There are a lot of people blogging about minimalism these days. That’s good. I hope they’re all making strides to live with less. I’ve been practicing simple living the majority of my life. Part of living simple includes blogging simple. I’m going to make a point to practice what I preach this year.
I’m just like you. I struggle with trying to keep life simple. I don’t always eat right. I don’t exercise as often as I could. I don’t always recycle. I don’t grow a vegetable garden. I don’t air-dry my clothes. These are all things I aspire to do this year.
This year, I promise to do my best to practice what I preach. The 10-Step-Challenge To Simple Living focuses on the following:
This Year I’m Going To Practice What I Preach
If I’m truly honest with myself, and you, I’m only consistent at half of the things on the 10-Step list. The rest are works in progress. There are two things on this list that can hinder all the rest: #3 and #6. This is where I struggle the most.
As a writer and a blogger, it’s easy for me to do too much. I can get stuck on my MacBook Air for hours on end. I wind up spending too much time on blogging and social media. This year, I’m going to set limits.
I operate four blogs. I know what you’re thinking: “And you call yourself a minimalist?” Let me explain:
I used to have a single blog. I found myself struggling between four topics: creativity, minimalism, writing, and blogging. So last year, I divided my interests into four specific niches, each minimalist in their own right. It’s worked well.
With four blogs comes the potential to spend too much time on the computer.
That means I’ll be cutting back a little bit here. If I claim to be a minimalist, I need to practice what I preach.
In my last post, The Root To All Your Problems In Four Fears, the first fear is, “The fear of not being good enough.” I think it’s this fear that can drive you to do too much. Maybe you can relate.
- Do you ever compare your work to others?
- Do you ever think you’re progressing too slowly?
- Do you feel like you need to push harder?
When you try to push too hard, you wind up spending too much time working, and not enough time playing. You need downtime. You need to play. Give yourself the freedom to stop pushing. Let go.
It doesn’t matter if you’re as good as the next blogger. It doesn’t matter if you’re a perfect minimalist. It doesn’t matter if you’re a bestseller. What really matters is that you try your best to be true to yourself. Don’t let your fear of not being good enough turn you into something you’re not meant to be. Accept yourself. You are the best you that there is. Keep it simple.
5 Promises For The Year
- Post less often: In the past, I’ve posted as many as 10-12 times per week. This year, I’m going to limit my posts to no more than five per week across several blogs.
- Limit social media: I’m going to stick to a specific schedule on social media. Minimalism should be something we practice in all areas of our lives, including our online life.
- Start a garden: Last year I did a lot of landscaping. This year I’m making it a goal to start a small vegetable garden in my back yard. That will decrease my shopping needs.
- Recycle regularly: I’ve been an on-again/off-again recycler. This year, I’m turning my recycling efforts back on for good. A conscientious minimalist should be a good steward of the Earth.
- Air-dry my clothes: My house came with a clothesline on a pulley. I’ve got no excuses here. It’s time to practice minimalism in my energy usage.
Your goals may not be the same as mine. I encourage you to set some goals for the new year. Choose goals that are within your reach and start by taking small steps to reach them. Do less. Buy less. Live more. Love more. Do your best to practice what you preach.
Remember, happiness comes in the simple acts of doing.
Learn more about how simple living can lead to happiness and productivity in my free ebook:
