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Not relevant content, but I thought this was funny: the website The Beast published its list of the 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2006. Now, I don't agree with all of them, but it's funny nonetheless.
Check it out:
The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2006
While this includes most of us, many people are reluctant to do so because it seems difficult or overwhelming. Diet everyday? Forget it! Start an exercise program? Maybe next year!
But the key to the SmallStep.gov website is just what its name implies: small steps can add up to a big difference. It's something I agree with completely. I'm on the road to a healthier lifestyle, but it all began with small steps, and they have really added up.
A few of their cool tips for small steps to being more active (one of a good number of resources on the site):
I use Gmail exclusively for email, and it constitutes a major part of my two day jobs. I get a fair amount of email each hour, and I am pretty quick at responding.
However, one thing you'll notice about my Gmail inbox is that it is just about always empty.
It gives me a Zen feeling to have a clean inbox, a feeling of peace and calm and satisfaction. I highly recommend it to everyone. I wasn't always like this -- I had many emails in my inbox in the past. They would sit in there, sometimes unread, sometimes just waiting on an action, sometimes waiting to be filed, and others just waiting because I was procrastinating. I also had many folders for filing my email, so I could find them when I needed them. It would take me awhile to file sometimes, so I would put it off. Many people I know are the same way.
But GTD changed that (as well as 43 Folders and others), and for nearly a year now, I've been fairly consistent about having a clean inbox.
Here are my simple steps to achieving Email Zen:
1) Don't check email first thing in the morning, or have it constantly on. This is a tip offered by many blogs, so nothing new here. Checking email first thing will get you stuck in email for awhile. Instead, do your most important thing for the day, or the thing you've been procrastinating on the most. Then check email. Better yet, do 2 or 3 things first. Also, if you are constantly checking email throughout the day, or it notifies you as soon as an email comes in, you will be constantly distracted and not able to focus on the task before you. I check once an hour, but you might have different needs.
2) When you check your email, dispose of each one, one at a time, right away. Make a decision on what needs to be done on each email.
2a) Is it junk or some forwarded email? Trash it immediately.
2b) Is it a long email that you just need to read for information? File it in a Read folder (or tag it Read and archive) or print it to read on the road (while waiting in line, for example).
2c) If the email requires action, make a note of the action on your to-do or GTD lists to do later. Also note to check the email for info if necessary. Then archive the email. You can easily find it later when you need to do that task.
2d) If you can respond to it in a minute or two, do so immediately. Don't put it off. If you wait, you'll end up with a backlog of emails to respond to, and you may never get around to it. I respond quickly, with a short note, and send it right away. That way I'm viewed as responsive and on top of things.
2e) If you need to follow up on the email later, or are waiting for a response, note it on a Waiting For list. Don't just leave it in your inbox as a reminder.
3) I have only one folder: Archive. When I respond to an email, or finish reading it if it doesn't need response, or note it on my to-do list, I archive it. Simple as that. You could add a Read folder if you want. I usually print longer ones to read later, like during lunch or while waiting for something. Other people have an Action folder or a Waiting For folder, but I find that that's just an additional inbox (or "bucket" as GTD's David Allen calls it) that you have to constantly check. I don't like to check extra folders. I have my to-do lists and my Waiting For list, and that's good enough. So it's as simple as pressing "Archive" on an email, and if I need to find it later, Gmail's search is so good that it's easy to find. I've never had any problems with this system.
Email Zen is that easy: check email at regular periods, take action on each email right away (or note it on a list to do later) and archive.
Ahhh. Empty inbox!
See also:
An ongoing quest for me, and one that I am renewing this year, is to eliminate all that is unnecessary from my life. Now, you might read this and think that I am cutting everything fun from my life, but that's not true. Let me explain.
The first question in this quest, of course, is what does "necessary" mean? We must first examine what things are necessary ... and the first question in this examination is ... necessary for what? What is the true aim? My answer, which will be different than others, is "necessary for a happy life."
This definition, then, would include many things besides the basics of clothing, shelter and food. I might not need a good relationship with my wife in order to survive, but it is necessary for me to be happy in life (I've found). Same thing with my kids. To be happy, I must develop a good relationship with them, make them happy, and spend time with them.
But that doesn't mean that anything I do with them counts as necessary. I can be happy with my children just by going to a free park -- I don't need to buy them things all the time, or go costly entertainment (like movies, the mall, or waterparks).
Similarly, we need to eat, but we don't need to eat junk food. True, you might say that sweets, or french fries, make you happy. Well, that's the key to this whole exercise: do you really need something to be happy? And even more, do you need it on a daily basis, or can it be an occasional treat?
Coffee and chocolate are two recent examples for me. I love both. A lot. But I am addicted to them (because of the caffeine), and that makes me want them more than I really need them to be happy. So I am trying to cut them out, at least for now. I think later, after I kick the habit, I can indulge in those things as a treat, once in awhile, without lapsing into addiction.
Other things I can cut out (except as treats):
I don't have the official time, but I know I broke my old PR of 23:05 (set a year ago) in this past weekend's Academy of Our Lady of Guam 5K, as I came in just under 22:30. So I broke my old record by at least 30 seconds. Woo hoo!
It was a pretty flat run, but hard for me as I haven't run any races, let alone anything as short or fast as a 5K. I pushed myself the entire 5K, and I was breathing hard.
Next up: the Northern Lights 10K this weekend. I've found 10Ks to be even harder than 5Ks, because they are nearly as fast, but twice as long. It's grueling to keep up a fast pace for 6.2 miles, at least for a runner like myself.
I'm down to half a cup, with no real side effects. I don't drink coffee when I wake up anymore ... only when I get into work, and only half a cup. I'm pretty tired before I drink that half a cup, but no headaches or anything.
Next week I take the plunge into zero coffee. Also I don't drink caffeinated colas or tea, or eat chocolate -- and chocolate is the hardest part aside from the coffee.
My reasons for quitting: to prove that I can, to get myself off an addiction, to end caffeine's destructive effects on my body and my health, and to continue to try to simplify my life and examine (and eliminate) those things that are not truly necessary.
Previous post: Givin' up caffeine - help!
Updates:
OK, so it was probably the easiest triathlon possible, but I completed the Stick-n-Back Triathlon on January 13. It's a super sprint, with distances of 200m for the swim, 10K (or 6.2 miles) for the bike, and 2 miles for the run.
I started the race pretty nervous, as I was afraid I wouldn't complete even that short race. I have been swimming a couple times a week for about a month now, but I still have no endurance. The swim portion is only 200 meters, but when I tried to do 200 meters without stopping in practice, I was wiped out. In addition, while I knew the 2-mile run wouldn't be a problem, I had ridden my bike exactly once before the race, so that was a big worry.
But when the race started, the swim was actually not as hard as I thought. The main problem was swimming in the middle of a bunch of other people -- you are surrounded by thrashing arms and legs, and it's very common to get kicked in the head (I did, twice) and it's very difficult to get your stroke going when you have no room to maneuver.
The bike leg was harder. I didn't know what gear to use, so I kept changing it to try to find one that was comfortable and yet fast. I never found it. I was pedaling way too hard, and people were shooting by me, looking like they were just out for a nice stroll. I ended up racing a little girl (who did excellent in the race) for most of the bike leg, as we kept shooting past each other. When I finally pulled ahead of her for good, I counted it as a moral victory.
I tried to make up for the time lost in the bike portion with a good run, but the run portion was way too short and my legs were dead in the first mile or so. I finished strong in the last mile, and crossed the finish line to the cheers of the very supportive triathlon community.
Overall, I had a great time. Congrats to all the other finishers, and first-timers, and thanks to the triathlon community for the excellent first race. I'm hooked now.
The last two weeks I've been giving up coffee. And sweets.
My two favorites. I LOVE coffee. And chocolate.
Yikes.
I'm trying to quit the caffeine gradually, so I don't get the headaches. I've been drinking only half a cup for the last week. I think next week I'll be down to next to nil.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Updates:
The personal finance blog The Simple Dollar started a great series this month that I've been reading entitled, "31 days to fix your finances." Some of it is pretty basic stuff, but it's a great "total makeover" type thing if getting out of debt and saving for your dreams are some of your top goals this year. It's a good read, at the very least.
Just a few highlights (some of them from famous financial books such as Your Money or Your Life, or Total Money Makeover):
Speaking of goals, the website Success Begins Today posted an interesting tool not only for setting your goals, but more importantly, for keeping focused on them and staying on track:
Goal Setting Toolkit
The site has some other good articles on setting goals and keeping yourself organized:
