Tag: simple living

Essentialism-Quote

Seven Tenets of Essentialism from Greg McKeown

Posted on by Joy

When Greg McKeown’s new book, Effortless, hit the shelves, I couldn’t wait to read it. Who wouldn’t want to read a book promising to “make it easier to do what matters most”? I checked it out of my local library and spent two weeks devouring every word. Immediately, I knew I had to go back and read Essentialism again.   If you aren’t familiar with Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, it is the million-copy international best seller that McKeown released in 2014. I first read it in 2018. At the time, I was decluttering my house and reading all the Read more…

Systems Resized

Six Systems for Success in the New Year

Posted on by Joy

A few years ago, I stopped making New Year’s resolutions and started setting goals. Resolutions tend to be big dreams or vague ideas, whereas goals are more action-oriented. Goals require us to take practical steps in a certain direction. But here’s what I’ve noticed about goals: they can be just as elusive as dreams if we don’t develop effective systems and habits to support them. As a society, our New Year’s resolutions don’t change much from year to year. Let’s name five of the ten most popular resolutions. (We won’t even need Google. It’s easy.) Lose weight, get out of Read more…

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Ten Takeaways from Kristen Welch’s Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World

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Let me start with a story about something that happened in my own life while I was reading Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch. One afternoon, I was sitting on the sofa, taking a little rest after doing my chores for the day, when I received a text from my 13-year-old son: “The bus driver missed our street AGAIN.” He had been spending an hour on the bus every afternoon because the driver consistently missed the turn on to our street, only coming back at the end of her route to drop him off last. I Read more…

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Decluttering: Where To Start When You’re Overwhelmed

Posted on by Joy

The question I’m most frequently asked about decluttering is “Where do I start?” I understand how easy it is to become overwhelmed by all the stuff. We want to throw our hands up and say, “It’s too much! I don’t even know where to begin.” I’ve been there. But there is a path forward, and it starts with that first step. As Dave Ramsey often says, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Here are a few ideas to help you decide where to start: Start for a reason. If you have a desire to declutter Read more…

Habits

How Small Habits Produce Big Changes

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Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post explaining how I came to believe I’m capable of change. For me, it started with practicing minimalism. I didn’t make a big, sweeping change all at once, but took many tiny steps toward my goal over time. Since then, I’ve been working on developing more good habits, and I’ve done some research on how to make them stick. The more I’ve learned about the science of habits, the more I’ve become fascinated by the way our brains work. We can apply what we know about habit formation to improve our lives in Read more…

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How Minimalism Proves Lasting Change is Possible

Posted on by Joy

Do you believe people can change? I’ve always struggled with making lasting changes in my life. Sometimes I feel like I was born with a brain that is hard-wired with traits, habits, and behaviors that can’t be re-programmed. It’s tempting to live on autopilot – doing things the way we’ve always done them. We might get inspired and change our methods for a while, but it’s easy to revert to old habits. Change can look like a mountain that just won’t move. A few years ago, I felt like I needed a major change. With my youngest son headed to Read more…

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Decluttering Layer by Layer

Posted on by Joy

If you’ve resolved to declutter your home this year, this post is for you. I’m going to share how I decluttered my home and reduced the stress that “stuff” was adding to my life. About five years ago, I began a journey into minimalism. I walked the path slowly, reducing the clutter in my home and my life gradually. I read several books about how to declutter, but none of their methods met my need to minimize in a slow, cyclical manner that would produce new habits and lasting results. To borrow some weight-loss terminology: Fad diets didn’t work for Read more…

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The Minimalist Challenge

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I participated in a minimalist challenge in September. Every month, The Minimalists invite their followers to play the 30-Day Minimalism Game. On the first day of the month, you get rid of one thing. On the second day, two things. This continues day after day, and becomes more difficult when you’re releasing 15 items, then 16, then 17…you get the idea. The goal is to remove 465 items from your home in 30 days. I’ve considered accepting this challenge in the past, but I didn’t think I could do it. “This is for hard-core minimalists,” I thought, “not someone like Read more…

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Book Review: Let it Go by Peter Walsh

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Let it Go by Peter Walsh is a valuable resource for anyone who needs to downsize. Whether you are moving to a smaller home or trying to declutter your current home, Walsh offers a step-by-step plan that frames downsizing as a positive change rather than a difficult chore. He also gives helpful advice for those who are downsizing their parents’ home. You may remember Peter Walsh as the professional organizer on the TLC show, Clean Sweep. In his charming Australian accent, he challenged homeowners to empty a room onto the front lawn, separating their belongings into piles labeled KEEP, SELL, Read more…

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My Simple Living Manifesto

Posted on by Joy

What would it take to simplify our lives? This is a question I’ve been contemplating in the midst of ever-increasing demands on my time, money, and energy. My mind is forever preoccupied with my to-do list: chores, errands, appointments, calls to make, emails to answer, pictures to post. Not to mention the demands of 21st century parenting: Are the children vaccinated? How much screen time are they getting? Do they play outside every day? They must be supervised at all times. Their cups have to be BPA-free! Don’t let the Epi-Pens expire! And make sure the birthday cake is gluten-free!!! Read more…