I recently moved from a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house in the suburbs to a 1 bedroom 1 bath carraige house in the city. I took with me my mattress, box spring, bed frame, a cubby desk, book shelves, tons of books, 1/4 of my clothes, and my computer. I left behind a dresser, night tables, lamps, 2 office desk sets, a cubby desk, a living room set complete with sofa, love seat, and tables, a kitchen table, inventory from a failed business, 3 computers, dishes, and 3/4 of my wardrobe. I cut back to minimums.

I said some time ago that I feel like I am carrying around another person. Physically, I have an extra 125 lbs on my body (down from 145, yay!), but emotionally, it feels as though my True Self is encapsulated in this persona I created. The move was cathartic as it helped me to shed the belongings of that other person. It helped strip me to the bare necessities. It emptied my cup.

I’m not suggesting that we all need to move and leave behind 80% of our belongings, but I am suggesting that you take pause and simplify your lives. Here are some ways you can do that.

No After School Activity

Do you find that you are constantly shuffling children from school, to ballet, to gymnastics, to hockey, to soccer, to piano lessons, to pottery class? Take a breather!

Try a month with no after school activities. Your kids will thank you for it. Maybe it’s scary to think about what you would have to do with the kids if they weren’t engaged in some activity. Or maybe you’ll be faced with doing something for yourself. Gasp!

Instead of sending your children off to another activity, you could make dinner with them, not just for them. You could take a bike ride around the neighborhood with them. You could have game night with old fashioned board games. You could get to know your children in the short time that they live with you out of their entire life.

Go on a Media Fast

Books, television, radio, and yes, the Internet. I recently tried a reading fast for a week and was shocked at just how much of my time is filled being online. I didn’t know what to do with myself. What would I do for fun without my entertainment? I was panic striken. Then I realized that there’s a world out there. There are trees, and people, and aromatic scents, and clanging noises.

I’m a self-proclaimed information junkie, but I realized that the symphony of life is playing. You have a ticket. Go to the show!

Downsize Your Job

One day, I was humming along, minding my own business at work, when a thought surfaced. I’d been trying to figure out how to squeeze more time to do the things I love. Then it occured to me that I could cut my hours at work back to 25-30 a week. Amazingly, instead of relief and excitement at finding a solution, I felt disturbed. And, no, it wasn’t about the money.

I felt disturbed about being unconventional. I didn’t want to be different. Who said that you have to work a 40 hour week, or a 60 hour week to get ahead? And where are you trying to go? Consider simplifying your life by cutting back on your work week or eliminating it all together. Replace it with your passion.

Drop a Committee

In service to your favorite charity, let go of a committee or two. It’s seems contradictory to everything else I write here. However, you can’t give what you don’t have. When you feel spent, you are not doing anyone any good, by stretching yourself to do more. If you feel like service is now a chore, give it up! Spend some time caring for and serving yourself so that you can serve others.

Give Away 80%!

It’s not necessary. It seems drastic. But it sure does feel good. If you follow Pareto’s principle, you’ll be left with the 20% that makes your life anyway:-)

In Spirit,
Nneka