As I spend more of my time talking to clients about letting go of excess and taking control of their life and their stuff, I become more fascinated by what we can do if we have less. I think we can actually do more. Here are a few examples:
Healthy Eating
I helped a client get rid of all of the unhealthy food in her kitchen recently as she continues her quest to eat healthier. If your cupboards and your refrigerator have a lot less in them then you not only know what you have so keeping only healthy food is much easier, but you also have to go grocery shopping more often which means eating more fresh food. Somehow having space in your cupboards allows you to see what you have and helps you become more aware of how you’re nourishing your body.
More Exercise
I don’t know how many times I have had a client say that if only they had a treadmill or elliptical machine at home, they would get more exercise. The main limiting factor is usually that there is no place to put it or one has been crammed into a corner of the bedroom or in the garage and gets buried under stuff. If being fit and healthy is really important to you, then create a proper exercise area in your house dedicated for that purpose and make it nice so you actually want to be there. Let go of excess furniture that you could live without and all of the excess stuff that is weighing you down. Get it? That’s a fitness analogy. I know, brilliant, right?
More Travel
If travelling is one of your goals, the limiting factor is normally money. So, if you become very conscious about every single thing that you buy, you will save money and be able to do more travelling. Ask yourself how many new pieces of clothing you really need for this coming season. Could you do without some of the things you see in the store? Do you really need a new computer? A new TV? A new whatever it is that you think you need because it’s on sale or someone you know has one? Take a challenge for 30 days and see how little you can buy. And start planning your next trip instead.
More Relaxation
We all know that it’s hard to relax in your home if it’s a mess. How does mess accumulate? Quite simply because you bring stuff into your space. Please be absolutely sure that you need to bring the stuff into your house at all and if you do, let go of something else and be adamant about giving the new item a home right away. No telling yourself, “I’ll put it here for now.” No exceptions. Focus on creating and keeping a calm, clutter-free environment that invites a little relaxation.
More Social Life
Imagine if you spend less time hunting for new stuff and looking for the best deal. Decide to only buy something if you absolutely “need” it, not because it would be “nice to have”. If you have less in your home then you have to spend less time organizing your stuff and you will have time for a social life. Perhaps only have people in your life whom you actually enjoy spending time with and who bring you joy. You’ll want to socialize more because you have fewer people in your circle and you actually like the people you’ve surrounded yourself with.
I could probably come up with plenty more examples. What would you do more of with less?