How to live slowly this autumn
I’ve felt a bit off balance lately. It’s at the same time exciting and exhausting with everything opening up here again. I’m grateful but I also felt the need for a reset in my mindset. I realised that many people might feel the same, so I thought I would share some tips on how to live slowly and more minimally this autumn.
1. Sit down and reflect over your values. Give yourself time to think about what you want more of in your life, what really matters to you and what you want to spend your time on. Some questions you might consider to get you started are: How do I want to feel? What do I want to focus on? What do I want to learn more about?
2. Get decluttering. When you have a clear idea of what you want your life to look like it’s time to get some order. In my opinion it’s equally important to not just toss things mindlessly as it is to buy them without thought. Make sure that your things get a new good home if they are still working. I like to practise un-buying, that is to make an effort to sell things and not just dump them at your nearest second hand shop for someone else to handle. When you try to sell your things you get a really good insight on how much value things loose over time and that might help you think twice the next time you are about to make a purchase.
3. Own with a purpose. I think that it’s good to reflect on why I own things and make it a habit to think about what value the new things I bring home will add. Make sure that the new things you get align with your values.
4. Keep it tidy. I work hard to make it a habit that before I go to bed I go around and tidy up visible clutter and also wipe down the kitchen area. While going around I try to practise point 3.
5. Plan purchases. I keep a list on my phone with things I need but also things I want. I have these two in the same list but if it’s easier for you, you can have them separately. Also, wait a couple of days or weeks before you decide to buy something new. This has really saved me from making unnecessary purchases.
6. Plan for rest. This year I’ve really learnt that stress should not be your everyday life. Sometimes there is a lot going on and that’s just life but then it’s essential to plan for rest and recovery. I think it’s really important to sort out what rest means to you. When you know what it is, plan it in your calendar if you tend to fill it up quickly.
7. Say no to things you don’t want to do. I mean life is full of things we don’t want to do but have to, so don’t waste your valuable time to do things that you don’t need need to do. Look at point 1, what do you value?
8. Think about your future. I believe that a lot of people think about their lives in terms of: If I only had that thing, If I only had that job, If I only lived at that adress - I would be happy. I also believe that we intellectually understand that it isn’t true but those ideas are hard to let go of. I would suggets to clear your mind, perhaps take a long walk or sit in silence and really try to listen in to what you would like your future to be like.
These tips are by no means a recipe for success, these are just things that I have found helpful in the past when I strive to live simpler. I think that it’s important to mention when speaking of minimalism that there aren’t a set of rules that we need to follow to practice minimalism or slow living. We can simplify how much or how little as we want, to me it comes down to knowing what is important in my life. For example when it comes to things: I don’t strive to own as little as possible but more as intentionally as I can.