podcasts and audiobooks and being able to take advantage of our road trip to catch up on many of them.

Vanessa’s Thing:  Being able to help her in-laws organize their paper files by consolidating numerous boxes and folders into one, consolidated filing system that’s easy for everyone to access.

You have been great about leaving iTunes ratings and reviews and we hope you keep it up. We’ve had reviews from:

The Healthy Juicer’s Bible

Green Juicing Clinic 

All of Farnoosh’s books on Amazon

Get Simplifized: How To Travel With Electronics

Get Simplifized: Belkin Travel Surge Protector

This week we continue with Evernote Simplified, Part 2, and Vanessa shares some awesome time saving productivity tips! So many people tell me that they love Evernote, but sometimes don’t “get” exactly how to use it. Sure, there’s lots of “technical” references out there about Evernote, but what their really looking for is Evernote simplified!

So let’s get started! Read more…

Yep but before I start I just wanted to remind you that although we don’t try to push you to buy more stuff, if you do use Amazon.com like we do, you can helps support a charity that we support, Charitywater.org, simply by using our link. Anything the show earns through that link or from our resources page goes to support CharityWater. You can learn more about them at CharityWater.org

Alright so in Episode 017 I covered all the basics of how to get information into Evernote and how to retrieve and use it. So…the the “ins and outs” if you will.

Well today I want to take you on a little audio windshield  tour of the Evernote interface for the desktop version of Evernote. I’m on a Mac so if you’re on a PC the appearance may vary a bit, but the functionalities are generally the same.

A Dashboard Tour:

The desktop interface of Evernote beginning in the top Menu Bar.

Left Panel. Moving on the left side we have what Evernote calls the left panel. Top to bottom in the left panel we have Shortcuts, Recent Notes, the Notes view option, the Notebooks view option, the Tags view option, the Atlas view option and the Trunk option.

So, now you have a quick layout of the desktop and know that you can change HOW you see your info just by clicking different viewing options. Be sure to play around with your mobile device to learn your way around version of Evernote, too!

Evernote Advanced Tips:

In Part 1 of Evernote Simplified in Episode 17, I covered the basic tips, such as: What is Evernote, Why I like Evernote, some  Evernote Basics, Searching in Evernote, and finally Sharing in Evernote. Well, here are some more Advanced Tips:

Power User Techniques:

Final Thoughts: 

Evernote won’t just start working for you…you have to develop the habit of USING IT! It will take you a little while of playing around with it to master it. Heck, I use it every day and I learn new things about it all the time! I’m sure you will, too. I’ll be sure to come back to Evernote from time to time and of course, I’ll share all the cool stuff with you.

Do  you ever get overwhelmed with your to-do lists and wonder, “How the heck am I going to get all this stuff done? There’s just not enough time in the day!”

 Well, I find myself asking this very question from time to time and I’ve heard it countless times from my friends, colleagues and clients. The truth of the matter is, we are busier than ever these days and it can seem almost impossible to keep track of everything at home, work, with the kids, with school, etc.  But it is possible to have a little more control of your to do lists and take back your time.  It just takes a little bit of effort and daily discipline.

So, because  I’ve been discussing this topic a lot recently, I thought I’d share with you some tips and ideas to help you with managing your to dos and your time.  

1. Determine your goals and priorities in life.  Most of your efforts should be geared towards achieving your goals and priorities. Really think about the things you have to do as opposed to things you think you have to do.  A lot of to do’s are not necessarily things we have to do.  Often times the lines are blurred because we overcommit or feel obligated to things that aren’t  in line with our goals and rob us of valuable time.

2. Get your daily to-do’s under control. We put way too much on our daily to do lists.  I recommend having no more than 3-5. You can maintain a master to-do list but only pick 3-5 items that you are committed to getting done in one day. When you finish them and have time for something else, refer to the master list and tackle something else.  This is more reasonable…and motivating!

3. Prioritize your to-do’s. Either number your to-do’s or list them in order of importance, tackling the number one or top priority first.  Ask yourself: “If there’s only one thing I can get done today, what should it be?”  There’s your number one priority. Personally, I have two Master To Do Lists.  One for Personal and  one for Work/Business where I keep track of everything.  I review these lists at least twice per day (usually at night and first thing in the morning).

4. Determine when you are most productive and use that time to get things done. For years I thought I was the most productive first thing in the morning…WRONG!  I found that I’m usually most productive between 10:00-3:00pm.  So, this is the time I’ve reserved for getting important projects done.  Try to figure out the time your are most focused and productive and reserve it to focus on your goals, priorities and important projects rather than menial tasks and errands.

5. Don’t procrastinate! Procrastination gets in the way of progress and causes undue stress in our lives.  Get yourself in the right mentality and force yourself to get things done. I am a recovering procrastinator….Check out my post for more tips on how to combat procrastination.

6. Don’t overcommit. Try not to sign yourself up for more than you can handle.  Be realistic about the time you have for work, your family and extracurricular activities.  It’s ok to say NO.

7. Batch tasks…try taking care of two or more things during the same timeframe (not to be confused with multi-tasking and trying to do more than one thing at a time). For example, scrub your tub just before or after you take a shower; if you need to go upstairs, do a quick search around the first floor to gather things that need to go upstairs too; do two or more errands in the same trip/timeframe as opposed to taking separate trips.

8. Share tasks at work and home…or delegate/out-source.  Ask spouses, children and coworkers to help out with yard work, laundry, cooking, chores and tasks at work.

 9. Check email only a couple of times a day. Don’t get sucked into the internet! You don’t have to check your email every time you get something in your inbox or hear a ding on your phone.  It’s hard to do this.  If you can’t get into the habit of checking email only once or twice a day, at the very least, try not to check it when you are focusing on an important project…or when you know you are checking your email as an excuse to procrastinate.

10. When working on an important task turn off all distractions like the television, voicemail, email or text alerts. This will help you stay focused and more productive.

11. Cut down your television viewing. The average amount of time we spend watching television is 20 hours a week.  A week!!! We waste countless hours watching television that has nothing to do with achieving our goals and priorities.  Sure, television is nice…but save it for your relaxation time after you’ve committed to getting your important tasks done first.

12. Use your electronic calendar to keep track of multiple schedules and send you appointment alerts either to your email or mobile phone. My favorite is Google Calendar.  For every event you plug into your calendar, you can have the option of receiving an email notification, text notification…or both (but a word of caution…the SMS/text message will count against your allotted minutes in your cell phone plan). Anyhoos…Google Calendar is also great because you can create multiple calendars and share them with friends, family and coworkers…no more missed payments, meetings or pediatric appointments for your kids!

13. Develop routines and stick to them. There I go again talking about routines! Seriously, they can make a HUGE difference in managing your time and ensuring you are ready for the day without being stressed out.

14. Develop a backwards time schedule to make sure you complete a project or arrive on time to work or an appointment. Start with your “completion” time in mind and plan backwards to ensure you meet your timelines. Be sure to be realistic about how long the preceding tasks take.

15. Hold yourself accountable with important tasks by giving them a suspense date. Is there a task you need to do like, setting up dental appointments for the kids, getting an oil change or ordering gifts but you keep putting it off? Well, instead of putting it off, deal with it and plug in a date and time on your calendar of when you can and will accomplish that task.  Then keep the appointment and don’t bump it off the calendar unless you absolutely have to.

16. Be prepared for making phone calls. Before picking up your phone, make a list of things you need to talk about and questions you need to ask.  That way, you won’t waste time calling someone back because you forgot to ask an important question.  I even do this when I call my relatives if I have a lot of things to tell them.  Just make a list of topics and start talking!

17. Reward yourself!!! Stay focused on your priorities, get your important tasks done, then treat yourself to some fun stuff. It’s extremely gratifying not only when you complete your daily to-do’s but then get to chill and do something fun or relaxing.

I challenge you to adopt one, two, or several of these ways to manage and take back your time. Sure it takes effort and some discipline, but by focusing on your priorities and limiting distractions, you’ll soon find that you will be living a more productive and balanced life.

So…do you have any other tips for being productive? I always love hearing other ideas and suggestions.

THING Segment

Dan’s Thing:  Well in keeping with my Evernote theme, I wanted to mention the security breach that Evernote had this past week. If you hadn’t heard, someone hacked into Evernote’s servers and Evernote employees “identified and blocked what the company said was a “coordinated attempt” to break into secure parts of the service. Evernote was lauded by many in the information security arena…you can find more info in this following article by InformationWeek.com’s security department: http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/evernote-breach-7-security-lessons/240149911?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All  It covers everything Evernote did right and some areas where it needs to improve. Best of all, Evernote has pushed up its effort for two-part security. That’s techie stuff, but good news for all Evernote users and fans!

Vanessa’s Thing:

Links

How To Combat Procrastination

Today’s show is about focus…from two very different perspectives. First, we’re going to focus on how to use Evernote, and then shift the focus to fitness.

So what is Evernote?

The Evernote app is free for your desktop and all your devices, and so is the Evernote program on the web itself.

Why I Like Evernote

Basics

Searching

Sharing

Sometimes, information is just too good to hold on to…you need to share it!

Dan and I talk frequently about the 5 Important Pillars in our lives: Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness and Future, and how we try to make sure we stay focused on each of them as we make decisions in our day to day lives.

Well, I remember briefly talking about about my fitness journey back in Episode 05, “The One Secret To Accomplishing Anything,” but I thought that I would go into a little more detail about my journey and how I continue to make it an important part of my life.  I’d like to share with you my struggles, reasons for staying fit and give you some tips on what worked for me that you may find helpful if you want to make fitness part of your life too.

After all, that’s what this podcast is about…sharing ideas…and simplifying our lives to focus on what’s important.

So…my fitness journey probably officially started in January 2001, but of course there’s a back-story of how I got to the point where I needed to start a fitness journey.  

Growing up I had a pretty active lifestyle.  My siblings and I almost always played outside, we went camping a lot and we really enjoyed the outdoors…exploring, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, etc.).  I also started playing sports in the 6th grade (around 11/12 years old) and continued in high school where I played Varsity sports 9-12th grade…throughout the entire school year (volleyball, softball, track).   So…I was definitely an athlete.

But, you know…it wasn’t that big of a deal…but over the course of the next 4 years I gained another 10 or so pounds.  It didn’t really bother me too much because I didn’t look too overweight and I was still kicking butt on my Air Force ROTC fitness tests…one of the top female performers actually. So my weight wasn’t really holding me back…that is until I got on active duty and started my career in the Air Force.

Well, reality slapped me right in the face!  All of a sudden was now in charge of a whole lot of folks and had a ton of responsibility dumped in her lap.  I worked long hours, slept little and ate terribly.  Fitness was the last thing on my mind.  So over the course of the next 4 years on active duty I slowly but steadily gained the weight to where I was about 40 pounds heavier than when I graduated from high school.

Now…maybe 40+ pounds doesn’t seem like much…but the bigger issue for me was that I was terribly unhappy.  I was stressed out, moody, borderline depressed, and definitely didn’t feel good about how I looked or how I felt.  It was like I was completely uncomfortable in my own skin.  On top of that, my fitness scores (although still good) were drastically declining and even worse…I was over my weight standards in the Air Force. I think I was over my maximum weight for a few years but thankfully I was able to barely inch by (literally) on my body tape measurements (explain weight and fitness standards).

So, I definitely was living an unhealthy lifestyle and I certainly wasn’t setting the example for my troops as their leader because fitness and weight standards are pretty important in the military.  Well, just when things were starting to spiral out of control as far as my self esteem and dissatisfaction at work, I got lucky and deployed to Saudi Arabia in January 2001. Now, most folks wouldn’t think that was luck…getting deployed to the Middle East

Anyoos…there wasn’t much to do but work…and work out.  One day a troop of mine asked if I wanted to be her workout partner.  I said, “Um sure…why not?  What have I got to lose except some weight right?”  Well, lemme just say…it was the best thing that happened to me!  I started working out and lost 20 pounds in 3 months!  And the funny thing was…I had fun doing it!

After I got back from my deployment, I continued to lose and extra 20 pounds over the next 8 months.  I got addicted and there was no turning back!  I loved the way I felt, how comfortable my clothes were, how much easier it was to concentrate and be productive at work plus I was absolutely fascinated by how I was able to transform my own body…because for years I thought there was nothing I could do about it…in my mind I was a victim of faulty genetics and poor circumstance.

So, 12 years, 5 smaller dress sizes, 2 full marathons, 5 half marathons, several team sports competitions, and many juice fasts later…I’ve kept it off (minus that little 9 month stint when I was pregnant and gained 35 pounds…but quickly shed it in 4 months).  So there is no doubt that fitness is part of my life and will continue to be.

Over the years I’ve had friends and acquaintances ask me how I did it and what the secret to my success was.  I realized that the secret to my success wasn’t just one thing…or one secret ingredient.  It was a combination of things that helped me.  So, I thought that I would share with you the thing that helped me…and maybe they’ll help you too.

So those were the mental shifts I made that helped me on my fitness journey.  Here are some things that worked for me. They may or may not work for you because everyone had different needs and different ways of getting things done:

Additionally here are some tips that made maintaining my fitness lifestyle a lot easier and even fun!

– I use MyFitnessPal to track workouts and meals and the calories I burn.

OK, so I know this isn’t earth-shattering information, but I know I find inspiration through other people’s experiences and thought that maybe I should share mine with you.  People I meet today have no idea, that I ever struggled with my weight!  Once they learn about I have…and especially when they see my before pictures…they’re instantly interested in learning how I got fit, lost the weight, and kept it off.

Let me be clear though….I’m not a fitness model or a skinny mini by any stretch of the imagination.  I’m not crazy fit and still have trouble spots and extra fat I don’t care for…but I know that I’m in a heck of a lot better off now than I was back then…both physically and mentally.

I think most people care about their health and fitness but struggle with making it a priority.  It’s all about defining what’s important to you and taking those baby steps to make it a priority.  Almost anything is possible if you put forth the effort.  Forget the quick fix and think long term sustainable lifestyle….that’s where you’ll experience success.

Dan’s Thing:  Meetup.com

Dan’s thing this week is Meetup.com. He’d been looking for a meetup group about podcasting and surprisingly, there wasn’t one in our city. It’s kind of hard to believe that in the 7th largest city in the US, there’s not a podcasting group. So, he figured I’d start one. No guts, no glory, right?  But Meetup.com seems like such a cool resource. So, we’ll let you know how things go!

Vanessa: Joining our local “Y…M…C…A”

Well, Vanessa became a stay at home mom 5 years ago, we stopped our gym membership to cut down our expenses.  So for the last 5 years she’s been doing her own strength training, cardio and training at home.  Well, Vanessa’s been itching to change things up…so she checked it out and loved it!  It has a great weight room, cardio, fitness programs, daycare and fun zones for kids, coffee bar, free wi-fi, a rock climbing wall an outdoor pool with waterslides and of several other things…and all for $89…for the entire family. You can even put your membership on hold for up to 3 months and only pay $10….so like if you’re going on a long trip in the summer.  And the best thing…the times that I like to go…there’s like nobody there!

Lots of new folks to the Facebook Edit & Forget It page this past week! So if you signed up for Edit & Forget It, join the fun over on FB, too! It’s never too late to join the Challenge, it’s going on all year so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, head on over to SimpleLifeTogether.com and  sign up!

A special shout out to Former President George Bush for his support in the video he did for the Edit & Forget It Challenge Facebook page. Regardless of your politics toward the former Prez, it’s nice to know he supports our efforts at Simplificatin’.

Thanks so much to the following for leaving such amazing feedback!:

Bill, Alan and Trevor…you guys ROCK!!!! Thanks so much!

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Here are the links we mentioned in the show:

Books:

 Evernote Bible by Brandon Collins (my all-around favorite)

Evernote: The Unofficial Guide to Capturing Everything and Getting Things Done. 2nd Edition by Daniel Gold (best if you’re a GTD fan)

 From the Evernote Website:

Evernote Overview

Getting Started with Evernote

Guide to Evernote for Windows

Guide to Evernote for Mac

Guide to Evernote for Web

Guide to Evernote for Android

Guide to Evernote for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

 Other Evernote resources:

 Evernote Cheat Sheet 

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Our Decisions, Our Future

Introducing the OODA Loop

What’s the Scoop on the OODA Loop?

OODA Loop Phases

OK…So Here’s an Example

How Can I Use the OODA Loop?

Don’t Forget the End State!

Final Thoughts

A couple of weeks ago I was with a group of women and the subject of makeup and the best facial skin care products came up. One of the gals said the best lipstick was made by Chanel. When I asked her how much it cost she said $38…with other lipsticks up to $50! I was like….that’s nearly half my electric bill for this month! I can get 3-5 decent lipsticks for the price of one!

I was shocked at the price because I just can’t justify (personally) spending that kind of money for lipstick.  Probably because I came from humble beginnings and was never really exposed to high-end/designer labels and such. Let me just say…just because I don’t shop high-end designer labels, doesn’t mean I don’t care about how I look or about quality.  I do!  But just on a budget.

The whole situation got me to thinking…do I sound like I’m being cheap?  Do my friends and colleagues think I’m cheap because I don’t have designer sunglasses, handbags, or shoes?  Do my clients judge me?  Well I decided to jump on the internet to see if I could answer the question: “Am I being frugal…or am I being cheap?”

As I sifted through the various articles I found a few that for me, clearly explained the difference, so I thought I would highlight some of the better explanations and examples of what I found….because I think it’s bound to be a question or topic that comes up with this type of lifestyle that we are living or striving to live.

Definitions of Being Frugal and Being Cheap.  Here are a couple of definitions I found on a couple of different sites:

Examples of Being Cheap vs Being Frugal (From Life Renewed):

Examples and Thoughts on Frugal vs Cheap from Mr. Money Moustache:

Example from Choosing Voluntary Simplicity: 

Frugality…What’s It All Worth?

My Thoughts:

Dan’s Thing:  The GOOD-FAST-CHEAP Conundrum

I’ve noticed in life that products you need typically only meet 2 of the 3 criteria on the FAST-GOOD-CHEAP model.

The best way to avoid the FAST-GOOD-CHEAP conundrum? Identify your true needs, do some research, and plan in advance.

Vanessa: Brene Brown’s book: Daring Greatly.

In the book she was talking about practicing courage and facing our shame and vulnerabilities…in particular she was describing a moment where she experienced shame and that her advice to people who experience the same thing is to “own the story ” and not bury it.  She quoted Carl Jung (famous psychotherapist) who said, “I am not what has happened to me.  I am what I choose to become.”  I thought that was so powerful because too often we let shame control and silence us.  By owning your pain, and admitting your vulnerabilities, somehow you  become stronger.  Highly recommend anything by Brene Brown…I’m a total fan!

Lots of new folks to the Facebook Edit & Forget It page this past week! So if you signed up for Edit & Forget It, join the fun over on FB, too! It’s never too late to join the Challenge, it’s going on all year so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, head on over to SimpleLifeTogether.com and  sign up!

A special shout out to Former President George Bush for his support in the video he did for the Edit & Forget It Challenge Facebook page. Regardless of your politics toward the former Prez, it’s nice to know he supports our efforts at Simplificatin’.

Thanks so much from the following for leaving such amazing feedback!:

Lisa Johnson, Mohamed Tohami from midwaysimplicity.com, NicJames, Tawny_lynne, Angora from the UK, Mark from London, UK, Eren from Brazil, Erin who heard us on Joel Zaslofsky’s podcast Smart and Simple Matters, which you can also find on iTunes or at ValueOfSimple.com.

Wanted to thank everyone that has given us fantastic feedback on iTunes, thru email, on the website and even several “shout outs” on different blogs and podcasts. It’s great to hear how you enjoy the podcast and to get your ideas and suggestions for future ones as well.  Thank you so much!

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Here are the links we mentioned in the show:

Wouldn’t you love to simplify your morning routine? What? You don’t have one? Well, in this episode Vanessa shares some tips to help you create your morning routine so you can start of each morning on the right path.

But even if you start out on the right path, sometimes little things can become big irritants, can’t they? One thing that can be really frustrating is printer problems. Do you think you could digitize your life to the point where you don’t even need a printer? Well, Dan shares his thoughts on that very subject! Read more… 

Are you feeling a little rushed in the mornings? Are you stressed out? Do you find yourself getting distracted from completing your important tasks? Well, you’re not alone. One of the most popular posts on my GetSimplifized.com website is about how to create a morning routine. I talked about routines in general way back in Episode 2, but I thought I’d get a little bit more specific here and share some tips specific to a morning routine.

When you establish a routine for you or your family, you are creating an environment of consistency. With consistency comes known expectations of roles and responsibilities, known outcomes and a happier, calmer family.  Think about it like this…we are drawn to certain businesses, products, bosses and friends because they provide consistently good food, products, leadership and friendship, right?  Well, if we expect and value consistency in those things…why not value it in our own lives?  A morning routine is just the thing to give you order and calm.

Now, before you jump into creating a daily routine, remember to keep the following in mind:

Here are a few suggestions and typical tasks to think about incorporating into your morning routine:

Ok…so there are some suggestions for you.  Although you may have these tasks written or typed in on your calendars, you might try writing them down on paper and creating a checklist that you can actually check off as you go so. Post it where you’ll see it (bathroom, next to the coffee maker, or somewhere else in the kitchen perhaps).   Sometimes that can help you pick up a new habit/routine faster.

We’re keeping a running list of our top top problems, issues, or situations that cause us frustration. You know, things that are just a hassle. We’re keeping the list so we can do a good 80/20 analysis and take action to eliminate or at least mitigate the problems.

On the top of the list for tech items is our computer printer. We used to have 2 printers, one in the house and one in the office. We really seldom use them and I’d be willing to bet that the one inside the house wasn’t used for over a year before we got rid of it. As for the work printer in the World Shedquarters, we seldom use it at all and when we do, we usually have an issue connecting. It’s a wifi only unit with no option for a direct connection to our computers or our router. And even with software updates we haven’t had the best of luck with it staying connected.

Well, the other day Farnoosh Brock, from ProlificLiving.com, who is a member of our Edit & Forget It Challenge posted this on the Edit & Forget It Challenge Facebook page:

Hi everyone, so I’ve made a firm decision NOT to buy a printer for our business. Until a month ago, we’d be using my hubby’s work printer and side note: I HATE Printers with a passion like you wouldn’t believe …. soooo can I survive without a printer? I am willing to bet yes.

That post really got me thinking. I spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting our options when I bought this all-in-one printer but I never once considered NOT buying a printer! After all of the efforts we’ve made over the last 3-4 years at going paperless, I just never even considered it. Well, that got me thinking about the real feasibility of doing away with a printer completely.

So, knowing that we don’t use a printer much, we had to take a look at what we DO use it for. Here’s what we boiled it down to and potential work arounds:

Here are some other ways to print out what you need:

Alright…well, those are some options for you. Take some time and evaluate whether you really need a printer and if it falls squarely into that category of 20% of things that cause 80% of your tech problems.

So, have you gone without a printer? Do you think you could? I’d love to hear from you either way.  I think our printer is now firmly on our “tech to phase out” list. There may be a few growing pains, that’s what growing is all about, right?

Vanessa: Our story about how we chose to sponsor Charity:Water on our website.

Dan: How an article on Zen Habits reminded him of a letter he wrote to his son before heading off to Afghanistan right after 9/11.

Well, we welcomed a lot of new folks to the Facebook Edit & Forget It page this past week! So if you signed up for Edit & Forget It, join us on FB, too! It’s never too late to join the Challenge, it’s going on all year so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, head on over to SimpleLifeTogether.com and  sign up!

Wanted to thank everyone that has given us fantastic feedback on iTunes, thru email, on the website and even several “shout outs” on different blogs and podcasts. It’s great to hear how you enjoy the podcast and to get your ideas and suggestions for future ones as well.  Thank you so much!

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Get Simplifized: Morning Routine

Your Morning Coffee Routine Just Got Simplifized

Organize Your Morning Routine with a Nightly Routine

Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits Article: Advice to My Kids

Photo Credit: RaSeLaSeD – Il Pinguino

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

The way, the Simple Life Guide to building your “Side Gig” is ready and we’ve had a bunch of people sign up. So if you’re ready to start on the path to shaping your life a bit more by starting a lifestyle business on the side and you don’t have any experience starting a website, well this guide and the video links will lead you through how to set up your site, step by step, and it even includes some fantastic branding information, too!  It’s completely free and you can sign up at SimpleLifeTogether.com/websiteguide.

Dan and I were interviewed a couple of times last week and during one of the interviews we were talking about how much stuff we have in our homes. Dan started talking about a study conducted by UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families. They sent a team of professional archaeologists, anthropologists and other social scientists to conduct a systematic study of home life in 32 middle-class, dual-income families in Los Angeles.

Based off of this study they created a book: Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors. UCLA also created 3 short video ethnographies for their university television station which are now on YouTube. The book and the videos highlight their major findings which I thought were absolutely fascinating!

The pictures and videos may not be as mouth-dropping as what you might see on the show Hoarders…but I think it does hit a little closer to home because it’s not highlighting those extreme cases of hoarding….it’s highlighting what is becoming…or rather…actually already has become the “norm” in the middle class America. So I reviewed some of the major findings and then discussed my thoughts.

Findings in relation to stuff:

Findings in relation to the effects the stuff had on these families:

My Thoughts:

What are your thoughts?

OK, so today I want to talk about  what I call “gateway” gadgets.  Well, remember back in high school health class when they taught us about “gateway drugs”. Well if you haven’t heard of gateway drugs or the gateway theory, essentially it’s that by doing something at a lower or “entry level”, it may make you more likely to do things at a more advanced level. So for drugs, the theory is that using (and I say this in quotations because they can be just as bad) but lesser drugs such as tobacco, alcohol or marijuana, it may make you more likely to use much more dangerous or hard drugs. The same goes for crime…if you allow yourself to be deceitful or engage in shoplifting or petty theft, it may lead to more serious and dangerous crimes later on.  It’s the act of initially opening yourself up or compromising yourself just a little bit at first, that may lead to additional and higher levels of compromise.

OK, so you get the idea…small things can lead to big things. I’m not here to talk about drugs, I’m here to talk about “stuff.” And I’m going to kind of “unwrap” how we…and especially, I, fell victim to this when it comes to our stuff. As I go through this, you might see a little of yourself in this situation too…because I think we all fall victim to this from time to time.

Alright, so here we go… when Vanessa was expecting our little girl, we decided (like a lot of parents do) to get a camcorder. We figured that since our son was getting bigger and the baby was about to be born, maybe it’s time we “invest” (yeah…how many times have you said that to yourself…invest) in a good camcorder. So we spent probably way more than we should have on this camera…HD was kinda new, it recorded right to an internal hard drive…you know…why skimp, right? We deserve the best of the best right. Sure we do.

Well, little did we know how little we would use this thing. After the initial glow of it faded, we realized that this thing was kind of a bear to use! I won’t mention the brand but they are notorious for using proprietary software and managing the files was just a pain the fourth point of contact.

So anyway, yeah, the video format wasn’t compatible, the files were huge and maxed out my crummy laptop which was all we had at the time…essentially, this thing just ended up sitting in it’s top-of-the-line camera bag (because a good camera deserves a good bag, “we’ll be carrying it around all the time, right?”)

The other thing was that we bought this thing right at the cusp of a technology boom where smart phones were coming out with decent video, too. So almost a total waste of money, right. “But wait, there’s more!”

So when Vanessa started up her Professional Organizer blog, Get Simplifized!, we finally wiped the dust off the camera to make a few videos, cuz what’s a blog that doesn’t have videos, right? In the interim, we had changed over to Apple Macs, so the once just clunky software was not unusable because they didn’t have Mac compatible software available. So it turned into “Work Around Fest 2009” and buying these conversion programs, backup drives that were large enough to hold the files, etc…

Then, and again the whole online business-blog thing was new to me….but every reputable person out there that I followed and trusted online was using the Kodak Zi8…a tiny little $120 video recorder like a flip camera. It was cheap, small, and recorded in HD. So, of course, we had to have that! All the cool kids had ’em! But when we got it, the sound was pretty bad if recording inside. No problem, just buy the lavalier microphone for $30! That solves that. And a case…you gotta have a case. And a little tripod. Just a little one. Oh yeah, we had the big one from the camcorder but who wants to lug that around? Get the little one.That’s a no brainer.

Well, a lot of our initial videos on Get Simplifized! were filmed with that little Kodak Zi8. But you know what? The zoom was bad and the aspect ratio of the screen seemed a little constrictive. Maybe we should try that old camcorder again now that decent conversion software was available. Yeah..that’s a great idea. Oh yeah, but we need a better microphone for the indoor shots. Most of Vanessa’s videos are indoors…she’s a Professional Organizer, not a landscaper.  So, yeah..a good microphone is a must. But why not use the $30 lavalier? Well, it leaves this little buzz and then there’s the “cord” thing to deal with. So a wireless lavalier would be best. Besides, it’s a business expense, right?

But then the same old angles and shots seemed to get old. Maybe a green screen setup so we can add cool backgrounds in editing…you know, like the weather guys on TV? Yeah…and some good lighting...you gotta have good lighting now that we have decent video and sound.  Crazy, huh?  But can’t you see yourself doing this with some area of your life? Maybe not video equipment, but maybe sports equipment or something?

Well we got really tired of having all this “stuff.”  Good quality stuff, but stuff nonetheless. So when the new iPhones came out with their upgraded camera lenses…it was another “no brainer” for sure! Let’s scrap most of what we have and start using the iPhone! Simplicity at it’s best, right? All we need is this little microphone adapter, this macro lens, this fish eye lest, this holder/grabber thingy for a tripod, this case so you can attach it to the tripod, this app, this “How to Make Amazing Video By Just Using Your iPhone” course...taught by a professional photographer who won an Academy Award for “Best iPhone Video”…finally…we had just what we wanted! Never again would we buy into the gateway gadget syndrome.  That is…until the Canon T4i came out!

Now THAT’S a camera…awesome stills, amazing video, auto focus video with the upgrade silent lenses. Oh, and King Size SD card that record for two light years, 1 Terra byte Thunderbolt hard drive to process the card’s huge videos, upgraded cloud storage plan, pro tripod, pro camera backpack, cool/sleek LED lighting to replace the old CFL lamps…besides, they were used like 10 times, extended battery pack with extra batteries, subscription to online video membership site, and extra lenses…you know, to make the edges look fuzzy.

All this camera, photography and video stuff…it’s like mainlining gadgets…it’s digital crack.  Now I’m not saying don’t start…maybe that’s not realistic…but what I am saying is to be careful of your predispositions, your triggers, and be mindful of your simplicity goals. Something as simple as “I’m going to start running” can turn into crazy expensive shoes, running clothes, hi-tech water bottles, $3 packets of goo, armbands for your iPhone, waterproof cases, tracking software, expensive GPS’s that are scrapped for apps, digital scales to track your weight loss, $125 entry fees to half marathons that give away cotton tee-shirts that you won’t wear running because they’re not “performance” t-shirts…all to be scrapped later for the ultra-expensive minimalist shoes that have individual toes…because that’s how cavemen walked, so it must be better for you. Oh, and then socks with toes because your toes chaff…and then paleo creme for your caveman toes…and then a pedicure…because you deserve it.

OK…that’s it. maybe this was a little bit of a rant…but at least I used myself as the example. You know where your weak points are, and you certainly won’t get any judgement from me…I’m just as guilty, if not more. Probably way more. But I’m workin’ at it. In the words of the great philosopher, Jules Winnfield, in the movie Pulp Fiction…I’m tryin’ Vincent…I’m tryin” real hard to be the shepherd!

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Stepping outside of her “comfort zone” to meet and connect with a neighbor.

Dan: The surprising, Simple Life Together listener demographic and how the idea of living a simple life is resonating with so many different folks here in the US and around the world!

The Facebook Edit & Forget It page is rockin’ so if you signed up for Edit & Forget It, join us on FB, too! For the folks that are there…it’s great to be able to see your photos and interact…we have some folks really raking up the numbers and posting some great stuff over there too so if you haven’t been on the page, you’re missing out!  It’s never too late to join the Challenge, so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, you can sign up right here! We have well over 70 people signed up, so come and join us!

Wanted to thank everyone that has given us fantastic feedback on iTunes, thru email, on the website and even several “shout outs” on different blogs and podcasts. It’s great to hear how you enjoy the podcast and to get your ideas and suggestions for future ones as well.  Thank you so much!

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Here are the links we mentioned in the show:

UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families

Trouble in paradise: UCLA book enumerates challenges faced by middle-class L.A. families

Article announcing University of California TV Series on YouTube

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep.1) Stuff

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep. 2) Food

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep. 3) Space

Life At Home in the Twenty-first Century (book)

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

“Indoor” jobs have never been a good match for my personality. I did well at them…the tasks, anyways, but I felt like that “staff work” was slowly sucking the life out of me…stealing my soul. Plus, I’ve always been a pretty fast worker and some would say I’m a great time manager, and that’s how it may look. But the truth is, I just have an ability to get crazy focused and knock out some really quality stuff really really quickly. Some people think that’s a gift…but I always said it was a curse.

So, the reason I say it’s a curse is because I vividly remember…so many times…sitting at my desk, looking at the clock, it’s 2:30 pm, I’m not only caught up on my work but I’m way ahead. Yet there is no way I can leave. That’s just not how it worked. I’m essentially a prisoner….to a cubicle cell, and my master is $7 clock. A really, really slow clock that I swear sometimes ticked backwards, just to spite me.

It was in those times that the seed was planted that someday I would build a future for myself, us, and our family,where our lives were designed purposefully around what we love. And I’ll get to that in a bit.

But I’m just guessing that as you simplify your life, shaping how you work is important to you, too. You probably dream about creating a simpler life that includes a lifestyle business…you know, not a business that you work at 24/7 for a few years hoping someone buys you out…I’m talking a situation where you do something that helps other people, that you love doing, and that affords you the chance to live life on your terms. So, I wanted to share a couple of adages that will give you something to ponder this week as you listen to podcasts in your car or cubicle. Maybe they’ll prod you just enough to take some action.

The Frog in a Pot of Water:

The adage goes that if you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to jump right out. But if you place it gently in a pot of warm water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death. Crazy huh? Now don’t run out and try this. Be nice to frogs or they’ll keep you up all night when you’re camping. Seriously though, haven’t you felt like this at work some times?  I know I did. You get to the point where you’ll put up with anything because you’re comfortable with the “security”, “predictability”, whatever. But is that as good as it’s supposed to get?

Crabs in a Bucket:

So the story goes that if you put a bunch of crabs in a bucket, most of the crabs will just clamor around at the bottom of the bucket making a fuss. But what happens when one of the crabs tries to climb out of the bucket? Do all the other crabs join in to help him escape? Nope. They pull him back down into the bucket. Now, I’m not going to draw any direct conclusions to your life, but how many times have you wanted to do something new, different or adventurous and all those around you who supposedly “care” about you say “that’s crazy”, or “no” or try to talk you out of it, or tell you how bad things could get. Now it’s certainly not because the they don’t want you to succeed. I think it’s because they DO care and just don’t want to see you fail. But sometimes, just like the crabs, they don’t know that if they just give you a lift then you might actually make it! That’s the crab mentality. Sure, there are some who might think “Well if I can’t have it then no one can.” But, I tend to trust in humanity, and I’d bet most cases are just people who care about you but are too scared to take action themselves, so they think they’re giving you good advice.

How I Wanted to Define My Work Life:

I decided that when I left my first career and started my next life, it would be by my rules. And I defined what I wanted this way:

How It All Played Out:

Starting Our First Website. Ugh!!!!

I gotta tell you, setting up that first website was a bear! I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and everything I read got me more confused. But I kept plugging away at it and in the years since I can’t tell you how many sites I’ve set up for us and for clients. But I vividly remember feeling absolutely lost and almost helpless! It would take me hours to figure out some of the simplest tasks or collect the info to make an informed decision. And that website was so important to us.

I Got Some Great Advice!

I’d certainly recommend that that’s how you start your lifestyle business, too. Some of the best advice I got was from Dan Miller, author of the best selling book 48 Days to the Work You Love.

Some Caveats…Please Take These Seriously

Just know before you start that it takes a LOT of work to work for yourself. And I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s really hard to make a business simple…but if it’s something you’ve absolutely decided to do then that’s great! Go for it!

The Light At the End of the Tunnel

But if you’re ready to start on the path to shaping your life a bit more then there’s one thing I’d like to give you to help you get started. Something I wish I had…a guide to setting up your website. Like I said, for us getting that web presence going was one of the most intimidating things because we had no background in it whatsoever. Now we can do it pretty simply and I’ve copied all the background info down for you in Seven Modules, including what you need to know about…

There are even links to videos to show you exactly how to get started on your site.

So, What’s the Catch?

No “catch”, it’s absolutely and completely free and it will be available next week or sooner.

So that’s it…a bit about how we started on this path toward simplicity and how we’d like to help you too if you’re looking to start a lifestyle business of your own. You can sign up to download the guide here:  Yes…I want the Simple Life Guide to Building Your Website and as soon as it’s available I’ll send you a link! Simple as that!

Well, the Facebook Edit & Forget It page is alive and well so if you signed up for Edit & Forget It feel free to join us on FB, too! For the folks that are there…it’s great to be able to see your photos and interact…we have some folks making amazing progress on their challenge! There have been some pretty funny posts over there too so if you haven’t been on the page, you’re missing out.  It’s still 2013 so it’s never too late to join the Challenge, so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, you can sign up right here! We have people signing up every day and we’d love to have you join us!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and former colleague of ours sent me a direct message on Facebook commenting on how much he liked our podcast and our messages about living a life of simplicity.  He said that he realizes these are great lessons not just for adults but for our kids as well, but was wondering how parents instill these ideas in their kids? Though I’m not an expert, I have learned through my experiences as a parent, teacher, daughter and student (of parenting and organizing) that there are some strategies that can help make that learning process…those first steps on the Road To Simplicity…a little bit easier for your kids (or even adults).  So, in no particular order (except for the first thing I mention below), here are some thoughts and strategies:

So…that was probably way more than my friend expected to get from his question… but I’m so glad he asked it because I think it something a lot of parents wonder about and don’t mind getting some ideas and suggestions on how they can teach their own children on how to appreciate what they have. I hope this was beneficial for all of you listening out there.

The “Thing” Segment:

A few days ago I decided to take my daughter to the store to buy a volleyball and football so we could play catch in the backyard.  As we were walking through the store to go pay, I told her: ”Ok Junior…remember what we do when we get something new?  We have to give away something old, right?”  She said, “Oh yeah I remember mommy.  Yes, I can give away something I don’t play with anymore. That would be a good idea, right mommy?” And as we were having this conversation I passed a woman (who appeared to be there with her family of six kids) and I think she overheard me talking to Junior because she did a double take.  I don’t know if she heard or was interested in what I said but I don’t mind at all if she overheard my message! I was just so extraordinarily proud of my little girl….SHE GETS IT! And you know what…she got rid of 25 items in place of those 3 new ones!  Not bad for a 5 year old!

My thing this week is this group of fellow podcasters that I belong to. We meet on Google+ every couple of weeks and talk about podcasting, technology, what’s going on with our shows, you name it. It’s great. It’s so important to have a group you can bounce ideas off of, learn from, gauge your reality against, and know they’ll tell you their true opinion. That’s one thing I miss from my military days was having that peer group I can go to where everyone contributes. I’ve often thought of starting a mastermind group online to have that for the business side of things or the simplicity side of things. If you’ve never heard of a mastermind group it was made popular by Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich and the concept basically references the synergies created when several minds unite to work towards a common specific goal, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Basically, your own little think tank for ideas.  And so, hopefully you’re blessed to have people in your life to share and evaluate things with, too. If not…maybe you should take a look around. Start close to home with friends but maybe Google+ communities are a place to look, or Meetup.com…the key is to find a few people, with shared interests, and talk.  So, that’s my thing…

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Simple Life Guide to Building Your Website

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

We’ve had a few other listeners out there who have been struggling with their email inboxes lately, so I thought I’d take some time to give you some tips on how you can declare war on Inbox clutter and reclaim the calm to this part of your digital life.

The key to email management is the same as it is to physical things in your simple life: limit what you allow into your life. If your inbox is full of messages that don’t add value to your life, eliminate them now and put systems into place to eliminate them permanently.

So, here are some steps you can take to shape a more simple email experience:

– Unsubscribe from newsletters, feeds, updates, lists and other streams that don’t enrich your life.  If there’s no link to unsubscribe, you shouldn’t be at all uncomfortable about marking the message as spam. Gmail has a built in function that marks the message as spam and automatically attempts to unsubscribe you from the sender’s list but you can also do it yourself by clicking the  little stop sign-shaped icon with an exclamation point inside in your Inbox panel.

– Another way to deal with unwanted emails is by using filters. Most email programs allow you to set filters to weed out messages based on your inputs.  You can easily set filters in the settings area of your Gmail account, or if you have an email message open in Gmail, just click the “More” button and choose “Filter Messages Like These”.  Then just follow the prompts.

 So that covers stopping the deluge of inbound emails. What about the “Occupy Inbox” movement that’s already camped on in your email? Here’s how to handle what you have right now in 3 Steps:

1-Pick the dozen or so emails in your inbox that must be handled now to avoid an emergency, overcharges, severe embarrassment, or a close relationship and deal with them now. That alone will leave you feeling better.

2- Make the rest of the not so urgent emails (and yes, for many people that numbers in the THOUSANDS) and put them in a temporary folder or Label (Gmail). You’ll deal with them later. This does 2 things… First, it gets what appears to be a major obstacle, stumbling block, and barrier to progress out of the way. Second, it allows you to set up new habits and systems.

3- Tackle that Temporary folder or Label full of old emails. If you have so many that you can’t tackle it in one sitting, pick a time, set a timer for 15 minutes, and go to battle. Make time in your schedule for the next session, and keep at it until you’ve dealt with all of them. BUT…big but here…NOT at the cost of your inbox. You’ve got to commit to staying on top of your inbox.

So, now that you’ve kindly asked the spammy squatters to move on and you have your Inbox back...let’s move on to those habits and skills. Here are some things to master for a solid email routine:

– Don’t Over-Do the Folders or Labels:  Keep it simple by trusting the search function in your email system. So, set up a few folders (called “Labels” in Gmail) that match the major areas of your life such as work, family, home, your passions, taxes, etc…and then just use the Archive function for the rest.

– Trust the Search Function: Gmail is especially great at this.

– Delete When You’re Done: if you’ve finished reading an email and have no reason to keep it, then delete it right away.

– Limit your Access: This one takes a lot of getting used to. Especially if you have a reputation for always being available…digitally, of course. Set your own terms on checking email. Tim Ferriss recommends in his book The Four Hour Workweek, not to check your e-mail the first thing in the morning, and only check it periodically throughout the day.

– Set Expectations for those you correspond with, especially if they’re used to your instant responses. Set an auto responder that you’re only checking emails twice a day and give options for emergencies such as “If this is an emergency, please call my cell.”  No need to give out your cell number as those close to you already likely have it.

– Send fewer emails yourself and write your emails to elicit complete responses versus volleys of emails (like the effective communication mentioned in Episode 10). For instance, when setting up an appointment, instead of asking “When are you available?” State in your email, “I can meet Monday morning between 9:00 and 11:00 or Tuesday between 2:00 and 4:15.  If neither of those times work for you, please send me 3 options for Wednesday through Friday in the morning after 9:00, but before 4:15.”

– Keep your messages simple. Short sentences and 3-4 sentences at most, if possible. If this is a “just catching up” email…consider whether a phone call, Skype call, or Facetime wouldn’t be more productive.

-Your Inbox shouldn’t be your To-Do List . Process everything that comes in to your inbox with the goal of touching it once. If it’s a to do, use the Task List in Gmail along with Google Calendar, Evernote, the Reminders function on your Mac, or some other task management system.

-Avoid sending e-mails if you can. If you’re having problems with too many e-mails, why continue to add to it?  Find ways to cut down on the e-mails you send and help others avoid the clutter in their inbox, too.

Managing your inbox is a continuous battle. So, I’ll recap this in combat terms using the Principles of War compiled from the likes of Sun Tzu, Clausewitz and other smart dead guys. So, in no particular order, here we go!

and finally, we have..

So that’s it. A little Inbox Boot Camp so you can liberate your email from the enemy.

The spreadsheets were sent out to everyone who signed up for the Challenge at SimpleLifeTogether.com, so if you signed up and haven’t received them, drop us an email.

We’ll be setting up a private Facebook group for those doing the Edit & Forget It Challenge. You can share your successes, struggles, post pictures, etc.

Since I’ve already talked about How Clutter Affects Your Life (Episode 10), The Benefits of Organizing and Having Less (Episode 4) and Why We Can’t Let Go of Our Clutter (Epidsode 3), I figured it was time share with you some tips on how to organize any space!

I won’t have time to go into a lot of detail but if you want a more in-depth explanation of the process you can check out my Organize Any Space Series at SimpleLifeTogether.com/organizeanything. I have 6 posts in the series that discusses each step in the process with a finale post where I organize a kitchen using the step-by-step process on how to organize it.

I’m just going to quickly outline the process on how you can organize any space but before you start I recommend:

– Start small.  Pick a small area like a small junk drawer, nightstand, or one section of your closet.  Whatever the project…pick just a small one.

– Mark your calendar. Yes…set a date for your organizing project. You’re more likely to get it done if you set a date.

– Give yourself adequate time to organize your space.  Since I recommend starting small give yourself at least 2 – 3 hours. It may not take that long, but you’ll be surprised how long some projects take.

– Limit interruptions. Try not to answer your phone, voicemails, emails, etc.  And if you can do it while the kids are out….that would be awesome!

There are several different organizers that have their own terminology on how to organize, but the basic steps and  process are all pretty much the same.  So being the uber simple gal that I am…I just have a 4 step process: N…A…P…O (ironically it’s the same acronym as the National Association of Professional Organizers…dorky I know):

1. Determine your NEEDS

2. ASSESS your space

3. PURGE or PARE DOWN your space

4. ORGANIZE your space

STEP 1 – DETERMINE YOUR NEEDS: (Please don’t skip over this step)  

– You really need to have a clear understanding of what your needs are, otherwise your efforts will be in vain. 

– Be sure to get the family and other household members involved.   

– Envision the space.  What is your end state?  How do you want it to look?  How do you want it to function?  How do you want to feel?

STEP 2 – ASSESS YOUR SPACE: (Don’t skip this step either)

– Identify what’s working for you. 

– Identify what’s not working for you.

– You’ll also want to evaluate your habits and natural tendencies. 

– Determine what’s in the space that shouldn’t be there. 

– Determine what is essential to you. 

– Map out your space by taking measurements and identifying limitations.

– Take “before” pictures of the space.

STEP 3 – PURGE/or PARE DOWN: This is the hands on editing phase of organizing your space…the part that’s the most difficult and frustrating but if you follow these steps it’ll make it a lot easier:

– Gather your supplies (paper, post it notes, markers, trash bags, 4-8 bins  for sorting ,  a folding table to give you a flat surface to work on,  and maybe even gloves for messier work like in the garage).

– Set up your sorting bins, bags and/or piles. 

KEEP: anything you love, use and need.  (Note:  this may require several additional  piles because you’re going to break your “keep items” down into general “like” categories like: office supplies, paperwork, kitchen utensils, electronics, toys, etc. Don’t get too specific…keep the piles general for now…you can fine tune later).

TRASH: items that are broken, soiled, ripped or beyond repair (use a trash bag)

RECYCLE: self explanatory but check with your local recycling center to see what they’ll take (use trash bag)

DONATE: don’t donate anything that is in poor condition. You know, things that you wouldn’t give  to friends or family (use trash bag or box).

DON’T KNOW: stuff you’re having a hard time of letting go of or figuring out what to do with.  Don’t spend too much time on these right now…you can decide later what to do with them.

ELSEWHERE / RETURN: belong in another room, belong to someone else, or need to be returned.

– Start sorting…pull everything out of the space one item at a time and decide which bin to put it in.

– Start with flat surfaces first to free up your tables and counter space then tackle the cabinets and drawers and so on.

– Move from one side of the room to the other. You’ll have a better idea of how much you’ve gotten done as you go.

– Once you’ve finished sorting, go back to your DON’T KNOW PILE: If you don’t love it, need it or use it you can probably let it go.  But if you’re still having trouble, I recommend going to Episode 3’s shownotes for other helpful questions to guide your decision.

– Remove all your bins and bags except for your “KEEP” items from the area immediately! Don’t give yourself the opportunity to change your mind.

 STEP 4 – ORGANIZE: This is where you start to put things back in the space. Here are some things to keep in mind as you organize:

– Sort like items together:  Remember that KEEP Pile? You can break those general categories of things down even further. For example your kitchen pile can now be broken down into glasses, bakeware, pots and pans, utensils, dinnerware, food, bowls, etc.  You can do the same for your clothes, toys and office supplies.

– Create zones in your space and place your items accordingly. For example the kitchen; you can establish a cooking zone near the stove, a baking zone near the oven, a coffee/beverage zone near the sink or fridge and a serving zone/dinnerware near the dishwasher.

– In your zones, place frequently used items within arms reach.  Everyday items should be easy to grab.

– Seldom used items up high, down low or in back of your frequently used items.

– Think safety for yourself and the kids. Delicates, cleaning supplies, medications and heavy items should be put in areas that are safe).

– Don’t forget about vertical storage.  You can install racks on walls, behind door, or inside cabinets. You can use the side of a refrigerator or metal filing cabinet to hang magnetic jars and baskets.

– Use containers and containers within containers.  I always recommend shopping from your own home and using what you have first (you may have actually freed up some containers after you edited).  But if you want to update your space with newer, nicer, or more efficient products by all means go ahead, just make sure you measure twice…and purchase once!

– Now you should label everything you can! I highly recommend getting yourself a good label maker like the Brother P-Touch…it makes such a difference.  You can label shelves, containers, lazy susans, drawers, etc. It helps to learn where things go…and where to return them!!!!

– Maintain your space by establishing rules and routines. Refer to Episode 2.

So that’s how you organize any space: Determine your Needs, Assess your space, Purge your space and Organize it…then  Repeat because organizing is usually cyclical ;o)

My Thing this week was being inspired by my one of my clients to never stop learning. I have a 68 year old client who in the past 3-4 years has completed her Bachelors in Nursing as well has her Master’s Degree…and is now working on her PhD. Dang!  She inspired me to pursue an Interior Decorating certification as well as my certification as a Certified Professional Organizer .  Yay!

Well, if you listened to Episode 1 or looked around our site, you know we focus our lives on our five pillars of Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness and Future. Well, with the holidays, my Vegas trip, too much sitting at a desk, the weather and (insert incredibly lame excuse here)…I think I’ve been too lax lately and my body is sending me signals to make some changes.  So I’m going to re-focus on my fitness and health by  doing more juicing, walking and biking.  So, that’s my thing…

Chef Toni from DinnerMadeSimple.com. wrote:”Just what I was looking for! A little direction on how live life more simply. Love Dan and Vanessa’s take on all this. From technology to finances to organizing…they’ve got it all covered and I can’t wait for more episodes! ”

Emily from TheCrunchyCoach.com wrote: “Every once in a while, I run into a new podcast that I wish was an old one so I could keep on listening to archived episodes every day for the next couple of months. Yours is one! Hurry up and get the next one out, lol! ” Turns out Emily started the Edit and Forget It Challenge before we even started it!  She’s gotten rid of a ton of stuff!

Vanessa was listening to the Mommy’s Cocktail Hour podcast and low and behold they mentioned SimpleLifeTogether as one of their Fabulous Finds for the week! How cool! So, thanks to all the ladies over at MommysCocktailHour.com!

And Nick from SPNT.tv left a terrific comment on iTunes for us. Nick is looking to simplify his life this year, too, and started listening to us on Episode 1 and he’s on his way! Well, thanks, Nick, and we’re certainly glad to be able to help out along the way!

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

The 4 Hour Workweek

Brother P-Touch Label Maker

Mommy’s Cocktail Hour

SPNT.tv

DinnerMadeSimple.com

SLT Podcast Episode 1

SLT Podcast Episode 2

SLT Podcast Episode 3

 SLT Podcast Episode 4

SLT Podcast Episode 10

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

We had an amazing interview with, Joshua. He shared so much information with us!  He is truely an inspiration and has fantastic advice on how to simplify and get more out of your life by living with less.  Here is a list of questions we asked Joshua (believe us…you definitely want to listen to the podcast!):

1. So, Joshua…who are you and how do you make people’s lives simpler?

2. Could you tell us about the “catalyst” that helped you decide to become minimalist and if there were any other factors or events leading up to your decisions?

3. Tell us about how you approached your wife about your idea to pursue minimalism…her reaction…and your collective decision to move forward. Was there any “pushback?”

4. Can you describe how long it took you to get to a point where you called yourself a ‘minimalist’? Can you explain the process?

5. How do you define or explain minimalism?  What does it physically look like to you…how does it feel?

6. Does minimalism for you also include letting go of mental and digital clutter? Bad relationships, overcommitment? Do you have any recommendations for doing that?

7. In your book Inside-Out Simplicity you talk about healthy relationships. I know from personal and professional experience that it’s usually easier when couples are on the same sheet of music, but what advice would you give if couples have different ideas of what simplifying is?

8. In Living With Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness (Simply for Students) you tell a story about your son and his birthday money. I think every parent has experienced that at some point. Could you describe that experience and give some advice to those of us with kids about how to deal with the constant consumer pitch of “more, more, more” and “bigger is better” from every aspect of the media?

9. In your book Simplify, you say that living simply is “the real secret to financial freedom.” How have you found that to be true in your journey and do you have any financial pointers for us?

10. If someone asked what the benefits are to a lifestyle like yours, what would you tell them?

11. How can people learn more about you?

12. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Alright, so this past week I was in Las Vegas for the 2013 New Media Expo and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and I thought I’d  discuss some of my experiences there. So, I’ll let the irony of that sink in for a moment…a guy trying desperately to fight consumerism and simplify his life…at the CONSUMER electronics show…the LARGEST Consumer Electronics Show in history with over 100K people in attendance.  Yeah…trust me…the irony wasn’t lost on me either! I was actually there on business because I help my clients with tech for their businesses and even some individuals who just want tech coaching.

So, first off, I walked the show with a couple of friends from morning until dinner time and let me just say that the show was pretty amazing!  It would be impossible to cover everything but I thought I would summarize my experience including the good, the ridiculous and some thoughts I had on the whole experience:

– We walked 9 miles, and still didn’t see it all. If I had to guess, I’d say we saw maybe half, if that. Other folks tracked in over 15miles!  That’s a lot of consumer products!

– Companies from every country on the globe were there selling their wares. All the new lines of gadgets and even super hi-tech robots.

– Joshua eluded to the fact that we are bombarded with about 5000 advertisements a day.  Well…think of the CES as that on steroids…like full blast, no holds barred, in your face, just a crazy consumerism extravaganza….”But wait there’s more!” kind of  world!

– I couldn’t help but evaluate it all as I was going through the show, and what struck me was the word lure. You know, like a fishing lure.  I came to the conclusion that the intent of most advertising is simply to lure us in with flashy attention getters, that lack any real substance.

– Lures were everywhere!  From swag bags to” booth babes” and none of which had anything to do with the products.

– And after all that walking around, not much at the show really impressed me as new, innovative or “must have”.

– Products I did like were the new ScanSnap scanner and some very nice Harmon Kardon headphones (they fit perfectly, had amazing sound and can be used corded or cordless…and you know I can’t stand cords).

– On the ridiculous end were $1000 ear buds…I mean really?…earbuds…$1000? And then the worst was they iPotty. Yes…taking one of Nature’s most basic functions (kids learning how to go to the bathroom) and adding the iPad to it. (You’ve got to listen to my rant on the podcast!  I had Vanessa vapor-locked!).

– So, you know what I’ll remember most? Sitting down to dinner at Beni Hanna’s with friends Cliff Ravenscraft from GSPN.tv and Gordon Firemark from Firemark.com for Gordon’s birthday meal. I cherish the personal experiences I had with friends.

– The same goes for my experience at New Media Expo. The NMX staff did a wonderful job…but as much value came from the natural interaction, mingling…some would call it “networking”… as it did from the speakers and sessions.

– So, once again I think this is an example of paying for experiences and opportunities as opposed to paying for “stuff.”

– I leave you with this:  Ask yourself “If I had twice as much stuff, would I be twice as happy?” What about three times more? What about half?”  I know what the answer is for me, and only you know what the right answer is for you.

– And next time you feel yourself getting reeled in by advertising, try to figure out if they are using bait or just a lure. Choose wisely…watch out for the lures…and maybe help out a few of the other fish in the sea while you’re at it.

We wanted to give you an update on our Edit and Forget It Challenge.  To date, we’ve gotten rid of 322 items…we actually got rid of 120 things on the first day!  Not bad for just starting, huh?!  We’ve also created a spreadsheet to track all the items and what we’ve done with them…DONATE, TOSS, RECYCLE, SELL, ETC.  Additionally I’ve been taking photos and keeping notes on my observations, discoveries and some funnies along the way.  Here are a few examples:

– When editing my memorabilia box, I started going down memory lane and bored Dan with my stories of the past.  I even read a letter from a former boyfriend.  Who does that?  (Listen to the podcast to see how I redeem myself!)

– I also got busted by our 5 year old daughter.  I tried to toss an old hair scrunchie and she busted me red-handed!  She obviously had use for it.

– We also discovered that sometimes items can bring up bad feelings…like the universal remote Dan got years ago that apparently was the bane of his existence at one point in his life.  The only thing it “switched” on was his frustration! (But he hasn’t given up hope!)

– And we also got rid of some rather odd things….like caution tape (huh?)…a feather duster (what the?)… and Christmas golf towels (we don’t golf)!

For those of you who’ve signed up for the Edit & Forget It Challenge…thank you!  We’ll be emailing you very soon with updates. When we had 10 folks sign up we were impressed. Then we got 20 folks to sign up and we were like, “wow!” Now we’ve got even more!  If you haven’t signed up but are interested in the challenge, just click on the Edit and Forget It icon on the left hand side of this page.  Remember, it’s not just about letting go of your things…it’s about renewing your mindset and discovering that less is more!

Vanessa’s “THING” was about an article titled “Live Different” by Pete Tegeler on a blog called The Unitive.  In the article he talks about living in a place of tension…and the struggle between Escapism (when you feel threatened) and Conformity (the need to be relevant). And he also talks about the struggles of pluralism and materialism. Vanessa relates to this article, especially with how we are intentionally living different lives by living with less.

While in Vegas he had the TV on and saw Governor Huckabee interviewing a lady named Laura Schroff and a man named Maurice Mazyck. They have an incredible story that she shares in her book, An Invisible Thread.  It is the story of the mysterious, unseen connections that exist between people who are destined to meet—and how, if only we open our eyes and our hearts to them, these connections can be the great blessings of our lives (Its a must see!  Link is below).

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Becoming Minimalist Blog

Simplify by Joshua Becker

Living With Less: An Unexpected Key To Happiness by Joshua Becker

Inside Out Simplicity by Joshua Becker

The Unitive Blog

Pete Tegeler’s Article Live Different

An Invisible Thread website and video

Cliff Ravenscraft at GSPN.tv

Gordon Firemark at Firemark.com

Our friend and colleague Karen Meade of Let’s Get Organizing will be hosting her annual Organize and Energize workshop. It’s on Saturday, January 19th, 2013 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at TriPoint on North St Mary’s, in San Antonio, Texas. There’s a great lineup of speakers talking about organization, meal planning, health and fitness and Dan will be there talking about tech. For more information check out LetsGetOrganizing.com or Facebook.com/LetsGetOrganizing. Hope to see you there!

So for the rest of this topic, let’s just consider clutter as “anything we don’t need, want, or use that takes our time, energy, space and serenity”

You see…the truth about clutter and accumulating more, is that eventually you’ll be overwhelmed by the physical clutter which in turn will overwhelm you emotionally in terms of stress, indecision, guilt and so on. Clutter slowly but steadily creeps into your home and sucks the life out of you.  It can affect both your mental and physical health.

 As Peter Walsh said in his book It’s All Too Much:

“Clutter robs you of far more than the space it occupies–it steals your life!”

If you find yourself saying yes to many of these questions then clutter may be negatively affecting your life.

Now, of course I have an entire website: Get Simplifized.com, dedicated to getting organized and helping you control the clutter with TONS of written posts and videos…and I even offer virtual organizing and consultation, just click on the Virtual Organization tab at the top of the Get Simplifized website.

So you can check that out, but the fact of the matter is, there are tons of resources out there…it’s just a matter of taking the time to tap into them.

Communication should be so simple and natural, but often it’s not.  But, I think universally, effective communication is a common goal. Everyone who is a party in that communication has  responsibilities in that communication. But that doesn’t always happen. When we say that there’s a “breakdown in communication” more often than not it’s a case of someone not meeting their responsibilities in the communication process.

So, I thought I’d share a few techniques that can help simplify communication. You can use these at home, work, school…wherever.  If you think these help, let me know and I have a couple more that I be happy to share in another show! Now I’ll preface this right up front that these are techniques I learned long-long ago as part of my training and they served me well throughout my time in the military and when I was teaching at university.

There are 4 main actors in effective communication and if one of them is out of sync then there will likely be some breakdown, so you’ll have ineffective communication.

Giving Tasks or Directions Properly: The next technique is a foolproof way to make sure you give out tasks properly that include guidelines and expectations. We’ve all been in situations where we’re given a task and sometimes the task itself is vague or most likely, the expectations are vague.

A Poor (But Unfortunately, Typical) Example of Communication

Your spouse calls or leaves you a note that says “pick up some eggs.” That night your spouse gets home, goes to make the meal and oops! No eggs. You say “well I’m going shopping tomorrow.” “Well I needed them tonight!”

So obviously, the task was vague and the expectations were vague.

Here’s a solution that is so commonplace in the military that it’s taken for granted. It’s called  the:

Here’s what each one means:

So using the buying eggs example, let’s use the Task-Condition-Standard-Time model:

This tried and true model is great for written or oral communication. If you’ve gotten away from this you may want to revive the habit. But add the necessary elements of Task-Condition-Standard-Time in there when applicable.

Example: Say you’re sending a party invitation… the 5W and How explain all the basics, but adding the Standard could sure help when it comes to things like the appropriate attire for the party. That could be an embarrassing thing to leave out…especially if it’s a costume party!

Bonus: And a quick tech tip to go along with it is if you’re a Gmail user, build one of those Canned Responses that Vanessa talked about in an earlier episode and then anytime you need that format, just pop it in!  Or, if you’re not a Gmail user, in virtually any email system you could just build a template for these communication techniques and just save it in your drafts to copy when needed.

So there you have it, two not-so-secret, but potentailly quite helpful, military tips, one reminder for the old school “5Ws and How” with military spin, and a quick tech tip. All to help you with more simple and effective communication. Again, if you think these help, let me know and I have a couple more that I be happy to share in a future episode, sound good?

I’ve mentioned that I’m a frugal gal, but there are a few things I don’t mind spending a little extra on….like my Vera Wang boots and Saddleback leather tote bag.  I buy them at a discount, but quality beats quantity almost every time!

I don’t have lots of use for spreadsheets but when I do, I love the functionality of them in Google Docs or Drive. They keep track of all older versions and I can always restore to an earlier version. plus, both Vanessa and I can work on them at the same time and everything syncs! I like to use them for online forms, too! Super easy, they work essentially the same as an Excel spreadsheet. For power spreadsheet users they may not have all the functionality of an Excel sheets, but for people like me who still count with their fingers and toes, they’re great! You can even use the forms function for surveys, etc, on websites and in emails. I’m using them to track our stuff for the Edit & ForgetIt Challenge, too. They’re functional and simple…that’s why they’re my Thing this week!

Emily wrote on the website: “Found you through Cliff’s podcast – great first show, I look forward to catching up and then keeping up with it. You have inspired me to continue on with my own simple living podcast, that I recorded twice and then stopped, and have been waffling about whether to keep it going.

On iTunes, Mamabearny wrote: “Great tips to start 2013 out right! This is the first time I’ve listened to a podcast and I’m glad I listened to this one. It was a great use of time and the hosts provide great practical advice that can be implemented right away to help simplify your life.”

Once again, Happy 2013 and we hope this year is a great year for simplifying your life. If you haven’t started yet or have just been thinking about it, now is a great time to start. We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, I’m @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Karen Meade of LetsGetOrganizing

Clutterer’s Anonymous

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Peter Walsh: It’s All Too Much

National Association of Professional Organizers

The Truth About Clutter

Lots of YouTube Videos to help you get rid of clutter and get organized!