Guest post by Alex Berger of The Berger Bungalow
Simple living is a way of life that focuses on intentionality, living well, and of course, simplicity. For me personally, simple living is a great way to remove stress out of my life and instead, live it worry-free, to the fullest. Although simple living does look different for each individual, there are basic similarities among those who have chosen to integrate simple living into their everyday lives.
Each day, I live intentionally and try my best to really soak in every moment and it is honesty much easier to do when my life feels simple and stress-free. While I am not the expert of experts when it comes to simple living (I could definitely do better some days!), I do have a few tips for you about how to get started with simple living, if you are interested:
Participate in A Minimalist Wardrobe Challenge
Last winter, I participated in a minimalist wardrobe challenge with my friend, Eryn. It’s called the 10×10 challenge, although there is a longer 30×30 challenge. The 10×10 wardrobe challenge is essentially a mini capsule closet that you create for yourself for ten days straight. You choose 10 items and you cannot wear any other items during that time. You pick 10 items from your current closet, style those items into 10 different looks, use 10 days to do it, and have fun!
It was surprisingly extremely hard for me, but it taught me a lot about what I actually need vs. what I don’t need. If you are just getting started with simple living, this is a great place to start to see what you actually wear (and need) vs. what you don’t.
Take A Social Media Detox
I’m not sure about you, but social media has the potential to stress me out and stress is not great for your body or mind. In fact, one of the reasons why most people take to a simple lifestyle is to decrease their stress levels and if you are trying to decrease your stress, you should definitely not do things that you already know will stress you out. Taking a social media detox is not only good for your stress levels, but it is good for the soul, too.
We compare ourselves to others on social media way too much and although social media and the internet, in general, has the potential to do a lot of good and spread a lot of education and information quickly, it also has the potential to wreak havoc on our personal lives, so don’t let it do so to you. As a blogger, it is very hard to figure out the balance of social media, but when it doubt, take a break!
Remove Old Furniture
Remove old furniture and other junk from your home, in order to make it less cluttered. If you have a ton of old furniture and/or junk around your house, I highly recommend utilizing a dumpster rental from Junk Queen TX. That way, you will not have to figure out what to do with all of your stuff.
Their dumpsters are sleek, small, and fit in your driveway (or side yard, or anywhere else on your property). Fill whatever you want in your junk queen dumpster, do it at your own speed, and when you are ready, just pick up the phone and tell them to come pick it up.
I have tried selling things on the Facebook marketplace and other websites similar to that, but if you have a lot of junk and old furniture, it can be too much work and at that point, having a dumpster will be your one stop EASY shop to getting rid of your junk.
If you are located in Plano, Frisco, Celina, Gunter, Allen, or any of the surrounding areas, call Junk Queen TX today to find out more information. They are affordable, eco-friendly, and provide free estimates!
Cut Down On TV
Do you mind that you come home from work and plop down on the couch in front of the TV? If so, you could be losing valuable time that you could, instead, be spending with family or friends, making genuine connections and having fun experiences. That Wallet Moth says, “TV encourages us to be lazy, to spend on material things we see advertised in between programs, and can slowly dull the creativity in our minds. If you can’t bring yourself to throw your TV out, at least try to cut down on it.
The average UK person spends 24 hours watching TV a week! An entire day of your life, per week, lost on television. That thought is utterly, utterly depressing. Think of all the things you could be doing with your life without the distraction of the screen.
Limit yourself to one hour a day in the evenings. A better idea would be to cut yourself off at the source by cancelling your cable altogether. A subscription to a service like Amazon ShowTime is not only far cheaper but will mean you only watch TV when you want to watch something – not just because it’s there!”
Spend 30 Minutes Each Day Tidying
Once you remove old furniture from your house and declutter everything, spend thirty minute each day tidying up your home. Maybe this means running a load in your dishwasher and putting the dishes away, wiping down the counters, and folding a load of laundry. Or, maybe this means vacuuming, mopping the downstairs, and putting away toys. No matter what this looks like to you, just do something to help you stay organized.
What Does Enough Look Like To You?
I want to end on this note: what does enough look like to you? When it comes down to it, simple living is different for everyone. Some people live simply by being nomads. Others live simply by only owning what they need. If living simply means having a full closet, but cutting back on your social media and other stressors in life, go for it.
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