BLOG MOVED >> http://www.easylivin.org

I have moved this blog over to www.easylivin.org

See you there!

Using Evernote to minimize

 
Today I am going to use Evernote to remove all paper clutter in my office, on the walls, sticky note, and related items. It is amazing how much crap we collect and don't need. I won't get to the inside my desk items until next week but at leat this is a good start. If you haven't used Evernote, you need to. It will sync between your desktop, phone, or iPad. It makes your notes available on all devices all the time. It can also clip webpages, take pictures and then reconize the text to make the items searchable. It is free, but I would gladly pay for it.

Take a look at the video and visit their website at Evernote.com.

Happiness, Free - click here now!

  You can't buy happiness. I bet you have never heard that before?  As I sit here this morning working on some websites to make that almighty dollar so I can quit my day job, the thought crossed my mind, well twitter. Time to go outside, put the kayak in the water and take a break. If I make 6 figures next year will I be happy? Maybe, but I think it would just release some stress... it doesn't take money to be happy.  When are you truely happy?  I know I am happy when I am drinking a beer with a good friend if they stop by the house. Babies don't make 6 figures but they are happy. How about when you spend time with your kids... Don't skip out on happiness for the dollar! ON that note, time to get outside in the sunshine!

Death, the ultimate minimalist

 
Good morning, you are dead now... and in your heaven whatever your religion may be.  Guess what you don't have anymore bills, no stuff, and are completely happy!  The grim reaper is not a bill collector, he is a minimalist and he WILL help you get rid of your crap.

 Wait, don't go out and off yourself now, please!  Just take a moment to analyze this simple fact, you can't take all that stuff with you or that money. You can't get back time, so enjoy this weekend like it was your last!  I unfortunately have some Internet Marketing to do before I can enjoy it, and then some sailboat fiberglass / epoxy repair to do.  Maybe tomorrow I can enjoy this nice weather in a kayak.

Minimizing is friggin hard!

  It is not easy to clean out your garage, it is not easy to go through your clothes... so just spend 10 minutes a day getting rid of your crap.  It is amazing how many clothes we all end up with. I am taking a load to goodwill today. I still have too many to fit on my boat, but I figure at that point most of my winter clothes and long pants/jeans will go to my parents house... you don't need much floating around on a sailboat. That time is not coming soon, but it is good to prepare.  You don't have to get rid of everything you own to be more minimal, you can start with that garage this weekend. Here is some wisdom from another minimalist site:

 A Minimalist’s Train of Thought

Less money spent means more money saved

More money saved means the longer you can live in financial peace and security

Financial peace and security comes from owning less

Less stuff owned means less to carry around, move or have to travel with

Less responsibility for your stuff also means less maintenance and more time

The more time you have, the more relaxed you will feel

The more relaxed you are, the less you will care about stuff

If you care less about stuff, it means you’ll care less about image

If you care less about image, you will care more about experiences and memories

If you care more about experiences and memories, you will be happier with less

If you are happier with less, you’ll never want or need for more

The less you want or need for more, the more you will feel free

- The Everyday Minimalist

Take your Mini-Retirement NOW!

  How old are you? 25? Thought of retirement? No, well maybe a long extended vacation to Costa Rica. What I am talking about is taking a long vacation now, or in the near future. You deserve it, we all do because you only live once. I know what a cliche, but really think about it.  Do you think you would actually look back after a one year vacation and say "Man why did I do that."  You will probally say why didn't I do that sooner.  Most of my reading and research is on my upcoming retirement.  At the least it will be a mini-retirement, or extended vacation until the money runs out.  I have 2 years before I retire out of the military and I plan to go when it is over, one way or another.  Here is one book I recomend that is not based on sailing (which most of my books are).


I would love to hear of anyone's long extended vacation.  If you have a plan but need some advice on how to execute I can help.  I can show you a few books I have read to help you along the way. Feel free to contact me.  This will be another blog post but you can travel around the world on Luxury Yachts and get paid, or make boat deliveries for free.  I am not in a position to do this right now, but if I was single and 10 years younger I would not be outfitting my own boat, I'd go on 5 million dollar yachts as crew.  

Minimalist Blogs

There are some really good blogs out there that inspire me. I read one today and enjoyed it but the author has quit blogging recently, she is amazing girl, Dusti Arab. I have read many many minimalist and simple living blogs, and also survalist blogs. I really enjoyed her story today, enough to share it with you. On her main page she has a sort of master list to other interesting minimalist blogs. It should keep you very busy!

I also have been enjoying Trevor's Blog here. He has not been updating it but he and I share some similarities. Many of my friends are military or prior military, Active Duty and Guard/Reserves. I also have some AirForce Friends along with my majority Army friends because I spent 4 years in the AirForce also. Military people are heavy consumers, and rely heavily on credit. Many are young, get married young and nowadays have stressful lifestyles, this adds up to some bad debt. I want you all to think about this if it is you. I want my military friends to stop buying crap, put some money in savings especially if you are deployed. Don't listen to me, because I am in debt, and I am on the verge of greatness... I may reach that point or may not, but go look at some of these other blogs. They have reached greatness and moved beyond what normal society tells them. OK if you are saying what the hell is Dan talking about - greatness. Greatness to me is freedom, free from the 9 to 5, from giving all my time away to a big compnay. I am not going to count the military in my time sink because I volunteered for that, not for the money. Hopefully before I retire from the guard, the guard will be my only job, besides my own generated income.