Comments on: Simple Living and Labor-Saving Devices

By: Jerry Brito

Jerry Brito — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:46:05 +0000

Betsey, Kirk: Check out the Unclutterer Manifesto that kicked off this blog. It describes our philosophy about simple living. For us, simple living is about avoiding stress, having more time to do the things you enjoy, and generally being happy. If doing dishes makes you happy, go right ahead. If saving electricity makes you happy. Be our guest. It’s about personal choice. Some of us choose to use dishwashers and Roombas. If that makes us happy and saves us time, then that’s great, too. We just hope to be a source for information to help folks make those personal choices.

By: Raf

Raf — Thu, 31 May 2007 08:35:45 +0000

I agree with the sentiment of technology being an aid, not a hindrance to simple living, or in my view, efficiency.

I’m in the field of Medicine, and through my med school years, I carried a Palm as a combination datebook, addressbook, and “2nd brain” where I’d store helpful notes, mnemonics, and medicine-related programs & calculators.

During my last year, I bought a Treo 650, which I thought was the Be-All-And-End-All. Here was everything I was using combined with a cellphone so that I could get that much more done.

Well, here I am 2 years later. My Treo now functions solely as a cellphone, addressbook, and occassionally as a Digital Camera. I have since gone back to my high school and college days and am using a paper-day planner/notebook.

Admittedly, it’s more upscale than the stuff I used then. I now carry around a Moleskine Reporter that I hand crafted into a day-planner, calendar, & notebook. It’s much easier & quicker for me to enter & to review data. And it just looks much more professional than using my Treo, since entering data into the Treo might be mistaken for me just text-messaging. And God forbid I end up losing battery power, which is impossible with the Moleskine.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 31 May 2007 07:47:17 +0000

Maybe some of the comments were deleted as a means of uncluttering

By: Kirk

Kirk — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:10:06 +0000

Some other considerations:
- does your labor savior require electricity?
- will your labor savior eventually need repair or to be replaced?
These add expense and time.

For instance… the other day I was lusting after the Dymo postage printer so I wouldn’t need to visit the PO. Then I realized, for my use, it would be better/cheaper to buy an analog postage scale and the appropriate stamps. No electricity and no computer, which fits better into my life goals (…he types at his computer).

By: Kirk

Kirk — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:33:43 +0000

I noticed that the link to the dishwasher-safe post doesn’t include many of the comments.

As for simple living, I’m sure there were plenty of Shakers who said “Metal pen nibs?! Bah! My quill works fine!” (or whatever they used)…

As Betsey notes, to each their own. But it is fun to hear different people’s versions of ’simple’.

By: betsey Biggs

betsey Biggs — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:58:08 +0000

I must say, I think that this varies from person to person. And it also varies according to the chore which is being “saved.” For instance, I honestly enjoy washing dishes. For me it is a meditative, end-of-the-day time. (Okay, I might be exaggerating a hair, but you get the idea!) Personally, I like having time to do something repetitive and fairly mindless, because it gives me a chance to sit and think. This is a great quote from Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nat Hanh:

http://www.serve.com/cmtan/bud.....wborn.html

On the other hand, I despise vacuuming and have been eyeing the Roomba! To each her own…!