Cable Clutter – the Confessions of a Cord-Hoarding Rabbit

6 May 2010

You probably have a box that's devoted to useless-extra-cable storage…

But how much more exciting would your life be if you emptied that box and used it as a hat?!

I ask you…are you a cord-hoarder?

Do you have 6 gizmos that take a usb cable…and 26 usb cables "just in case?!"

If you have 3 things that take a three-prong-power-cord, then why do you have 12 cords?

It might not seem like much…"just a few spare usb cables." Then again, it's not just usb cables; it's all types of cables. And it's not just all cables; it's all sorts of devices and clutter. When you add it all up, then it is too much.

Cables are just one piece of the gigantic picture of decluttering your life. No piece is too small to make a difference in the big picture.

So. Are you a cord hoarder? I was until recently! And why? Do you tell yourself "just in case," like I did? Well let's look at the situation together…

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9 Reasons To Hate Shopping

3 May 2010

This is a sequel of sorts to 9 Ways To Make Shopping Painful. In that post I talked about ways to build up a shopping gag-reflex! However there was the assumption that you agreed: shopping is annoying, unenjoyable, and unhealthy.

And it is! That's just what this post is about.

This is a negative topic. But I think it's important, and I promise we'll be focusing on positives in the future!

Some people think shopping is fun. But really, our culture teaches us that shopping is fun.

That "fun" is manufactured fun. It's stunted and lazy fun. It brings a tiny high, a quick rush of blood, and then it leaves you a little more broke, more weighed down with stuff, and a bit less eager for life. If you think shopping is fun, it's because stores have taught you this. Teach yourself otherwise!

Fun is building and creating. Fun is laughing with friends. Fun is making music or reading a book. Shopping is a poor substitute for fun.

Enough preface! Without further ado, 9 reasons shopping isn't nearly as enjoyable as you think it is!

How Do I Loath Thee? Let Me Count The Ways…

1. People.

People are wonderful. People are beautiful. You are people and your friends are people and I am people and we love people! But when we are shopping, we aren't people—we turn into little beasts.

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How To Easily Remember 53 Different Passwords

29 April 2010

Once upon a time, there were things called doors. Doors had locks. And locks had keys. And you never gave anybody your keys or else they would sneak in the middle of the night and steal your vegetables.

These days, instead of doors we have accounts. Accounts have user names. And user names have passwords. And you never give anybody your passwords or else they will sneak in the middle of the night and bid on stupid auctions with your credit cards, send nasty letters through your e-mail, and steal your vegetables.

So everyone knows we're supposed to have "secure" passwords. You know…with capital letters, numbers, symbols. On top of that, we're supposed to change them every month or two! But how many of us actually do this?

Nobody does! Because it's difficult and annoying!

What about me? I have over 53 different computer and website accounts. That means 53 passwords. Would it surprise you to know that most of these passwords are different? Would you be even more surprised if I said I have every single one memorized?!

How Could I Possibly Remember 53 Different Passwords?!

Am I crazy? Am I a genius? No! I'm just a rabbit. Sane and simple. Humans have better memories than rabbits, so if I can do it, you easily can.

The secret is that I have a trick. The trick is that I have a system. And this system is what I'm going to share with you!

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Make Your Life Simple And Focused…With Science!

24 April 2010

"Clutter and lack of focus will grow and take over our lives and homes and calendar until we are completely passive, uninvolved, boring, and bored."

This bleak little bit isn't pessimism…it's science! In fact, it's the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

If you don't believe me [physicists], or if this sounds too defeatist for you [everyone else], read on, and I'll explain myself and how this is anything but defeatism!

It's true. I'm blaming science and the 2nd Law for clutter, lack of focus, disorganization, and lack of energy. But science and a little thought is also what's going to show us how we can avoid this, make a better life for ourselves, and why we're often afraid to do this in the first place.

Without further ado…let's break it down…

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Just Say No To Themes! Computing Without The White Noise

23 April 2010
Thumbnail image for Just Say No To Themes! Computing Without The White Noise

Websites and companies constantly come up with tricks that entice you to live your life in front of a screen. Their intention is sometimes different, but this is often the result. How can we subvert this?

Each Thursday on "Simple Gadget," I'm going to bring you a trick to fight back and take control of your computing!

I'll teach you how to apply simplicity and minimalism to your tech life so you can focus on your real life.

This week's trick is to turn off distracting themes in your applications and websites!

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New Writer! New Column!

21 April 2010

Dear readers,

Today is an exciting day. Not only are we beginning a new weekly column here at Simple Rabbit, I am delighted to introduce you to our new writer.

Please join me in welcoming Loy!

A Bit About Loy

Loy is a book nerd, computer geek, and master vegetable thief. The first time I met her was during the photoshoot for How To Stop Procrastinating, and she did a great job. [You may recognize her, although she had her ears all done up and everything and was hiding behind a book.] We hit it off, and since then we've been chatting about minimalism, technology, and our mutual love of kale.

Loy helped me draft the first Beat The Internet post, and afterward, when she asked me if she could write a weekly column, I was thrilled! Which lead to…

"Simple Gadget!"

Loy's new column will be called "Simple Gadget." It will be a weekly article on simplifying your technical life. She'll be focusing on how to make your internet and computer time clutter-free, more productive, and beautifully minimalist!

We spent the night chatting, going over plans for the future, and I'm convinced that Simple Rabbit will be heading in a very odd direction from here on out!

So please subscribe, tell your friends about Simple Gadget if you think they'd be interested, and join me in warmly welcoming Loy to the team!

Sincerely,
Your editor-in-chief,
Chloe Adeline

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How I Wrote A Blog Post In 10 Minutes!

21 April 2010

I'm not writing.

Ten minute limit…go!

This afternoon, I was writing about decluttering, simplicity, and minimalism.

This evening, I was thinking about decluttering, simplicity, and minimalism.

And just now, as I returned to write about it some more, I realized that I haven't done any decluttering, simplifying, or minimalizing today!

Don't let writing or thinking about something be a substitute for doing something!

Right now, I'm going to take five minutes to draw the most simple bunny graphic possible for this post.

Done.

One minute to render and upload photo…

Done.

Now I'm going to work on decluttering my room. You know…the doing half of minimalism!

Won't you join me in doing something?!
] chloe [

 

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9 Ways To Make Shopping Painful

16 April 2010

This is going to be a negative post. It's all about growing a healthy distaste for the most foul of pastimes: shopping.

We're going to work on cultivating nausea and repulsion. It'll be fun!

"But I love shopping" you say? Nonsense! You've been trained to think you love shopping. Shopping is odious.

If it's not obvious to you already, stay tuned for an upcoming post on why shopping is so vile. But if you're already with me, then my mission today is to give you tools to solidify your loathing.

So what are the ways we can build up a healthy aversion?

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