In search of simplicity

By Carrien Bluein search of simplicity

So it’s my birthday today.

(I’ll go ahead and pause for a moment so you can all mutter the obligatory well wishes.)

So it’s my birthday and I have an idea that I’ve been saving for this occasion. I’m going to spend this year trying to simplify my life. This will include everything, how I do things, how I spend my time, and what I own.

You see, I feel bogged down by the stuff. Remember this post when I talked about how odd it feels to have so much stuff when there are so many people who have so little?

Well, you know what else happens when you have too much stuff? You end up serving it, instead of it serving you.

Think about it. How many loads of laundry do you have to do a week just to keep the laundry hampers from overflowing all over the floor?

How many dishes do you wash in a day?

How much clutter do you pick up: off the floor, counters, in your yard?

What if you didn’t have all that stuff? What if I didn’t have all that stuff? How much simpler would life be if we only had as many clothes as we needed? What if everything we owned actually fit in the cupboards and drawers?

What if we only had on our daily agenda what we could actually accomplish in that much time? Is that even possible? Would we get anything done?

So every week I’m going to tackle 1 simplicity project and blog about it. I think I’ll even make
it into a meme and you can all join me, if you like, and share one thing, anything, that you did to make your life simpler.

Perhaps I’ll even get you to help me with a wardrobe purge and let you vote on what I keep and what I discard.

This doesn’t mean I won’t be buying anything. If there is something out there that makes things simpler, I’ll totally get it. If there is one item that replaces 5 then it may be worth the investment.

My goal this year is to be free of all the unnecessary stuff that overwhelms me and I’m inviting you along for the ride, and into some of the more cluttered corners of my existence.

The theme for this first month is time management.

I need some.

Week 1 – Go to bed at a reasonable hour. For me this means midnight.

What could happen in one short week if I were to do this, at least every week night?

I’ll report back in a week.

all content © Carrien Blue

9 thoughts on “In search of simplicity”

  1. I like this idea…. YES I will be one of many to comment on what to keep and what not to 🙂 

    And bedtime MIDNIGHT!? Oh man… I don't know how you do it, you are amazing… I am in bed BY ten the latest! 

  2. You will love going to bed earlier.  How much more efficient can you be when you get just one extra hour of sleep?  I can do a task in the morning in 15 minutes that if I'm tired will take me an hour.  Good choice for your first week!!

  3. Before we moved back in with my parents Mario and I had been working on this very thing. We had cut our plates, cups and utensils down to exactly three of each. We had slimmed down out kitchen appliances (a hobby of Mario's), Movies (an indulgence for both of us) and book (mostly mine) down to ones that we used/watched/read all the time. I  We also got rid of furniture and all but the most sentimental knick knacks. I have to say it was liberating and our very small apartment got a lot bigger all of a sudden. Best of luck to you and may you find it as freeing as we did!

  4. Happy Birthday! Good for you in going to bed earlier. I could learn a lesson or two in that myself. As I've allowed myself to buy clothes again, I find myself being very picky in what I buy. The "can one item replace" two thought is in my head, also. Physical clutter does clutter the mind and heart as well. I've been bagging up things the past few months and dropping them off at shelters, but I still have more than I'd like. I know you'll be great at this!

  5. Happy birthday. I love your project. I have been slowly over the last year dumping a lot of stuff to simplify our lives. I still have a long way to go. But darnit, someday my basement will be usable space again.

  9. Happy Birthday! We did this with food — we've stopped buying unnecessary food from the grocery store and simply eating what was in our cupboard. We're also working on doing it with clothing… we just don't need that much closet space if we get rid of the things we don't wear.
     
    Sort of related: we decided to keep living in our small-ish, cramped house instead of buying a bigger one… that we would just fill with stuff.

    It's a work in progress…
     
    Looking forward to your inspiring posts!

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