How I Work
This post is inspired by and modeled after the Lifehacker Series by the same name. I thought to create a similar post after a flurry of mentoring meetings with Colleagues and Graduate & Undergraduate Students. Many of the questions asking about my working approach reminding me of the Lifehacker posts. So, through the sincerest flattery, I will summarize here, my approach to productivity and work.
The Stoic Benefits of Minimalism
It coincides that Stoicism is a great practice for developing such skills and Minimalism is a jump start towards being a Stoic. Minimalism removes distractions and focuses us on what matters. Especially, in how we manage our emotions towards people and things. Emotions on their own can be neither useful or useless, but they can be informative. Stoicism and Minimalism as a practice can help us move past the immediate reactions from a feeling and look at the deeper lesson within them. They act like car brakes, stopping us before we let our highs get too high or are lows too low.
Voting Rights are the End Game
Conservatives will circle the wagons when it comes to guns, taxes and abortion; whether it works against their own self-interest or highlights some glaring nuances in their ideology. I think it's time for non-conservatives to rally around a single goal that is likely to be the political end game. Voting Rights. We should shelve identity politics, social reforms, environmental debates, and all other feel good topics until we achieve a system of fully enforced and uniform voting rights. What does that mean?
Vietnam - A Travel Guide
This trip was long overdue and kickstarted by a Destination Wedding for my brother-in-law and a long time wish to see my wife's home country. She had not been back in over 20 years and I have never been to Asia. From the moment we landed, our simple expectations for what we were getting into were blown away. At the time of writing this, Vietnam is now the most rewarding trip I have ever been on. Everyone needs to visit it and Asia in general.
My Design Obsession
Great design can be applied to yourself as well. Every decision factors into how we design the experience of our lives. Whether we create or just consume. What are commute will be, or how our weekends will flow, or what our morning routine will be. We can sketch out truly meaningful and interesting lives when we apply careful reflection on past experiences and emotions and an eye on the bigger picture.
Please Don't Pet My Dog
We get a lot of nice compliments about our dog whenever we're out with her. From how disciplined she is, to how well she walks off of the leash. Onetime, she sat perfectly still on the porch of a local brewery while I was inside getting a beer. People around were kind of in disbelief. Most of this behavior comes from a consistency we've built up during our walks and training of her.
SmartScaping (Xeriscaping)
From middle school through high school I routinely cut yards to make extra money in addition to managing our own landscape. This was miserable work under Georgia's hot summer sun. After high school I swore that I would avoid owning a home which required any kind of lawn maintenance. This was an easy goal initially. We lived in condos and apartments which meant no landscape duties for me. Then we bought our first home together after moving back from California.
Puerto Rico - A Travel Guide
This was a destination wedding trip. We have also had a long time desire to see the United States Territory of Puerto Rico which comes from a scene in one of our favorite movies. Arecibo was the backdrop for one of the early parts of the movie Contact. So, we've always been intrigued to learn more about the island.
Hilton Head
Since the very first time I went, I have had a great love for Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It's a beautiful place with expansive sandy beaches paired with warm ocean waters. My wife and I got married there and have spent many summer days there, soaking in the sun and finding peace in its serenity. Whether traveling in a small or big group, there is a place in Hilton Head for everyone.