LivSimpl

I just added a reader poll to the upper-right corner of the site. Please take a second or two to vote!

Or, if you'd care to expound a bit more on the poll (or anything, really) you can leave a comment to this post or send me an e-mail to LivSimpl at the gmail.

Thanks much and have a great Friday.


LivSimpl

Posted in: on Friday, November 30, 2007 at 2 comments  

It's been a week since we celebrated Thanksgiving and I've decided, as much as a reminder for me than anyone else, to ask, "What were you thankful for on Thanksgiving? Have you remembered to continue to be grateful for it since?"

I believe gratitude is essential to living a simple, fulfilling life. If we can recognize our good fortune, even in the little blessings and happy coincidences we'll be healthier and happier.

Last week I was particularly grateful that I had a job and was able to provide for my family.

What were you grateful for last week?


LivSimpl

Posted in: Gratitude on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 4 comments  

OK, so this isn't exactly a tip on how to simplify life. It's more of a way to vent frustration, relieve stress, and hopefully get credit companies to stop sending junk offers to the masses. You see, if I understand things correctly, companies don't have to pay postage on business reply cards/envelopes unless they're used.

You may see where I'm going with this.

Next time you get a credit card offer in the mail (assuming you haven't already requested your name be removed from their mailing lists), do the following:

1. Pull out the entire contents of the envelope
2. Spread out contents on table
3. Locate the Business Reply Envelope and set it aside
4. Take all the remaining materials (letter, brochures, etc.) and tear them up
5. Place recently shredded materials into the business reply envelope
6. [Optional] Write a nice note to the credit company explaining how you feel about them wasting the world's resources, and your time, in the hopes of getting a 3% response rate.
7. Seal the business reply envelope
8. Mail it

Not only have you torn the hated credit card offer to shreds, you've also just gotten the credit card company to pay for you to mail them the torn-up offer they sent you in the first place.

Do they want it? No. But then again, neither did you.


LivSimpl

P.S. I just realize a previous tip on how to remove yourself specifically from credit-based offers (think "Congratulations! You're pre-approved!") didn't make the jump when I switched sites. I'll rewrite it and get it back up soon.

Photo courtesy of here.

Posted in: Environment, Finances, Simple Pleasures on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 4 comments  

While I haven't tried this out personally, I think if I traveled more (or at all) I'd probably find $110 ($50 for the base and $10 for each custom charging cord) well worth the investment.

The Chargepod does just what it looks like it does: charges up to six smaller gadgets (sorry, no laptops) simultaneously while using only one wall outlet.

Of course, even if you don't travel it would be great to have a Chargepod as a central area to charge all your gadgets instead of having to occupy six outlets and keep track of six power adapters.

While I don't know many people who have a Treo, a Blackberry AND a regular cell phone along with two Bluetooth headsets, my wife and I have plenty of gadgets that need charging.

I've seen homemade variations of this idea, but nothing quite so simple. What are your thoughts? Do you like the idea? Is the price right? Has anyone used a Chargepod or something similar? Let me know in the comments.


LivSimpl

Posted in: Home, Organization, Tech on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 2 comments  

Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. The question was, "What do you think of the new site?" Overall, the vast majority of voters liked the new look. Thanks! Of course, I'm still open to any and all suggestions about the site, so feel free to e-mail me at LivSimpl at the gmail.


LivSimpl

Posted in: on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 0 comments  

I wish to express a sincere "thank you" to the readers of LivSimpl. Believe it or not, it takes quite a bit of effort to keep the site going (of course, it could use a lot more effort) and I'm thankful to have people come, read, and leave comments. It keeps me encouraged and excited about what I'd like this site to become.

Speaking of the future of the site, a special thank you to those who link to the site and tell their friends. That'll be the key factor in getting readership to the point I'd like, so thank you!

I hope you have a wonderful day, wherever you are!


LivSimpl

Posted in: Gratitude on Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 4 comments  

Just a quick "happy Thanksgiving". I have much to be thankful for today, not the least being that I was one of the lucky ones who wasn't laid off at work this week. I'm surrounded by family in a warm home with lots of food. That's a lot more than many people can say.

I'd like to refer you to a tip I posted recently about making a record of your blessings so you can reflect on them at a later time. I know how easily I forget how good I have it and this is a good way for me to remind myself of what's really important.


LivSimpl

I'm grateful for the picture of the turkey, which I found here.

Posted in: Gratitude on at 0 comments  

If you're crazy enough (no offense) to venture into the cold and crowds tomorrow morning, get the low-down on who has the best deals beforehand at BlackFriday.info. They get the inside scoop on the deals from a lot of the big-named stores.

Some of the deals are even available online beforehand so you can make your purchase from home and, in some cases, pick it up later Friday after the crowds have died down a bit.

Planning on heading out for the big day? What are you shopping for? Let us know in the comments. And thanks for reading!


LivSimpl

Posted in: Finances, Holidays on at 3 comments  

Quanology left a comment about the recent post about how to simplify your voicemail's outgoing message. He/she said, "I see a lot of 'don'ts'. What should we do on the voicemail??"

A good question. Thanks for asking Quanology.

My personal preference is to keep it simple. My outgoing message says, "Hi, this is David. Press pound and leave me a message." I put the "press pound" thing on there so people will know they don't have to listen to T-Mobile's automated recording.

I figure this gives people calling for the first time enough info to know if they got in touch with the right person, but keeps it brief enough to not be annoying to regular callers.

I'd imagine leaving your phone number might be a good idea in some circumstances, but with more and more people having digital readouts on their phone it becomes less important since they can see the number they dialed.

Anyway, that's my two cents. What does everybody else think?


LivSimpl

Posted in: Home, Tech, Work on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 0 comments  

Today's tip is provided courtesy of a good friend, former co-worker and distant relative of mine, Erin. She's a technical writer currently in a master's degree program at Utah State.

We all have our days where we feel like we have too much stuff lying around. Face it, your garage is full of things you know you don't need—but that you think you'll need eventually—and your neighbors are starting to nickname you the packrat family. Maybe you're planning to get rid of an appliance that isn't operating well, but it would if someone willing would spend the time to fix it. The point is that we all own a few things we don't need any more, and there's a better solution than throwing that stuff away.

Let us introduce you to http://www.freecycle.org/. Freecycle is not a priceless (or worthless) cycling contraption—it is a free recycling program where one man's trash is another man's treasure. It's a great place to find things that other people don't need.

Freecycle is made up of over 4,000 groups; each covers a specific region. The regions are of minimal size so people don't have to drive long distances to obtain their newly claimed possessions. The website allows you to solicit products in three straightforward categories: Offer, Wanted, and Taken. What's offered is up for grabs; what's taken is gone; and calls for wanted items may or may not be answered. Responses are posted through Yahoo discussion boards and e-mail—just because you respond to a post doesn't mean that the item is still available. But you'll never know if you can find something unless you try, right? Someone out there might just have that rare Atari game you want, or maybe a handyman will take away your broken appliance and fix it up for his own house. The Freecycle process sure beats sending items straight to the trash.

According to the website, Freecycle participants are currently keeping over 300 tons of stuff a day out of landfills. So next time you're cleaning out the garage, don't throw an unwanted item in the trash. Share the love—give away your (decent) unwanted stuff. List it on Freecycle!

Posted in: Environment on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 4 comments  

I saw this article about How to Make Your Outgoing Voicemail Message Not Suck and thought I'd share it with you and add a few suggestions of my own.

From the article:

Don't tell me to leave a message Most people understand the concept of voicemail and don't need this step.

Don't tell me you're not available I think that's obvious.

Don't tell me you'll return my call as soon as possible We'll never know if you do or not.

Don't tell me to e-mail you If someone's calling, it's probably because they can't get in touch with you through e-mail.

Don't try to make it sound cute/funny Trying to be funny on outgoing messages is like trying to figure out a tag line for a company: very few people can do it well enough to pull it off and you aren't one of them.

Don't play music This also goes for ringback tones.

Do tell me when you'll be available ("I'll be back at work next Tuesday") Very helpful!


All great suggestions. And now a couple of my own:

If possible, disable anything other than a "beep" after your outgoing message. By this, I mean the whole, "To page this person, press 5. To leave a message, wait for the tone. For more options after leaving your message, press pound."

Often, this part of the outgoing message is longer than the personally recorded portion. And I have no idea what the point of "paging" someone is considering you've had your phone number flashing on their caller ID for the last 30 seconds.

Fortunately, you can often turn off this "feature", allowing the standard "beep after your outgoing message. How to do so varies by provider, so it will require a little hunting around the voicemail menus for a while before you find out how to do it.

And then there's my provider, which doesn't have the option to bypass the extended message. However, I did find out that if my callers press # it will skip the outgoing message all together and go straight to the beep, so I've left brief instructions in my outgoing message on how to do that.

Start simplifying your outgoing messages and save everyone who calls you a little time.


LivSimpl

Posted in: Home, Tech, Work on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 7 comments  

Ah, yes. The classic example of government bureaucracy at its finest: the DMV. Sterile-looking walls, uncomfortable chairs and (generally speaking) people with a dearth of humor manning the drab desks at which they work.

Instead of having to take time off work (like I recently had to) to visit a DMV/driver license office to renew that tiny piece of plastic with the unflattering picture on it, plan ahead a bit and do it online. It's the same price and much less hassle.

In Utah, go here and click on the Driver License Renewal Instructions. According to said instructions, the whole thing should take about five minutes. You'll be asked for the renewal notice the DMV sends you in the mail and a credit card. Follow the instructions from there and, voila! No having to schedule time off or wait around forever with the mad rush of people who try to squeeze in after work.

If you don't live in Utah you can click here for a list of other state's sites.


LivSimpl

Posted in: Tech, Transportation on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 3 comments  

As a writer in a digital world, it's easy for me to get distracted with instant messaging, e-mail, RSS feeds among other things. I found a solution in a simple little application called WriteRoom.

WriteRoom is, "For people who enjoy the simplicity of a typewriter, but live in the digital world. WriteRoom is a full-screen writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you're used to, WriteRoom is just about you and your text."

I use WriteRoom for times when I have a thought I need to knead and give some structure to communicate it effectively. That, or I find myself becoming distracted and have to focus on a specific project, like writing a script. Using WriteRoom, my project becomes the only thing on my screen and makes it easier to really dig into it.


It's a bit of a visual throwback to the old DOS/WordPerfect days (have you youngsters out there ever wondered what the F1, F2, F3, etc. buttons on your keyboard were for?) but I like its simplicity: no icons, no rulers, no tool bars. Just my ideas. The site says it well: just type, and WriteRoom will do its best to stay out of your way.

Some additional features:

Document based auto-save - Your documents are stored in standard text file formats and autosaved in the background to help protect your work in case the power goes out.

Distraction free features - The menu bar, scroll bar, and word count appear when you move your mouse to the edge of the screen.

'Retro'-fit your cursor - Prefer block cursors to bars? Hate blinking cursors? WriteRoom has every combination you'd want.

Get the free demo, and more details, here.

Does anyone already use WriteRoom or a similar program? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.


LivSimpl

P.S. This is a Mac-only application. Does anyone know of a comparable Windows option? If so, please leave word in the comments or send me an e-mail.

Posted in: Tech, Work on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 2 comments  

Well, I hadn't intended to make the switch so soon but thanks to some funky .Mac action over the weekend I had to hastily redirect LivSimpl.com to avoid everyone seeing the new family site my wife's working on. :)

In addition to a new look, LivSimpl now has some new features and functionality. Here's the tour:

Browse by topic - Find tips based on topics such as Finances, Technology, Environment, etc.

Follow comments - When you leave a comment you can opt to be notified when others leave comments on the same post.

Improved archives - Finding past posts is much easier.

On the back-end, I'll be able to publish tips from work (which was a huge problem with my last setup) as well as provide some improved widgets and other functionality as I continue to roll out the new version. Yes, the transition is ongoing. There are still quite a few tweaks I want to make, although the RSS and e-mail subscriptions should continue without any problems.

All the posts have been migrated (*cough* copied and pasted *cough*) from the old site but, unfortunately, the photos and your comments didn't make it. I'm more upset about losing the comments than anything else, so please continue to share your wonderful thoughts!

Well? What do you think? Vote in the poll, leave word in the comments, or e-mail me at LivSimpl at gmail (dot) com.

Thanks for reading!


LivSimpl

Posted in: on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 2 comments  

As a nod to a recent episode of The Office where The Finer Things Club was introduced, I present this poem. Even if you've read it before, I invite you to take a moment and enjoy it again.


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Posted in: The Finer Things on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 0 comments  

Google has partnered with some gas stations to begin putting Google Maps on the pumps allowing motorists to get directions.

Sounds like a good alternative to waiting in line to talk to a cranky convenience store employee who may, or may not, know how to direct you to where you’re going.

The pumps will have local restaurants and other hotspots preprogrammed and will give you the option of printing out your directions on receipt paper. There’s also an option to print out coupons which, I assume, will come from paid advertisers.

Sounds like a great way to avoid the frustration that comes driving around in circles.

On a side note, does anybody remember the pumps at some Chevron stations that used to play CNN while you filled up with gas? Whatever happened to those?

LivSimpl

Posted in: Transportation on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 0 comments  

I recently heard someone suggest that we take a moment or two each day to show our gratitude by recording our blessings in a journal or notebook. In fact, Christa mentioned doing something similar in an earlier post. I think it’s an excellent idea so I decided to expound on it a bit.

Recording the ways you’ve been blessed accomplishes three things.

First, it helps me to recognize and look for blessings in my life that I might miss otherwise. It’s easy to get caught up in only noticing and focusing on our problems that we forget to step back and look for the positive things that are happening around us. It almost forces one to be optimistic.

Second, it gives me something to write in my journal. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have had a journal for years, but haven’t written much in them because they don’t know what to write or don’t feel like what they do on a day-to-day basis is journal-worthy.

I can definitely understand that feeling. Much of the time I want to write, but I’m not sure what to write. Having something in the back of my mind helps a overcome that obstacle.

Third, taking the time to record our blessings shows gratitude. Whether you believe God, karma or whatever, expressing gratitude is healthy and shows humility.

There are the three benefits that come from the simple act of recording blessings in your life. Can anybody think of any others I may have missed? Does anyone, like Christa, already do this and would mind sharing their experiences? Please leave word in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

LivSimpl

Posted in: Simple Pleasures on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 0 comments  

Step off the paved path

Take a deep breath

Swish your feet through some leaves

Resume your journey


LivSimpl

Posted in: Nature, Simple Pleasures on Monday, November 5, 2007 at 0 comments