What I got rid of today.

In case you’re thinking of starting your own RID project, this person has advice for getting motivated.

planboy — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:52:31 +0000

I love this quote…”People like myself live in the their memory’s clutter for years upon years and become numb to the drag it adds to their life. It slows you down, cramps you up. It makes it hard to move and hard to work. It means you’re stuck where you are because transplanting yourself to a better environment would just be much too much hassle.

It means your brain is trying to track all of the objects floating through your life but, unable to do so, it just wastes energy on empty brain loops as it tries to mentally collect and connect all the various pieces.”

Click here for the full post.

I put 20 books on the “to be RIDded” pile today.

planboy — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:48:55 +0000

Seems old habits die hard?

Books…oh, books. I guess if there’s one category I give myself permission to overdo it in, it’s reading.

Time to get serious again…

A digital RID?

planboy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:16:38 +0000

So, lately I’ve been thinking about my use of social media – and the fact that it doesn’t seem like it’s holding up its end of the bargain on the “social” front.

I’ve steadily watched my use of Facebook decline – it doesn’t seem like it’s really worth the trouble lately. And…I suspect I’m not the only one? It seems my friends are posting less and less all the time.

I must admit, watching people go through a little bit of a “digital RID” and getting a little more connected in real life would be a welcome development.

What do you think? Are you reducing the “social” media use you’re using? I’d love to know…

Through social networks or otherwise.

A handful of people sent me this article this weekend. So, I thought I’d post.

planboy — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:37:17 +0000

A treatise about too much stuff. The points this person makes mirror my project….almost exactly.

Money Quote:

“My success and the things it bought quickly changed from novel to normal. Soon I was numb to it all. The new Nokia phone didn’t excite me or satisfy me. It didn’t take long before I started to wonder why my theoretically upgraded life didn’t feel any better and why I felt more anxious than before.

My life was unnecessarily complicated. There were lawns to mow, gutters to clear, floors to vacuum, roommates to manage (it seemed nuts to have such a big, empty house), a car to insure, wash, refuel, repair and register and tech to set up and keep working. To top it all off, I had to keep Seven busy. And really, a personal shopper? Who had I become? My house and my things were my new employers for a job I had never applied for.”

Want more? Read the full article here.

Thinking about stuff (we eat.)

planboy — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:01:17 +0000

A GREAT collection of images of what 200 calories look like – in different foods. Available online.

Find more here.

Serendipity…

planboy — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:48:58 +0000

You know, in the middle of the RID project, I found myself wondering…why can’t I just BORROW some of these items from my friends/neighbors rather than owning them?

Well, of course the reason is…who knows who owns what, and would be willing to lend stuff?

Enter a great new entity I saw yesterday….Yerdle.

Right now, it’s limited to a couple of major cities…but I fully expect to see them succeed…and take off.

Please support them…this is the kind of effort that will make a BIG difference.

I love this post about decision making, and choices.

planboy — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:03:35 +0000

Key Quotes:

“Even the greatest minds fear missing out. Nobel laureate Richard Feynman who assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, contributed substantial advances to quantum mechanics and particle physics, discovered the cause of the Challenger Shuttle disaster and popularized science as a witty and successful author, faced this fear when confronted with a menu.,,

How many different dishes should he order from a menu before settling upon a favorite? Feynman used probability theory to solve the problem….

The number of dishes to try = √2(Meals remaining at restaurant+1) – 1

Fear of missing out is a paralyzing force. It even drives geniuses to mathematics for consolation. Having calculated the number of dishes to try, Feynman could rest, his mind at ease knowing that in all likelihood, he was eating the best plate on the menu.

With the panoply of options before us as founders, investors, managers and employees, the fear of missing out on key meetings, conferences, marketing initiatives, employment candidates, investment opportunities is rampant. There is always one more meeting to attend, one more person to meet, one more option to consider…

We want the freedom of trusting our decisions and intuition. I think it comes down to accepting that, as is written on Facebook’s walls, done is better than perfect. It’s more important to keep moving forward with a good decision than to slowly optimize for the best decision every time.”

Link to article here.

The connection to the RID project is obvious, I think. It’s not about making the PERFECT decision every time. It’s about following your intuition. What’s gone is gone. What you choose to keep, stays. And somewhere…in a place in your mind you’ll probably never understand…is the reason for that.

Happy Wednesday, all.

New blog coming soon. (But not quite RIDding this one, just yet.)

planboy — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:08:17 +0000

And I’m planning on launching it March 4.

Stay tuned. I’m excited to share it with you all.

For now…I’ll give you the website address…

ThePrioritiesProject.wordpress.com.

See you in March for the launch.

The LAST time I’ll ask (on this blog.) I need a SMALL favor from you, dear readers.

planboy — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:26:04 +0000

As, I suppose, a “typical” male born and raised in the Midwest, I’m not always the best at asking for help. I guess I somehow got the idea that it made me appear weak or something. But, over the last few years…I’ve gotten better. And I continue to try to improve. Something “David” finds it easier than “Dave” did.

So, it’s in this spirit that I ask for YOUR help. I need some thought starters from my audience. I’m preparing a new blogging project, something along the lines of the RID project. But here’s where I need your help.

I’d like you to send me a sentence. That’s it. Just one sentence.

I’d like you to send me a sentence of how the tough economy has impacted the BEHAVIOR of you, or someone you directly know. It can be yourself, a close friend, or a family member. But I’d like to make sure it’s someone you know well.

What kind of sentence should it be? It can be very simple, something like…

“When my brother lost his job, he stopped taking his yearly vacation.” OR “When my best friend from high school found out his health insurance benefits were being cut, he changed doctors.” OR “Thanks to the increasing cost of cable (and other things) — my college roommate cancelled cable, and started watching all her favorite shows online.”

That’s it. But I NEED your help. Because I need REAL examples.

PLEASE send them to my email address (david@questionthedogma.com) — or, if you’re reading this in social media, feel free to leave your sentence in the comments, or send them via social media service. Whatever’s the easiest, and the most comfortable for you.

These sentences will be for MY EYES ONLY, they won’t be used for anything other than inspiration for me…I promise to keep them close.

Thanks for your attention. I really appreciate it.

And…can I PLEASE get a sentence from you?

Thanks in advance.

More stuff = less time together.

planboy — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:30:17 +0000

Wow, I haven’t seen a better reason to RID…ever.

Key quote: “[W]hat we have is a situation in which American families have more stuff, but they have managed to afford that stuff only by being two-income families, with ever less family time — unlike their European counterparts, who have gained in shorter hours and vacations what they lost in stay-at-home wives.”

Hat tip.