March is upon us and for the next installment of my Year of Letting Go challenge, I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to let go of overthinking.
For some reason, I’ve got into to habit of excessive rumination and its not healthy. Instead of taking a proactive approach and moving forward, I get stuck into a thought loop. It’s exhausting.
Someone once told my that my mind is like a parrot, constantly chattering away and sending me in different directions. And they’re probably right. But there are benefits to having a mind that incessantly questions everything. It leads to much probing into those dusty corners of life that often remain unexplored and can result in a life less ordinary.
I belive my ‘parrot mind’ is the reason behind my financial origin story – why I chose to pay my mortgage off early, crave freedom and find so much value in leading a life of creation over consumption.
While taking part in the 30 day minimalism game I became sensitive to how much digital baggage I carried around with me.
In the morning, I’d switch on my phone and be faced with pages of apps that instantly made me feel exhausted. Later, while using my laptop I’d become aware of a barrage of documents that hadn’t been opened for years. It felt overwhelming.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve completed the 30 day minimalism game and now I have 465 less items in my posession.
Was it worth it? Definitely! My home feels lighter and I learned some unexpected lessons along the way.
Is it over? No, not quite, but more on that later.
When I decided to take on the minimlaism game as part of my Year of Letting Go, I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into. I wandered into the challenge with rose-tinted spactacles, thinking how easy it would be to get rid of a bunch of items every day. But my thinking didn’t go beyond that.
Whilst doing the 30 day minimalism game, a key issue that has come up for me is how to sustainably declutter during lockdown. Afterall, if I’m clearing 465 possessions out of my life, I don’t want to send it all to landfill.
I’ve tried to take a mindful and environmentally friendly approach to minimalism. Below are some of the strategies I’ve come up with, including rehoming and recycling my unwanted posessions.