Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Work more?  Look, Karen, I'm too overwhelmed and stressed as it is. What the heck are you talking about?  Let me see if I can explain. I don't mean for you to work overtime, add a side hustle, or otherwise try to bring in more income. I mean that all of us should do more work . We often think of people in the past living a "simple" life compared to our modern experience, but they certainly worked harder for it. My grandmother grew a garden, tended goats and chickens, and cooked from scratch every day. My mother sewed almost all the clothes she and my sister and I wore. My grandfather and dad always had something that needed maintenance or repair, in addition to the physically taxing jobs they did for pay. The passive life Most of us sit in front of computers all day, and then sit in front of a TV in the evening. This gets boring, so we snack. Snacking loses its power to distract us, so we buy more treats. Or we scroll social media or shop online, all to keep our bra...

Regular clothes shopping can turn a once-organized closet into a cluttered mess. A change of season, a couple of sales, and a special event or two for which you "need" outfits can add multiple items that don't become well-used pieces. I've been there and done that many times myself. Learning to purchase more strategically can reduce or eliminate this problem, saving not just money, but all the time wasted on useless shopping, organizing, sorting, and purging. It's much more rewarding to add pieces you can enjoy wearing for years, and with a bit of thought and care, you can build a wardrobe full of items like that. Before you head to the checkout line or click "add to cart," ask these questions of your potential purchases. The 5-question checklist for a clutter-free wardrobe 1.  Does this piece go with at least three other items I own? We've all fallen into the trap of buying something that tugs at our heart without running it past our brain too. I on...

Now that I've written 495 posts for Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff , I'm in the process of revising my older writing. And some of those older posts are quite 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 ), 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. Journey to a simpler life. Decluttering can be a giant job that takes a lot of time and energy, and for that reason most of us need a lot of inspiration and encouragement to keep going until the task is done. Here are some articles that will provide that. (They'd be good to sha...

With clothing trends evolving faster than ever, you might feel that a minimalist wardrobe is going to look dated very quickly, which could discourage you from creating one.  How can you keep things simple yet flexible ? Enter the three-word method to help curate your personal style.  If you dress with choices that are your personal favorites, your wardrobe can still evolve over time without having to replace everything every few months (which generally results in the type of closet that contains 150 pieces and "nothing to wear"). I came upon this idea by accident while I was researching something else.  I give that disclaimer because it apparently first appeared on TikTok, which is the epitome of trendiness – not my scene at all.  Created by New York-based fashion stylist Allison Bornstein, the three-word method went viral on social media earlier this year. What is the three-word method? The three-word method is as simple as it sounds .  You just choose three a...

When someone we love dies, we want to remember them. I love to tell my children and grandchildren stories about my parents and grandparents. When my oldest grandson Elliot asks to be told again how my dad (his great-grandfather) came from Trinidad, West Indies to California, that's a joyful connection. I'm so happy when I hear my son Teddy tell my second grandson, Damien, that the corn pudding we're enjoying at the Thanksgiving dinner table is one of my mom's special recipes, and Damien says he wants to learn to make it someday. The stories and traditions we pass to the younger members of our family are valuable. They're irreplaceable. Make sure you're sharing your memories while you can. The value and risk of physical mementos Sometimes we want a physical reminder of that person we cherished, and that's also a wonderful way to keep them close. Reading the letter your mentor wrote when you graduated college and got your first job, looking at a photo of your ...

Just as a clutter-free home brings more freedom, space, time, and money into our lives every day, so does a clutter-free wardrobe.  When we pare down to a capsule wardrobe, or even a daily uniform , we find that getting dressed is much easier and comes with the pleasure of feeling comfortable and put-together every day. However, everything about our culture encourages the constant accumulation of clothes, shoes, and accessories.  Fashion magazines, social media influencers, sales, buy-one-get-one promotions, and weekly shipments of new clothes meant to lure us into the stores can make it hard to resist fast fashion.  I used to shop all the time for new things to wear, so I certainly understand the temptation. To succeed with a smaller wardrobe, we need some changes in mindset and expectations. 6 steps to love your clutter-free closet 1.  Cultivate self-confidence. Susan Sorokanich, an interior decorator who has been wearing a personal uniform every day for 20 years, ...

I can't believe I'm going to use the past tense in this sentence: I used to be a constant reader. I would dive into a book, sometimes reading two at a time, but usually just one after the other, one or two books a week. I visited the library every ten days or so, and a bookstore at least once a month. And then two things happened: I got a smart phone. That was bad enough, because scrolling and clicking got me used to getting information in tiny, unrelated pieces. COVID closed libraries and bookstores. Once things started to open up again, our county decided to remodel the library, so it remained closed.  Today, I often find myself too impatient to read leisurely. I'll get started, but I don't seem to sink as deeply into the story before I'm distracted by my thoughts or something else. So far this year, I've read four books and started or skimmed five others. It's disconcerting to feel that I'm losing my lifelong habit. Challenge the goldfish. Here...

When I first began decluttering, I had no idea how long it would take, or even how much unneeded, unloved stuff I had.  As I worked through the process – sometimes with quick successes and sometimes more slowly and painstakingly – I began to feel lightness and freedom.  I enjoyed having less to care for and worry about, and more time for relationships, goals, and fun. However, eventually I realized that decluttering isn't magic.  It's not a once-and-done solution that simplifies life forever after. You see, clutter is a  symptom .  And just as a cold medication may bring down your fever, keep your nose from running, and quiet your cough without actually making you well, decluttering reduces  visual noise , makes your house easier to keep in order, and soothes stress and overwhelm without getting to  the root of the problem .  You still have to go through the process of healing the habits that continue to allow clutter into your life. 4 ways to cl...

Many of us hang on to things we don't need (and often never even look at) because of nostalgia. Supposedly these things bring back all our happy memories, and we believe that without them we'd somehow be less. Less able to remember, less who we are . Never mind that who you are today is fluid , changing all the time as new thoughts, knowledge, and experiences enter your life. Not only is that old stuff that clogs your basement, garage, and all your closets static , you don't even need it to jog those oh-so-precious memories. Don't believe me? Tell me, can you remember your first car? The one you got by working that cruddy part-time job your senior year of high school? It took just about every penny you earned to keep gas in the tank, and when it developed that suspicious noise you had to beg your dad for a loan to fix it. But you were proud of the thing all the same, and felt a huge amount of maturity and freedom because you had your own means of transportation. Maybe y...