Simplicity Is Not Minimalism

I don’t have a before and after picture but I lost over 50 pounds in the last year. And not once did I try to lose any of those pounds.

How did I do it?

Simple. I got off my butt and did stuff. I was really lazy before. The most strenuous activity at work was counting out large sums of cash for customers in my bank teller job. I would occasionally ride my old bike but it resulted in me feeling about ready to pass out and not riding again for at least another six weeks. Sure, it wasn’t brilliant of me to buy a single-speed in an area absolutely covered with hills, but still. I was horrible.

What else did I do? I stopped eating fast food.

It has been over a year since the last time my wife and I stepped foot in a McDonald’s for a purpose other than to use the crapper. That’s right. We’ve decided that McDonald’s is only good for being a very convenient public toilet wherever we go. They’re fantastic for that. They put the toilets precisely where you need them. Away from the counter but in a direction that keeps you from being seen by the staff.

Sure, I’d occasionally eat stuff that was terrible for me. A weekly kebab. Or fish and chips. But these did not make up the majority of my diet. And I was in England. I pretty much had to.

And that is pretty much it. None of this was on purpose, except for McDonald’s. That was on purpose. But it wasn’t hard. It was easy. It was piss-easy. There was no difficulty in keeping that promise to myself.

And it’s not that difficult to get a bit more physical activity in your life. You just have to make the time. Or change your commute habits. Or get a job that doesn’t consist of sitting down for eight hours. Plus, there’s a recession on so you probably lost that desk job anyway.

Plus, doing all of this stuff will save you money. And that’s good when there’s a recession on.

So, since I last wrote anything here, my family and I have relocated back to a suburb of Chicago.

It’s been a pretty big, life-changing experience.

A year spent in a small British town really messed with our previous worldview and changed the way we thought about getting around places. I worked locally most of the time and that meant I was walking to work or riding a bike when I needed to get there fast. Gas is expensive there. Really expensive, so driving a car was a luxury.

Now that we’re back in America, I’ve been finding the transition back to having to rely on cars frustrating. I don’t like driving around town. I don’t like the fact that everything is spaced out so far apart that most places are not walkable.

What really frustrated me, though, was how easily it was to slip back into the mindset of driving everywhere, not matter how close. I could walk to Walgreens and it would take about as long as it would have for me to walk to the pharmacy in England. But I drove there instead.

So not only am I fighting suburban sprawl and a road system that is hostile to cyclists and pedestrians, I’m also fighting my own laziness and tendency to choose the more convenient route.

And I’m fighting it by forcing myself to bike to work. Except this morning, I was feeling like I’d been hit by a bus. Still do a little bit, too, but much better than before.

I went to orientation last Saturday and I went there by bike. I made sure I had all of the things you need (a bike that’s in good repair, spare tube, pump, lock, patch kit…) and I also spent a lot of time figuring out what the best route would be. I’m very lucky to be living in an area that is starting to become more bike-friendly, but it is still far from perfect.

Here are some things that are helpful:

• Use Google Maps and select the bike option when you’re getting directions. It will show local bike paths in green. Then see which ones you can use to keep yourself away from cars. It isn’t perfect but it is a step towards making your commute less stressful.
• Don’t worry about needing to use a car as a backup. Sometimes the weather is unexpectedly bad (like, properly bad). If the forecast ends up being wrong, then don’t commit to your commute. It’s not safe. Just drive. It’s ok.
• Build up your gear slowly, but make sure that you have the essentials at the very least: a bike, some way of carrying your stuff, a means of fixing flat tires.
• Study the area that you’ll be cycling through. Found out how traffic is at certain times of day and whether there are routes that are less car-heavy than others. Some suburbs are building wider sidewalks to be used by runners and cyclists. They even include stop signs when you get to crosswalks. Unless your city has different laws, those should be legal and safe to ride on if you’re smart about it.
• Do some riding before you start commuting. It will keep you from getting to work with a sore butt and will also give your legs a chance to get used to being used.
• Figure out how far it is and how fast you need to go. I only need to have an average speed of 7-8 miles per hour to make it to work in half an hour. My actual average is close to 10 miles per hour and that got me there in 20 minutes. I barely broke a sweat. It takes a lot less time than you think to get places by bike.

Basically, I’m going to be blunt and say that I am taking a break from this blog so that I can put together some more material for it and find my blogging mojo. That’s not an affiliate link, by the way.

Anyway, what can I say about taking breaks that would be even remotely helpful? Well, for starters, there are loads of reasons to take them.

You avoid burn out. They help you to see your work in a new light. They give your eyes a rest. They give you a new perspective.

Need more? Then you probably don’t really need a break. But I do need a break. I haven’t been posting very often and feel like I’m missing something from the process that is keeping me from really enjoying it.

So when I get back, I’m going to be writing from the heart about how I am trying to lead a simpler life. How I am baking bread and knitting to relax. That’s right, I’m a male knitter. I might bring that into the blog because it’s an amazing way to relax and it’s also very productive.

I hope you are all well, though. I really do. In the mean time, my little sister is getting married in a little over a week and I’m still trying to cope with the shock of that.

We didn't have quite this much, but close...

When you go on holiday, particularly one involving driving, you are going to run into these problems:

• What do I need?
• What do I bring??
• How am I going to get all this crap into my car???

Most days, my wife and I walk to town with our daughters. And at some point, one of them needs a break from being in their pushchair. Here are some tips on making small trips like that more bearable. At least if you’re walking. We’ve made every mistake that these tips help you avoid.

• Know where there is a park where you can let your kids run around. Our 18-month-old has a lot of energy and being in her pushchair can sometimes drive her to insanity. We get around this problem by getting straight to the park and letting her run around to burn off some of that energy.
• Bring a backup feed if you’ve got a baby that hasn’t moved on to proper solid foods yet (i.e. has no teeth still). It will save you having to run home as quickly as possible should you end up staying out longer than you planned.
• Always bring the nappy bag with you. Always, not matter what. It doesn’t matter how short a journey you have planned. You need the nappy bag. Also, make sure it’s fully stocked.
• Have at least a vague idea of what you’re going into town for.
• If you’re shopping, don’t forget that you have to carry everything you buy.
• If you’re walking, you need to drink water. It will help you avoid a headache.

A lot of families are opting for day trips, or daycations, instead of taking big weeklong holidays. Do I have any hard evidence of this? No, but there’s a recession on and everyone is freaking out about money. And taking multiple day trips is a lot cheaper than going on a long vacation. Plus, you can have just as much fun doing it. Here are a few tips on making them even more affordable.

1. Bring your own lunches – Pack sandwiches and stuff and find a place to have a picnic. It’s cheaper and you know that the kids will eat the food that you’ve brought.
2. Capitalize on free attractions – This is a lot easier to do if you’re going anywhere with some kind of historical significance. Here in the UK, there are many old towns and cities that have free museums and walks that you can take.
3. Avoid amusements – Amusement parks are a popular day out where I come from, but they’re incredibly expensive. Plus, you don’t get to make any actual memories.
4. Plan your day around places with good parking – If you are driving to your daycation spot, then do a bit of research on the best places to park. You’ll have an idea of wherever you’re visiting and if one car-park is full, you know that there are others.
5. Don’t buy typical souvenirs – I’ve got into the habit of purchasing a postcard and sending it to family back home. This is a great way to do something that will help you remember the day.

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As I’ve written before, I am thinking the role of social media and social networking in my life as I continue to work on simplifying. And it seems that the best option at this time is to put them into a kind of limbo. I’m not going to phase them out entirely.

Facebook is my primary means of keeping in touch with family as I’m living in the UK now. And Google Plus is still pretty unobtrusive. I find myself forgetting to check it and haven’t done a lot of interacting on it yet. I do think it has potential, though.

But as far as Twitter goes, well, that seems to be a bit of a trickier animal. Because while I do use it a bit, I don’t use it as a means of networking. Just as a way to keep in touch on a less formal basis than Facebook. So as far as trying to use it for marketing or networking, I’m phasing it out.

I’ve removed the link to my personal Twitter account as I am working on separating projects online and keeping things sort of in their own little boundaries. I don’t necessarily feel that my music is related to the choice for a simple life at the moment. I might change my mind later about this, but for the time being, I am keeping them separate.

So what happens to Twitter as it relates to Not Minimalism? It’s basically becoming an alternative RSS feed. If you find RSS awkward or don’t want to get email updates, then this is a new way for you to get updates.

Go ahead and follow the blog at @notminimalism.

But I suggest you get the updates. You can do it right down below.

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I’m going to be completely honest now. I’ve been wanting to delete my Facebook account for months. I don’t really care about Twitter anymore. I’ve looked around on Google Plus a bit, but even that just isn’t really it for me.

See, the thing that I’ve noticed about the social web lately is that it isn’t really all that social. It isn’t a very welcoming environment. I haven’t made one significant connection that has helped my blogging path along. I’ve been using social media for a few years now. Actively. And not one real connection has been made.

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What is home for you?

Well, it would appear that I am now back from holiday. Our few days in the Lake District were amazing. It is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen in my entire life. It was amazing to spend some real quality time with my family in such a great place. There will be pictures eventually, but I before that, I wanted to share some of the things that I learned while on this holiday over the next week. Here’s the first.

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This is a fabled excited expression

Guess what! I wrote a guest post for the fantastic blog, 12 Most. And I wanted to let you all know about it. It’s called:

The 12 Most Important Lessons Being A Daddy Has Taught Me

I’m very excited and very honoured to have a piece of my writing at such a great site with some very good authors. Take a read and check out the other fantastic posts they have available.

As I said the other day, I’m on vacation this week unplugging and recharging. Just around today to promote this post and the amazing blog that is 12 Most. Regular posting will resume on Monday. Don’t want to worry about having to check back here when new posts come through? Sign up for email updates right below. Then you’ll get Not Minimalism sent straight to your inbox.

Have a fantastic week, folks.