Five Steps to Get Your Family On Board With Simplifying
So you’ve decided to start the journey to live with less. Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step toward a life with more time, energy, and space to pursue the things most important to you. There’s just one little problem…your family hasn’t come to the same decision. When I ask my readers the biggest challenge they […]
5 Questions Minimalists Ask (Plus 45 More!)
Minimalism encourages constant self-inquiry. This self-inquiry can take many forms, but usually boils down to one question: “Why?” Minimalists examine their motivations before making a decision to ensure their actions align with their values. They also look at past decisions to see how they have impacted their present thoughts, habits, and environment. These decisions include […]
What Do You Need to Offload?
When Apple designed the iPhone, they paid special attention to one detail that is excellent at getting the attention of their users – notification bubbles. They could have used a calming blue, a pretty pink, or a nature-inspired green for the notification color. But no, they chose a bright, alarming red. I don’t get many […]
5 Ways Minimalism Helps You Maintain Healthy Habits
There is a reason that most New Year’s resolutions fail. Behavioral change is hard. In fact, the book Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts–Becoming the Person You Want to Be describes it this way: “Adult behavioral change is the most difficult thing for sentient human beings to accomplish.” Yet every January, like clockwork, we tell ourselves that […]
Why I Did My Own Death Cleaning at 39
What do you want to be to the people that you love? A loyal friend? A trusted advisor? An empathetic listener? An inspiration to live a life aligned with purpose? Depending on the relationship, any or all of these may be true. I think, however, everyone can agree on one thing we do not want […]
What Minimalism Uncovers
I checked Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone had messaged me about the Blu-Ray player I had posted days before. Having recently gifted my remaining exercise DVD’s that I had been holding onto for months “just in case,” I no longer had any DVD’s and no need for a DVD player. Hmmm. No takers. Well, […]
What Do You Do When the Doorbell Rings? How an Abundance Mindset Can Help You in Your Minimalism Journey
What do you do when the doorbell rings? If you ordered a pizza, you probably open the door with a smile and a growling stomach. But what about an impromptu guest? What about the friend who texts you because she is “in the neighborhood” and wants to stop by? Or when your spouse tells you […]
Five Takeaways from Tidying Up
I read Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up this past summer, and it had a profound effect on how I think about my possessions. While I feel that Kondo’s approach to tidy your home in “one shot” is unrealistic, and I choose not to follow some of her specific folding instructions, the […]
Simple by Emmy Experiment: Fall Capsule Wardrobe
I could understand why my mother-in-law was underwhelmed by my birthday wish list. Since embarking on my minimalism journey, I typically request experience gifts rather than things. I am always grateful for a gift certificate for a massage or a nice dinner out. A few months ago, I put together a list that included a […]
I Give You Permission to Throw Away Your Yearbook
I recently read Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the book she goes step by step through the process of tidying, starting with clothes and then moving onto books, paper, komono (miscellany), and finally things with sentimental value. She recommends waiting until the end of the process to decide upon […]