Jessica@SheekGeek

For the past two years I had a word of the year to help guide the changes I wanted to make that year. 2013 was the year to “be” and 2014 was all about focus. 2015 is my year devoted to simplifying.

I read this quote by Orson Welles and it cemented the word simplify as my choice – “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” I need limitations in my life. I have too many choices. This does not bode well for someone with such a high level of distractability such as myself. I’m looking forward to a year of simplifying my life. This includes my time, but also my possessions.

Simplifying goes hand in hand with minimalism, so I’ve been reading a lot on Becoming Minimalist. Here are a couple of resonating snippets to inspire some reading.

Purge distractions so you can focus on what is most valued.

…purging not just possessions, but, in Becker’s words, “anything that distracts me from the things I most value.” For some, this means not Facebooking after dinner or binge-watching House of Cards. For others, it’s resisting the siren call of eBay. (Source: Success – How Living with Less Can Give You More)

Place limits on yourself to increase awareness.

Start with a week of no spending, or a month. Once you start, you’ll recognize where those temptations are for you. That awareness can really help people. (Source: Forbes – The Buy Nothing Year: How Two Roommates Saved More Than $55,000)

Whether they be social, financial, or moral, boundaries provide structure and a framework for life. They promote discovery, invention, and ingenuity. Boundaries motivate us to discover happiness in our present circumstance. (Source: Becoming Minimalist – 9 Stress-Reducing Truths About Money).

Be active in your life, not a passive participant.

Watch less television…Be intentional about planning something else…Try to eliminate specific shows. (Source: Becoming Minimalist- The Single Easiest Habit Change to Improve Your Life Forever)

Seize the opportunity of every moment.

Make the most of every opportunity. Forgive who needs to be forgiven. Express love and gratitude to those who deserve to hear it. Live lives of significance. Each new day is an opportunity to make a difference. Don’t waste it. (Source: Becoming Minimalist – In the Blink of an Eye).

For me, simplifying means being intentional – intentional about my actions and habits so my time is well spent. This requires reflection, awareness, and change. I am looking forward to the growth that will result from this word. Simplify!

I’ve wanted to do this project since I read this article, “He Took a Polaroid Every Day, Until the Day He Died“.

I’m going to start Project 365. This project covers a lot of things on how I want to spend my time list. I want to become better with with photography, so this will definitely help. I want to spend more time doing things of “action” – like spending time outdoors, being with friends and family, or even discovering new places. Having to take a photo every day could be the needed excuse to go do something new, fun, needed, or wanted.

Taking a photo every day for the next 365 days seems simultaneously easy and difficult. In order to best prepare for this project, I am stockpiling a list of resources to help on those days/weeks I feel less inspired. Of course there is always Pinterest, but I’m also utilizing:

1. Project 365 communities: 365Project and Flikr
2. Weekly themes
3. Daily challenges

Some caveats I’m allowing for myself:

• Photos can be taken with my Nikon D90 or my camera phone. I’m not going to be snobby about camera choice. I think it’ll be helpful to learn how to better use my camera phone as well as my Nikon.
• If I miss a day, or two (or even three) I will not give the project up. In the span of 365 days, missing a couple of days won’t really matter. Only doing the project for a couple of weeks or months will matter. I don’t plan on missing any days, but I am giving myself a break.
• Photos can be “boring”.
• Photos can be repetitive.

Maybe this will turn into Project 35,550+. Here’s hoping…

 

This is the last in my five part focus series.

This year I am focusing on:

1. Exercise – I’m working on a cross-fit inspired regime that I will keep up with regularly. I already made great gains with exercising in 2013 by joining a fun team sport. Can you guess what it is? I am focusing on building my skills in this sport.
2. Reading – It simply feels good to read. I feel less guilty than watching TV or playing candy crush (I quit candy crush), so I might as well have an outlet for decompression that feels good all around. I am focusing on reading at least one book a month.
3. Blogging – It doesn’t matter which blog I focus on (yes I have more than one blog), as long as I focus on blogging. With my focus on blogging, I want to be working on my goal of monetizing blogging. I also enjoy writing, so I need to make time for it.
4. Art – My Photoshop skills are growing alongside my photography skills.  I am focusing on continuing to build these skills.
5. Extroversion – I tend to keep things on the inside and compartmentalized. I am focusing on sharing more with friends and family. Essentially, I am focusing on “putting myself out there”.

Of course I have to have share a more generic version for the world to love.

You can see one, two, three, and four in my focus series.

 

Happy New Year!

Part four of the focus series is simple.

Focus.

(It makes me giggle how much this picture is “Internet Word Art 101”. )

See the first in the focus series here, the second here, and the third here.

Happy New Year’s Eve!