Simple Living

Not sure if this is really Le Guin's or not, but sounds good. The blog is copied verbatim.

The Le Guin precepts

Fabled author Ursula Le Guin had a sign over her desk:

• Is it true?

• Is it necessary or at least useful?

• Is it compassionate or at least unharmful?

Not a bad place to begin.

Summary

• A meta-analysis, published in February 2022, found that walking for 2-5 minutes after eating can help lower blood sugar levels.

• This is because walking helps to clear glucose from the bloodstream.

• Standing after a meal can also help, but not as much as walking.

• The ideal time to go for a walk after eating is within 60-90 minutes.

Additional Details

The meta-analysis analyzed seven studies comparing the impact of sitting, standing and walking on the body’s insulin and blood sugar levels.

People in the studies were asked either to stand or walk for two to five minutes every 20 to 30 minutes over the course of a full day.

“Between the seven reviewed studies, the total activity time throughout the observation was roughly 28 minutes with the standing and light walking breaks lasting between 2 to 5 minutes,” Buffey said. Leisure activity death wellness STOCK

Standing was better than heading straight for the desk or the couch to sit when it came to blood sugar levels, but it didn’t help lower insulin in the bloodstream, the analysis found.

However, if people went for a short walk after eating, their blood sugar levels rose and fell more gradually, and their insulin levels were more stable than either standing or sitting, the study noted.

A coworker was debating doing this and now I am curious.

This also seems like it might interest this community. Originally posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/7276272

Comingle is an interesting idea that would act as a pseudo emergency fund to provide a stable week to week income for their users. It could act to stabilize your income if you have an irregular income or as an backup plan or insurance for when you lose a job or income source. It works by distributing the average of all their members contributions weekly to each user. Once the service starts, the end result will be a net gain for those with low income and a payment to provide a guaranteed monthly income for higher earners.

• For those with low income, any amount of extra money can aid in the pursuit of opportunity and keep things from turning desperate.
• For freelancers and gig-workers, reliable weekly income can ease the complications of sporadic cash-flow.
• For those with more income, Comingle lets you help others, sends you a little extra cash on slow weeks, and provides a safety-net if things take a turn for the worse.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with them. I just got this in an email newsletter and was intrigued.

Summary

• A poll of 2,000 adults identified the top 20 things that bring feelings of happiness and positivity.

• The survey was commissioned by the cheese company Babybel.

• Good night's sleep and sunny blue sky ranked as the top two factors for feeling good.

• 45% of respondents mentioned that receiving a nice compliment can significantly boost their mood.

• Laughing until tears flowed was also noted as a high scorer in generating positive emotions.

• On average, respondents experienced uplifting moments three times a day and felt good about their day four times out of seven in a typical week.

• However, 83% actively avoid negative stories on social media and TV to prevent feeling emotionally drained.

• 68% of those polled believe happiness is contagious, and over a third make an effort to spread positivity.

• Only 24% allocate regular time for activities that personally bring them happiness.

• Many of the top 20 happiness-inducing activities are low-cost or free, emphasizing the link between feeling good and doing good.

TOP 20 THINGS THAT MAKE US FEEL GOOD

1. A good night’s sleep

2. A sunny blue sky

3. Summer

4. Receiving a compliment or praise

5. Booking a holiday

6. Crying with laughter

7. Getting a quiet moment to yourself

8. Eating your favorite snack

9. Pets being happy to see you

10. Looking back at old photographs

11. Finishing a great book

12. Helping an elderly person with something

13. Finishing a workout

14. Hearing children really belly-laughing

15. Finding a parking space when it’s busy

16. A newly-cleaned car

17. When your football or other sports team wins

18. A heart-to-heart with a loved one

19. Volunteering or helping others

20. Finding out your children have done well at school

Humans are creatures of habit. So often we do things a certain way without really thinking about why we do it or why we do it that way. It's just the way we've always done it. It's so nice when we have those aha moments when it dawns on us there may be a better way to do something that removes complexity from our life.

Here are a few of mine:

1. It occurred to me that it takes the same amount of time to prepare for the day whether I do it the night before or the morning of, And for me warnings usually feel more crunched for time than evenings. So I started doing everything I could for the next morning the night before. Laying out my clothes, fixing my breakfast, laying out my morning hygiene items, packing my bag for work, etc. This ha really decompressed my mornings and given me less decisions to make first thing.

2. I realized that having notifications for email on my phone spurred me to react to them immediately, Even though the emails I receive rarely require immediate action. I disabled them all together and put a weekly calendar reminder to sit down at my computer and review my emails.

3. Picking what to cook for supper was always a chore every single day. Figuring out what we were in the mood for, do we have what we need to make that, etc. To eliminate this daily aggravation, I made a list of every supper I know how to cook and numbered them. Once a month I sit down with my list, roll a dice for everyday, and put down what's for supper each day So I don't have to think about it for the rest of the month.

What are some of your aha moments?

Summary

• The author sought to combat feelings of overwhelm and anxiety by taking on a personal endurance challenge.
• The challenge involved giving up listening to podcasts or music while doing various activities.
• The author realized that avoiding being fully present in activities was an unconscious addiction to not doing one thing at a time.
• The ability to focus on one activity at a time is considered crucial for thriving in an uncertain, crisis-prone future.
• Multitasking has been proven ineffective and incurs cognitive costs due to rapidly switching attention.
• External pressures and technological advances contribute to the urge to multitask.
• Philosophers and spiritual teachers emphasize the value of being present in a single activity.
• The allure of multitasking lies in the false promise of escaping human limitations and constraints.
• Surrendering to limitations and focusing on tasks enhances enjoyment and effectiveness.
• Prioritizing a few important tasks over trying to do everything is more productive.
• Pouring time, energy, and attention into fewer things leads to greater enjoyment and accomplishment.

Implication from the article

• Learning to be present in the moment can reduce stress and enhance overall well-being.

For me simple living is tied closely to my love of nature. I found that Emerson's Nature is available for free online. Been working my way through it slowly (some sections take a while to digest), but I've really been enjoying it and I hope you do too!

They're are so many great quotes from this one after another. What is your favorite(s) and why?

Was just wondering how people here make their home, simple.

I try to keep from cluttering my flat too much, but there's a few things I'm going to have to take care of, now that I have collected some rubbish.

How do you manage this?

For me, it'll be computers and electronics. And travel. But I'm also frugal so I like to search for deals.

I am also interested in BIFL electronics like fridges, microwave ovens, washing machines etc, but I realise that I might not find such appliances in the coming future any more.

What about you?

In a capitalist world, it can be hard to remember this. But despite what you are pressured to think, your value as a person does not come through what material value you create for others.

Note: I am not the original author of this text. It was originally posted to Reddit by /u/catnaphead, who is no longer active on the site. I am reposting it here for archival purposes.

Sure, you can move to a cheaper place, an off-grid cabin or you can move another country. You can live in a rental or a van on the road, or a small house in a backyard.

But at the end of the day, every move you make isn't going to give you a simple life unless you can create one right now for yourself. You still need to find food, most of us still need jobs (though maybe not as stressful), and all of us need a safe place to live. You need to learn how to navigate what you have now, in a simple way.

I think many of us overlook the fact that you can create a simple life for yourself wherever you live, right now. Moving can solve a few problems (the cost of property sometimes), but thinking that moving will solve everything and create that simple life is wrong. You can get it. It's right in front of you. No moving required. Start where you are. With social media it's all too easy to think that moving to Bali, or living in a tiny house or ran will fix everything. It won't. There's just different work involved, different complications. Nothing is a given.

Part of simplicity is using what you have right in front of you. Live in a condo with too much stuff, downsize your stuff. Stressed from your job, get a less stressful job. Finding you lack human connection, find new friends. It's doable.

Just a love letter to my local library. ❤️

My library has been holding all sorts of events for kids through the summer. It's one of my favorite things. My kid and I have gotten so much enjoyment out of the library. I've never felt the need to buy new books or movies when I could borrow them first. My kid gets free lunch after weekly storytime. It's the best.

I love seeing other kids have fun there too. Having a third place and being part of a local community has helped so much in curbing my past shopping problem. I didn't need material things to fill the void. What I really needed was human connection and more time for friends.

Please make sure to mention both the title and author, and how the book relates to simple living for you!

Thanks so much for being here everyone!