Some people have suggested that I am a minimalist. And while I’m all in favor of reducing, reusing, and recycling the truth is I just don’t like clutter. Anyone who has helped our family move has learned that we have way more stuff than appears on the surface. We happen to be really good at hiding it away. If it has space to live, a purpose, potential purpose or sentimental value it’s safe in our home. So maybe you could say I have a foot in the door of minimalism but I also recognize we have WAY more stuff than we need in our lives. The natural human tendency is to fill up the space we have. So if there is a room we fill it up. For those of us who tend to get overwhelmed by clutter when space starts to overflow we purge. The same can be true of our calendars. If we are not intentional we can quickly allow life to fill up our calendars. To fill up the spaces until we can’t fit anything else in there. At that point, we then have to decide what gets purged. What we say no to becomes a reaction to lack of time rather than a choice of how we best spend our time.
Joy Marker
Living without intentional thought to our possessions or schedules becomes about reacting to life rather than living out what matters most.
Life is complicated simply because we live in a complicated world. There is rarely a simple path from point A to point B. There are many factors of life that we can not predict or control. So how do we manage a simpler life in a world that is anything but simple?
Simpler living is not a unique desire. Many of us look at the crazy hustle of life we easily find ourselves in and desire some simplicity. We see many movements that support a transition from the chaotic, overbusy, overwhelming lives to a slower more intentional way of living.
Minimalism is a popular way to be intentional about focusing on the things that matter most and have value while eliminating the rest.
The tiny house movement has become popular for many as a way to reduce the cost of living, leave a smaller footprint on the environment, and/or simply downsize to focus time and resources on what matters more.
The idea of simply living can encompass a number of things but generally includes intentional practices to simplify one’s lifestyle.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.”
Leo Babauta
When I was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I did a lot of research. I sought out others who were living with this chronic illness and I talked to people in the medical community. I wanted to learn as much as I could and I wanted to be able to make informed decisions. I refused to be a passive participant in this journey. MS is a largely unpredictable condition. It does not affect two people the same way. Yet there are similarities and various things that you can expect. As this disease attacks the nervous system it disrupts communication from your brain to your body. You don’t know when or how that disruption may occur. Some advice I was given in the beginning was to simplify my life. Anxiety, depression, slower mental processing, becoming easily overwhelmed, chronic fatigue are all common side effects of MS and can be easily enhanced by the medications used to treat this disease. Being proactive to reduce stuff, to simplify the calendar and proactively become intentional can help reduce stress for the unknown up ahead.
This advice is good advice regardless of where you are at. You see much of life is unpredictable. If we are not intentional about how we live we can easily end up overwhelmed, stressed, and missing out on what matters most.
“You can’t experience simple joys when you’re living with your hair on fire.”
Emily Lee
Ok so how do we manage a simpler life in a world that is anything but simple?
Simplicity a word that can be defined as the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do. Intentionality is being purposeful and deliberate in how we live. It seems that whether you opt for a minimalist approach or you decide to build a tiny house and live off-grid, that isn’t the point. At the end of the day if we want to live a life of simplicity it’s about being intentional with how we live. It’s about paying attention to what matters most and making space for that in our day to day lives. It’s about learning to say no even to really good things because they may not be our best yes. It’s about blocking off space on the calendar for the unexpected and leaving room in the cabinet just because we can. It’s about knowing what matters most and focusing your resources in those directions.
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