Sarah Von Bargen in Business Insider:
So there are basically three approaches to saving. You can work more. You can save more. Or you can want less.
Category: Minimalism
The Gift of Presence
“Life clutter” may take on many forms: physical belongings, technological fillers (such as alarms or apps), non-life-giving calendar items, even unhealthy relationships.
It’s important for me to remember that clutter isn’t just the stuff in the corner. It’s also my notification settings.
A Life Worth Waking Up For
Why do productive people always seem to have so much time for everything they do? Are they working harder? Better at time management? More disciplined than the rest of us?
An interesting insight into why some people have so much time to do everything. The article that is based upon is also worth reading.
Exercise, healthy eating, sleep… all seem to be repeated over and over again as keys to productivity. I’m trying…
The weight of our possessions
People bring stuff into their home and then keep it forever because:
- It cost money. (I paid good money for this!)
- It was free or a bargain. (How could I pass up such a great deal?)
- It would just become more trash on an overpolluted planet.
- It has significance for someone else.
- Guilt. Someone thought enough of you to buy you a concrete garden statue of a squirrel. Your grandmother left you her teacup collection in her will.
Source: Boston Globe
The 20 Toy Rule
Sarah Mae via Becoming Minimalist:
20 toys sounds like a lot… or maybe it doesn’t. But you’d be surprised at how many things children can accumulate. I was shocked when we began moving towards 20 toys each. We don’t spoil our children and I already had been pretty strict about the toy situation. But when I sat with my son in his room that day, I had to face the fact that we had allowed in too much stuff.
I feel like that we are in exactly the same place. Christmas, birthdays, hand-me-downs, it’s all so much. Maybe the kids don’t feel as overwhelmed as I do when I walk into their rooms, but maybe they do. Maybe 20 toys is a good place to start…
5 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed
Sarah Rae Smith on Apartment Therapy:
- Do The Dishes
- Pick Up Outerwear
- Replace Entertainment
- Tie Off Trash
- Make A List
I love routine… and making lists!
Choose the simple life
Every day, when you wake up, you have a choice. You can live your day the simple way, or you live it the complex way.
Why do I feel like I live every day the complex way? Great short read by Rahul Singh.
How Writing Has Changed Me
Writing has provided opportunity to refine opinions. Dawson Trotman once said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips.” He was right. Writing has required me to both understand and articulate my opinions. It has forced me to research my assumptions, defend them, and change when necessary.
Joshua Becker and his blog becomingminimalist have provided me a lot of inspiration in the last couple of months. I look forward to his new book coming out later this year.