Tag: less

A Month of Gratitude 2024: Day 16

Hello there.  How was the start to your week?  Mine was very peaceful.  My long weekend has come to an end, and I didn’t get much done.  I did rest, though, and I think that was the most important thing to get done.  

One Thing I am Grateful For

I didn’t get to see my sister today as planned, so I gave her a call instead, and we chatted for over an hour.  It was good to hear her voice. I am glad we took the time to catch up. 

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Reviewing and Renewing

I have spent this weekend reviewing the year that was and thinking through my 2025 goals.  As I have mentioned,  my word for 2025 will be “Wellness”, so I have been unpacking what that means for me and what success will look like. 

My word for 2024 is “Less”.  I am quite excited that I have managed to get a lot of physical decluttering done.  I will spend the last two weeks of the year improving my digital decluttering.  I store so much stuff that I will probably never use, and I suspect it is because I am often unclear about what I want to do or write about, so I store loads of information “just in case”. 

If you have not tried choosing a word for the year, I highly recommend it.  I find that it helps me stay intentional about how I live my life throughout the year, as the word I choose always hangs around in the back of my mind and gives me a gentle prod when I deviate from my intention.  Thus far, I have developed better digital systems for storing information at work because my 2022 intention was about productivity.  I am still working on one for home, and I am excited because I have finally found one that I like and can make work.  It always helps me feel like I can end the year feeling like I have made significant progress in at least one area of my life.   

That’s it from me today.  Thanks for popping by.  Do you have a word for the year?  How have you progressed towards achieving something towards it? 

Bye for now. 

Less

That’s my word for the year. I have been looking around me for the past few weeks, and all I see is stuff. My wardrobes and cupboards are overflowing. My inboxes are overflowing. My folders are overflowing. There is just too much “overflowing” going on around me.

Image: Canva

That is not the only reason I want to have less of everything. I want to have less because I want to focus on the things and people in my life that will bring me more. More enrichment, more growth, more enjoyment, more experiences, more fulfilment, more fun and more focus…I guess you get the picture.

I am very grateful that I have been blessed with the means to accumulate all that, but I have definitely lost my way. I have accumulated largely for the sake of accumulating things and because I can sometimes, though, my bank balance takes some strain. 

The issue with accumulating stuff, responsibilities and projects is that you can quickly lose sight of the things that are important to you. There are areas of my life that run me because of this lack of focus which is not on. It is time to take back the areas I can control, like my finances and my home, for example. I have spent so much time, money and effort into my education that I have let the maintenance of my home slip. I have allowed so many little things that need fixing to accumulate. I don’t know about you, but I also find it quite stressful when things don’t work correctly, so fixing it all will lead to less stress.

Clearing the clutter also adds energy to a space, or at least that is how it makes me feel. The same is true for clearing the mental and digital clutter. I feel rejuvenated and more alive when I step into a cleared space. I must admit that if I have done too good a job clearing a room, I feel a little lost in the space. 

There are two areas that I will find the most difficult to clear: my bookcases and my clothes. I will have to come to terms with the fact that there are quite a few of each that I have to release for someone else’s enjoyment. I may never get to read/wear them, and that’s okay.

This is just one of my bookcases that is screaming for help 😱

I have tried physically decluttering before, but the clutter has somehow found its way back. I have come to the conclusion that it’s because I didn’t have a “why” that resonated with me each time I did it. I just did it because, at that point, I was tired of the clutter and wanted a clear space. This time, I know why I want to do this, and I am clear on the benefits for me and my son. I am clear on how to restructure the space to achieve my desired benefits.

Transformation takes time. This has been my other downfall previously. I had lacked patience with the process. I end up accepting a lower standard just to see a difference. So, in 2024, there will also be less rushing and lots more patience. 

So, I am looking forward to a clearer and more focused year. Less for More in 2024!

Thank you for walking with me through 2023! May your 2024 be blessed.

Do you have a word or phrase for the year to come?