My Minimal Desktop

Going along with my developing minimalist lifestyle, I've recently reorganized my desktop on my MacBook Pro. I was inspired by the Minimalist Mac Setup on mnmlist.com

To begin, I first had to go about reducing clutter on my desktop, I deleted all icons that I did not use - old folders, school papers etc. that were haphazardly saved on the desktop. Having many icons on your desktop can severely increase computer start-up time, especially on windows machines ( from my own previous experiences).

I then chose a simple blue wallpaper that was visually pleasing, which for some reason seems to make the screen actually look larger. I chose one with a phrase on it that I am always trying to be mindful of:

With no icons on my desktop for quick access, and very few active icons on my dock I decided to download Quicksilver - a launching program that allows you to open programs, documents, files...pretty much anything - without the use of a mouse -. You simply assign quicksilver a two-keystroke code that opens the program and then begin typing what you're looking for. My keystroke code is (space)+(up arrow), so if I want to open Opera, my web browser, I simply hit (space)+(up arrow) and begin typing. By the time I've entered the letters O and P the opera logo pops up and I hit return (enter key) to open it.
I have to say that it takes a little getting used to, but I've come to love it already. It works in a similar fashion to Spotlight (Mac OSX) if you're familiar with that. There are other various launcher programs on the net, this just happens to be the one I'm using, a simple google search will turn up several.

Opening Opera with Quicksilver:

I also chose to hide or simplify most of the program icons on the menu bar (upper right), which can usually be done in the individual programs' preferences menus. As well as auto-hiding the dock.

I have found that this simplification of my desktop has not only helped speed up my computer, but helped me effectively become more efficient at finding and utilizing the programs that I need.

Picture of the Month

Highline Trail - Glacier National Park, MT

Picture taken on a Canon Powershot - July 2010

The beginnings of summer

June has come and nearly gone seemingly in the blink of an eye. I celebrated my 21st birthday on the fifth, which was a trip to say the least. I spent a week and a half on the beach near Gulf Shores, Alabama with loved ones. Relaxing, meditating and simply enjoying the essence of coastal life. Over the past few years I've noticed that when I get to Alabama (specifically Southern Comfort - the name my mother gave to our beach home) - things simply slow down. I stop worrying so much about things, I go shirtless, I sit on the porch for hours on end, I take long walks with no particular place to go. It is this sort of relaxed mindset that I try (without avail) to bring home with me. I think being away from your physical belongings often has a relaxant effect, you have fewer objects to interact with, and so your mind is at ease. Since I am in the process of packing to move I thought this would be the best time to downsize my personal belongings, and have been doing so for the past couple of months. I get an extremely freeing feeling as I look around my apartment with less clutter, less furniture and more space day after day. Slowly ridding myself of attachment. June has come and is nearly gone, just as "things" are leaving my life every day.

Picture of the Month - June

Natural Bridges NP - Utah, May 2010

Photo Taken on a Canon PowerShot

Twelve By Twelve - A One Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream

Twelve by Twelve was written by environmental and humanitarian activist William Powers. After spending the better part of a decade in the global south working on humanitarian efforts and protecting the rainforests, William has a hard time reintegrating into American society. Fate strikes when his mother tells him about a co-worker: Jackie, that lives in a 12' by 12' cabin in the backwoods of North Carolina. Without running water or electricity, Jackie has made her carbon footprint the size of a Bangladeshi's. This book tells the story of the 6 weeks that William spends living in the 12x12 alone, and the life-changing experiences he encounters there.

This book deeply examines and questions the nature of living within a consumerist society - What do we really need? What can we do without, and how can living with less help us as a whole?
 If you can get a copy of this book, I definitely recommend it.

Picture of the Month - May

Bryce Canyon, Utah - May 2010

This picture was taken on a Canon PowerShot

Minimal Living

    I came across the concept of minimalistic lifestyle a while back while searching for more information on alternative nutrition. After stumbling upon The Primal Blueprint and Mark's Daily Apple I became interested in modern day 'primal' living (hence the title for this blog - Primal Insomniac). I've always been interested in alternative lifestyles, this interest being enhanced by my passion for and study of the natural world, environmentalism, and alternative medicine. My studies specialize in sustainability, of which a common theme exists: living with less. In a society where wanting more and more material possessions is the norm, it was refreshing to hear there were people willing to grow against the grain.
Now I'm no where close to being what you could call a minimalist, but I have been applying minimalist strategies to my own life (strategy post coming soon!), working towards having less.
   "Why would you want less?" you might ask. There are many answers to this questions, and I have several that apply directly to me:
      Fewer possessions means:

• less attachment to material goods
• more free time to enjoy life - less time maintaining possessions/cleaning/organizing
• more money for the future 
• smaller ecological footprint

There's no doubt that this journey I am embarking on will not be easy, and although I'm downsizing my list of "things", there are many that will be hard to give up.

Some of my favorite minimalist blogs are

mnmlist - A minimal blog, about minimalism and its purpose/meaning
Becoming Minimalist
Everyday Minimalist


For the difference between simplicity and minimalism check out - ZenHabits