If you wish to move forward in life, there is one simple commitment you must make.
Life Experiment: 30 Posts in 30 Days in 30 Minutes or Less
In an effort to fight off creative boredom and get my writing chops chopping (chomping?) with more regularity, I’m embarking on a 30-day writing commitment here on BarryMorris.net.
I have no plan for this other than to just crank out a daily post for the next 30 days and see how it feels. I have no topic plan, length of post plan, nothing.
Oh, and I can spend no longer than 30 minutes on each post, from inception to publication. Yeah, baby…this is serious stuff. 😆
I’m also going to include original photography in each post, starting with the photo above of my desk at work that I took a few minutes ago. (I’m still successfully avoiding the use of my employer-issued PC laptop).
Each photo will capture a piece of my daily experience. They may not all be gorgeous photos, but they will be all be in black and white in keeping with the motif.
I’m all about the motif. Motif…yeah, I like that word. It just begs to be italicized, don’t you think?
I know, you’re thrilled
But please, try to contain yourself.
This is going to be like Julia Cameron’s morning pages exercise except my whiny stream-of-consciousness type thoughts will be shared to the world or rather my 600+ readers…a number that I actually don’t believe it accurate judging from the lack of comments on my past posts.
Of course, that could just mean I write crap that no one cares about. Whatever. I write for my own sense of gratification anyway. 🙄
This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. When I first read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, I embarked on a similar project, but those writings weren’t published. But you have to love her guidelines for daily writing practice:
- Keep your hand moving (or typing my case)
- Loose control
- Be specific
- Don’t think
- Don’t worry about punctuation, grammar, or spelling (I’ll ignore this one)
- You are free to write the worst junk in America
- Go for the jugular
Where did this idea originate?
No clue. Actually, I do know. I was thinking this morning about how Ev Bogue used to post each day to his minimalist blog, Far Beyond the Stars, in the days before he kind of went off into the wilderness to recreate the decentralized web on a used Chromebook. It’s a long story.
This was at a time when minimalism was unique and living with less was intriguing. Now it feels like no one gives it much credence beyond the minimalist celebrities among us.
Perhaps the idea was in the ether and I inhaled…unlike Bill Clinton. OK, that’s it…enough bad jokes.
See you tomorrow for my first post du jour.
Combining Business and Motorcycle Travel Requires a Minimalist Mindset
For the past two weeks, I’ve been working in a mobile, make-shift office setting. Not in a trendy, We Work shared office space (though I’d love to try that out sometime), but from remote locations away from my office in Costa Mesa, California.
Last week, along with a couple of coworkers, operated from a business partner’s conference room in Salt Lake City, Utah while closing out a project. This week I’ve been working from Karen’s kitchen table in San Jose, California…or as I refer to it, the Cambrian Park satellite office in Greater San Jose.
My minimalist set up for the past two weeks has been what you see pictured above. My 15-inch 2015 MacBook Pro and that’s it. No mouse, no external keyboard, no 27-inch Apple monitor… just the MacBook Pro.
Before I left my office in Costa Mesa, I debated taking my Apple Magic Mouse and full-size Apple keyboard, as well as my 12-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. I opted to take only the MacBook.
In the past, I’ve traveled for work with all of these items (save the 27-inch Apple monitor – it’s a tad bulky). Each provides a useful and singular function, but this time I had to consider a lighter than usual carry…
… because everything I took to Salt Lake City I’d eventually be carrying back to California on a motorcycle.
Everyone on TV is a Minimalist
Have you ever noticed that nearly every living room on television looks like a minimalist lives there?
Except for perhaps the households belonging to The Conners, ‘Merica’s most popular dysfunctional family, or apartments filled beyond capacity with millennial roommates like the world’s favorite collection of nerds in The Big Bang Theory, most of the living spaces you see on television are minimal in their arrangement, nearly museum-like in their appearance.
There’s open space on every counter, the table tops are clear of clutter, and bedrooms are like the sanctuaries we wish ours were. Kitchen countertops shine, hardwood floors gleam, and dirty dishes are a myth.
Is there something Hollywood knows that the rest of us don’t?
Will I Ever Own a New Car?
Not long ago I was considering financing a new car. I’ve never purchased a new car from a dealer before and I’ve secretly always wanted a Ford F150 truck. I must be a guy thing, I don’t know, but I thought to myself…
“You know, Baz…you’ve never owned a brand new vehicle and at age 60, well let’s just say it’s time, right?”
Damn right, I agreed. Even my BMW 1150GS motorcycle that I rode across the US (and back) in the summer of 2016 is a 2000 model. So, I’m kind of due for something shiny and new.
I’m not one to rush into a big purchase. However, once I make up my mind about one, I can seldom be deferred.
When I decided to re-enter the motorcycling world about five years ago, it only took me six months to ride home on my first BMW (used, of course). Then when I upgraded to a second BMW 1100RT (think cop bike) and later my BMW 1150GS, I did so without much delay, and again, purchased older models.
I considered it for about two months before deciding against it. It wasn’t a matter of price, nor was it due to any other factor that one might attribute to cost, such as additional insurance premiums, parking, maintenance, etc.
So why the change in heart?
While my change in attitude about getting a shiny new truck surprised me, after sitting with the idea for a few months, I actually wasn’t all that surprised.
Sounds weird, I know. But here’s why. [Read more…]