It's funny how the older I get, the simpler I want my life to be. Shopping was once a fun activity for me--a social outing--and now, I dread it. I want less stuff, not more. That's partly because more stuff generates more work, and partly because one of the greenest things we can do is to stop buying new things.
I'm also trying to cut down on activities that gobble up my time, like sitting in a salon for hours. That feeds into the whole "getting older" thing, too--because I don't want to spend my time (a limited resource) in places that are not adding any true value to my days.
Here are some suggestions for things to cut out of your life if you want to simplify it:
1. Salon manicures. Just think of all the "important" things you could be doing if you weren't shackled to a salon chair, waiting for your nails to dry. Important things like reading a good book, taking a picture of the sky, or cuddling with your pet. Aside from the occasional mani-pedi with my "girly-girl" daughter at home (see above), I rarely wear nail polish. Most brands of nail polish contain phthalates--something you especially want to avoid if you are pregnant, nursing, or have kids who use the polish, too. (Another life-simplifier: If you really "need" nail polish, stick with neutrals that match your nails, instead of bright blue, dark red, and other colors that noticeably require touching up after one typing session.)
2. Tiny notes. You know the ones I'm talking about: those little self-adhering papers that are flapping and fluttering all over your house like a fairy-elf parade. If you need to write down reminders to yourself, jot them on a desk calendar that's in plain view of your computer. Or embrace the digital age and upload a system to your iPhone, like Notograph (see article below), which lets you take pictures of what you want to remember without taking up space on your camera roll.
3. Placemats. I can't believe how much easier our clean-up routine got when we decided to forego placemats for our everyday meals in the kitchen. Instead of scrubbing down the placemats and then the table, now we just give a few swipes over the table with a spritzed cloth and we're done. (We still dress up the dining room table for company, though--that's when it becomes part of the fun instead of drudgery.)
4. Newspapers. Transfer the paper subscriptions you absolutely cannot live without (and why is that, by the way?) to an online version, and say goodbye to the stacks upon stacks of newspapers you never got around to reading in the first place. Also say goodbye to dirty "newspaper fingers." (Yuck!)
5. Game systems for the kids. I know this might sound like a radical parenting concept, but if you're about to buy your kids a handheld game system, consider just lending them your smart phone or iPad instead. Load it up with a few educational, non-violent games, and limit the amount of time you let them spend playing tech games so they don't turn into mini-zombies. (We limit our kids' iPad time to under an hour on Saturday and Sunday, and have noticed a real change for the better in their attitudes.) Better yet, take them to the library or the park. Your house will be a more peaceful place, and you'll save a lot of cash by avoiding the game stores altogether.
I feel lighter already! How about you?
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FINAL DAYS to register for my photography e-course, starting Monday, March 10: "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." The following link has all the details: Learn more and register here. JOIN US! It will be fun!
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