Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Happy Labor Day to my readers in the United States, and to all who labor to earn a living or to make life better for someone else!  I have certainly benefitted from the labors of many others during the course of my life. Inspired by the book Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A. J. Jacobs,* which goes into fascinating detail about the many people who have a role in making his morning coffee possible, I decided to write a post thanking a minimum of 100 people who have helped me, and continue to help me, as a minimalist, writer, and blogger.  Some of this help is or has been direct; some is tangential, but still essential. * As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission at no extra charge to you if you purchase through my links. Once I started the list, I realized that there are more contributors than I originally thought.  Of course, many teachers have helped me, but so has Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and an Italian man named Pierluigi Zappacosta (see below). T...

Decluttering an entire home takes time and effort.   That can make it hard to get started, because you think "I don't really have time right now" or "I don't have the energy to declutter."  I get it.  Especially if you have a lot of clutter, you may be so daunted by the task that you avoid it.  That's okay, because I'm going to help you trick yourself into decluttering a lot more with a lot less time and effort than you might think possible. If I told you to declutter 150 items over the next week, could you do it?  You might think it's impossible, but what if I asked you to get rid of just three things right now?  Does that seem more doable? I bet you can easily remove three things from your home, so why not remove three things from 50 different places?  It's a way to trick yourself into doing a lot more than you think you can. This really works, and it's going to give you a lot of confidence in your ability to make choices and get thing...

Dolly Parton, the wealthiest woman in the history of country music, died this past week at the age of 80.  The accolades have been many, and from everywhere – from Democrats and Republicans, from Black and White, from religious conservatives and LGBTQ allies, and from people who are steeped in country music and people who never listen to it.  Because you don't have to be a country music fan to like and respect Dolly. She was born in a tiny cabin in the mountains of Tennessee, and grew up wearing clothes fashioned from whatever bits of fabric her mother could find.  It's a little like the way my mom, born more than a decade earlier, grew up – actually living in a barn for the first two years of her life, starting first grade in a one-room schoolhouse down the road, wearing dresses made from flour sacks.  Both ladies made a lot more of their lives than where they started from. More than meets the eye A lot of people underestimated Dolly Parton.  She had that accen...

Think back 20 years (or 40 or more if you can!), and I'm sure you'll agree that life is more crowded and difficult now than it used to be. And it's not just adults who feel it.  Our kids and grandkids are part of the most-stressed generation ever.  There are plenty of reasons – social media, super-busy schedules, lack of down time and play time, and the pressure to excel are some of them. Another is the pressing need to decide what you want to be when you grow up.  Now, oldsters have always asked this question of the young, but today it seems you have to decide much sooner.  Many of my husband's 6th grade students (aged 11-12) were in a constant tizzy about grades and test scores because they wanted to be sure to qualify for AP courses in high school – the lack of which could hamper their ability to get into a "good" college.  (I won't even talk about the serious stress attendant on the cost of such a college today.) Increasing choices I think people of ...

It's a busy time of year.  You want a clean house, but you don't have time for a full deep-clean right now.  You want your house to look tidy and spacious, but you don't have time for a full declutter now, either. Never fear, you can get a cleaner, more pleasant home in minutes, even if you can't find time to clean the baseboards or reorganize your pantry today. Simply focus on the high-traffic, high-impact areas that make the most difference.  Clearing areas that are in constant view will give you the biggest reward.  Not only will you transform your home from chaotic to calm in a matter of minutes, but you'll also get a rush of endorphins as you finish the task. Ready to start? 6 areas to tackle for quickest results 1.  Floors Floors are the biggest surface in your home, so their impact is huge.  Do a quick sweep through the main living areas (don't forget the entry!) to pick up toys, shoes, clothing, sports equipment, etc. Don't just transfer the pile so...

This is the "normal" world we live in:  Wall-to-wall traffic, appointments, work duties, too many possessions.   We fill everything to the brim, because we believe that happiness is found in having it all. And then we burn out, or simply tire, and long for more peace and space, or even just a short break.  We try to pare things back so we can have a little respite. But stuff has a way of creeping back.  Like weeds, like the Greek Hydra, you remove one thing and two more raise their heads.  It's a losing battle unless you can get to the root. How to widen the margins How can we widen the margins of our days, leaving ourselves more time and energy for the things we love?  Simply pick one or two of these ideas and try them today. *  This is just a reminder that your purchases may provide a commission that helps support this blog.  Thank you. 1.  Leave one day on the weekly calendar that's mostly white space. 2.  Get up just 15 minutes earli...