Simple is enough

Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler. - ALBERT EINSTEIN

Simple is as simple does.

If you’re a minimalist, close your ears.

For the rest of us, let’s talk.

It’s easy to race to simplicity with lots of energy and a heavy hand.

You can rip out all the unnecessary stuff from your life like you’re weeding a garden.

The problem is, just like in your garden, in your haste you may be pulling out young shoots that you’re confusing with weeds.

It may have taken you a long time to complicate your life to the point where you are unhappy and feeling burdened with stuff that doesn’t serve you.

And now that you see a path to freedom, you’re eager to race down it to the finish line.

What you may not be considering is that until recently you were an expert accumulator … even if a rather indiscriminate one.

So while I completely encourage you to move quickly, I also want to caution you to move deliberately.

You don’t want to oversimplify your life.

Like goldilocks seeking the middle way, you want your life to be just simple enough to do everything you need/want to do you want it to be just right.

Mindfulness was probably absent as you brought things into your life. We want to make sure it’s always a factor in your process of letting go.

As you work to simplify your life, your first pass should always be low-hanging fruit.

That’s everything you KNOW you don’t use, haven’t used, will never use again.

Those things can leave immediately.

The rest of the stuff needs to be touched one last time and considered.

Don’t spend a lot of time asking why you have it, what you were thinking you’d use it for or why you may need it in the future.

Why is it a hard question to answer definitively when it comes to stuff?

It’s easier to answer when it comes to your life’s purpose … just ask Simon Sinek.

As for the stuff, let’s be fierce and focused and purge everything you possibly can that doesn’t serve you.

Let’s also be methodical about it so you are crystal clear on what does and does NOT stay.

Because if you ARE hasty, I can almost guarantee that you will undermine your success and regret your choices.

Next week, we’ll take a deeper look at organizing without regret.

For now, find the low-hanging fruit and let it go.

I promise you’ll feel great AND avoid any kind of stuff hangover.

For more easy tips and tools, listen to the UnStuff America! Podcast for encouragement, accountability, and more than a few laughs.