It’s been a fairly uneventful week as I’ve gotten back into my routine of hockey practice, writing, and the occasional day at school. I’ve been taking advantage of my shiny new YMCA membership and have felt much better getting some good workouts in. Mostly, however, I’ve been feeling unsettled as to what my future holds. Grad school? A full-time teaching job? Something else? I’m not really sure at this point and am just trying to take it a day at a time.

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businessinsider.com: we have seen the amazing future of apple’s ipad and this is it- The big tech announcement from two weeks ago is obviously the Apple iPad. I’ve been reading up on it quite a bit because I’m not really sure what to make of this product. Neither does the blogosphere by the looks of it. I’ve seen articles ripping it, articles praising it, and everything in between. Personally, I think it is the first step in completely changing the way people use computers and I think this article does a good job summing up my thoughts.

thesimplerdollar.com: getting good- Trent tackles a question about deliberate practice in this excellent article. Deliberate practice and self-discipline are too ideas that go hand in hand and I think are largely ignored by many people. For some reason people seem to think that those who are world-class at something were somehow born that way. False. To become an expert you have to practice practice practice practice.

brettkelly.org: how simplicity is screwing you- This is a very good article about how simplicity is making people expect everything to be easy. I know it’s hard to believe that the author of a blog called thesimplerlife.net agrees with an article titled “how simplicity is screwing you,” but I do. The point of difference is that I think Brett and I are talking about two different kinds of simplicity which I address (and he replies to) in the first comment on the article.

I’ve read a lot of half-baked ebooks that were essentially PDF’s full of blog articles. I don’t like wasting money to read something that I could have read for free with minimal effort. While I concede that the medium of an ebook is conducive to blog-esque content, I expect ebooks to feel polished. When an ebook is polished AND filled with interesting information, that’s an added bonus.

Everett Bogue of Far Beyond the Stars is one of the rising writers and thinkers in the minimalism niche. His recent ebook “The Art of Being Minimalist” was released last week. I’m a little bit behind the times as I have seen a multitude of reviews already fanning out across the web, but I wanted to make sure I took the time to really read and digest what Everett has to say. I’ll admit, even though I’m a “simplicity blogger” I’m generally very skeptical of ebooks in this genre. A lot of the time it seems like the same ten or fifteen ideas are batted around between bloggers and nothing new is ever added. While Everett certainly isn’t immune to this, he adds personal anecdotes and his own flair that gives the advice a new perspective. I like being able to read something and get a sense of what kind of person the author is while also coming away with new knowledge. The extreme personal nature of blogs (and by proxy, ebooks) allows for this revelation of the individual more than a traditional book, in my opinion, and Everett takes advantage of this.

“The Art of Being Minimalist” covers a little bit of everything, including all the basics about the reasons for becoming minimalist, the principles behind minimalism, and a multitude of “tips and tricks” for starting to live a more minimal lifestyle. I like that Everett touched on the larger issues behind minimalism as well as the concrete actions you could do immediately. Having both frames of reference helps give this ebook lasting value as well as an immediate guide to changing your life.

The true test of any book is whether I was left with anything to say after finishing the last sentence. As I read, I found myself both shaking and nodding my head, writing “YES!” and “NO!” in my notes, and filling my own idea coffers with all sorts of material from the depths of this ebook. This is not the perfect ebook and you may not agree with everything Everett writes. However, few, if any, pieces of writing can claim perfection and this is a PDF that I plan to keep on my hard drive and will eagerly be open again in the future.

Since I found this ebook to bring value to my own life, I have decided to enroll in Everett’s affiliate program. For every ebook you buy through this link (or any other link to the ebook on thesimplerlife.net), I will receive 50% commission. I take my readership’s trust very seriously and would be very uneasy endorsing anything I hadn’t read or tried myself. I can tell you that Everett’s ebook is a professional, polished (I would even say beautiful), thought provoking, and helpful piece of writing. I give it my recommendation and I am looking eagerly to the future to see what Everett will develop next.

Despite my best intentions or repeated urgings, sometimes I just don’t have the energy to work on my most passionate projects. The things I do that add value to my life are not necessarily the easiest of activities. Writing blog posts, editing and analyzing game film, planning practices, and researching teaching/coaching strategies takes a lot of effort and I can generally only do them well when I have a lot of energy. It would be naive of me to expect my energy levels to always be high. However, it would be equally naive of me to forego doing anything productive just because I’m not at 100% energy level.

First of all, I would like to preface this entire article by reminding everyone (including myself) that sometimes low energy is a sign of needing a break. I’m talking about more than a get-up-and-walk-around-for-ten-minutes break. If you are experiencing recurring low energy levels that you can’t seem to shake, consider spending a significant amount of time (at least an entire day) recharging your mental and physical batteries. It may not feel like it at the time, but allowing yourself time to regroup and refocus can be much more productive in the long run than slogging through fatigue.

Assuming your low energy isn’t a sign of needing a more serious break, it is possible to utilize it and remain productive. Regardless of my passion, I will always have certain administrative tasks to take care of. Responding to certain email, tracking my finances, paying bills and cleaning my living space are all activities that need to be done. Luckily, they don’t require much, if any, brainpower or energy to undertake. I like to save these tasks and batch them together for times of low energy. I’m not about to waste my valuables state of high-energy on doing dishes or inputting receipts.

The other type of low-energy task that I like to occasionally undertake when I’m feeling tired is brainstorming. Sometimes, the more tired I am the crazier ideas I have for future blog posts and new projects. It really just consists of kicking back in a comfy chair with a warm drink and a notebook and letting the ideas flow. It’s a very high reward task that needs to be taken care of but doesn’t necessarily demand that I use my most valuable time to accomplish it.

If you are having trouble coming up with ideas of tasks you can save for those periods of low-energy, here’s a quick list that I like to refer to from time to time:

1. Work on whatever book I’m currently reading: I always try to keep a book that I’m working on with me at all times. If it isn’t something too intellectually challenging it can be the perfect filler for any time I’m not feeling very energized (as long as I don’t fall asleep!).

2. Clean something: This is assuming that you aren’t procrastinating on doing something important and actually don’t have the energy to tackle anything else. I usually do my best work early in the morning or late at night, so I’ll save any cleaning I need to do for the middle of the day.

3. Watch some educational videos: There are so many great resources out there for watching educational video. It doesn’t take a whole lot of energy to kick back and watch something and who knows, you might even get something out of it.

4. Listen to some podcasts: I tend to let new episodes of my favorite podcasts build up without listening to them. If I’m feeling particularly listless one afternoon I like to block out a couple hours to catch up.

5. Start proofreading: If I’m proofing something for the last time in preparation for publication, then this is definitely not a low-energy activity. However, the first couple times I read over something I’ve written I’m just trying to find glaring mistakes. It doesn’t require me to be completely on top of my game and it is definitely something productive.

Make your own list of activities or tasks you can do when you are feeling low-energy and you will never have to feel guilty about not being productive again. Or, get this, take a nap and get back to what REALLY matters!

Photo by Dan Morelle

This is a guest post from my friend Glenn McBride. We went to college together and since graduating in May Glenn has moved to Chicago with his girlfriend to pursue a career in finance. I’m honored to have him share his thoughts and voice with thesimplerlife.net. He’s an interesting guy, so if you like what you are about to read, feel free to give him a follow on Twitter.

How do you consume your news and information?
Has this changed in the last year/three years/decade?
Do you feel overexposed?

I am inclined to think that the responses to these questions will be all over the place. Personally, I consume news in almost all of its forms; the way I consume changes on an almost weekly basis; and yes, I do feel a bit overexposed to it all.

Almost since my first time logging on to the World Wide Web (I miss calling it that), I have been searching for my comfort zone in terms of taking in the details of the world around me. The problem is news outlets are a shape shifting mass which does not allow you to put it in a defined area (much like the Smoke Monster in Lost or B.O.B from Monsters vs. Aliens). One quick example: less than a year ago, no one was Twitter-ing. Today every anchor, outlet, blogger and man on the street has a Twitter handle. Even if you had found your style of consumption and were comfortable with how it worked, you are now faced with this new medium. The Twitter value debate is one for another day, but it is impossible to say there is nothing missed by not being on Twitter. There are simply ideas and trends which explode on Twitter and do not make it to the mainstream media (or it takes a different shape or is delayed. Remember when the Tiger Woods story hit over Thanksgiving? Twitter was the first to know).

These changes happen all the time in our current world. Do we sit back on our old ways? This cannot be the best way to proceed. Imagine someone who hasn’t adapted since just ten years ago, in 2000. This hypothetical person is watching the evening news, reading the local paper, getting some feedback through emails and this is about it (ie: your Mom). In only 10 years, a modern landscape has been created. Our example cave-person here is at a disadvantage. They must adapt, at least marginally, to have a true grasp on the world around them.

Juxtaposed to this idea is where I live. As just a wee lad of 13 in the year 2000, I have almost grown mature alongside my sibling, the Internet (do we still capitalize this like it’s a proper place? hmmm). As all of these new outlets emerge, I am right there to hop on board and take the ride. Facebook/MySpace want me to have my own page? Sign me up, I’m flattered. Google wants to control everything I do? Absolutely, here, take my birth certificate. Twitter has micro-updates? Yes, I need to know what Wolf Blitzer does after the Situation Room is over. As an info-junkie, I love everything about how we are evolving. Give me as many ways to get as much information as possible.

So far so good. But more recently, I have stepped back behind the fourth wall to analyze my info/news situation. Me thinks things might get a little uneasy soon.

You see, I have a presumption that my mind is much like a large storage building (or, say, a Sam’s Club back room). A building that is large and slowly growing, but ultimately limited in space. There is only so much a human can truly have a working understanding of. As a young person, I should not fill my storage area in the near future. How the problem begins is I have more delivery trucks approaching the storage building than past generations (our parents and grandparents were like the local farmer’s market in comparison). I probably have a few more trucks than the average person even in my demographic. To make things worse, I have smashed my fist onto the “express shipments” button recently. I listen to podcasts on 2x speed, I’m learning to speed read, I multi-task all the time. I have a 7-lane expressway into my mind for most of the day. This can only last for so long. I fear that I may fall into the trap described brilliantly by one of my favorite philosophers, one Homer J. Simpson. Simpson once complains:

“…(E)very time I learn something new it pushes something old out of my brain. Remember that time I learned how to make wine and forgot how to drive?”

A true visionary, no doubt, but the last thing I want is to fall into this trap.

A crossroads is upon me. Shall I take the road in which I slow down the express shipments and cut back on some of the deliveries OR shall I try to make the storage building expand at a quicker pace, thus handling the increased work load?

The simple-lifer in me has a definite opinion, but he has a constant debate with the mad man running the controls. My true passion in life is learning and knowing which makes it hard to slow down. In the end, though, it may be more effective to take in less and understand more. Only time will tell, but if you see a lanky, pale 23-year old muttering to himself walking down the street, just smile and walk by as this is a clear sign that I have lost my mind.

Photo by Rozanne_