Heard of SMART Goals? Try SMART Habits
If you’ve ever read a book or listened to a podcast on productivity, you have likely been introduced to SMART goals. Developed in 1968 by Dr. Edwin Locke and then expanded upon in 1981 by George T. Doran, SMART is an acronym for the ideal characteristics of successful goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Digital Fasting: Five Lessons Learned from an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle
I was recently introduced to the lifestyle of intermittent fasting (IF). IF is a voluntary eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and non-fasting over a certain period of time. While there are numerous resources and plans available, I read two books by Gin Stephens: Delay, Don’t Deny and Fast. Feast. Repeat. The same […]
The Me That Could Be: 5 Steps to Deal With Aspirational Clutter
The summer sun is blazing and it’s another humid day in Virginia. I see a few pairs of shorts in my drawer, but I pick a pair of cropped pants again. The shorts are too tight on me, but they’ll fit me next year. Right? I step outside to do some weeding in the front […]
From Tightrope to Balance Beam: Minimalism and My Mental Health Journey
Yesterday before I dropped off my sons at school, my oldest asked me to hold his hand as he walked along the playground border that separated the sidewalk from the playground’s wood chips. I steadied him as he carefully walked across. “I want to go to the end,” he said. I looked ahead of us. […]
Instead of “Does It Spark Joy?”, Ask This Question When Decluttering
If there was such a thing as a decluttering guru, Marie Kondo would be it. Her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was, in a word, life-changing for many. In fact, I believe it caused a global paradigm shift when it came to our relationship with our stuff. Kondo encouraged us to take everything […]
Five Steps to Transition into a New Routine Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Now that COVID-19 restrictions are lifting in some areas, including where I live, people are transitioning into new work, school, and home routines. When my kids and I go for a walk in the afternoon on the main road near our neighborhood, there are signs of rush hour traffic again. Sports activities have resumed and […]
My Ten Favorite Definitions of Minimalism
I define myself as a minimalist, yet in conversations with others I often get the question, “What does minimalism mean, anyway?” I pause, smile and take a deep breath because it’s difficult to define a lifestyle like minimalism succinctly. To someone new to minimalism, the word seems very restrictive. It has the word “minimal” in […]
Digital Minimalism: 10 Ways to Limit Distractions and Reclaim Your Time
The following is a guest post from Julia Ubbenga of Rich In What Matters. A few weeks ago, I sat watching our kids play, baby on my lap. It was a beautiful spring Sunday—one we chose to fill with quality family time at a nearby park. Resting on the park bench, I was feeling grateful […]
Five Mindset Shifts to Help You Let Go of Clutter (Plus 15 Questions to Help You Figure Out Which Ones You Need the Most!)
When I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the following quote struck me: “Until you have completed the once-in-a-lifetime event of putting your house in order, any attempt to tidy on a daily basis is doomed to failure. Conversely, once you have put your house in order, tidying will be reduced […]
Three Common Misconceptions About Minimalism
I’ll be honest – I don’t like the word minimalism. “Minimal” implies the least possible amount, and therefore can raise quite a few eyebrows if someone isn’t familiar with what it actually means- a lifestyle that gives you more– more time, energy, money, and freedom just to name a few. Imagine if your girlfriend told […]