At first I question whether this was the result of becoming a mature, evolving adult. My answer is that, yes, to a degree being responsible adult simply means there’s more expected of you. But more importantly, I’m realizing that this issue goes beyond just growing older – it’s a sign of the times and from all ages.

WHY ARE THINGS MOVING SO FAST?

I think clearly, evolving technology is one of the primary reasons things are moving extremely fast. What I see happening is that in the recent past, there were limitations on who you could communicate with, when you could communicate with others, and where you could collaborate with others. For instance, a lot of work couldn’t be done home effectively away from the office. If a client was in another city on business, the work owed to them must wait until their return. But now, so many things can be done from an independent location and at instant speed that there’s a growing expectation it should be done immediately.

In essence, there are very few boundaries between work, personal time, private time, etc.

I’ve own a Blackberry Curve. I’ve had it for about a year (I like to joke about being the last person in America to have a smart phone) and I truly do like it. I enjoy the convenience of checking a bus schedule immediately or quickly finding a restaurant’s store hours and phone number before I head over there.

But what I’m noticing is the problem is there isn’t ever an “off”.  I very rarely answer work-related emails outside of work; however I still receive the notices whether I’m on my down time or not. And it’s the fact of knowing that whether I act now or later, there’s another request on my time that adds weight on my psyche.

Does your brain ever feel like this?

INCREASED EXPECTATIONS

Going back to the larger theme of being overwhelmed, what contributes to the problem is the increased expectations people have for other people’s time. The initial sender of phone calls, emails, social media messages, and blogs expects an immediate response.  The evolution of recent technology that allows you to connect “anytime and anywhere” means that people have grown to expect just that. The problem is that that’s an  unreasonable expectation of people’s time and effort.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Now is the opportunity to reclaim time as our own again. STUFF – smart phones, the Web, emails, paperwork can wait. Without going all Matrix on you, I would argue time is an illusion – but what changes is how we perceive time. A difficult nine-hour day at work seems much longer than nine hours enjoying time at the beach with friends.

In my next post, I’m going to share some steps I’m using to reclaim my time and use it for things that matter.

I’m posting for several reasons. One, since my hiatus — I’ve learned a lot of new things and have grown as a person. My perspective has grown clearer. Time is short and not guaranteed. Realizing this statement at something more than a cliche, but on a gut level is changing my life. Second, one of my friends I met through this blog, Sheri at Simpler. Easier. Happier. (formerly Minimalist OC) sent me a message out of the blue recently. I was surprised and happy she reached out to me. Her effort made me think back to the friendships I’ve made with people through this blog. In the end, for me that’s what important — People, Not Stuff. And crafting my life around the power of authentic connections and inspiring others to shift their values towards people and away from isolation, unnecessary materials, and other blocks towards inner happiness is important to me.

I’ve decided to post again here. I have a very clear direction of where I’m taking this blog and I’m excited share my ideas, thoughts, and experiences. I’m also looking forward to meeting people through this blog and learning more about where you’re coming from as well.

I’m trying to make sense of this world in which so many people are unhappy and feel alone. It seems to me that based off of everything we have, the pervasive sense of aloneness I feel should be much less common.

I have a strong desire to do work that’s impactful, meaningful to me, and improves the quality of others’ lives. I want to achieve this through my writing.

I feel like we are given such a short time on this Earth. Doing anything less than making a difference or working towards goals that empower us is such a waste of the human potential that everyone possesses (whether they realize they have that potential).

I’m frustrated because none of the options I see in front of me are appealing or seem likely to happen. As I see it, I can continue struggling to secure a full-time position. I can continue working on building a freelance writing business. I can do something totally different like become a certified personal trainer. Or I can pour my passion into a project with the hope that I can make money from it one day.

What I’m certain is that people need people. The way our society is structured creates a sense of isolation for many people. What I want to do is highlight the need for other people – and not in the sense of using other people for our own agendas – but the importance of having a sense of community and close-knit bonds. Traditionally, these things came from family and while they still do, most families have most adult members working so many hours that time for learning, playing, and growing together is very limited.

I want to help people structure their lives in a way that creates authentic bonds with other people and inspire others to wake-up to their potential.

My overall goal to eliminate procrastination has proven to be solid. Not spectacular but for the first month in, pretty decent.

Like most people tackling New Year’s resolutions, I started off blazing in the first few weeks. I started slipping the 3rd week in January. Fortunately I realized I was starting to get too comfortable and picked up the tempo. Again, not perfectly but the effort has been there.

I’ve been juggling a lot of activities lately. The positive news is that I’ve been focused on tasks I believe are worth the time.  Here’s what I’ve been up to recently:

*Wrote an article for my local newspaper that was featured on the front cover of the Local Life section.

*Contacted Chris Guillebeau at Unconventional Guides.

* Paid of 1 of 2 credit cards in full! Credit card 2 of 2 will be paid off this Friday.

*I re-acquainted with my old boss and mentor for his 40th birthday. (Wish I had pictures).

*I’m also working on a top-secret project. (Okay, not a CIA level secret but I haven’t told anyone but I will definitely share it here when it’s finished.)

*My bank savings are increasing, which allows me to move closer towards my plan towards freedom.

—–

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

I want to comment on Everett Bogue’s post about the end of minimalism. I’m not going to criticize him because he’s free to live as he chooses, however, I think his quote that “minimalism isn’t cool anymore” misses the point.

I think what he really means is that he doesn’t see any financial gain to be made from minimalism anymore — which is fine. I would give him more respect if he just came out with that statement instead.

I read through some other cool minimalist blogs and I thought that each opinion was thoughtful, entertaining and funny. Read below to check out what other people have to say about Everett Bogue and also the state of minimalism.

The Art of Minimalism

Minimalist Packrat

Annienygma

I think it’s great to see different perspectives from people. Also if you have any opinions, please post a comment. I’d love to read it.

I notice many people interested in minimalism, specifically new information seekers, who read a bunch of interesting and valuable information about minimalism from places like:

Meg Wolfe at Minimalist Woman

Josh Becker at Becoming Minimalist

Courtney Carver at Be More With Less

Penelope at Brazen Careerist

Colin Wright at Exile Lifestyle

These sites definitely provide value and each differs in their perspective on minimalism. The problem lies in where I see many people who suddenly think, “great this is awesome, all I have to do is adopt minimalism, create goals, and life will be awesome!”

But unfortunately I have found life doesn’t work this way. Rarely is there a magic bullet to anything. And living a minimalist path isn’t one either. I am directing my word of caution primarily at those new to minimalism or interested in trying. But the advice also applies to those, including myself,  who are more familiar with minimalism but have encountered some frustrations.

Minimalism, alone, can not change your life.

It can only provide a path.

I think it’s an important point to get across because I rarely hear it spoken about. Getting rid of excess, creating goals, and trying on new ways of thinking is wonderful. But be careful to monitor your expectations as well.  It takes time for the changes that most often get made to set in. And it also takes persistence to continually challenge old habits again and again.

Minimalism’s biggest help is to create a sense of direction. But once the direction is set, the decision to consistently take action still lies with yourself. And this fact remains whether one chooses to adopt minimalism or not.

This time of year offers the perfect opportunity for self-assessment. You can examine what’s working, what isn’t working, and how to take corrective action.

When I began my minimalist journey, I had a rough plan in place. But I wasn’t certain where the minimalist path would lead me. So far, I am happy to report that I’m doing great. 2010 was a year of struggle — for many people, including myself. However I feel these challenging times have helped me grow mentally stronger and more capable of handling life’s obstacles.

While I’m cautiously pleased with the progress I have made living a minimalist lifestyle, I still am hungry to take things to a new level for 2011. I have taken a significant amount of time to determine what I want to accomplish in 2011. But from all the goals I have, the biggest one is to eliminate procrastination.

This common goal seems to appear out of place in the minimalist world. But I am realizing that procrastination seems to be the sludge consistently holding back many goals that would are shared by many minimalists.

For instance, here are some sub-goals of mine for 2011:

1. I want to be writing for Men’s Health as a regular contributor by December 1st, 2011.
2. I want to have $5,000 in my savings account by September 23rd, 2011.
3. I want to be an active participant in life that goes after what I want and faces challenges directly and immediately.

These goals don’t seem to have much to do with each other initially. But completing my main goal of eliminating procrastination helps me reach all of these goals. For instance, by not delaying to write whenever I feel the impulse, I am providing myself more opportunities to write fantastic articles. The better I write, the more likely I am to earn income. As my income grows, I can more rapidly earn by goal of saving $5,000 by September 23rd. As my financial situation steadily improves, I would more than likely move to my desired studio apartment. As I have discussed before, a studio is not for everybody. But at this point in my life it’s exactly what I want to help me move forward with minimalism. And as a result, I will have less demand physically, as well as on my time. This freedom allows me to achieve my third sub-goal more easily. All of these goals are connected and easily achievable by tackling the big goal of eliminating procrastination completely.

Think about how many problems most minimalists want to solve such as excess, not having enough time, and debt. These things stem from procrastination.

I don’t believe there is a magic bullet to defeat procrastination. I believe it’s going to take a lot of hard work and a healthy degree of self-awareness to change an ingrained habit. The good news is that procrastination is just that — a habit. Habits can always be reversed. Unfortunately, like anything worthwhile, the transformation doesn’t occur overnight.

Getting Your (Financial) House in Order

Anyone who has ever gone through the process of decluttering knows that it can be a gut-wrenching experience. Prioritizing your possessions, deciding what stays and what goes, and then making the conscious effort to not bring any more clutter into your home? It’s never as easy as you think it will be.

Getting your financial house in order is a lot like getting your actual house in order. Though neither are painless, they’re both instrumental in creating a sustainable life that actually aligns with your values.

Photo Credit: contentcashsecrets.com

First, it’s important to decide why you want to get your house in order. Don’t do it because an “expert” on Good Morning America says you should. Decide what ends you hope to achieve.

For me, the immediate reason was that I needed more space in my apartment for my boyfriend. That snowballed into donating DVDs I had watched a hundred times because I knew there were better ways to spend my time.

And you know what? There were also better places to spend my money. Once I felt the freedom of not owning things for the sake of owning them, I knew I wanted more.

I canceled my tanning bed membership. I began grocery shopping to save money on food. I used the library for all books and DVDs.

My goal was debt freedom. I wanted to pay off all credit cards and follow that up by paying off all of my student loans. I knew the freedom that came with not having debt would allow me to focus on things I really loved – specifically travel. It would also afford me the opportunity to do lower-paying work that I was passionate about because I wouldn’t need $400 each month for a debt payment.

Before doing anything else, get your reasons down on paper. Whether it’s to save up for a house down payment, travel, clothes, or even just living without creditors calling you three times a day, you’ll need these goals as reminders to keep you motivated.

Track your spending and create a budget. Ah, now we get to the grunt work of getting your financial house in order. Have you ever listed out your possessions on paper to give you a better idea of what you have? A possessions inventory is a great way to help us realize what all we have. Suddenly, we see that we have five pairs of black pants and 12 pairs of flip flops. It makes the decision to donate or sell our things a lot easier.

A budget operates in much the same way. First, track your spending for 30 days. I recommend using your debit card because it’s often easier to track expenses through online banking than through cash and paper receipts.

Review your spending for the month. Does every expense represent your priorities? If you’re spending $400 a month eating at McDonald’s even though one of your priorities is to eat healthy or get out of debt, you’re probably not using your money wisely.

Your money should be used to represent your values. If it isn’t doing that, it’s time to make some changes. And if you’re spending more than you earn in a month, you definitely want to make some changes quickly!

Create a realistic budget by first listing out all of your monthly expenses. These should include your rent or mortgage, utilities, Internet/cable/phone service, cell phone service, water, insurance, etc. Then you’ll want to create separate entries for things like groceries, gasoline, entertainment, charity, debt payments, etc.

When I say “be realistic,” I mean there’s no need to give yourself only $50 for entertainment in a month if your tracking revealed that you spend $200. Don’t push yourself too hard in your first month of budgeting. You don’t want to equate “budget” with “punishment.”

Photo Credit: financialfreedomtrail.com

Find areas to cut back. The easiest way to put extra money to your debt is to find the extra money in your budget. There are other alternatives, like getting a second job or getting a raise through work, but I find cutting my monthly expenses is the most painless way to find extra cash for debt and other priorities.

For me, the first thing to go was a tanning package. Then I cut the expensive cable. After all, most TV shows are available online. Netflix is another low-cost alternative to cable.

Maybe you can go without Internet because your job allows you the freedom to read a few blogs and do your online banking. Maybe you can cut your restaurant eating back to four times a month instead of eight.

Research better deals on insurance. Get a roommate or move into a smaller house or apartment. Negotiate a better interest rate on your credit cards. Try to find free alternatives to the costliest of your entertainment expenses, like checking out a DVD for free from your library instead of paying $5 for one at Blockbuster.

Photo Credit: iklanduit.com

Keep your eye on the prize and set small goals for yourself. When anyone in our lives approaches us about declutting their home, what is the first thing we usually tell them? “Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to do everything right now. Do one corner of your garage every weekend until it’s done.”

The same is true for budgeting and paying down debt. Don’t beat yourself up because it seems like paying off debt takes such a long time. You didn’t get into this mess in a matter of days. You won’t get out of it that quickly either.

Getting your financial house in order is about changing behavior. It may take years to correct, but you will get there.

Celebrate small achievements, like getting your daily accrued interest down to a certain point or only spending $100 on alcohol in a month when you usually spend $200. These are not insignificant accomplishments. Be proud of the progress you’re making!

And know that, like minimalism, financial discipline is something a lot of the people around you simply won’t understand. They won’t understand why you want to save up cash for that TV when you could put it on your credit card. They won’t like that you turn down their offer to go out for the third night in a row because your debt payment is more important.

Remember when you wrote down your reasons for getting your finances together? Refer to it often. This path isn’t always the easiest to walk, but the rewards are oh-so-wonderful.

I love witnessing how people decide to select the principles contained in minimalism to live a life focused on freedom.

This is the first post of  the Minimalist Perspective Series that focuses on the other people, just like you, who use minimalism  to choose the essential and eliminate the rest. I hope the following Q & A is informative, interesting, and fun for you to read.

Minimalist Perspective Series Subject: Tony B. from the blog Regards From the Balcony.

Photo Credit: Regardsfromthebalcony.com

Q: How long have you been actively living a minimalist lifestyle?

A: Well, I don’t really consider myself a minimalist. By most definitions of minimalism I’m not minimalist. I don’t strive to live with a particular number of items. I own a house and car (currently). I have quite a few books, DVDs, sports equipment, and camping/hiking gear. I don’t really label myself as a minimalist or even a simple liver. My mindset is to pursue quality of life and freedom, and certain actions that I’ve taken along the way have resulted in simplifying my life significantly. Simple living is the means, freedom is the ultimate end.

Q: How would you describe your lifestyle before you made the switch to simple living?

A: I was never really a rampant consumerist. I never had huge debts on credit cards from buying into the latest gadgets and fashions. I’d been pretty prudent on leaving college. I owned my own house within a couple of years with a small mortgage. I’d actually lived a simple life at that point. I guess after my marriage and the kids came it was a case of “doing the best for my family”. It turned out I was actually doing the worst thing for my family. I was locked into a way of life that people seem to think is “normal.” I was working long hours, traveling, and taking on large mortgage commitments to get a bigger and better house. I was killing myself in a job I didn’t like because “that’s what Dads do.”

Q: Have you faced any personal barriers to living a minimalist lifestyle?

A: Good question. If I’m honest I’d have to say I was reluctant to get back into a relationship. You do lose a significant amount of freedom by being in a relationship. It’s why many of the successful minimalists out there are living the single life. It’s hard to give up that freedom. In a relationship there’s always someone else to consider, which does clip your wings on occasion. Giving up that delicious sense of freedom with no ties is hard to do. But you do get back so much too from being in a loving relationship and being able to share life with someone.

Fear is another biggie. Lots of people shy away from change because of fear of the unknown, fear of what people might say, or 101 other fears. I don’t really have too much advice on this other than “just do it”. My life coach friend Tim Brownson tells me telling clients to “just do it” can make them lock up, so my advice might not be that useful.

Photo Credit: Matthew Arrington @ Interfacelift.com

Q: How have your friends and family taken your decision to follow the path of simplicity?

A: Mostly they’ve been supportive. Some have even realized it’s a great way of life and have changed their lives accordingly. One friend went from being heavily in debt on credit cards to being debt free in a year or so, and hasn’t looked back. Others will have to suffer a bit more first before they see the light unfortunately.

I remember when I returned from a great diving trip in Malaysia, some friends commented “oh we thought you were frugal?”. They don’t get it. I was only able to live that lifestyle because I was frugal. By not buying things I didn’t need, I was able to spend the money on things that kept me sane and enriched my life.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what advice do you have for beginners who are interested in possibly living a minimalist lifestyle but who haven’t taken the plunge yet?

A: The first advice I would give someone is know yourself, and be true to yourself. This is fundamental. So many people are living a lie. I know I was. Understand who you are, and what you want out of life, independent of other people’s expectations. Everyone wants you to be who they want you to be. You need to be yourself.

Having said that, I think there are great benefits to be had from simplifying your life. You can start by making small changes. Simplify your finances, spend less, save more, simplify your diet, make health a greater priority. The great thing about simplifying your life is, well, it’s simple. You don’t need to know much, you can start simplifying today. Yes, you can read books and blogs and so on, but at some point you need to actually start *doing* things differently. Start small and build up is my advice.

Photo Credit: Interfacelift.com

Q: What do you like the best about blogging about your own experiences with simple living/minimalism at Regards From the Balcony?

A: I love the process of blogging. I love collecting my thoughts, shaping the outline of an article, and putting “pen to paper”. I just love writing. I love reading reader’s comments and getting feedback on my articles. With blogging you can feel like you are putting content out there into a vacuum, it’s nice to know people are actually reading this stuff. In addition to my blog, I write about Thailand and have done since 2003. Writing is a great outlet for me. I hope that what I write about proves useful to other people. I’ve also met some really cool people online through blogging.

Q: Standing where you are currently, where do you hope to go from here using a minimalist path?

A: I would really like to go car-free. Right now that’s my number one priority. I am very car-lite at this point, but I would dearly love to get rid of the car altogether for a host of reasons. I’m not quite there yet. I’m also considering downsizing. I live in a two-bed house which I like, but it’s probably too big for me, now that the kids don’t stay here as much as they used to.

I see life opening up a lot more in 2012 for various reasons. I will be mortgage free at that point, if not before, and have substantial savings. My daughter will be going to university. I think traveling more widely will be high on the agenda, at least for a few years. There are still many places I’d like to visit in SE Asia. I’d like to return to Japan too and spend a year or so learning the language and culture. I’d like to spend a year on a tropical island. I penciled in Koh Lanta in Thailand for that role, I visited there some years ago now and fell in love with the place. But I’m visiting the Philippines next year and that may change my mind with regards location. I have an almost infinite list of things I’d like to do before I die. It’s far more than you could squeeze into any one life.

So far, I’ve been incredibly lucky with my life and I try to be grateful for what I’ve been blessed with.

I have been absent lately from publishing any new posts recently for several reasons:

1) I didn’t feel I had anything of value to say. Usually, I have ideas, experiences, and questions floating in my brain that I like to share. Although recently I have had those things, I haven’t had anything I felt would be adding real value. I’d rather not write for the sake of writing. So you can be assured that if you see a post here, it’s something interesting to me and it’s something I felt might be of value to you.

2) I picked up a part-time second job. (Although I have now left there due to a long-story.)

3) Between my current internship downtown and going on informational interviews, I have been running around meeting new people and networking. Things are going pretty good and I am feeling cautiously optimistic.

4) I needed to unplug from the Internet. We speak a lot about choosing the essential and leaving the rest behind. I felt the amount of time I was spending online between my assigned tasks at work and my home-life wasn’t healthy or something I wanted. I needed to take a break to de-plug from technology.

What’s coming up on PeopleNotStuff? :

1) New Posts -I’m going to continue writing new posts and hopefully they are something that can make you look at your own perspective in a new way, figure out how to achieve something related towards minimalism, or even just entertains. Also, I really appreciate feedback (positive or negative) from you about what things you enjoy reading about and what doesn’t add anything for you. You can always email me at rah204 (at) gmail (dot) com and I will definitely respond.

2) Guest Features -Really informative and fun guest posts. Since I’ve been blogging, I’ve come across and “met” some really interesting thinkers who are using minimalism to tackle obstacles and live the life of their choosing. So be prepared for some perspectives on minimalism from those people.

3) Pictures – I’m a very visual person. Sometimes much more can be learned from a single picture than an entire blog post. I want to feature some pictures of things I come across that shows minimalism in action. Maybe the pictures can inspire you or provide additional ideas.

Over the weekend, I made the conscious decision to get away from the house and reunite with some and old friends and make some new ones.

For anybody struggling in a specific area of your life, don’t give up. They say the only well out through Hell is to keep going. Obstacles and barriers are opportunities for self-growth. I know for a fact I will get to where I want to go – it’s all about taking deliberate action steps and self-belief.

Without further ado, below are some thought provoking posts that explore different ways you can use minimalism for your benefit and philosophical perspectives of minimalism for you to question about what makes the most sense for you.

Photo Credit: Thomas Duchnicki

Girl with the Red Balloon: “A Drawer For Projects” – The great thing about minimalism is that there isn’t an exact “right” way to do it. Ultimately, minimalism is merely a tool for you to live a life that’s valuable — however you define that. Read this post to see a unique way at using the stuff you already have as a holding area for unfinished projects, possible clutter, and miscellaneous items.

Regards From The Balcony: “Less Artful Writing”- Read this post to look at how you view minimalist and simple living web sites. Are are truly receiving value or a disguised pitch that isn’t really delivering the goods? One of the reasons I love reading Tony’s writing is because he has an ability to write authentically and informatively. If you consider yourself a “thinker”, definitely read this post.

Fabulissime: “Why ‘Extreme’ Minimalism Doesn’t Appeal To Me” – I love this post because it highlights a slight trend I’ve noticed in the minimalist community. Excessive consumerism is crazy, but is extreme minimalism that much better? Read this post to get Hasina’s answer to that question with logical reasons to support her perspective.

Boing Boing: “Neo-Minimalism and the Rise of the Technomads” – I am not familiar with this author, but I came across this article about a man named Sean Bonner who recently learned about minimalism and decided to travel. It can come across as a type of extreme minimalism, but at the very least, you probably will find Sean’s story entertaining while offering another perspective.

I’m hoping for some big things this week personally and I hope you’re going forward to get to where you want to be as well. Take care.