Finding “Open Loops” on the Web: My Blog Reading List

Posted on November 12, 2010 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Out Of The Box

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Fridays are tip days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Someone asked me recently where I come up with the material for my Tuesday Open Loops Series. These articles are ones of interest I find in my weekly blog reading. So for today, I thought I would share my Blog List.

These blogs are ones that I read consistently. They are not ones that have asked me to review them, and I have not received any compensation from any of them, nor are any of them “link exchanges”.

Blogging

• Copyblogger. Copyblogger is all about copywriting and being a better persuasive writer.
• Daily Blog Tips. Tips about blogging abound in this blog. It covers all areas of blogging.
• Lorelle on WordPress. One of the foremost experts on WordPress (my blogging platform), Lorelle gives tips that secure and make the blog run better.
ProBlogger Blog Tips. Darren Rowse is one of the foremost professional bloggers out there, and he’s not shy about sharing his tips.
• WordPress Development Blog. This blog is by the makers of WordPress, and announces releases and updates.

Crafting

• How About Orange. Lots of ideas and freebies come from How About Orange.

Entertainment

• Attack of the Redneck Mommy. This blog is one of the funniest blogs I have ever read. It can be heartbreaking, too, but she shares all the trials and tribulations of parenting.
• Clients From Hell. As a former consultant, and still one who has to bow to client demands, this blog reminds me I am not alone in witnessing the craziness.
• CrazyAuntPurl. By the author of “Divored, Drunk and Covered in Cat Hair”, it is primarily a personal blog, but contains snippets about knitting and yarn, as well as cats.
• Occasional Writings from Robert Fulghum. Robert Fulghum, author of “All I Ever Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten”, takes the same tactic to his online journal.
• Oddly Specific. This blog is full of pictures of signs that have to be seen to be believed. My recent favorite was a picture of a clothing tag that read “This garment tested on animals. It didn’t fit.”
• The Adventures of Fred and Ethel. An ongoing journal about life in a small Tennessee town, “Ethel” is hilarious as she nails the craziness around her.
• The Daily WTF. The Daily Worse-Than-Failure blog showcases funny error messages and code too bad to be believed.

Finance

• Almost Frugal. The author of this blog gives the low-down on how she dug herself out of debt. It’s an interesting perspective because she is an American living in France.
• Get Rich Slowly. GRS is a staple of the personal finance blogging community.
• The Simple Dollar. The Simple Dollar is written by a man who dug himself out of debt, and shares his lessons along the way.
• Wise Bread. Wise Bread is about Living Large on a Small Budget. They have a great variety of writers, some with differing viewpoints.

Lifehacks

• Dumb Little Man – Tips for Life. A great little blog on lifehacks from ordinary people.
• lifehack.org. Stepcase Lifehack pulls from a community of writers that produces great articles. I have favorite writers from here that I always read, and other writers I avoid like the plague.
• Lifehacker. The quintessential blog on Lifehacking. The amount of articles is great every day, but it covers all sorts of areas of life.
• MakeUseOf.com. MakeUseOf is supposedly about software and geeky stuff, but I find it has application outside the computer.
• TipNut.com. A great compilation of tips and how-tos. This blog is often my first stop when I am searching on how to do something.

Misc

• Bean Sprouts. An environmental/DIY blog from a great writer in a corner of England.
• Finnegan Begin Again. Margaret Finnegan has a great writing style and I love reading her re-telling of mythological stories.
• Goddess Guidebook | Your Guide for living a Creative & Soulful Goddess life…. I stumbled on this blog while following a decluttering thread, but I go back to it because it is filled with serenity and love.
• ikea hacker. I love IKEA. And combining IKEA and hacking…heaven!
• Sankofa Song Sound Healing. Fabeku can be off the wall at times, but his earnest desire to help people get moving in their lives comes across loud and clear.
• Small Notebook. The Small Notebook is about simplifying, organization and managing a home, along with a good dose of common sense.
• Smart Pretty and Awkward. These blog posts are very small with three sections. I find the quotes at the top inspiring, and sometimes the other areas get me thinking.

Organization

• Unclutterer. Unclutterer is the best blog out there on getting rid of stuff.

Parenting

• Rocks In My Dryer. A blog about parenting and writing from a Typepad guru.
• simple mom. A blog about kids, parenting and household management
• The Adventures of Mommy Maestro. Her writing style is upbeat and funny.

Productivity

• Mark Forster’s Blog. Mark Forster, a stanchion of the productivity biz, writes articles about his modifications and how he applies them in his life.
• Remember The Milk – Blog. Since I’m a big fan of RTM, I like reading the blog, which features tips from the user community.
• Zen Habits. The home of “Zen To Done”, writer Leo Babuta has a great take on getting down to basics.

Programming

• CodeBetter.Com – Stuff you need to Code Better! Coding better. Nuff said.
• MSDN Magazine: RSS Feed. The feed for the technical magazine. If I get it electronically there is at least a small chance I will read it.
• Refcardz – Free Cheat Sheets for Developers. Refcardz are great little reminder tools for programmers.
• Smashing Magazine. While I read this for productivity tips as applies to my chosen work, I love the free calendars and graphics they highlight.
• Web Worker Daily. A blog devoted to the issues of those of us programming (and other tasks) for the web.

Self-development

• Awake At The Wheel. Jonathan Fields is a great thinker, and he gives some insight into creating a great life.
• The Other 8 Hours. The companion site to the book “The Other 8 Hours” about using your non-work time to advance your life.

Writing

• Daily Writing Tips. Writing tips, plus word usage. I love when they dissect idioms and give proper usage.
• National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo’s blog.
• storyfix.com. From a real author, he talks about how to fix things within your writing and processes.
• Write to Done. Leo Babuta’s second blog, all about writing.

There it is, my big nasty blog list. I’m always on the lookout for new ones. Any suggestions?

Photo by tetradtx

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