The week between Christmas and New Year was awesome! It’s the first time in several years that I could actually take some time off during the holidays and unplug.
My initial intent for part of the time off was to start working on cleaning the basement in pursuit of my vision of creating an ‘uncluttered’ life. Sadly, that didn’t happen. It didn’t happen because I had other more important things that needed to be accomplished. Sound familiar?
Time is something you can never get back so spend it wisely
This year the list of things that I want to accomplish is long. One of the things that’s most important to me is spending quality time with my family and friends. That’s why the last week and a half was so awesome, I actually did just that!
I can’t remember the last time that we had so many opportunities to spend time with family and friends in a little over a weeks time. My happy meter is almost full…just a few more people to connect with. This year one of my main goals is to set dates and be intentional about spending time with people. 🙂
Creating An Uncluttered Life
So back to my plan of getting ‘uncluttered’ this year. After the grand-kids left late Saturday morning, I was drinking the coffee that had been microwaved 3 times already, scrolling thru email and a message from a blog that I follow http://www.becomingminimalist.com caught my attention. I clicked and it was a message about a course that they offer three times a year called Uncluttered.
To buy or not to buy…
I read the details an initially thought, I don’t need to spend money on a course to help me unclutter my life…I know how to do that!
The conversation that I had with myself went something like this…”I’ve made good progress over the last few years at getting rid of things and getting our place uncluttered, it’s not that bad” The truth is, I should be DONE with the process and enjoying my life!
That said, I promptly clicked the link to purchase one of the recommended books; The More Of Less https://amzn.to/2F9vno6 There is a 25% coupon in the back of the book that can be used towards the purchase of the course 😉
I had a few minutes of challenging myself on this purchase because one of my main goals for 2019 is to spend only on things that are needed and track all expenses. I justified the purchase as an educational expense; paying for a coach/community of people to keep me accountable for achieving the goal of having an uncluttered life by the end of 2019. I love books and will add it to my reading list and library…win, win! Right?
Are Your Possessions Costing You Happiness?
After I ordered the book I had the option of getting a sample in my Kindle App. I started reading and instantly identified with what Joshua was saying. I too, already knew that possessions don’t equal happiness. “Not only are my possessions not bringing happiness into my life; ever worse, they are actually distracting me from the things that do!”
Read This And You Might Want To Join The Uncluttered Community Too…
Reading some of the statistics in the book was depressing…25% of people with 2 car garages don’t have room to park their cars inside and another 32% have room only for one vehicle. One out of every ten American households rents off-site storage – the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry over the past four decades.
Joshua goes on to say…”no wonder we have a personal debt problem. The average household’s credit card debt stands at over $15,000.” 🙁
It made me wonder… how much of my life has been wasted because of excess stuff? Money wasted, the time it takes to organize stuff, or sell stuff that you don’t want but it’s too expensive or nice to drop off at Goodwill, so you tell yourself that you’ll sell it online and it sits in a pile in the basement or garage for another year!
The Challenge To Part With Possessions
If you walked into my house today you would probably ask, “why do you need to unclutter?” It looks neat and tidy. That’s because I’m pretty good at keeping the main area’s free of clutter, but open any of the drawers, cupboards or closets and it’s another story!
I love clothes, shoes and jewelry and often have a hard time parting with things. I make a pile to donate and end up putting half of the stuff back in my closet because I might need it someday. Can you relate?
When the book comes on Monday… with the coupon, I’m signing up for the 12 week course and making the commitment to end 2019 with an uncluttered life! Haha…this is one purchase I’m sure that my family can get behind! Stay tuned for pictures along the way on this journey to my version of creating an uncluttered life.
LOL…my version of the uncluttered life will not be a stark, bare environment. I still want a warm and inviting home….just one that is free of excess stuff!
Cheers to creating an uncluttered life!