Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

If you're like most people – like me – the first few minutes of the day are a blur.  You're awake – barely.  You might be a bit stiff or achy, and you could use some caffeine.  Maybe you have children to take care of, a job to get to, or you just need to find some way to make the day worthwhile. We're awake approximately 1,000 minutes each day.  We have 1,000 minutes to use or to waste.  1,000 minutes to feel positive and worthwhile, or 1,000 minutes to feel less than our best. What if you could take three minutes each morning to make the following 997 minutes better and happier?  Would you choose that? Better mind, better health A little over a century ago, a French pharmacist named Émile Coué discovered what eventually came to be known as the placebo effect.  He noticed that when he praised the value of the medicines he dispensed, his patients had a quicker recovery. Eventually, Coué developed a method of helping patients to believe and imagine that they had power to imp

Back in 2020, I wrote about a fantastic capsule wardrobe idea, The 4x4 Wardrobe .  In just four easy steps, you can create a 16-piece minimalist wardrobe to take you through a season or a whole year, with more than 120 different possible combinations (that's almost four months without an exact repeat). If you've been thinking it sounds too rigid and limiting to stick with a minimalist wardrobe – no matter how much it might simplify your morning or your laundry, or how much opportunity it offers to choose your favorite colors and silhouettes so that you feel comfortable and confident every day – then you have to try this fun wardrobe Sudoku. If your closet feels overfull, you'll appreciate using your creativity to put together new looks.  This fashion game can do away with the wardrobe boredom that might push you toward a shopping spree . What is wardrobe Sudoku? Of course this isn't really a Sudoku puzzle (although you might want to give those a try if you're not

Our material possessions mean a great deal to us.  After all, we work hard for them.  We buy them (and maybe we spend a lot of time planning and researching those purchases).  We clean them, fix them, store them, insure them, and take them with us whenever we move house. They must be pretty important, right? How valuable is that stuff – really? The 10/10 Possessions Theory is a challenge suggested by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, the writers, filmmakers, and public speakers known as The Minimalists . They ask us to determine if those things we spend so much of our life energy acquiring and maintaining are really as important as we think they are. Step 1   Grab a piece of paper and write down your ten most expensive purchases from the past decade.  These are probably material items, such as your house, car, furniture, jewelry, technology, or some other possessions you own or have owned in the last ten years.  Maybe your list will include a wedding gown, hobby equipment, or

Is there a simple answer to avoid burnout in a busy life, or to progress from fatigue and burnout to a more balanced life? I believe there is. Play. My 4-year-old grandson shows me the way.  As we toss a crocheted Frisbee around the living room, his smiles and cries of glee are the same whether he misses a catch or not.  It's just fun to play, and the results are never judged.  If you miss, just try again, because maybe you'll make it next time!  You can always change the rules.  And when you get tired of the game, there's always something else to do – get out the remote-control racecar, build something with Lego, or pick a book off the shelf. By embracing an attitude of play, we stay aware in the moment decide to enjoy whatever we're doing silence doubt and self-criticism give ourselves the freedom to try something new, or to do something familiar in a new way allow ourselves to take a break from tasks leave room for creativity Play isn't just a particular game – i

Author Susan Branch * has traveled to England via ocean liner three times: on the Queen Elizabeth II in 2001, on the Queen Mary II in 2012, and on the QMII again in 2022.  On her first trip she packed six evening gowns for each night of the cruise, but says that was "a lot of packing of things I never needed for the rest of the trip!" * This blog is reader-supported.  If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission. French chic Now that she's a seasoned cruise traveler, Susan thinks differently.  (And she was terribly jealous of her husband, Joe, who looked wonderful in the same tuxedo every night.)  For every formal event – at sea or anywhere else – she follows the lead of an elegant French woman who sat at the table next to theirs each evening. "I loved how she handled it," writes Susan on her blog.  "She wore the same classic black pantsuit every night, with heels, and different scarves and jewelry to change the look.  It was so clever, and

Amazingly, I've written 500 posts for Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff , and I'm in the process of revising my older writing. I'm happy to notice that some of those older posts are really interesting and useful. But many of you are newer readers and have never seen posts that were written in 2018, 2019, or even last summer or fall. And if you've been a faithful reader for quite a while ( thank you , by the way), you've probably forgotten. I wrote the stuff, and I've forgotten parts of it! It's worth visiting what we've written, read, or thought before, as both a reminder and for new insights. So on selected Thursdays, instead of posting new content, I'm going to direct you toward posts of the past that I think are worth a re-read. Always travel light. Many of us are traveling this summer, finally going on some of the big trips we planned and postponed during the pandemic. Jon and I will enjoy a short stay on the coast, saving a longer trip for Novem

Our lives are packed. Just check your calendar, review your internet browsing history, or go to your email inbox. Peruse your latest credit card and bank statements. Look at the pile of laundry to be done, or the length of your grocery list. Notice how much is in your closets, cupboards, and drawers. Or consider your aspirations: the books you want to read the movies you want to see the things you want to buy the places you want to visit the tasks and challenges you want to accomplish For most of us, these lists are long and growing. Our tendency to overdo There's not a single one of us who doesn't say yes to invitations and commitments, take on new hobbies, join groups, and embark on new relationships (online or IRL). All of this while trying to keep all of our old commitments, hobbies, and relationships going strong. As a result, we're always busy, usually in debt, often feeling anxious, and forever trying to catch up. Even during the COVID pandemic when we had so few pla

In or out. Up or down. Right, left; black, white; early bird or night owl. Our world is full of opposites. Some even repel each other, like oil and water. And this is true in our society too.  Whether it's politics, economics, religion, or even diet, we can find those at the far opposite ends of any spectrum. Why balance is desirable  While exploring all ideas and possibilities can be exciting and enlightening, it can also lead to confusion, strife, and even hatred. Too often, we're  egocentric  – seeing only our personal point of view. Trying to see and understand different perspectives is valuable for developing empathy, resolving conflicts, and generating new ideas. It's the way to overcome bias and find balance. But humans struggle to find the happy medium. We always seem to live at one extreme or the other. The endless search for more For example, many people are motivated by  desire . They strive to get the most they can, what they're "entitled to," the