TMedina

Stumbled across this story and found it interesting enough to pass along - particularly for those of you contemplating learning pull-ups. The program is called "Zero to Twenty-plus" and is designed for everyone, from absolute novice to more advanced users. The blurb from the article: (http://www.marines.mil/News/NewsDisplay/tabid/3258/Article/673308/zero-to-twenty-plus-marine-develops-program-to-improve-pull-ups.aspx) I've included a series of links found in the article, as well as a website that seems to be re-posting the same information. http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/SecretToPullupsHowToGoFrom0To20.pdf http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/PullupTrainingProgramNovice.pdf http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/PullupTrainingGuide.pdf http://www.noexceptions2016.com/documents/ Disclaimers: I am not now, nor have I ever been a Marine. I am not currently following the program, but I am incorporating some aspects into my training routine; I will likely be including more as time progresses, as the absolute novice program seems pretty straight-forward.

Awesome! That's one of the few(ish) reasons I'm glad I don't live in Portland anymore - the Good Will stores out there were just...insane.

@Evicious: (this is why the Army has tough boxes. In a pinch, I've found those large Rubbermaid 14 gallon storage totes to be a good substitute.) For myself, I've discovered another pitfall - experimentation. Rather than just use the tool at hand and have done, I constantly look for the one utensil or tool or bit of clothing that's just right. My only consolation, thus far, has been to give away the tools/utensils that didn't make the grade so they aren't cluttering my space, collecting dust. To date, I've given away six pairs of exercise shorts, five tank tops, five shirts I've never worn but were convinced were a good buy, a colander, a four quart (?) stock pot, a stack of plastic bowls, a bag of pens that will dry up before I use them (darn you, back to school clearance sales!), and two running pullovers I haven't worn in over a year. And a couple of fleece beanies.

Organizing counts!

I can't like this. We absolutely need a "yeah, I'm hating this with you!" button.

I don't see it as being in the opposite boat - your needs have changed, so your possessions have changed to reflect your changing needs. That's the crux of minimalism - having what you legitimately need, rather than artificial, or imagined needs. A person living on the road will have a far different set of minimal needs than a person who owns a house, and now you can personally attest to that. You haven't, for example, filled all your closets with 60+ sweaters for no other reason than you don't want to waste the money by throwing away a perfectly good sweater.

Welcome! And that's why "minimalism" will always mean something different to someone else. I have to imagine a chef - or even just someone who takes joy in their cooking - would have a very different view of minimalism than someone who could live off chips and Ramen (guilty). I think the key element is to ask yourself objective questions and answer them honestly. And accepting that your needs will be different from mine, which are in turn different from Raincloak's and, well, so on.

Pretty much this. It's a little ritual that ripples out. Admittedly, not everyone feels the same way, but for some of us, it sets the tone for the rest of the house, or maybe just the morning.

*grin* It isn't her idea specifically - I've heard other clutter/organizational specialists tout the same idea, with varying interpretations. This is one site I visit periodically - a little salty, but good information: http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/

I know I read a specific post/article/rule/something on this very point and I couldn't find it, hence my earlier post summarizing the idea (too long to 'splain, lemme sum up). I still can't find the specific reference I had in mind, but a quick Google search turns up enough of the references I was thinking of - specifically, the "sunk cost fallacy". http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-the-sunk-cost-fallacy-makes-you-act-stupid.html http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/an-economist-reads-marie-kondo/392921/ Cheers!

The "money invested" or "not wasting money" scheme is one of several pitfalls that lead us astray. The counter argument is, how much is the Stuff costing you in space, energy to straighten, clean, and maintain? They're not "hard" costs, like money spent, but once we start contemplating the on-going "soft" costs, it becomes easier to let go - at least it did for me. Particularly if you can recycle, or gift, your Stuff to someone else who might need/use it.

I know I flinch more at typos and grammar mistakes, but it's hard to be too critical when I know I still make mitakes left, right, and sideways.

Tears of joy, even.

For me, it was realizing I was engaging in emotional buying, rather than because I actually needed stuff. The practicality of the lifestyle just makes so much sense when you strip away the emotional trappings we attach to Stuff. Kind of like a lifestyle Zen, although that's a bad comparison. I will probably never be living in a one-room tiny house, but I needed to break the cycle of needless materialism and the illusions, or delusions, that come with it.

Have you considered trying a cheap neoprene knee brace? Something for both support and keeping the joint warm? I also really like the idea of spending time warming up the knee(s) prior to work - from a certain point of view, your work could be viewed as a bodyweight drill, which you're trying without proper prep work. That said, you might want to consider talking to a medical professional - particularly if you don't see yourself changing jobs anytime soon.

Sudden epiphany - the road to minimalism: buy like a Vulcan! "Is this logical? Why am I buying this? Do I need this? Or do I want it? Fascinating."

Yes, but that's not the actual point, is it?

That's one of the traps of "Stuff". Not only do we have Stuff, but we spend money to organize the Stuff. Which, if we don't need the Stuff to begin with... For me, I am very much an "out of sight, out of mind" person - which is probably why I have three or four sweatshirts, three or four fleece pull overs...well, you get the idea. I bought hangers to organize my stuff, then I was debating boxes to pack them away for the season...I'm buying organizing stuff for my Stuff! I know that I get a certain emotional high from cleaning, and organizing. It's me,exerting my will on the chaos of my life. The more insecure or frustrated I am, the more likely I am to buy "that thing" that will make everything better, or alright, or that I've always wanted. And then I have to organize it, right? My very own self-perpetuating trap. The first link in the chain is to stop buying Stuff as an emotional placebo - given my day at work, it's going to be a long, tedious project. But that's my path, at the moment.

It's easier, I have found, when you are honest with yourself. You have that conversation with yourself about what you're holding on to, and why. And challenge yourself. "I keep this because I might need it". "But when have I ever needed it?" "It was a good deal." "Yes, it was - and you've never used it, and now it's actively costing you - in stress, space, and cleaning." Identify the underlying emotional triggers and motivations. Address those, and then you can move forward. That's half the battle. The other half is actual organizing, assuming you have things left that need organizing. I'll never be fully minimalist, but I am working to break my emotional attachment to things as pacifiers and placebos.

She's an Assassin. Should have been your first clue.

Hrrrrm - good to know, thanks! I might still try a cheap one for testing my commitment to the effort, before committing to a better model for long term use.