It’s just a few weeks into 2013 and I’m already having trouble balancing things. Life can can get crazy and out of control so quickly. Anyone else there with me? I’m not even sure how it happens. Thus, learning to live more simply is one of my goals this year. Now before you go off and think I’m talking about selling everything I own and living in a cardboard box, let me set a few things straight. A simple life doesn’t mean boring, nor does it mean impoverished. In fact, I believe in striving for simplicity we will find a rich and full life. A lot of times I find that the things I think I need are the things keeping me back from truly living each day to the fullest. Here are 3 things I’m implementing this year in order to have a simpler life.
1. Purge the clutter
Is it just me or does clutter seem to magically appear out of nowhere? I’m not just talking about the stuff in my house here. Life is full of clutter in many aspects – social media, calendar, home, thoughts, and it goes on and on…If your goal is a simpler life, then you and I both need to analyze all aspects of life to determine what is valuable and what is merely clutter. I know I’m having to ask myself, “Am I busy for business sake?” If so, some things have to go. Let’s not forget about the home either. Go through everything, organize and get rid of clutter.
2. Purchase less stuff
You’ve heard people say “quality over quantity.” I want this to be true of my purchases in 2013. Cheap stuff brakes and wears out, which then leads to having to go and find a replacement. That does not make for a simple life. I’m trying to learn patience, as I save up for things that will last and look for bargains instead of a quick fix. You can apply this to so many areas. Maybe for you it’s starting a garden instead of getting fast food all the time. Maybe its buying one pair of good pants instead of 5 cheap fashion items. Maybe it’s learning to DIY a bit more. Maybe you need to go through your closet and reorganize instead of buying new things. I know I do. (If you’re looking for some great ideas for simplifying your closet, check out Hayley’s No Brainer Wardrobe.)
3. Pursue one passion
You don’t hear about people in history that pursued many different passions and did great things in myriads of areas. Think about it. Most of the time it was one passion, one vision and one purpose. If they had divided up their passions and pursuits, we probably wouldn’t know about them. I know I’m guilty of wanting to do so many different things and be good at all of them. I want to make a difference in lots of areas, but it is not humanly possible. The reality is that I must simplify and put my energy into one thing if I ever want to go anywhere with it. My mind and body can only handle so much. I have to come to grips with that this year. I can either choose to be all over the place with a million different projects or I can simply and go after one thing…or maybe two. (I’m taking baby steps here.)
What do you want to simplify in your life this year? Where can you simply your passions and pursuits?
Connect with Jennifer on her blog or on Twitter.
11 Comments on "a simpler 2013"
The idea of simplifying our family life is something I pray and think about everyday. I just spent a few hours going through photographs on the computer (part of my organizing plan for this winter) and I felt so moved to reevaluate how we spend our time. (It’s just flying by so fast). I love what you said about pursuing one passion. It takes a lot of soul searching to figure out what your passion is. I think a mistake a lot of us “organized Mom-wannabe’s” is that we eliminate a heartfelt passion in our own lives in order to simplify everyone else’s. I’m learning that if I focus on one thing that truly brings me joy, lights my fire, and makes me a better person, than I’m so much more equipped to do the same in the lives of the people around me. I know that with a huge amount of prayer, God always makes time for things that matter. Thanks for a fantastic post.
Great post! I’m striving for that “simpler life” this year also.
I’m with you, simplify is the plan for 2013. I started with my clothes. I put clothes I don’t wear on the bottom rack of my closet, they have one year to be taken out, or they’ll be donated. Top rack, skinny clothes.
I don’t sleep in the room with the closet, so I put my currently fitting clothes in rubbermaid bins until the free standing closet unit I ordered comes in. Then as soon as I lose enough to quit wearing something, I’ll take something from the skinny rack. The larger clothes will be donated immediately so I don’t have a fallback wardrobe lol. My ultimate goal is a capsule wardrobe of goal weight clothes, for each season. So, that long winded answer is where I’m starting off this year. No more jam packed closet I can’t squeeze things into when I only wear the same few things anyway!
I LOVED this post! For me, a simpler 2013 means bringing my children into the creative process in my studio on Saturdays. It means creating with them on the days I have off work and not feeling like I have to entertain them through buying things or taking them all over this city to places, but engaging them with me in things we all can do. For us that is painting, building, being creative. That is quality time spent right there. It is simple, free, and creative. This Saturday we are creating a chalkboard toy chest!!! Last week we made “Love Graffiti Cards.”
As far as passion, I am really putting my time into my artwork this year. I want to show my work again and just start generating paintings and photographs that remind myself and viewers to live deliberate and passionate lives for God.
I like this post. Agree completely. My biggest trouble is the last one. Choosing one passions seems nigh unto impossible for me. I love so many things and have so many interests I really can’t quite just choose one! But I know this would simplify so much!
Yes, #3 really resonates with me but how do I pick the ONE?
I absolutely love this post! I’ve wished and hoped to simplify my life for some time but recently I sat down with my hubby and discussed the stress and anxiety a ‘cluttered’ life causes me. Thankfully he’s on board and we are slowly going through the process of simplifying. We started today by purging the clutter, slowly going through each room in the house and getting ride of of the things we don’t need/use/want. During this processes we also found ourselves re-evaluating how we spend time. I have always liked the philosophy of “quality vs quantity”. But the idea of pursuing one passion that’s a tough one for me, I’m passionate about many things and I often find it difficult to focus on one or two. I guess part of my struggle is being a woman in my late twenties without a clear purpose, that sometimes frustrates me. I guess that’s something I can work on this year. Thanks for the great tips in a world with so much clutter it’s nice to know I am not the only one looking to simplify life.
Oh my, YES!! I’ve been practicing what I call ‘slow mothering’. After a cross-country move, husband back in school and new home/community/everything I was reaching burn out trying to be super involved and make friends. I decided to limit what we do, my husband’s crazy busy school schedule is enough to keep us all going. And it’s paying off, slowly. I’m not as stressed and neither are my girls.
Beautiful photographs!
I love this post! I love your blog. I’m growing to love you more and more the more I read your heart and see your life!! Thanks for sharing with us.
It is all of the above. Clutter makes me anxious so we just don’t have much. Which is easy since I just moved across the ocean so I brought little. It was a good lesson in how much I really need. I try to be very conscious about this fact, thinking things over before a purchase is made.
I am passionate about many things and so that is something I am still figuring out. Again, it is somewhat easy because I went through so many changes this year that I don’t have much on my plate now. Being a newlywed is a new start, a clean slate… and I haven’t taken much on just yet. Though my passion to write and photography are things I haven’t let go off, it’s just time to see what platforms I will have for it.
Taking note on these tips. I was actually just telling a blog friend of mine that I plan on doing a series on my blog for a while about simplifying my life. The stress of day-to-day obligations is really starting to get to me, I’m hoping that by sharing the journey with my blog friend I will be held accountable and stick with it.
xoxo