Five choices to start living simply and sustainably today
My path towards simple, intentional living was driven by my children. Having hyperemesis gravidarum in my son's pregnancy changed my life: it was the wake up call that my time on this earth is limited, that I am not infallible and I can regain control of how I want me life to be. I've paced myself, for sure (my son is now three years old), slowly making changes until I forget that what is ‘normal’ for me now took time to learn. Some was learnt through trial and error (jogging was not for me!) but some aspects - once I had found some quiet space to listen to my body and the thoughts raging behind a wall of displeasure - were pure instinct. Here you'll find five choices (and I call them choices purposefully because each has been made with intention, driven by the values I use to guide me) that I have included in my life which supports my simple, sustainable living journey. I hope it will inspire you to give one or two a try yourself.
Walk
There is nothing quite like a walk to cement the season we are living in. It grounds me more so than any other activity, and so it has become a daily habit. Walk without distraction, look up and out, notice the changes over the weeks as you pass the front gardens, the buildings, the people. Stop to look closer, notice and think only of that moment.
Something to read: Yang Sheng: The Art of Chinese Self-Healing, Katie Brindle 2019; Hardie Grant (London)
2. Switch off those notifications
I still feel this has the biggest influence in my slow living journey: to have a quiet phone. I have disabled all social media and email notifications on my phone, muting messaging at certain times of the day when I am with my children or working. It doesn’t mean I become complacent, it means I can give my attention to what matters most in my life and reserving the rest to a time that is convenient for me.
Something to watch: 10 Unconventional Habits to Live Distraction-Less, Joshua Becker; Becoming Minimalist
3. Chose only one
Humans are encouraged to have as much as possible: it’s our hunter-gatherer genes in play, it’s true. So to choose only one is a practice in aligning our values with the physical objects in our life. For me, it began with my capsule wardrobe - one hat, one jacket, one white shirt - before soon I realised that choosing only one had become a habit throughout our home, for the big things and the small.
Something to listen to: Priority Means One with Christy Wright, Minimalist Moms Podcast
4. Declutter one surface
Working in marketing, there was often a tussle over the benefit of ‘white space.’ Words and messages need space to breathe on a page - and humans need space to breathe in their homes. One clear surface can be enough to prove the benefits of minimalism: a coffee table, a sideboard, the kitchen sink. Which will you do today?
Something to learn: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, Margareta Magnusson 2017; Canongate Books (Edinburgh)
5. Fix something
On a shelf in my kitchen is a box labelled ‘toy hospital’: a place where broken toys go to be repaired. I want my children to appreciate that when something breaks, it does not mean it is the end of it’s life, that it is always worthwhile to try to repair something, or repurpose it before it goes to the ‘toy morgue’ (the bin). The satisfaction that comes from making something whole again is a joy everyone should get to experience, in my eyes.
Something to inspire: Being smart, not being mean: How minimalism prepared me for a pandemic on the lauratweedale.com/blog
