I’m all about trying to keep things simple – that’s even the tag line for this site.
So I have to wonder when I see a popular link circulating on the internet:
Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life
- Did they really get that list down to the core?
- Are there really 72 steps for simplicity?
- Should I take advice from anyone who can’t think any more critically than this?
Some of these are funny by themselves:
- Create a simplicity statement
- Eat slowly
- Streamline your life
- Find inner simplicity (does this involve untangling my intestines?)
Some are funny in tandem:
- Do what you love
- Spend time with people you love (not to be confused with the above)
- Spend time alone
- Create a simple system for housework
- Make your house minimalist (which cuts down on the need for housework)
- Limit your communications
- Keep your e-mail inbox empty (which works nicely with the previous one how?)
- Consider a smaller car
- Try living without a car
- Reduce your consumption of advertising
- Read Walden, by Thoreau (AH! Advertising!)
- Read Simplify Your Life, by Elaine St. James (AH! Advertising again!)
- Simplify your online life (Now, this is good. Use RSS feeds to me more efficient…)
- Simplify your RSS feeds (ACK! Damn!)
- Carry less stuff
- Learn to pack light (Which is different, how, exactly?)
- Establish routines
- Use a minimalist productivity system (Which is different than a routine, how, exactly?)
- Create morning and evening routines (Wha?)
- Create a morning writing ritual (Wha Wha?)
You know, I could buy this if the writer actually sat down and tried to put some actual structure into this. Many of these points could easily fit as sub-points in bigger buckets. Unfortunately, this is the sort of blog post title that attracts links and interest. Insert your own favorite simile. Ultimately, If I want 72 steps, I’ll watch 1.846 Hitchcock movies or join six addiction support groups.[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, productivity, simplicity[/tags]
