Simple Living

Golden is a field guide to getting beyond the noise—not just the noise in our ears, but also on our screens and in our heads. Drawing on lessons from neuroscience, business, spirituality, politics, and the arts, Marz and Zorn explore why auditory, informational, and internal silence is essential for physical health, mental clarity, ecological sustainability, and vibrant community. They show how to go beyond the ordinary rules and tools of mindfulness to help individuals, families, organizations, and whole societies dial down the noise and find pristine attention.

Christmas is coming and I have a two year old and a five year old. My wife and I are pretty stumped about what to get our kids for Christmas. The two year old is easy; he doesn't care, will be thrilled with a ball, and just happy to be included.

The five year old is very down to earth and grateful for anything, but he already has everything he needs because up to now we've tried to be smart about buying him things that will last and give him good enjoyment mileage. He has plenty of Legos, an assortment of figurines (farm animals, fantasy creatures, little play houses, action figures, cars.), plenty of outside balls and whatnot. He also doesn't need consumable stuff (has plenty of candy from Halloween, crayons, coloring books, crafty supplies)

He doesn't need more stuff, but we still want Christmas morning to feel special and exciting and we want him to have a good "Santa came!!!" experience. I like the idea of giving experiences like tickets to Disney on Ice or a voucher to an ice cream shop, but that just doesn't have the same effect for a five year old, cause he can't hold it and it's really just a promise for the future.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated!

Thank you all and much love from me to you!

I've read a few books about simple living/minimalism but I just finished 'Walden' and wow... it's beautiful. Many patient observations of simple natural phenomenon are wonderful meditations and potent lessons. It seemed just as relevant to present times as to when it was written. I finished feeling like there's so much more to extract from that book, definitely going to read again!

Maybe you were aware, but if not I wanted to share with you fine folks in case you've missed this gem like I had. It is in the public domain in the US (published 1854) so you can get the ebook or audiobook for free from Project Gutenberg!

Summary

• The article discusses the concept of information overload and how it can lead to analysis paralysis.

• The author argues that randomness can be a helpful tool for overcoming choice overload.

• The author cites a study that found that people who were given a random decision prompt were more likely to be satisfied with their decision than those who were not given a prompt.

• The author concludes by saying that while randomness is not a perfect solution, it can be a helpful tool for making decisions when we are feeling overwhelmed by choice.

Key Points

• Choice overload occurs when we are presented with too many options, which can make it difficult to choose one.

• This can lead to analysis paralysis, which is the inability to make a decision because we are too busy considering all of the options.

• Randomness can help us to overcome choice overload by forcing us to make a decision without overthinking it.

• This can be done by flipping a coin, rolling a die, or using another randomizing device.

• While randomness is not a perfect solution, it can be a helpful tool for making decisions when we are feeling overwhelmed by choice.

Not sure if this is really Le Guin's or not, but sounds good. The blog is copied verbatim.

The Le Guin precepts

Fabled author Ursula Le Guin had a sign over her desk:

• Is it true?

• Is it necessary or at least useful?

• Is it compassionate or at least unharmful?

Not a bad place to begin.

Summary

• A meta-analysis, published in February 2022, found that walking for 2-5 minutes after eating can help lower blood sugar levels.

• This is because walking helps to clear glucose from the bloodstream.

• Standing after a meal can also help, but not as much as walking.

• The ideal time to go for a walk after eating is within 60-90 minutes.

Additional Details

The meta-analysis analyzed seven studies comparing the impact of sitting, standing and walking on the body’s insulin and blood sugar levels.

People in the studies were asked either to stand or walk for two to five minutes every 20 to 30 minutes over the course of a full day.

“Between the seven reviewed studies, the total activity time throughout the observation was roughly 28 minutes with the standing and light walking breaks lasting between 2 to 5 minutes,” Buffey said. Leisure activity death wellness STOCK

Standing was better than heading straight for the desk or the couch to sit when it came to blood sugar levels, but it didn’t help lower insulin in the bloodstream, the analysis found.

However, if people went for a short walk after eating, their blood sugar levels rose and fell more gradually, and their insulin levels were more stable than either standing or sitting, the study noted.

A coworker was debating doing this and now I am curious.

This also seems like it might interest this community. Originally posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/7276272

Comingle is an interesting idea that would act as a pseudo emergency fund to provide a stable week to week income for their users. It could act to stabilize your income if you have an irregular income or as an backup plan or insurance for when you lose a job or income source. It works by distributing the average of all their members contributions weekly to each user. Once the service starts, the end result will be a net gain for those with low income and a payment to provide a guaranteed monthly income for higher earners.

• For those with low income, any amount of extra money can aid in the pursuit of opportunity and keep things from turning desperate.
• For freelancers and gig-workers, reliable weekly income can ease the complications of sporadic cash-flow.
• For those with more income, Comingle lets you help others, sends you a little extra cash on slow weeks, and provides a safety-net if things take a turn for the worse.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with them. I just got this in an email newsletter and was intrigued.

Summary

• A poll of 2,000 adults identified the top 20 things that bring feelings of happiness and positivity.

• The survey was commissioned by the cheese company Babybel.

• Good night's sleep and sunny blue sky ranked as the top two factors for feeling good.

• 45% of respondents mentioned that receiving a nice compliment can significantly boost their mood.

• Laughing until tears flowed was also noted as a high scorer in generating positive emotions.

• On average, respondents experienced uplifting moments three times a day and felt good about their day four times out of seven in a typical week.

• However, 83% actively avoid negative stories on social media and TV to prevent feeling emotionally drained.

• 68% of those polled believe happiness is contagious, and over a third make an effort to spread positivity.

• Only 24% allocate regular time for activities that personally bring them happiness.

• Many of the top 20 happiness-inducing activities are low-cost or free, emphasizing the link between feeling good and doing good.

TOP 20 THINGS THAT MAKE US FEEL GOOD

1. A good night’s sleep

2. A sunny blue sky

3. Summer

4. Receiving a compliment or praise

5. Booking a holiday

6. Crying with laughter

7. Getting a quiet moment to yourself

8. Eating your favorite snack

9. Pets being happy to see you

10. Looking back at old photographs

11. Finishing a great book

12. Helping an elderly person with something

13. Finishing a workout

14. Hearing children really belly-laughing

15. Finding a parking space when it’s busy

16. A newly-cleaned car

17. When your football or other sports team wins

18. A heart-to-heart with a loved one

19. Volunteering or helping others

20. Finding out your children have done well at school

Humans are creatures of habit. So often we do things a certain way without really thinking about why we do it or why we do it that way. It's just the way we've always done it. It's so nice when we have those aha moments when it dawns on us there may be a better way to do something that removes complexity from our life.

Here are a few of mine:

1. It occurred to me that it takes the same amount of time to prepare for the day whether I do it the night before or the morning of, And for me warnings usually feel more crunched for time than evenings. So I started doing everything I could for the next morning the night before. Laying out my clothes, fixing my breakfast, laying out my morning hygiene items, packing my bag for work, etc. This ha really decompressed my mornings and given me less decisions to make first thing.

2. I realized that having notifications for email on my phone spurred me to react to them immediately, Even though the emails I receive rarely require immediate action. I disabled them all together and put a weekly calendar reminder to sit down at my computer and review my emails.

3. Picking what to cook for supper was always a chore every single day. Figuring out what we were in the mood for, do we have what we need to make that, etc. To eliminate this daily aggravation, I made a list of every supper I know how to cook and numbered them. Once a month I sit down with my list, roll a dice for everyday, and put down what's for supper each day So I don't have to think about it for the rest of the month.

What are some of your aha moments?

Summary

• The author sought to combat feelings of overwhelm and anxiety by taking on a personal endurance challenge.
• The challenge involved giving up listening to podcasts or music while doing various activities.
• The author realized that avoiding being fully present in activities was an unconscious addiction to not doing one thing at a time.
• The ability to focus on one activity at a time is considered crucial for thriving in an uncertain, crisis-prone future.
• Multitasking has been proven ineffective and incurs cognitive costs due to rapidly switching attention.
• External pressures and technological advances contribute to the urge to multitask.
• Philosophers and spiritual teachers emphasize the value of being present in a single activity.
• The allure of multitasking lies in the false promise of escaping human limitations and constraints.
• Surrendering to limitations and focusing on tasks enhances enjoyment and effectiveness.
• Prioritizing a few important tasks over trying to do everything is more productive.
• Pouring time, energy, and attention into fewer things leads to greater enjoyment and accomplishment.

Implication from the article

• Learning to be present in the moment can reduce stress and enhance overall well-being.

For me simple living is tied closely to my love of nature. I found that Emerson's Nature is available for free online. Been working my way through it slowly (some sections take a while to digest), but I've really been enjoying it and I hope you do too!

They're are so many great quotes from this one after another. What is your favorite(s) and why?

Was just wondering how people here make their home, simple.

I try to keep from cluttering my flat too much, but there's a few things I'm going to have to take care of, now that I have collected some rubbish.

How do you manage this?