Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [96]
Home projects don't have to be hard or huge. You can find great ideas on sites like NotMartha.org and useful help on sites like Flickr and WikiHow. Try searching for the topic in which you're interested as “tags.” For example, you can find a tutorial on how to make paper that is tagged howto, papermaking, paper, craft and art. In addition to the howto tag, try tutorial and diy (do it yourself). You can also find tips on how to make a photocomic or, for real beginners, a nice warm-up exercise about how to enjoy Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Everybody knows how to do something, so get out that camera and add your own tutorials.
Corporate-produced entertainment costs money, usually involves advertising, and not infrequently leaves us unsatisfied. Contrast that with the results of creating. “The feeling that I did this myself and it's good, often beats the feeling that Professionals did this for me and it's perfect,” observed writer and teacher Clay Shirky.
It’s time for a creative burst! Revive dormant arts. Use the next month to stretch, try some new things, make some mistakes, and level up your inventive skills. Write, sing, play instruments, take pictures, make movies—whatever you feel like doing. Share it with a friend or a bunch of friends. There are lots of free ways to share things online, but maybe tonight will be great for participating in a jam session with some pals, having a cup of coffee with a writing buddy, hosting a creative open house to replace happy hour at the bar, or letting your kids cast you in their new theatrical production. Go, do, make!
Have you ever tried to create a game? It's fun! Although it can take a bit of rule tweaking to get a good play balance, the more games you try to make, the better you'll get at making them. Break out paper, pencils, crayons, dice, cards, pieces from other games, or anything you think might be good ingredients for your creativity. Think about aspects of games you enjoy and incorporate them. Get your friends and family to help improve it.
Plug your mind into new connections
Do you have fond memories of interesting elective college classes or wish you’d been able to attend college at all? Fill your iPod with lectures from your library's nonfiction CD collection. Go for a walk or to the gym and stretch your body and mind.
Are you getting as much out of your commute as you could? My congratulations if you find it to be valuable and rewarding time. I suspect, though, that many people feel quite the opposite.
When last I had a long commute, I upgraded it by trading driving for walking and transit. I got a refreshing three-block walk down my hill, a short ride on the subway, a two-block walk over to the Transbay bus terminal, and usually a good 15 to 20 minutes of comfortable riding over the Bay Bridge to a stop three blocks from work. By the time I reached the office, I'd woken up properly and seen pretty views from my high seat going over the bridge.
It was valuable because I could download my email before I left the house and sort through it all before I got to the office. I was often able to compose answers for all the quick questions and usually had time left over to plan the rest of my day. When I arrived at the office and plugged in, I sent out my messages and moved on to the appropriate next action, rather than just reacting to whatever was coming at me.
On the way home, I usually relaxed and looked out the windows at the view. Sometimes I read or watched a bit of a DVD on my laptop. (Old TV shows with which I was catching up were particularly suited to this.) I know folks who drive